#BODCT: The power of the Big Idea

Abel and Robert Grace, M&C Saatchi Abel founding partner: head of strategy, have both presented the topic ‘power of the idea’ on public platforms.

Abel and Grace

Below, they share further insights into the changing notion of the big idea over the years and how to make it more effective in the current Age of the Customer…

1. ‘The big idea’ has long been a staple of creativity. Explain what it initially meant when it first did the rounds.

Abel and Grace: The big idea originally referred more to a brand idea or even an advertising idea than an executional idea. For example, Citi Golf was a Big Idea. It was product, pricing, packaging and communications wrapped into one. A big idea is a powerful, central organising thought that gives life to abundant opportunity through a highly differentiated concept, single-minded message and consistent approach. It takes a brand out of the contested space and into open-space. It’s usually uncategory-like and demands reappraisal or a fresh perspective. Today, sadly, big ideas are more often in the executional space, possibly through an ad – so a brilliant way of telling the story versus at the product level itself.

Big Ideas we've recently been involved in were The Street Store (and now one happens almost every day around the world) by bringing dignity to both the giver and receiver. The marrying of Takealot.com with Mr Delivery also showed understanding of the problem of 'instant gratification', which needed to be solved. Getting stuff into people's hands far quicker than their competitors, utilising an existing infrastructure with a trusted and loved delivery brand.

The reason Big Ideas are harder to bring to life is that historically, marketing oversaw pricing, distribution, product as well as brand and communications. Today, many marketing departments are communications departments, whilst other key pulleys and levers are relegated to various departments. In the Age of the Customer it’s essential that the CMO has control of these elements in order to realise the full opportunity.

2. With technological advancement and enough data to drown in, that simple idea or golden thread often gets lost as we try reach as many consumers as possible. Talk us through ‘the Age of the Customer’ and how brands can best adapt?

Abel and Grace: You can broadcast as much as you want, but you need your audience to receive the message. The Age of the Customer is all about the latter. It’s driven by relevance, ease/convenience, affordability and usefulness. And on their terms – not that of the seller. It's about understanding the power is with the buyer. That is, tech has destabilised multi-billion dollar industries like taxis, payment platforms, the print media and more. If you can start off with usefulness and wrap it in ease and charm, you'll be on the way. Many clients believe their message is important, but customers determine what is important. 10 million people have watched the YouTube clip of Stephen Hawking talking about God and the future of our planet, the thing that sustains all life. Over the same period of time – five years – 750 million people have watched Miley Cyrus on her Wrecking Ball. Don't assume what is important to you is important to customers. They want to be entertained, surprised and find it useful.

3. True. Talk us through the importance of not just having a big idea to work around, but also communicating that idea effectively, and common pitfalls in doing so.

Abel and Grace: The Big Idea may be in the form of an app, a distribution model, co-creation, human stuff – it’s not just tech or intrinsics. Look at Blackberry, Nokia, Kodak – big dominant brands that were far more in love with their product and brand than in understanding the zeitgeist of the time and their customers' wants. Innovation is vital, but so is wrapping it in the unexpected and the charming to make it desirable. Steve Jobs obsessed with every aspect of the product, right down to the packaging and the experience of opening the box itself. You can never be complacent. Social media will make or break a business today. On top of this, authenticity is key. You need to be honest, accountable, proactive, responsive and honest as a company or you'll get taken out. You need to stand for something, be brave and be different to the herd – not for difference’s sake, but hard-wired into the What and the How.

4. Love the idea that your company must have ‘an enemy, a Voldemort, a Lady Macbeth’ – explain the impact of this.

Abel and Grace: Where most would believe the enemy of Nike is Adidas, Puma, Reebok – it's actually apathy. Getting people off the couch. For us, the enemy isn't our competitor ad agencies, it's the expected. If your solution is expected, it won't cut through, it won't stand out. It'll just disappear. An enemy is a rallying call, it musters the troops around a valiant effort to defeat something. For a Woolies, it'll possibly be sameness – and you kill that by promising The Difference – to make each item better than anyone else's through more details, better design, longer-lasting, innovation and the like.

5. Such an important mindshift. How can we get the local industry to switch focus then from ‘Big data’ back to ‘Big idea’ and designing to the idea?

Abel and Grace: Big data isn't an idea. It's information. The challenge is to use that to then get to knowledge. To then use knowledge to hopefully get to an insight. Only once you have an insight can you hope to get to a big idea. It's not usually an epiphany or a eureka moment – it's a determined effort to solve a problem in an entirely fresh and relevant way. Data is incredibly powerful when it's used correctly – but it's not the data that has the value – it's in unlocking the mysteries it holds better than anyone else to cajole and persuade more customers to buy, and keep buying.

Lots to consider. Click through the slides of Abel’s presentation below:

Click here for other insights from the first day of Business of Design, Cape Town 2016.