What do I mean when I say “The Big Idea?” Let’s use the Gwinett Gladiators campaign as an example. Rather than just creating a series of fun ads featuring hockey players and clever headlines, I chose to create the brand personality through the ads themselves. Every piece of communication created had the same Voice. I call it “Gladiator Speak”; a fusion of Latin and street talk. For example a ticket ad would read. “Gottus ticketis yetus? “I’m with stupidus” Tshirts, “Checkus outus our new arenus” You get the picture. Everything speaks to the brand personality. This makes for a unified, consistant and memorable brand communication while at the same time, doing the tactical job of selling tickets and merchandising.
Given limited media dollars ($0.00), bartering for local airtime and print was the first order of business. The TV spot was a low-budget affair consisting of a “Loop” of the same archival footage and some very talented local voice actors. I used the same technique with the promo spot for the Trump Plaza fight promotion ad, “The Holfield Battlefield” spot. See PORTFOLIO/TELEVISION.
When you don’t have the dollars for a branding campaign (Strategic) and a promotional campaign (Tactical) you need an idea that can accomplish both simultaneously.
That, my friends is a ‘BigGus Ideum’.