• by Kim Lundgren , Op-Ed Contributor, September 12, 2016

“Do you need research to get to an insight?” Someone asked me that question, and my swift response was, “No!”  

Not research in the traditional, “check out PEW/Nielsen/WARC, do a BuzzBack survey, hold a focus group, capture some social listening” way. All of those research methods can be useful.  But they are not essential for a great creative springboard. What’s needed is observation – stand-up comedy style observation. Observing the world like a stand-up comic can lead to better insights and better creative. 

Jerry Seinfeld is considered one of the best observational comedians of all times. In an interview with The Guardian, Seinfeld talked about his routines “as if they’re discovered rather than created: observations that are out there, camouflaged against the patterns of everyday life, waiting for him to detect them.” And that’s what we do as planners. 

So here’s what we can learn from Seinfeld and some of today’s best comedians, like Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, Louis CK, Aziz Ansari and Sarah Silverman. 

Be willing to state uncomfortable truths

In the July issue of Vogue, Anna Wintour describes Amy Schumer as “a woman who defines the culture and takes it down at the same time by offering fearless, frank and, yes, sometimes out-there ruminations.” 

Amy’s fearlessness is other people’s discomfort. Sometimes, it’s just because her jokes are so graphic. Other times, though, it’s because she touches a societal nerve. For example, she turned the truth that – for many women – our default is to apologize (without even realizing it) into a sketch titled: “I’m Sorry.” The sketch takes place at a “Females in Innovation Conference,” and as the discussion unfolds, the women apologize to the male moderator – and each other – for more and more ridiculous reasons. (“Sorry, I hated that.” Sorry, I wish I hadn’t said that.”) Funny, but also a serious insight about how society has taught women to behave. 

Chris Rock doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths either. He had plenty to say during his Oscar monologue earlier this year about the exclusion of African-American actors. But he also pointed out a ridiculous insight about gender: “There’s no real reason for there to be a man and a woman category in acting – it’s not track and field!” Are you working in a category with products or services that are split by gender for no real reason, too? Should that change? 

Don’t just observe – make sense of it

Louis CK does a great bit about the changes that have happened in his lifetime. “We used to have rotary phones that made sparks. If you wanted money, you had to go in the bank.” Then he compares those facts to today, when people get annoyed if their phones take too long to load, or get pissed when the Wi-Fi goes out on a plane. (His commentary throughout is hilarious. Check it out on YouTube.) 

As planners, we’ve probably all made similar observations. But the brilliance isn’t in the observations. The brilliance is in interpreting patterns, finding new meaning in them and making other people think. Louis CK’s take on people taking progress for granted? “Everything’s amazing right now and nobody’s happy.” This is an insight that could lead to clever strategies within all sorts of categories. Imagine the brief for a tech company. Or travel. Or even a nonprofit such as a museum. 

Listen to that “focus group of one”

We’ve all been warned about extrapolating from our personal experience and assuming we know what others want. Not to be myopic, but there is a lot to be discovered within our personal circles. 

Much of Aziz Ansari’s stand-up special, “Buried Alive” (available on Netflix), focuses on relationships in a digital age. He told Pitchfork that, for inspiration, he “mine[d] Facebook for ridiculous displays of marriage and parenthood.” And he draws on his own and his friends’ experiences when concluding, in an interview with Conan O’Brien, that texting has ruined dating. His insight is a series of terrific analogies that could easily be a brief for a product or service targeting millennials: “It’s pretty much like you’re a secretary for this really shoddy organization scheduling the dumbest shit with the flakiest people ever.” 

Make the insight as provocative as possible

An insight should not only make you think about something in a new way, but it should really provoke a conversation, and stimulate new ideas. Sarah Silverman has a knack for doing just that. In her video with the Women’s National Law Center to crowdfund the difference in earnings between men and women, she calls the wage gap “a $500,000 vagina tax.” Or, back to Chris Rock’s monologue, where he called the Academy Awards “the White People’s Choice Awards.” Even when you’re not talking about social issues, you can still turn your observations into a provocative statement. 

Think about it. Next time you’re getting ready to write a brief, check out a local stand-up show. Read some of Aziz Ansari’s latest book, Modern Romance. Or watch “Inside Amy Schumer” on that next flight to a client meeting. (It’s okay, it’s suitable for work.) And if the Wi-Fi goes out on the flight, and your seatmate starts swearing because his phone’s too slow, just smile and think of Louis CK and his observations on people and progress.