WOW, originally uploaded by dknNYC.
As an industry, we're not very good at describing our output. Advertising agencies have droned on for years now about creating "big ideas". More than a few CV's I've seen recently have touted a candidate's prowess in generating them. And Donny Deutsch uses the term for his television programme.
Forgive me for being dense, but will somebody tell me what on Earth a "big idea" is?
I think the advertising industry has done itself a disservice by indiscriminately using the term "big idea". An idea, of course, is a generic thought, which isn't particularly helpful when trying to explain to a client that you are going to do something different for them. Calling it "big" isn't terribly descriptive, either; as an adjective, it falls into a category with other pale words like "nice" or "good".
Calling a communications campaign a "big idea" is as ridiculous as calling it a "humongous figment", or a "swollen notion". Vaguely large, imaginary things are the stuff of fishing stories (or other stories about size, as in the picture above.)
If you seriously mean to say your big idea is a thought that changes the course of human history and culture, you should be aware of your competition.
The word of God captured in writing? Big idea. The Theory of Relativity? Big idea. Electric light, disease vaccination, habeas corpus, and the existence of the subconscious? All big ideas.
A market positioning for a deodorant spray brand? Not a big idea. A viral video sweepstakes? Definitely not a big idea.
Some people in our business have used it to mean any commercial communications programme that takes on non-traditional forms. Others have used it to mean an idea that improves the stature and quality of a brand in people's minds. And yet others have used it to mean an advertising idea that changes the way money is made by a client's core business.
I implore all of you to stop. Please think first. Don't lazily tell clients that you will sell them some "big ideas" as if you were selling them fish by the pound. Be specific when classifying what you've created. Is it a new way of reaching people? Or is it a new creative narrative for the brand? Is it a new distribution channel?
Depending on which part of industry you work in, you might be producing, for example: usability, cultural impact, identity, salience, or awareness. Be proud of what we do. If you're going to differentiate your agency, please don't just brag that your ideas are bigger; hopefully you wouldn't use the same strategy for your clients. Tell clients something about what's different about your approach, or how your product achieves a different effect. Then we might be able to come up with some richer language for what we produce. Any suggestions?
