Brand Central Station

There’s a tug-of-war going on between traditional marketers and those who consider themselves on the vanguard of the social web. This post by Mitch Joel, about the end of THE BIG IDEA, is indicative of this battle.

Some consider it “old school” to pitch THE BIG IDEA to a client when, in the age of the Internet, the individual is the thing and success is only, really attainable through the successful implementation of a succession of smaller, more highly targeted and customer-reponsive ideas. Big ideas are a thing of the past and should be relegated to Mad Men (or Bewitched, I suppose). It’s all about the small ideas that can make a difference.

On the PR side we see the same thing happening. Big media, newswires, mass audiences are breaking down (either as part of their own strategy or by circumstance) into smaller, more focused publications, distribution channels that often bypass reporters and editors and go straight to the people who have the need to know. It’s the triumph of small over big.

Or so it might seem.

I tend to disagree with this way of looking at the evolution of our industry, though. I see the BIG versus small thing as more of a ying-yang relationship than a winner-take-all contest.

I mean, let’s be real here. From the very beginning, big ideas have helped shape the direction and small ideas have brought us there. If Vince Lombardi’s big idea was to win at football, it was his emphasis on blocking and tackling that got him there. (Okay, no more sports analogies in this post, promise.)

BIG IDEAS and small ones can have great value to a brand. They can also distract and get in the way. Those problems arise not because they’re BIG or small ideas but because their bad ones. Off strategy. Ego-stroking. Wasteful. Inconsiderate. Incomprehensible.

Got it?

Here’s how I usually work our ideas with our clients: We start by clearly understanding who we are and what the brand really stands for and where you plan to go with it. This “values” review helps us create a context for every idea that we’ll discuss and evaluate. And a strategic vision of the brand’s future is just as impotant for setting your messaging and direction. BIG IDEAS that don’t fit in the context end up in the same trash heap as the little ideas that don’ continue to reinforce the values we’ve identified (and vice versa).

Personally, I’m a BIG IDEA kind of person. I like them because they help me come up with tons of little ideas with a sharp focus. And for those of you who’ve worked with me before, you know that I’ve been known to fill an etire conference room with little ideas overnight thanks to a couple pots of coffee and a well-crafted, BIG IDEA.

(Did I mention that I love to brainstorm?)

Don’t count out the BIG IDEA when, in fact, it’s often the over-arching direction provided by a BIG IDEA that creates the environment (and inspiration) to come up with some really great small ideas.

Now, get out there and start brainstorming (not blamestorming).