TORONTO—You can get clients to buy in to even your wackiest interactive campaign ideas by following eight guidelines, said Mavis Huntley, director of digital innovation for Toronto agency john st.

Huntley spoke on What Makes An Idea Stick on Thursday at the NXNE interactive conference in Toronto.


The guidelines are:


1. The idea must come from the brand. The idea can be as wacky as you like, but still must fit with the client's brand. If it doesn't make sense for the client or the client's customers, it's a no-go.

2. Give creatives a box. Don't leave it entirely wide open when asking for initial ideas; give your creative teams some parameters in which to work. "It could be a simple insight about who the target is, or that the customer is looking for a Facebook component, [or whatever]," said Huntley.

3. Throw it to the lions. "Collaborate, ask for feedback and incoporate feedback into the plans [don't just ask for feedback and then ignore it]," explained Huntley. "You can mitigate a lot of client fears by passing your ideas by the account managers." The account manager will know what will fly with a client and what the client is particularly sensitive about — whether the client is intimidated by technology, or worried about cost or scheduling. "You want the client to feel that the idea will be easy to pull off — that you've thought of every thing that could go wrong and come up with a solution."

4. Impossible is nothing — but it is time consuming and hard to do. "Just because it hasn't been done before, doesn't mean you can't do it. But ask for help inside and outside your doors."

5. Evaluate the lazy ask. How much is your targeted audience going to do for you? Is what you're asking them to do in line with what the reward will be if they do it? Said Huntley: "Think of the laziest mooch you know. What would he be willing to do?"

6. Utility or entertainment. Your idea must be absolutely useful to consumers or very entertaining to get any traction. You must create a story for consumers. "Remember a tweet is dead if it hasn't been retweeted within 60 seconds."

7. Promote. Huntley suggested you shouldn't forget to use your own and your staff's social networks as well. "Not your first tier family network, but your second tier acquaintance network."

8. Nothing is ever done. You need a plan A, and a plan B and a plan C, etc...

Huntley finished her talk with a final emphatic point: "Your execution must be flawless. Don't cheap out on execution. If it doesn't work — even if you are so far down the rabbit hole you think you can't change it — change it. It's so worth it."

See what Daniel Schutzsmith of Mark & Phil had to say at NXNEi about pitching clients.