#6 Exaggeration: One of the easiest creative techniques to start with

Hey there,

Let's start this Sunday with a quick flashback from 20 years ago.

20 years ago, I was a fresh geek at a trendy digital agency in Vilnius. Our agency collaborated with all the big-name creative shops in the market — Leo Burnett, DDB, Ogilvy, Y&R, McCann Erickson, etc. These were the creative powerhouses in Vilnius.

My job was to make their grand ideas work online.

I sat in endless meetings, eyes wide, soaking in the brilliance. They’d float around the room, casually dropping well-thought-out copy and speaking in creative puzzles. They had this creative aura I couldn’t fathom and I remember thinking, we’re not even the same species.

Me? I had a computer science background and zero confidence in my “creative” side.

But here’s the twist: over time, I realized my computational thinking let me break down what they did into repeatable steps.

Creativity isn’t some mystical gift. It’s a skill—one you practice until it becomes second nature.

What we’re aiming for

Before diving into today's creative technique, let’s define the end goal: a great creative concept guides your audience through three key phases:

1. Attention: It grabs attention.
2. Curiosity: It sparks interest with deliberate ambiguity in the visual.
3. Clarity: It provides a clear explanation that resolves the puzzle and delivers the message.

I call this structure a creative equation. A short, engaging creative puzzle your audience can’t help but solve. It stops people in their tracks, makes them think for a moment and ensures your message hits home every time.

Once we focus on these three phases, the creative process becomes simpler.

Exaggeration: One of the easiest creative techniques to start

What this technique does:​
This creative technique allows you to exaggerate a selected product feature. Thickening the colours helps convey the desired product feature more clearly and impactfully. All you need to have to test this technique is a clear message: an adjective + a noun.

How to apply it:

1. Identify a typical product use scene: Think of a common scenario where your product is used as intended.
2. Focus on the adjective in the message: Pinpoint the key trait that you want to emphasize (usually represented by the adjective in the message).
3. Brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: Imagine exaggerated or extreme versions of the key trait. How can you take it to the next level in a way that is memorable and visually striking?
4. Pick the best hyperbolized outcome and create the visual: Select the most attention-grabbing idea and craft a visual where the exaggerated feature takes center stage.
5. Craft the text explanation: Write a clear, concise message that resolves the hyperbolized visual and reinforces your product's key trait.

Example: Spicy chicken wings

• Message: Spicy chicken wings.
• Typical product use scene: Someone eating chicken wings at a restaurant or at home.
• Adjective: Spicy.
• Question to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of something overly spicy?
• Hyperbolized outcomes:
  • Fire coming out of the eater’s mouth.
  • Smoke coming out of the ears.
  • A sweating, red-faced person holding ice cubes to cool down.
• Hyperbolized outcome chosen: We can actually fit all the outcomes in this case.
• Visual result: A man takes a bite of a chicken wing, and flames are bursting out of his mouth—visually extreme, attention-grabbing, and humorous.
• Text explanation: Bring the heat with our extra spicy chicken wings.

Why it works:

Hyperbolization taps into emotions and humor by pushing the key product trait to its extreme. This helps the audience instantly connect with the message and remember it. Even if the visual feels absurd, it leaves a lasting impression—exactly what you want in a crowded content space.

Pro tip: If your hyperbolized scene makes you think, ‘Okay, that’s ridiculous,’ congratulations—you’ve probably nailed it.

Real-world examples

Here are some standout campaigns from creative agencies that mastered the Analogies and Substitutes technique.

Burger King: Real big burgers (agency: unknown)

Message: Big burgers.
​Adjective: Big.
​Questions to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of big burgers? What could happen if the burgers were really big?
​Outcome: You might tear the corners of your mouth while eating it (hence the bandages).
​Text explanation: Real big burgers.

