The “Make Pigs Fly” Protocol

What is A Framework for Disruptive Marketing Innovation you might ask?

You’re in a brainstorming session. The goal is absurd: “Make pigs fly.” The initial reaction is always a scoff. “It’s impossible. Pigs are terrestrial, heavy, and lack wings. The laws of physics forbid it.” This is the voice of the Constraint-Locked Mind. It accepts the problem’s boundaries as absolute and fails before it even begins.

But then, a different kind of thinker leans in. They don’t see a biological impossibility; they see a fascinating puzzle. Their first question isn’t “Can we?” but “How might we?” This is the voice of the Solution-Liberated Mind. This simple exercise reveals the fundamental divide between incremental improvement and true, disruptive innovation. In marketing, we face our own versions of “flying pigs” every day: “How do we double our market share with no budget?” “How do we make a boring product go viral?” The protocol for solving them is the same.

The Psychology of Impossible Problems

The “Make Pigs Fly” exercise forces a cognitive shift by attacking the problem’s foundational assumptions.

1. Reframing the Problem (The “Why” Behind the “What”):
The real task isn’t about animal aeronautics. It’s about redefining the core objective. Is the goal literal avian-style flight? Or is it about elevation, movement through air, or creating the perception of flight? This shift is the difference between inventing pig wings and launching a pig from a cannon, putting it on an airplane, or creating a viral video of a pig under a drone. You’re not solving the stated problem; you’re solving the real problem.

2. Challenging Absolute Constraints:
The constraint-locked mind says, “Pigs can’t fly.” The solution-liberated mind asks:

• “What if we redefine ‘fly’?” (e.g., achieve lift, be airborne)

• “What if we redefine ‘pig’?” (e.g., a toy pig, a pig logo, a pork-based product)

• “What if we change the environment?” (e.g., in a zero-gravity chamber, in a virtual reality simulation)

This is the essence of Lateral Thinking, a concept pioneered by Edward de Bono. It involves approaching problems indirectly and creatively, rather than through traditional step-by-step logic.

3. The “How Might We” Framework:
This simple phrase is a powerhouse. “How” assumes it’s possible, “Might” gives permission for imperfection, and “We” frames it as a collaborative effort. It transforms a dead-end statement into an open-ended invitation for creativity.

“StapleCo” – Making Staplers Exciting

The Situation:
“StapleCo” sells standard, utilitarian office staplers. The market is saturated, and the product is a commodity. Their “flying pig” challenge is: “Make a stapler go viral on TikTok.” The constraint-locked mind says it’s impossible. “Staplers are boring. No one wants to watch a stapler.”

The MKUltraOne Strategy: The “Make Pigs Fly” Protocol

We guide the StapleCo team through the framework.

Step 1: Reframe the Problem.

• Stated Problem: “Make a stapler go viral on TikTok.”

• Reframed Problem: “How might we use the physical action of stapling to create surprising, satisfying, or humorous content that fits the TikTok format?”

Step 2: Challenge the Constraints.

• Constraint: “Staplers are boring.”

• Challenged Constraint: “What if the stapler isn’t the star, but the tool for the performance? What if we aren’t stapling paper?”

Step 3: Generate “How Might We” Ideas.

• How might we… use a stapler in an ASMR video to create satisfying sounds? (Stapling different materials: fabric, foam, cardboard).

• How might we… use a stapler for a “useless invention” comedy sketch? (A stapler that staples leaves back onto trees, a stapler-belt for on-the-go stapling).

• How might we… create a “stapler transformation” hack? (Taking a boring, old stapler and customizing it with paint, glitter, and googly eyes into a “desktop monster”).

• How might we… use the stapler as a metaphor? A campaign titled “Staple Your Ideas Together,” showing quick cuts of creative projects being “stapled” into completion.

The “Flying Pig” Solution:
StapleCo launches the “Satisfying Stapler” TikTok account. They don’t show office work. They create high-production-value, close-up, slow-motion videos of a heavy-duty stapler piercing through unexpectedly satisfying materials: a stack of colorful felt, a thick leather belt, a perfect line of bubble wrap. The “THUNK” sound is amplified. It’s weird, hypnotic, and perfectly aligned with TikTok’s aesthetic of sensory satisfaction. It goes viral, not because people love staplers, but because StapleCo solved the real problem: creating engaging content using their product as a prop.

The Strategic Imperative: Stop Solving the Wrong Problem

The “Make Pigs Fly” protocol teaches us that the first and most critical step is to question the problem itself.

• Ask “What’s the REAL goal?” Is it truly about the stapler, or is it about brand awareness and engagement?

• List Your “Impossible” Constraints. Now, systematically challenge each one. What if that constraint wasn’t true? What if it could be reversed?

• Embrace “How Might We”: Make this the default language of your brainstorming sessions to foster creativity instead of shutdown.

Anything, I mean ANYTHING is possible.

The next time you face a “flying pig” problem in your business—a stagnant campaign, a disruptive competitor, a product that feels invisible—don’t accept the impossibility. Deconstruct it.

Redefine the goal. Challenge the sacred cows. Ask “How might we?” with the playful determination of someone who knows that “impossible” is just a temporary condition of a constrained mind. The solutions that can transform your brand aren’t found in the crowded space of incremental tweaks; they’re waiting in the wide-open skies of redefined possibilities.