skills/creative-director/references/method-selection-matrix.md

# Method Selection Matrix

Routing table: task type → recommended method triplet for generating advertising ideas. Each triplet consists of three categories: structural method (Primary), associative method (Secondary), perturbation method (Stimulus).

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## 1. Routing Table

| Task Type | Primary (structural) | Secondary (association) | Stimulus (perturbation) |
|---|---|---|---|
| New brand launch / rebrand | SIT | Bisociation | Provocation PO |
| Seasonal / promo campaign | SCAMPER | Forced Connections | Oblique Strategies |
| Digital / social campaign | SIT | Random Entry | Worst Idea |
| Product innovation / new feature launch | TRIZ | Bisociation | Reverse Brainstorm |
| Brand awareness / top-of-mind | Morphological Analysis | Synectics | Oblique Strategies |
| Behavior change / social impact | TRIZ | Synectics | Provocation PO |
| B2B / corporate | SIT | Bisociation | Oblique Strategies |
| Event / activation / experiential | Morphological Analysis | Forced Connections | Worst Idea |
| Packaging / POS / retail | SCAMPER | Bisociation | Reverse Brainstorm |
| Content / storytelling series | Morphological Analysis | Synectics | Oblique Strategies |
| Crisis response / reputation | SIT | Forced Connections | Reverse Brainstorm |
| Challenger brand / disruption | TRIZ | Random Entry | Provocation PO |

### Selection Rationale

**New brand launch / rebrand.** SIT isolates key product attributes and builds identity around specific structural techniques (subtraction, division, unification). Bisociation adds unexpected semantic connections that create memorability. Provocation PO breaks category norms — critically important when entering a market.

**Seasonal / promo campaign.** SCAMPER enables rapid iteration on existing formats — suitable for campaigns with short cycles. Forced Connections tie the product to seasonal context through non-obvious parallels. Oblique Strategies help escape templated promo mechanics.

**Digital / social campaign.** SIT generates compact, viral concepts. Random Entry introduces a random element that increases content shareability. Worst Idea helps find provocative formats that work on social media.

**Product innovation / new feature launch.** TRIZ resolves the technical contradiction: how to showcase what's new without overloading the message. Bisociation connects the functional benefit with an emotional territory. Reverse Brainstorm reveals perception barriers and inverts them.

**Brand awareness / top-of-mind.** Morphological Analysis creates a broad field of combinations for large-scale campaigns. Synectics forms a long-term brand metaphor through analogies. Oblique Strategies add an unexpected angle that enhances memorability.

**Behavior change / social impact.** TRIZ works with behavioral contradictions (want to but don't). Synectics creates powerful emotional analogies. Provocation PO disrupts the audience's habitual thinking patterns.

**B2B / corporate.** SIT provides strict structure appropriate for business contexts. Bisociation adds creativity without losing seriousness. Oblique Strategies gently push beyond the corporate template.

**Event / activation / experiential.** Morphological Analysis generates combinations of spatial, temporal, and interactive parameters. Forced Connections link the brand with unexpected interaction formats. Worst Idea helps find bold activation mechanics.

**Packaging / POS / retail.** SCAMPER works optimally with physical objects (modify, adapt, substitute). Bisociation connects packaging with cultural context. Reverse Brainstorm identifies everything that irritates shoppers at the shelf and inverts it.

**Content / storytelling series.** Morphological Analysis builds a matrix of characters, plots, formats, and channels. Synectics creates narrative depth through analogies. Oblique Strategies introduce unexpected turns for each episode in the series.

**Crisis response / reputation.** SIT isolates the minimum necessary message elements — critical in crisis conditions. Forced Connections find a positive context for shifting the narrative. Reverse Brainstorm models worst-case scenarios and builds defenses.

**Challenger brand / disruption.** TRIZ seeks fundamental category contradictions. Random Entry introduces the chaos necessary for breakthrough. Provocation PO systematically breaks market rules.

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## 2. Default Triplet

When the task type is unclear or doesn't fit the table:

- **Primary:** SIT
- **Secondary:** Bisociation
- **Stimulus:** Oblique Strategies

This is the most universal combination. SIT provides structural discipline, Bisociation provides conceptual depth, Oblique Strategies provide an exit from habitual thinking. The triplet works for most advertising tasks without additional configuration.

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## 3. Rotation Rules Between Passes

Method rotation during recursive idea improvement:

### Rotation Order Within Categories

- **Primary (structural):** SIT → SCAMPER → TRIZ → Morphological Analysis → SIT (cycle)
- **Secondary (association):** Bisociation → Synectics → Random Entry → Forced Connections → Bisociation (cycle)
- **Stimulus (perturbation):** Oblique Strategies → Provocation PO → Worst Idea → Reverse Brainstorm → Oblique Strategies (cycle)

### Pass Logic

- **PASS 1:** use the recommended triplet from the routing table.
- **PASS 2:** switch Primary to the next in the category cycle. Keep Secondary and Stimulus.
- **PASS 3:** switch Secondary to the next in the category cycle. Keep Primary from PASS 2. Keep Stimulus.
- **PASS 4+:** switch Stimulus to the next in the cycle. Additionally engage a Volume method (Crazy 8s or Brainwriting) to increase the number of variants.

### Hard Constraints

- Never use the same method in two consecutive passes.
- If restarting (score < 7 or quality plateau detected) — switch all three methods simultaneously and choose a different HMW (How Might We) level. For example, if HMW was at the product level, move to the user or culture level.
- When transitioning to a Volume method on PASS 4+, it doesn't replace the Stimulus but is added as a fourth generation element.

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## 4. Notes on Category Compatibility

Some method pairs reinforce each other. Consider when manually adjusting the triplet.

**SIT + Bisociation.** Structural novelty + conceptual depth. SIT provides the idea's skeleton through a specific technique (subtraction, multiplication, division), Bisociation fills it with unexpected meaning from another domain. The best pair for tasks requiring both discipline and originality.

**TRIZ + Synectics.** Contradiction resolution + metaphorical richness. TRIZ formulates the technical or marketing contradiction, Synectics finds a solution through analogies from nature, art, or everyday life. A strong combination for product tasks and social campaigns.

**Morphological Analysis + Random Entry.** Systematic breadth + random spark. Morphological Analysis creates a structured field of all possible parameter combinations, Random Entry injects a random element that unlocks non-obvious matrix cells. Suited for tasks requiring a high volume of diverse ideas.

**SCAMPER + Oblique Strategies.** Iterative transformation + perspective shift. SCAMPER sequentially modifies an existing concept, Oblique Strategies suggest an unexpected angle at each step. Works for time-constrained tasks where a base idea needs rapid development in multiple directions.

### Combinations Requiring Caution

- **TRIZ + Forced Connections:** both methods can pull the idea in different directions. Use only when there's a clear contradiction in the brief.
- **Morphological Analysis + Provocation PO:** Morphological systematizes, Provocation destroys the system. Apply sequentially, not in parallel: morphology first, then provocation against the best combinations.
- **Random Entry + Worst Idea:** two sources of chaos simultaneously. High risk of losing focus. Permissible only in early passes with full brief freedom.

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*Author: Serge Shima ([t.me/aimastersme](https://t.me/aimastersme) · [sergeshima.com](https://sergeshima.com) · [aimasters.me](https://aimasters.me)) · License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required · Source: [smixs/creative-director-skill](https://github.com/smixs/creative-director-skill)*