I spoke with Ashley Ringrose, Founder, Soap Creative about the concept of a big idea. Here’s a video of our chat:

The relevance of a big idea in a digital environment has been the subject of many conversations between digital and traditional marketers and agencies.

I have historically taken the view that, while you need some overarching vision or positioning for a brand (which I guess could be called a ‘big idea’), it is how the technology, the content and the engagement is delivered in the context of the audience that matters. If you follow this thinking, in digital, it is the execution of a multitude of different tactical, small ideas that are important, not some single creative idea.

Sometimes, it is the tactical implementation itself that is the idea. Sometimes, it is the audience who drive the idea through consumer generated media.

I have also argued that because a website or even a social media presence frequently lives beyond the life of a campaign, that the campaign idea, no matter how big, is not relevant.

After talking to Ashley Ringrose from Soap, I started to think it was time to perhaps reframe my thinking on this subject.

I wonder if we are talking at cross purposes because we are trying to answer too many questions at once and create a generalised view for a multitude of different situations.

The key I think lies in the fundamental difference between advertising and marketing. If we take the Wikipedia definitions:
“Advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action.”
“Marketing: The systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities intended to bring together buyers and sellers for the mutually advantageous exchange or transfer of products.”
So in this context, perhaps advertising does need a big idea but marketing doesn’t. The reason we get ourselves tied up in knots is because “digital environment” is an incredibly broad term. It covers many marketing activities which may or may not be related to a campaign. A website, if created to support and advertising message, still needs to deliver an experience consistent with ‘the big idea’ but everything you do in the digital space does not necessarily need to conform.

The thing that underlies any strong marketing strategy is always a brand vision. That is what we need to replicate with consistency across every customer touch point (digital and non digital). All the big campaign ideas need to have relevance to this brand vision and all tactical executions need to support it.
That’s a bit about what I think. Hear more thoughts and perspectives from this – seriously impressive – panel at ad:tech next week. Last chance to book today, registration closes at 5.30pm, Friday 12 March.

SESSION LEADER:
Iain McDonald, Founder, Amnesia, Razorfish

SESSION PARTICIPANT:
Sudeep Gohil, Strategic Planning Director/Partner, Droga5

Ashley Ringrose, Founder, Soap Creative

Brian Giesen, Director, 360 Degree Digital Influence, Ogilvy