A visit to the apple orchards near Nebraska City in the fall can be a fascinating experience.
As the harvest comes in, the apples are sorted by machine and by hand according to variety, size and grade. The very best apples, the “keepers” that will maintain their quality for the longest time, are boxed or bagged and presented to the public for sale and consumption. Those of a lesser quality, a bit bruised or discolored but still tasty and useful, are culled and set aside to be made into jellies or pie filling and applesauce, or to be pressed into cider. The very worst of the crop, those of no use at all, are tossed out.
In the field of advertising and marketing, many successful professionals apply a similar sorting process to ideas.
Like apples, thoughts take time to grow and mature. Developing a marketing campaign, or designing a brand, requires considerable deliberation and reflection. Ideas are constantly being cultivated and refined. Seldom is the first idea the truly “big idea.” Rarer still is a “big idea” that doesn’t evolve over time. It can be the idea that forms the basis of the ultimate concept – but it’s only one element, like the blossom in spring that becomes the fruit in the fall.
Ideas come in bits and pieces – with considerable assembly required. That’s where sorting comes in. Many ideas seem good in the beginning but lose their luster and value over time. Great ideas, the real “keepers,” withstand the challenge of critical review.
Smart designers know when to cull an idea from the campaign. They set it aside for possible use later in another project or for another client. Or, if they are convinced it has no use, they aren’t afraid to toss it out and move on. They are aware of the danger in stubbornly holding tight to an idea that simply doesn’t work.
Discarding what once seemed like a good idea isn’t failure. It is the ability to see where a project must go to move forward. A successful marketing campaign or branding combines great ideas and proper execution. Reexamining ideas and reshaping them based on new information provides insight – and insight is far more valuable than hindsight.
Dreaming up new ideas is an important aspect of the creative process. Bringing them to fruition takes the skill to recognize the “keepers” and develop them to their fullest potential.
It’s a skill that yields significant rewards because, unlike apples, great ideas can be grown year round.
