The modern consumer has been fed false promises for decades, and has become naturally sceptical because as a result. As consumers experience a brand, they either accept or reject its promise, generally based on the extent to which a brand’s promise aligns with their own values. For this reason, it is in your best interest to develop a solid story behind your brand’s existence, to close off any doubts that consumers might have.
When designing your brand’s identity, the first thing you need to determine is what your brand’s purpose is. This question can be a little daunting, and it’s easy to overcomplicate things when trying to come up with the answer; but refining your brand’s purpose is crucial in adding depth and dimension to all of your marketing efforts…
And this is where the Big Idea comes in. Your brand’s Big Idea must be simple, unique, inspiring, and ownable. It can be interpreted as a brand’s overarching purpose, which creates a bond between itself and the consumer. Consumers typically connect with a brand’s Big Idea before they connect with any of its products, and a clear and unique Big Idea helps your brand gain quick entry into the consumer’s mind, motivating them to engage with and learn more about your brand.
The Big Idea should accurately express your brand’s soul and stands to guide all internal and external processes – it helps you to determine when to move and where. Ultimately, your Big Idea guides everything that consumers touch, and has the power to attract and hold the attention of your audience. It ensures that your brand’s promise, story, innovation, communication and overall experience are all consistent, and should challenge the way you deliver to your customers and interact with your own brand in order to uphold a defined promise.
Most importantly, your Big Idea must be based on real customer insights and should matter to your target consumers.
Here are few of my favourite brand Big Ideas:
Google: to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
Nike: to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. (And from Nike’s perspective, if you have a body, you are an athlete.)
Facebook: to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
How to uncover your Big Idea
First and foremost – keep it simple. ‘Father of advertising’, David Ogilvy, says: “Big ideas come from the unconscious. This is true in art, in science, and in advertising. But your unconscious has to be well informed, or your idea will be irrelevant. Stuff your conscious mind with information, then unhook your rational thought process.”
Here are a few questions to guide you in crafting your Big Idea:
- What is your business’ end goal?
- What is the passion behind your business? What drives it?
- What does your business committed to being the best at?
- Where will your business have the greatest impact? Who does it serve?
We’d love to help you discovery your Big Idea, refine your brand’s story, voice, and positioning in the market, to ensure that your brand adds real value to the lives of consumers and to help your business stand the test of time. Contact us today, and let us kickstart your brand strategy.