Marketing Imagination entails efforts by an organization to 'imagine' the customer more in-depth (than their competitors) to uncover new ways of meaningful differentiation.
A company doesn't just offer products, it provides solutions to problems. Identifying customer-, or even human-, problems guides the development of innovative solutions.
An interview technique which probes for deeper meanings by consistently asking 'why', to reveal how different product attributes relate to underlying motivations.
Mental associations with companies in the form of metaphors or sensory information, can provide out-of-the-box ideas for marketing concepts and brand positioning.
An in-depth investigation of a trend or counter-trend, most likely in the social sphere, can help an organization to find or refine a marketing concept.
