Inspiration doesn’t live where you think it does. It’s not hiding in your industry’s best practices or the latest trend report. It’s over there—across the street, in the bakery, at the art gallery, or embedded in the way a pizza joint gets you to order one more slice.
Great marketing often happens when two unrelated worlds collide. When a brand borrows brilliance from an unexpected source and makes it its own. That’s the magic of lateral thinking: not just connecting dots but creating entirely new ones.
Let’s explore how crossing the boundaries of industries can lead to marketing genius.
Case Study: Domino’s and Crowdsourced Problem-Solving
Domino’s Pizza didn’t just improve its crust—they turned transparency into a campaign. Borrowing a page from the world of tech startups and their love of beta testing, Domino’s invited customers to critique their pizzas.
Instead of hiding from bad reviews, they showcased them, used them, and even baked them into their ads. The result? A massive rebranding win and a reminder that vulnerability can be your superpower.
The Connection: Borrowing the “iteration” mindset from software development turned a tired pizza brand into a bold leader in transparency marketing.
Case Study: Pinterest and Grocery Stores
Here’s a fun one: Pinterest didn’t invent visual search. Grocery stores did. The endcap displays—the ones with themed products perfectly arranged to tell a story—are basically analog Pinterest boards.
Pinterest took that idea and made it digital, turning random searches into curated inspiration. The result? A platform that makes people feel like they’ve discovered something tailor-made for them.
The Connection: What if your marketing curated an experience instead of just shouting for attention?
Why Lateral Thinking Works
Here’s the truth: your audience doesn’t live in a vacuum. The same people buying your product are also watching documentaries, shopping for sneakers, and obsessing over how their espresso is made.
When you borrow from unrelated industries, you surprise them. You tap into something they already know and love—just in a context they didn’t expect. That’s how brands become memorable.
Exercises for Finding Unlikely Connections
1. Random Word Exercise
Pick two random words (use a generator if you need to). For example: butterfly and analytics. Ask yourself: How could these two ideas inspire your next campaign? Maybe it’s about transformation. Maybe it’s about chaos theory. Maybe it’s just about being light and free.
2. Cross-Industry Brainstorm
Choose an industry completely unrelated to yours. Let’s say you’re a SaaS company. What could you learn from a food truck? Is it their mobility? Their way of creating urgency? Their ability to connect with customers face-to-face?
3. Reverse the Familiar
Take something mundane in your industry and ask, “How would [insert random industry] do this?” For example, how would a luxury fashion brand approach your email campaigns?
The Big Idea: Look Outside Your Lane
From pizza to Pinterest, the best marketing ideas rarely stay in their silos. They wander, borrow, and transform. They’re not afraid to look foolish—or genius.
So here’s the challenge: Stop looking for inspiration where everyone else does. Go to the pizza place. Walk through the grocery store. Watch a painter at work. Somewhere in those unlikely connections, you’ll find your next big idea.
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