Casual’s Podcast Explores Why 80% of Creative Ideas Fail And How to Fix It

​Casual’s latest Audience Connection podcast episode 11 tackles why brilliant creative ideas get stuck in approval processes. This time, managing director Oliver Atkinson hosts the conversation with Northumbria University's Dr. David Parkinson, whose 10+ years of research at organisations like Unilever and Accenture reveals how strategic storytelling transforms stakeholder buy-in.

"We're all about big creative ideas at Casual, but sometimes they can get caught up in the senior stakeholder approval process," explains Oliver. "What David's research shows is that it's not necessarily because the ideas are wrong, but because they're not told in the right way."

David's research reveals humour releases serotonin, making audiences more receptive to new ideas. His framework includes three critical pitch elements: understanding audience cultural perspectives, sharing idea origin stories to build trust, and using metaphor to spark curiosity. This psychological approach differs from traditional literary storytelling models, making it more applicable to business contexts.

The discussion includes memorable case studies, such as how students successfully repositioned traffic enforcement officers as community helpers like Bob the Builder, completely transforming stakeholder perception. Another example shows how a coffee grounds-to-mushroom growing kit succeeded by embracing absurdity and presenting like a mad scientist experiment rather than a conventional kitchen appliance.

Harvard Business Review data shows 80% of new products fail due to unclear propositions - essentially communication problems strategic storytelling could solve. The episode addresses this by introducing David's 52-card Storycraft Pro toolkit, developed from real-world pitch observations across creative industries. The tool helps teams align thinking from project inception, addressing misaligned mental models that cause communication breakdown in large organisations.

For creative professionals working with complex stakeholder groups, the episode offers practical frameworks for navigating different departmental cultures. David explains how scientists and marketers can view the same product completely differently, requiring storytelling bridges to create alignment and prevent ideas from becoming watered down.

The conversation also tackles building creative confidence in team members who don't see themselves as naturally creative, emphasising co-creation and transparency to help everyone feel ownership over the storytelling process.