In a time and age where I can chose whether to listen to a brand or to read my friend's status update - how can a brand get my attention?
In my opinion it is all about big ideas

Isn't the big idea dead already?

Mark Earls believes that big ideas are dead, over used, and that we should focus on small tests and campaigns. However I am talking about differnt kind of big ideas. I am not talking about a short lived one time gig. I am talking about deeply rooted concept at the heart of the brand, that affects its dealing wiht customers, the product they build, and  the way they treat their customers.

What is a big idea?

Big ideas are concepts that beyond a product or one's daily life, that are more important than price or features. Big ideas are ones who change the way we look at life and society. Big ideas are ones that are powerful enough to make the man on the street listen to your message. A big idea is that one story that brings value to people - not only consumers.

In some cases brands are not openly stating their big idea. In some cases they don't even realize their big idea until the community, their users, tell them it exists.

Let's take Twitter for example. Twitter's big idea is communication without boundaries. This idea fueled the Iranian uprise, which in turn personified this idea. As stated before, it was a false hope in my opinion. Still it was amazing to see the energy that this idea brought to the community.

Canon and HDSLR are  another example. Canon released their 5D Mark II DSLR camera with the ability to shoot HD videos. This quickly materialized to another big idea - everybody can be a filmaker - now in an affordable way.

What isn't a big idea?

Well, the product itself. Features, without a wider context, are merely technical parameters. They don't improve ones life. Price is not a big idea - again, unless it is in a wider context, such as in the case of HDSLR cameras.

Also, Fun is not a big idea. Fresh is not a big idea. these are just awesome keywords for a brief. "Like" competitions are definitely not a big idea. Hiring "buzzers" is many things, big idea is not one of them.

The Time is Now

Modern western society is in a unique situation. World War II ended with the good guys wining. Communism lost the battle. Most of the western world is democratic, and relatively liberal from an economic point of view. Governments are losing their position as setters of big ideas. Yes, Obama most used word was change. But at the end of the day, nations are creating less and less big ideas that affect lives.

But people are still looking for bigger than life concepts and experiences. They want to feel that they are a part of something, something bigger than day to day life. They want to be excited!

Someone will fill the void. Brands and companies are the best candidates for that. They have the incentive and money to do it.

So what's your big idea?

Here we go again. Last week the echo chamber was rattled with a story of a woman who lost her insurance due to pictures she shared on Facebook. Apperantly she was supposed to be depressed but had pictures of her and friends in a bar. I personally know some pretty depressing bars, but the insurance company thought otherwise.
Which, as usual, caused a lot of commotion  in the blogosphere. Again we saw those funny posts about how Facebook changes everything.
This is another case in a string of stories about people losing their jobs due Facebook. Do you remember that banker who told his boss he is going to a family event  and shared pics of himself dressed as a woman in a party?

Guys, it is not Facebook.

It is something far more complex.

Something genrations are trying to solve without success.

Something goverments, indepepndent research centers, companies, and individuals are trying to understand.

Something far more sinister.

Far more dangerous.

Human stupidity.

Yes. That's it. Some people just don't think. So they do stupid things. Like calling in sick and going to a party, and uploading their pictures to a web site.

Blaming Facebook in these cases is like blaming the invention of video for the Rob Lowe sex tape. Like blaming tanks for world war II. Like blaming the invention of film for the release of the movie Gamer.

Guys, some people are just stupid. Social networks just help them to reach more people.

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