Developing a campaign idea means finding a thought that carries a brand for a certain time and can be translated into many forms. The campaign idea is not the key visual, not the claim and not the film. It is what holds all these things together.
This is often underestimated, because in the end only the execution is visible. But a campaign without a carrying idea falls apart into individual pieces that look beautiful but tell nothing together. And a strong idea can be executed effectively even with modest means.
- A campaign idea is a thought that carries many executions, not a single piece of work.
- Whoever wants to develop a campaign idea first needs a clear insight about people, not about the product.
- Good ideas can be explained in one sentence and told in many channels.
- In fashion the idea competes with the product for attention and has to serve it.
- The most important step is often rejecting ideas that are good, but not right.
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What a campaign idea really is
An advertising campaign is a time limited, coordinated sequence of measures with one goal. The campaign idea is what gives this sequence an inner logic. It answers the question of why exactly these images, these words and these channels belong together.
I like to test a campaign idea with a simple test: can it be explained in one sentence without referring to a visual? If the explanation begins with “You see …”, it is usually not an idea yet, but an image. An idea describes an attitude, a tension or a truth that can be shown.
The second test is variety. A campaign idea that carries can be executed as a poster, as a film, as a social format, in the shop window and in the conversation at the point of sale. If it only works in one format, it is more a good execution than an idea.
I learned this test very practically at Breuninger. During my time there, 6 TV spots and 12 drive to store campaigns were created. A TV spot demands narrative and atmosphere, a drive to store campaign a clear reason to come into the store. When both came from the same idea, they reinforced each other. When the idea was only meant for the film, the translation into shop windows and local channels quickly felt forced. Since then I ask early for every idea what it looks like in the smallest and most tangible format.
The third test is the brand. An idea can be clever and surprising and still not fit. If you could swap the sender without anyone noticing, the link to the brand is missing, and the campaign pays into nobody’s account.
A campaign idea is also not the same as a positioning. The positioning describes what the brand stands for permanently. The campaign idea is a particular way of bringing that to life for a limited period. It may surprise, sharpen and choose a new angle, as long as it does not leave the core.
Why it is harder in fashion to develop a campaign idea
In fashion the product is at the centre. People want to see what they could wear. A campaign idea that pushes the product aside may create attention, but sells little. An idea that only shows the product, by contrast, says nothing about the brand.
The art lies in finding an idea that gives the product a frame. It tells in which life, with which attitude and in which moment these clothes make sense. The product does not become smaller as a result, but more meaningful. How such stories can be built I describe in the article on storytelling in campaigns.
Then there is the seasonal rhythm. Campaigns in fashion have a short lifespan and still have to fit into the longer story of the brand. Whoever develops a completely new campaign idea every season builds no memory. Whoever always repeats the same becomes boring. A good solution is often a platform that carries over several seasons and expresses itself anew in each season.
Finally, fashion is strongly visual. That tempts people to think directly in images and skip the thought behind them. There are many beautiful images. Images that say something specific about a brand are rare.
What this means for a brand
For a brand this first means taking the order seriously. At the beginning there is not creativity, but insight. What do we know about the people we want to reach that others overlook? Which tension do they experience, which habit, which contradiction? A good insight often feels banal, because it is true. That is exactly what makes it valuable.
Then comes the briefing. It translates goal, target group, insight and the role of the brand into a brief that gives creatives orientation without constraining them. How I build such a briefing I describe in the article on the creative brief. From briefing to 360 degree concept is then a step of its own. The idea is thought through for every touchpoint, from film to social and newsletter to shop window and advice in store, and every channel gets a clear role. For me, a 360 degree concept does not mean showing the same thing everywhere, but making the same thought recognisable everywhere.
Then follows the actual work on ideas. The first ideas are almost always the obvious ones. They are not wrong, but rarely strong. It pays to go beyond the first rounds, even when it gets laborious. The better ideas often only emerge when the obvious ones are exhausted.
Finally, the selection. More is decided here than in any other phase. It is not about choosing the most beautiful idea, but the one that best fulfils the goal and fits the brand. I have described criteria for this in the article on how to evaluate creative work.
Just as important is the question of who decides. When too many people have a say, the idea that nobody objects to often wins in the end. That is rarely the strongest. Clear responsibility for the decision protects bold ideas from compromise.
In many organisations people discuss visuals, colours and models before it is clear which campaign idea is actually meant to be told. That reverses the order and makes decisions arbitrary. A brand that takes ideas more seriously than executions discusses less and decides better.
What I would do differently
I would plan more time for the idea phase and less for aligning details. Deadline pressure almost always leads to the first usable idea being taken. But the quality of a campaign depends more on the idea than on the production.
I would also be more consistent once an idea has been chosen. A strong campaign idea demands that you sustain it in all channels, even where a channel would rather have its own format. Every exception weakens the whole a little.
And I would check earlier whether an idea also works at the point of sale. Many campaigns are conceived for poster and screen and only translated late into shop windows, shop floor and advice. Yet in fashion especially, it is in the store that it is decided whether an idea lands. An idea that does not carry there loses its value at exactly the decisive moment.
I am unsure how idea work will change through generative tools. They make it easy to visualise very many variants quickly. That can help to get beyond the obvious solutions. But it can also lead to people judging images instead of thoughts. I consider it important to formulate the idea in words first and only then visualise it.
What I can say with certainty: developing a campaign idea is neither chance nor a stroke of genius. It is a craft made of insight, discipline and the willingness to let go of good ideas in favour of the right ones.