Ever heard someone say, “This might be a daft idea, but…”—and then watched it unlock the whole brief? That’s Dumb Thinking.
In a world obsessed with logic and polish, the best ideas often begin with something a little bit wrong, a little bit cheeky, or just plain ridiculous. This guide gives you the tools (and prompts) to go there—on purpose.
What’s Inside the Dumb Thinking Guide
- 8 reframing tactics that use “creative wrongness” to land the right idea
- Campaign case studies from Diesel, Hostelworld, IKEA, Flyadeal, Stella Artois and more
- Built-in GPT prompts for each tactic
- A cheat sheet to spark unexpected thinking, fast
Sneak Peek: Embrace Bad Behaviour
Brief: Stop people from wardrobing clothes (wearing then returning them).
Daft question: What if we just… let them?
Diesel’s “Enjoy Before Returning” flipped the script. Customers were invited to events where the only entry rule was wearing Diesel—tags still on. What looked like a flaw became a flex. Wardrobing wasn’t a problem. It was the culture.
More brands leaned into misbehaviour too:
- Stella Artois nodded to fans who pinch pint glasses—with a fashion collab designed to help.
- Lululemon offered to swap your knock-off leggings for the real thing, no judgement.
- KFC thanked copycat chicken shops for the flattery.
All proof that owning the flaw / bad behaviour often makes your brand more loved, not less.
And that’s just one of the 8 tactics you’ll learn:
- Unlikeliest Ambassador
- Unlikeliest Antagonist
- Dumbest Alternative
- Dumbest Place to Put It
- Embrace Bad Behaviour
- Worst Combination
- Reverse the Norm
- Be Really Honest
Want to give the pre-configured Dumb Thinking GPT a whirl? Become a Prompt Capybara subscriber, and you'll gain access to a button below that directs you to Dumb Thinking GPT.
