Creative advertising springs forth from big ideas

Here’s a quick question. Does an advertising campaign give birth to a great idea or does creative campaign emerge because it springs forth from a great idea? Go on, think about it for a bit. That question is the marketing man’s equivalent of the chicken and the egg. In case you’re still thinking about it at this point, look at the post title, I kind of gave it away there. Not my best idea, I know. But is it just an academic argument if you were to wonder whether great ideas give birth to creative campaigns or is the opposite true?

Any young company, whilst growing, starts to lay down its roots and establish its brands. Every action it makes, every statement it releases then adds to or takes away from the value of the brand. With time, if the cards are played, businesses and brands can become intertwined. If that is done, creative advertising can be used to increase the value and meaning of the company it represents. Products and services come and go. The brand remains forever. Portable music has evolved from cassettes to the digital format. But the strong emotional connect that brands such as the Walkman and the iPod have will always remain. Brands are immortal, forever. And so if you can wrap a brand around a big idea, you can give birth to creative advertising that will make sure your brand has the kind of following money can’t buy.

Innovation, for instance, is Apple’s core value. It’s safety for Volvo and loyalty for the Marines (yes, they’re a brilliant brand too). That is why Apple has a cult of loyal fans, that is why Volvo is a very respected car maker and that is why Marines pledge undying loyalty to one another. If you were to take more examples, you’d find that Intel builds their campaigns on the idea of performance. That’s why ‘Intel Inside’ is such a reassuring badge for most of us. The examples can come thick and fast; Walmart’s big idea is savings, Google’s is savings. The examples can go on and on, but the point with all of these great institutions and companies is the same. They realize that any sustainable success is built around one single, great idea that then spawns everything else. All of that creative advertising, all of their public image, all of their products and services. Everything flows from that.

These companies actually build their brand and take strategic decisions based on these ideas. Coke appeals to diverse markets because they have one simple appeal; happiness. Who’s going to argue with that? It’s impossible to say happiness is bad. Everyone wants happiness, don’t they? But happiness is more than an advertising idea or a buzzword. It’s something that brings the company to life, something that connects with people and if you can discover something that animates your business, you too will reap the rewards. A recent example that comes to mind is that of the new series of Old Spice ads. Same old manliness appeal, brand new avatar. And what a hit it was! Just keep things simple, distil your idea until it’s sharp and your business and creative advertising will do the rest for you.