Something to think about

Anyone can have an idea. But is that idea a good idea? Does it work? Is it effective? Does it have longevity? All too often the answer is no.

Good ideas are few and far between. If you have one, you're probably going to like it. It's got to be good because you thought of it. Right? Wrong. It doesn't matter what you like. It matters what the person behind you thinks and the person who has never heard of you. It's about the idea being relevant and engaging your audience. It has to be effective. And to be effective it has to affect.

A good idea has potential. Potential to work and keep working. And it's a real skill to recognise that potential, never mind realise it. To stand up and stand the test of time. And the test of consumerism. As time marches on it has to keep pace. It has to have legs. To run and keep on running. Through good times and bad.

Think the Nike swoosh. Simple. Effective. Timeless. Limitless. It ticks the box for everything they do from running shoes to elite teams to skateboard gear. Everything ebbs from it and plays back into it. It has spawned hundreds of other ideas and sub brands. It outlasts fashions, sporting personalities and controversy (remember Colin Kaepernick).

You probably know the Nike swoosh story. But if you don't, it has everything. Here's a fast edit.

In 1971 Phil Knight asked student Carolyn Davidson to design a logo for a new sportswear company called Nike. She developed 5 options. Phil, reluctantly, chose one - "I don't love it, but it will grow on me". (Understatement of the century.) Carolyn got paid promptly. In total - $35.

Fast forward to 1983. Phil asks Carolyn to a party. There, he presented her with chocolate swooshes, a gold and diamond ring engraved with the swoosh. And an envelope. The envelope contained 500 shares of Nike stock. Now worth about $3million.

Not only is this an example of a great idea playing out. It is an example of value over cost. Phil, who was an accountant (yes an accountant) realised the work was transformational. It was effective beyond expectation. He recognised the enormous value that Carolyn has created for the brand. Three cheers for Phil. Sadly, Phil is a rare animal.

Ideas, good ones, last forever. They don't follow trends or fashion. And the truly remarkable thing about ideas is they are made by humans. Contrary to popular myths AI and Apple Macs don't make ideas. People do.

They are simple. Clever. Emotional. Resonant. Different. Better. Effective. Good ideas transform corporates, brands, people and sometimes, the world.

But creating robust ideas is a skill. A skill to recognise and realise that idea. It take times. It takes an expert. That's why we think before we do. Always. We call it Deep Thinking.

Be like Phil. It's time to recognise the power and value of ideas.

Think about it. We have.