Go brand or go home

About 16,000 or so sleeps ago (give or take a baby tooth), a young, fearless daredevil (okay, it was me) set up gravity-defying makeshift ramps for his Evel Knievel stunt bike plus action figure. With a motley crew by his side—the Six Million Dollar Man minus most of his bionics, a misshapen but willing Stretch Armstrong, a battered Rock 'Em Sock' Em Robot, and a battle-hardened X-wing Starfighter—the stage was set for homemade ramp-making greatness.

They were epic times. Simpler times.

These weren't just random piles of beloved toys. They were engineering marvels crafted with meticulous precision. With the addition of a few plywood splinters for your parents to fish out, you have the perfect recipe for Evel-style adventures.

Yet, the secret sauce wasn't seeking perfection; it was all about embracing precision. Simple precision.

Fast forward to today, and I find myself lost in the infinite doomscrolling of Instagram. Sandwiched between clips of majestic breaching whales (I love a good whale sighting), mind-boggling cosmic wonders (space is my jam), and Seinfeld snippets (Jerry, you legend), up pops Evel. Wheels up, soaring off the end of a makeshift ramp into the unforgiving curb.

Thank you, whoever you are, for the nostalgic jolt.

Let's stick with simplicity for a moment.

I saw a post the other day on content, and I agreed with 99% of it, maybe 98. But one element stuck out like one of those pesky plywood splinters: 'Forget brand'. Say what now?

My career has been dominated by content and brand. Both have held pride of place in my job titles, but I fear both are being denigrated in the pursuit of the prize. The how-do-you-navigate-the-digital-and-customer-maze-of-a-jungle prize. Simplicity has taken a back seat.

And for what it's worth, I love brand and content equally and unashamedly. You have my heart!

But everyone is going content crazy, it seems. The dam has burst, and the flood is not receding. It's like a creative treasure hunt. You might stumble upon some gems, but there's plenty of fool's gold, too.

Who cares? I do, for one. Content is a tool. It's the power tool of tools. And like all tools, it needs to be fit for purpose.

Content is your bullhorn, your amplifier, your 1000-watt megaphone. It's the only way to drown out the noise and make your message echo through the digital wilderness. But if you don't do that from the brand's foundation, you shout into the wind.

Here's the curveball as I see it. Does modern content strategy align with a brand's essence? Is the race to churn content quickly and within budget leading brands into uncharted (sometimes comically chaotic) territory?

Remember what brand is. It's a promise. A brand is all about control - control of a promise, a voice, an image. It's not meant to be an all-you-can-eat buffet offering every dish under the sun. Instead, it should serve a chef's special that leaves you craving more.

Brands are your tour guides through the chaotic jungle of choices, making your life easier. Simple.

This lesson is being lost in the quest for saturation. We've inadvertently wandered into a world of subpar creativity in our pursuit of omnipresence. Content poorly written, poorly conceived, and poorly produced gets a free pass because it caters to a niche. But should we really embrace mediocrity in the name of quantity?

Here's the million-dollar question (or the six-million-dollar question): Is modern content marketing in harmony with the core principles of brands, or are we simply chasing digital rabbits down endless holes?

It's time to take a page from Evel Knievel's playbook - precision over perfection. Simple executions. In the whirlwind world of content, staying on-brand is the daring leap brands need to pull off. Be precisely precise in your decisions. Fit where you fit.

Simple doesn't mean plain, ordinary, or devoid of creativity. Simplicity is the canvas upon which brilliance can shine.

Imagine simplicity as the elegant architecture of a grand cathedral. It provides the foundation for intricate stained glass windows, awe-inspiring sculptures, and captivating mosaics. Simple doesn't mean bland; it means clarity.

Brands can be brilliantly different, delightfully complex, and creatively unconventional—all while adhering to the simple mandate of clarity. Like a skilled tightrope walker, they balance on the thin line between standing out and staying true to their essence.

Simplicity isn't the enemy of innovation; it's the ally of understanding. It's the compass that helps your audience navigate the noisy marketplace, effortlessly recognising your brand amid the chaos.

Use your tools, build your content. But use them for the right jobs. Be precise.

Forget brand. Never.