When I worked in a very talented corporate communications department in the DFW metroplex, one of our creative agencies, which is still in business today, had the moniker What’s the Big Idea? I loved the agency before I met anyone on the account team because the name so resonated with me. As a creative, I always believed that every campaign required a big idea to give it life.
An idea is the seed from which a campaign is grown. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small seed or a big seed. What’s important is how well nurtured the idea is and that it is allowed to grow. As espoused in The Columbian Orator, “Tall oaks from little acorns grow.”
But oaks don’t become mighty overnight. One of the challenges all creatives face is the pressure to produce quickly. Like a tree, fast-growers often die young. They simply don’t develop the root system and a strong base to support the rest of the tree. Limbs are weak and some don’t take at all. There just isn’t enough vitality within for the tree to flourish.
So too can be the fate of a big idea. When building out your campaign, you need to socialize your idea throughout the entire organization. Each business unit, product line and service line must understand how the idea and associated campaign will support their business objectives. Listen to the feedback these constituents provide. You’ll hear some great suggestions. Work the relevant ones into the campaign and communicate it back to the sources. You’ll secure the broad support across the organization that will ensure the idea doesn’t get thrown into the wood chipper before its time.
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