Skip to main content
Commsy creative stuff straight to your inbox

Blog

Pitching Alien Ideas?  

< Blog home

Pitching Alien Ideas?  

In film folklore, it’s rumoured that when the idea for Alien was presented in 1979, it was pitched as Jaws in Space. Apparently, those three words were enough to secure enthusiastic agreement and the evil extraterrestrial was unleashed on the world.…

More often than not, pitching movie ideas is a brutal business. Competition for attention is high, attention spans are low and even the most thrilling ideas sadly sink.

It can be a bit like this in comms, particularly when your idea isn’t a run of the mill concept, you’re unsure quite how to present it and you’re up against Senior Execs’ whose priorities are mounting by the moment.

Fortunately, it is possible to build a winning pitch around your idea that seizes the imagination of your leaders rather than leaving it dead in the water.

Consider these ways to proficiently pitch your great idea to the decision makers in your business:

  1. Draw on metaphors to create familiarity

When you use a metaphor to explain your idea, you use language that your audience can relate to, creating clarity and recognition. ‘It’s like Jaws in Space’ made immediate connections with a film that had already achieved wild box office success and created an instantly recognisable picture without the need for drawn-out explanations. By taking a commonly understood concept and connecting it to your idea, you translate the information into something your audience can comfortably relate to.

  1. Tailor your pitch to your execs’ croc brains

As the human brain has evolved it’s developed into three distinct parts and the first of these to develop was the primitive, reptilian part, the croc brain. It primarily focuses on survival and can generate strong emotions like the desire to flee a predator. The midbrain came next which allowed us to understand more complex situations like social interactions and finally the sophisticated neocortex evolved, enabling reasoning and analysis.

Your pitch will be driven by your neocortex but will be received by your target’s primitive croc brain which can dismiss anything new and exciting, creating a potentially bone crushing conclusion. So, if your idea seems a bit too abstract, your target is likely to perceive it as a threat. Oren Klaff, author of Pitch Anything explains that your message should be clear, concrete and focused on the big picture. Ensure that the croc brain sees the idea as something positive and novel which deserves to be passed on to the higher brain structures by keeping it as simple and clear as you can.

  1. Use emotion to make your idea sticky

In Made to Stick, Chip and Dan Heath explain that any idea can be made to stick if certain principles are applied. ‘Emotions are the driving force behind human behaviour’, so appeal to your audience by focusing on emotional triggers rather than dry facts when presenting an idea. If you’re talking to Senior Execs, consider first what makes them tick, what gets them excited, what approach will drive a positive emotional response and how you can connect that back to your idea.

  1. Make your first 30 seconds matter

Approximately two thirds of proposed ideas are rejected – not because they’re poor ideas but simply because they’re delivered badly. Believe it or not, you’ve got just 30 seconds to capture the attention of your decision makers, otherwise their minds drift and they’ll be losing interest and checking their phones before you know it. So start with a concise, compelling statement that makes them want to know more.

In Pitch Perfect: how to say it right the first time, every time, McGowan and Bowman suggest testing out your idea in a low stakes situation first. Choose a minimal-pressure environment, perhaps during a meal out with friends or at home with teenage children, and practice exploring the perfect opener that leaves them wanting more.

  1. Keep the rest of your pitch brief and to the point

Put your target at ease and get them on-board by letting them know that you’ll be keeping things brief. If you’re well prepared and you know what you’re doing, you can pitch anything in under twenty minutes. According to Klaff in Pitch Anything, when Watson and Crick presented their Nobel Prize-winning idea of the DNA helix, they only needed five!

Crucially, when it comes to stickiness, providing too much detail around your idea will be counterproductive. So keep it brief and chop your pitch down to just a few simple statements which will make it easier for your execs to accept.

If your idea is particularly complex or a little peculiar, it’s worth spending some time on your pitch to give it the best chance to survive and thrive. You have the opportunity to design the journey you want to take your target on so that they’ll be biting your hand off when you present it.

So go forth and sink your teeth into your next brilliant idea, knowing that when it comes to pitching it to your higher ups, you’ll know how to make it a hit.

At Alive, we love hearing killer ideas so if there’s something you’d like to chat through or you want a bit of help scripting your pitch then get in touch and we’ll help make it Hollywood.

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
Alive logo