I’m Not Ready for the Big Idea to Die

Just Do It. That was a Big Idea. It was simple and it stuck. I won’t begin to digest why this idea became a game-changer for one of the most recognizable brands in recent memory. But the question has recently surfaced, does the Big Idea still have impact as it did 20 years ago?

Picture this: Just Do It is written on an ad agency whiteboard in 2009—where’s the next place we go? Okay, nice tag line – where’s our Facebook and Twitter strategy? My guess is that most of us would immediately begin to reach for the media tool belt that has grown exponentially since the days this Big Idea changed the ad world. We divide the Big Idea into a series of little ideas. That may be the right move for the ad world we now live in. Mad Men’s big concept, big pitch, big win may be nothing more than a glorified memory in our business.

I’ve enjoyed reading and digesting the thoughts of brilliant minds in our industry on the subject. Mitch Joel and Edward Boches are two that sparked my thinking this past week. I can’t compete with the experience and wisdom these guys have to offer, and their arguments are certainly sound.

However, I’m not ready for the Big Idea to die.

I’ve spent the last few days in the Colorado Rocky Mountains (and haven’t consumed a single Coors Light). This is my favorite place on earth, as mentioned in my bio. I grew up, and still live, in Texas, but the mountains of Colorado are always in my dreams and serve as a constant source of inspiration for me. WARNING: I’m about to get a little vulnerable and expose some of my quirks – no judging, you have quirks of your own. Below are a few more things that I wish were a part of my everyday life. If you were to ask me, what inspires you?, when are you the most relaxed?, what do you look forward to?, my list would look something like this:

I love the mountains.

I love cold weather – really cold weather that depresses most people.

I love coffee shops with the A/C turned way up so I can at least pretend it’s cold outside (I’m sitting in one right now)

I love snow dogs – Alaskan Malamutes are the winners

I love coffee – not just the caffeine or the taste…I pour my coffee into an insulated tumbler each morning so it lasts upwards of two hours. It’s relaxing for me.

I love fireplaces

I love cold weather clothes – even though I have about 4 weeks of Texas “winter”, my closet is filled with jackets and sweaters as though I’m anxiously waiting for global cooling

I’m not making this up. I individually love all of these little things and look forward to any exposure I get to them. I’m in the mountains, in a coffee shop, drinking coffee, but it’s 90 degrees outside—I’ll take the compromise. I get a little excited every time I see an Alaskan Malamute or Husky up here. I wouldn’t even think about buying a house without a fireplace.

Notice that there is no hint of white beaches, blue water or piña colada’s on this list. Is it pure coincidence that I love all of these individual things that seem so related, or is there more to it? I would argue that I fell in love with a single culture, not a random list. The list I detailed above probably describes the life of more than one of the locals sitting around me in this ski town coffee shop. It’s not unrealistic or idealistic. It’s a culture that I wish I could be a part of. Since I’m not, I grapple for any of the individual items on that list and consider it a win.

I can’t let go of the Big Idea. As marketers, I believe that we can throw snow dogs, coffee shops and cold weather in front of our audiences, and we’ll probably entice them a little bit. These little ideas can certainly be successful, but if we refuse to let go of the whole ski-town culture—the Big Idea—we can not only entice them but invite them into something much bigger. I’m not going to make a major commitment for a fireplace, but you better believe I’ll change my behavior if you manage to make me part of the entire culture.

Nike could roll out a series of little ideas to get me to buy a pair of running shoes. Just Do It, on the other hand, doesn’t just make me want to buy a pair of running shoes—it makes me want to become an athlete. Then I’ll buy running shoes, clothes and Nike+ for the rest of my life. Even in 2009.