Three years after Y2K, a country music artist by the name of Tracy Byrd explained to the masses that, “two plus two is always four, down is south and up is north, and thirty-two degrees is freezing cold.” While most folks wouldn’t consider this a revolutionary breakthrough in critical thinking, Tracy’s song about his ‘Drinkin’ Bone’ is still a fan favorite sing-along and is extremely relatable for people in the marketing arena.
We’ve all been in that conference room meeting where everyone sits twiddling their thumbs, avoiding eye contact as they try to muster up the courage to share an idea. It’s uncomfortable and frankly counterintuitive to the whole goal of the meeting in the first place. This is where our friend the alcoholic beverage comes in.
Exercising your Drinkin’ Bone in the marketing world is often times just what the doctor ordered when it comes to cracking a big idea. Drinking in most instances is a social activity, you head to the brewery, winery, or bar and you converse with whoever you’re there with (if this isn’t how it works for you, you’re drinking with the wrong people). Instead of the painful meeting icebreaker, everyone orders a beer and the good times and good ideas start to roll.
From our experience, the biggest benefit of this method of problem-solving is that liquid courage helps people share their “almost there” ideas. Many people will hold off on sharing an idea that they feel isn’t polished but these ideas are most often times the best. When someone shares an “almost there” idea, the rest of the group can help that idea along and turn it into a full-fledged marketing campaign.
While brewskies can kickstart our creative abilities, if the idea to start a band comes up it’s time to go home, meetings over. A business outing is not the place to throw em’ back or challenge someone to a chugging contest (don’t be that guy). Moderation is key and knowing your limits will help create ideas and avoid the always embarrassing work hangover.
While drinking with the tenacity that most country music songs endorse is not the route to go. You can help your creative side out by using your Drinkin’ Bone in the proper way and in the correct setting. So next time you’re stuck with writer’s block, crank up some Tracy Byrd, grab a cold one, and start brainstorming!
