NORTHERN PLANNER

 

 Batman: Then why do you want to kill me?
Joker: I don’t want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, you … complete me.

Nothing provokes greatness like a great nemesis.

They force you to challenge yourself.

They provide focus.

They unite a team, or a community like a common antogonist enemy.

They're brilliant for people working on brands too, if they want to get to good quickly.

At level of getting an idea…

Finding a juicy enemy to work against seems to unlock great thinking so much quicker.

Mostly because creativity seems to come out of friction.

Which is why you shouldn't try and get on with creatives or suits TOO much too. Throwing in a little constructive friction can be useful.

Great ideas often come out of conflict.

Anyway…..

 

What unlocked all that great Honda stuff was settling on negativity as the enemy.

 

This actually makes hating something enough, the subject of the communication.

 

Probably the most iconic ad of all time was set against 'the man'.

 

While Dove continues to make an enemy out of the impossible dreams the beauty industry promotes.

But it's not just about creative rocket fuel. It's about work that works.

Our job in other words.

The role of advertising is about making brands memorable and distinctive.

Much of that is finding something folks really care about and linking it to what the brand cares about.

It's about looking for real tension in culture and providing an answer.

Creating a provocative call to arms. Enabling people to feel they're part of something.

Not because it will make them loyal (although it should turn the minority of loyalists into advocates, reaching the masses of people who DO matter).

Because it will cut through.

It will make stuff distinctive. It will connect with deep stuff most can't even articulate.

 

Ask most folks why The Old Spice guy works and they'll say it's funny. The fact that Old Spice get's you experienced manliness, is against guys going 'soft' is never said, especially because it's clothed in irony.

 

Whereas this is more explicit, but it links small cars with something folks are starting to care about.

 

As always, this is nothing new, Marlboro made an enemy of the 'other directed man'.

And so on.

It's not the only way of getting great quickly, but it does seem to work.

It's, of course, planning 101 for challenger brands.

But in a world where brands have to fight more to get noticed, where to find a waty to add to people's lives, rather than interrupt them, finding a common enemy gets you noticed. 

So, when choosing your enemies, choose well. They can unlock extraordinary business building ideas.

Avoiding all that brand essence, brand promise, LINK tested rubbish – which is probably the enemy of this post.

In other words, pick great fights.