There Are No Big Ideas in Marketing

Big ideas are gone forever.

What have replaced them? Creative utilities.

It's no longer about just capturing the consumer's imagination and getting them to take one action. The sales cycle isn't that simple anymore.

You need to maintain your presence, gain retention and provide consistent value to your customers.

You can't buy your way into people's hearts and minds. It takes time and effort.

Will a creative idea increase the likelihood of success? Absolutely. But, that creative idea won't be worth anything if it doesn't push the conversation into a place where utility can be communicated. Creativity can't just be creative anymore. It has to serve a purpose.

Don't have a way to interact with your community or product in every advertisement? Your idea is now useless.

Don't have a url, twitter handle or phone number easily accessible in your marketing materials? You've just lost business.

The big idea now? Being able to integrate a creative idea into a useful and relevant marketing effort that returns value to the customer. Utility may be boring, but it does create something real for the consumer from a product and experiential side.

This still leaves room for a ton of creativity. It just will be in smaller, contextual packages designed for the individual rather than the group. Creative service has replaced creative interruption.

If you are looking to blame this on someone? Blame the numbers and metrics guys. They're finally taking their place at the forefront of the agency world. Quantifiable results need to be achieved in order to be successful in this era.

What do you think? Do you think the big creative idea still serves a purpose beyond the RFP? Or are you focusing more on kick ass utilities and solutions that you can execute effectively?

Photo Credit: Wittekind

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