In the absence of a central theme, your advertising endeavours lack relevance. Without it, clients struggle to pinpoint pertinent media touchpoints for their campaigns. The absence of the Big Idea leaves creative talents adrift, striving to materialise abstract concepts. Furthermore, clients lack a reference point to evaluate or embrace innovative thinking. Devoid of the Big Idea, a client's brand remains devoid of personality, flavour, and direction.
The process of generating the Big Idea unfolds as follows:
- Strategic Session: Initiate a comprehensive strategy session, an indispensable first step often overlooked by agencies. This collaborative session, spanning a couple of hours, enables all participants to align with the brand's identity and market presence. It delves into the identification of the target audience most likely to resonate with the brand, the determination of relevant media touchpoints aligned with the brand's attributes, and, crucially, the discovery of keywords and phrases that qualified creatives can employ to craft compelling advertising narratives.
- Brand Proposition: Drawing from the insights gathered during the strategic session, a compelling brand proposition takes shape. For instance, envision a scenario in which Burger King had yet to be introduced to the market. This session would unveil vital keywords such as "flame-grilled," "fried," "fast food," "whopper," and "American." Additionally, it's clear that the client seeks to disrupt the market, ignite engagement for their brand launch, and stand out. Armed with this information, a tagline like "Grill it up" is crafted, embodying controversy, heat, and inflamed connotations. Subsequently, creatives can devise ingenious advertisements and experiential initiatives around this thematic platform. The key lies in cleverly integrating these concepts across various media platforms, from online banners to websites featuring controversial topics, or even venturing into unconventional spaces such as experiential events.
- Creative Execution: With the tagline aligned with the brand, the creative process springs to life, and the primary focus turns to evaluating the creativity, uniqueness, and engagement potential of the concept.
- Strategic and Creative Alignment: This strategic and creative direction guides all brand communications across diverse media touchpoints. It ensures consistency in various aspects, including briefing the agency, assessing creative concepts, and internal creative messaging.
- Alignment and Efficiency: The combination of alignment and efficiency yields brand profitability, not only in terms of financial gains but also in terms of brand equity, ownership value, and market penetration.
When contemplating a brand overhaul or revamp, it is imperative to acknowledge the significance of this pivotal stage. Consider whether you can afford to bypass this process in your quest for recognition and market share. While you may make some incremental gains with financial investments, the absence of the Big Idea will likely impede your ability to make a lasting impact.
Co-Founder, Roebuck Communication - a full service creative and advertising agency. DM me today; Workshops, Marketing Consulting, Speaking, Design, Strategy.
1 年Good one. Just a small observation for your future write up. Add some example or real brand story it will make reading more enjoyable.