Creativity in Cases

This lesson teaches how to generate ideas that feel original but still commercially sensible.

Why This Matters

Creativity matters in cases because some questions do not have one obvious analytical path.

Interviewers may ask you to generate:

• new growth ideas
• customer acquisition approaches
• new use cases
• operational improvements

The test is not whether your ideas are unusual.

It is whether they are both relevant and useful.

The Advanced Shift

Strong case creativity is constrained creativity.

That means:

• ideas should fit the client’s objective
• ideas should reflect the business context
• ideas should be actionable enough to discuss

Creativity in a case is not random brainstorming.

It is structured ideation with judgment.

Where It Changes the Case

When asked to brainstorm, resist the urge to prove originality through novelty alone.

Instead:

• organize the idea space
• generate a few strong ideas in each bucket
• prioritize the ones with the best business logic

How to Handle It

1. Clarify the objective

Ask what outcome the client wants:

• more revenue
• more usage
• better retention
• lower cost

2. Choose smart buckets

For example:

• customer segment
• use occasion
• channel
• product feature
• partnership

3. Generate ideas within constraints

Tie each idea to:

• customer need
• business mechanism
• feasibility

4. Prioritize

The best ideas are usually:

• distinctive enough to matter
• realistic enough to implement

Example

Prompt:

"A stagnant snack brand wants new usage occasions."

A weak response:

"Maybe social media, influencers, and some promotions."

A stronger response:

"I’d brainstorm across new dayparts, new consumption settings, and adjacent customer groups. For example, if the brand is currently seen mainly as an afternoon snack, one idea could be repositioning it as an on-the-go breakfast add-on through pack format and retail placement. Another could be creating social sharing formats for group occasions if the product lends itself to that behavior."

That response is more original because it is more grounded.

What Strong Candidates Do

A strong candidate:

• uses structure even during brainstorming
• links ideas to customer behavior
• explains why the idea could work
• separates interesting ideas from useful ideas

What Weaker Candidates Tend to Do

A weaker candidate often:

• throws out disconnected ideas
• confuses energy with creativity
• suggests tactics before defining the opportunity
• fails to prioritize after ideation

Common Traps

Mistake 1: Brainstorming without constraints

Ideas get weaker when they are not tied to the client’s objective.

Mistake 2: Over-indexing on marketing tactics

Sometimes the more creative answer is about product, channel, or use occasion instead.

Mistake 3: Mistaking strange ideas for strong ideas

The interviewer is looking for commercial value, not novelty for its own sake.

Practice Prompt

Pick a mature product category and come up with three new usage occasions. For each one, explain why customers would actually adopt it.

Example Move

"I’d structure the brainstorm around new customer segments, new use occasions, and new channels. Within each bucket, I’d look for ideas that solve a real customer need rather than just adding promotional activity. For example, if the product is underused outside the home, I’d explore whether packaging, placement, or partnership changes could create a more portable use case with credible demand."

What to Remember

• Strong creativity in cases is structured and commercially grounded.
• Use clear buckets and generate ideas within constraints.
• Tie ideas to customer behavior and feasibility.
• Prioritize the ideas most likely to matter, not the ones that sound most unusual.