Simple brand ideas.
The magic of brand ideas and why they still rock 🤘.
“Big ideas are usually simple ideas”
Ogilvy said that a long long time ago.
It’s still bang on.
Simple big ideas like “I have a dream” or “Yes we can”.
Simple, but huge. Plain, but magnetic.
Specific, but inclusive. Elevated, but accessible.
They demand attention. They beg for more.
Simple ideas expressed with just two or three words.
Words, that inspire, lead and make us feel something.
It’s the same with brands and brand ideas.
Big beautiful brand ideas, expressed in a couple of words, like these:
Persil: dirt is good
Coke: open happiness
Jonnie Walker: keep walking
Dove: real beauty
Apple: think different
Stella Artois: reassuringly expensive
Guinness: made of more
Camper: walk don’t run
Phwoooarrrrr.
Gorgeous aren’t they?
One part lush, inspiring, creative trampolines.
One part beautiful constraints.
And two parts pure simplicity.
Simplicity as DaVinci said, is the “ultimate form of sophistication”.
But it’s hard isn’t it?
It takes time. So we often stop short.
You know “I would have written a short letter____” etc.
Simplicity takes patience, craft and sacrifice.
And sacrifice, is strategy (this, not this).
So simplicity, like good communications, is strategic.
And strategy, benefits from process.
Most great brand ideas follow four simple steps (in different forms/names), which for the purpose of getting better brands into the world (which I’m all for), I’ll share below.
The four simple steps:
So, great brands are simple ideas. Ideas that inspire great stories. And some of the best brand ideas, are the creative expression of great unwavering brand cores. And both brand cores and ideas are built from great truths about people and their needs. Not complicated, but not easy.
You can think of it in four steps like this:
Simple, but not easy right. Got it? Agreed? Good.
Ok, now…..not to fall down a waffle hole but…. structure is important because brand development, like our own identities, is complex. We have a core self, but we change our wardrobes frequently, or get “into” different things. If our core identity is solid, we can still be understood as “ourselves” regardless. So whilst the brand idea or the story might change, the brand core remains the same. That’s why structure (and order) is an important part of brand development.
Here’s an example for Dove, that might help bring it to life.
So yeah, great brands just like Dove, need great brand ideas.
And great brand ideas deliver on great human needs.
Which, in turn, help great brands tell great stories.
And all that happens by following a disciplined process.
I mean there’s no absolutes, and there are some great brands that don’t have any of this but in my experience, the good ones….the ones that are clearly defined, that travel across geographies, languages and cultures, that scale, do so because they have a simple idea and stories to tell.
Also, big up to the some of the other classic ideas (brand ideas, tag-lines, strategies or whatever you want to call them) that I haven’t mentioned. Ones that also created fame and drove brands forward like:
Marmite: love it or hate it
Avis: we try harder
De Beers: a diamond is Forever
Kit Kat: have a break, have a kit kat
Carlsberg: probably the best lager in the world
All beautiful in their own way.
All simple ideas.
Just a couple of words….
…everything changes.
So go on, Just Do It.
p.s. thanks to all the twitter peeps who reminded me of some brilliant brand ideas.