WMF: Fly (Agency: KNSK, Germany)

Message: Sharp knife.
​Adjective: Sharp.
​Questions to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of razor sharp knives?
​Outcome: A fly would be cleanly cut in half if it sat on the edge of the knife, emphasizing near-surgical precision.
​Text explanation: Sharper than you think. The WMF Grand Gourmet knife with Damasteel blade.

Cascade: What Glass? (Ad school: S.I. Newhouse School Of Public Communications, Syracuse University)

Message: Crystal clear dishes.
​Adjective: Crystal clear.
​Question to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of cristal clear dishes?
​Outcome: The glass could be so clear you barely saw it at all—even while pouring wine.
​Text Explanation: Crystal clear. Cascade.

ICL Agroleaf Power: Stronger crops (Agency: Bureau Loos, Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Message: Strong crops.
​Adjective: Strong.
​Questions to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of very strong crops?
​Outcome: A leaf of the crop could have defined muscles of a human body making it look ripped and powerful.
​Text explanation: Grow stronger crops, today.

WMF: Chicken (Agency: Leo Burnett, Bangkok, Thailand)

Message: Sharp knife (again).
​Adjective: Sharp.
​Questions to brainstorm hyperbolized outcomes: What extreme or exaggerated scenarios come to mind when thinking of super sharp knife?
​Outcome: You could slice a chicken with such precision that you could see an anatomy-style cross-section.
​Text explanation: Sharper than you think.

Why exaggeration works?

Each example guides the audience through three stages:

• Grabs attention: The unexpected visual makes people stop scrolling.
• Sparks curiosity: The exaggeration creates a mental puzzle your audience wants to solve (Wait, what's going on here?).
• Delivers clarity: The text explanation resolves the lack of clarity, leaving your message clear and memorable.

It's like a trap for the audience's attention: people are presented with a creative puzzle and tasked to solve it.

Try a micro brainstorm

For each of these four messages, ask yourself two questions:

1. How can we push the adjective to the absolute extreme (this will help grab and hold attention)?
2. How do we clarify the ambiguity for the viewer (this will clear the ambiguity and nail the message)?

1) Shockproof phone case

• Adjective: Shockproof
• What exaggerated use cases would scream “shockproof”?
• You could show it taking impacts way beyond everyday phone drops: Using it as a boxing target, hammering nails with it, using it as a dog frisbee, etc.
• Clarifying the puzzle: Text could say, “Ultimate Shock Protection—No Matter the Hit.”
• Your turn: What other outrageous uses would scream “shockproof”?

2) Moisture-resistant speaker

• Adjective: Moisture-resistant
• What exaggerated use cases would scream “moisture-resistant”?
• You could show it playing in the wettest, wildest conditions: Placed underwater in a fish tank, blasting music in heavy rainfall, enjoying some beats while snorkeling, etc.
• Clarifying the Puzzle: Text could say, “Bring the Tunes Anywhere—Rain or Shine.”
• Your turn: Think of a scene that’s so drenched, it’s ridiculous, yet it highlights the speaker’s resilience.

3) Silent vacuum cleaner

• Adjective: Silent
• What exaggerated use cases would scream “silent”?
• You could show it being used in impossible quiet zones: A library, next to a sleeping bear in a cave, an ongoing classical music concert, etc.
• Clarifying the Puzzle: Text could say, “Clean in Silence—Wherever You Need.”
• Your turn: Where else can you imagine vacuuming without making a peep?

Over to You:

Try a quick brainstorming session using these prompts. How would you grab attention, spark curiosity, and then provide clarity? Don’t worry if your first ideas seem silly—that’s often where the magic lies!

Final note

It took me years to realize creativity isn’t an innate gift for the chosen few. It’s a skill set you can reverse-engineer—and, crucially, practice. Having guided 500+ marketers, I’ve seen how they apply this mindset successfully.

If this resonates with you, stay tuned for more techniques from the “Creative Equation” framework.

Until next time,
Tomas

Remember: 🛠️ Start Clear. 💡 End Creative.