I Have An Idea… Be The (Tinfoil) Ball

[Ed.: “I Have An Idea…” is a series written for College AD by the author of Brands Win Championships, Jeremy Darlow.]

 

“Big things have small beginnings.” – Lawrence of Arabia

Growing up as a kid, I remember watching a show called Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. The series first aired in 1986 and starred Paul Reuben as Pee-Wee Herman. The premise was pretty straightforward. Every day, Pee-Wee would visit his playhouse full of toys, talking furniture and giant ball of tin foil in search of adventure and inspiration. With each episode arose a teaching moment. But ironically it wasn’t until recently that I actually learned something from the show. I’m not trying to be flippant or be disparaging in any way. Quite the opposite in fact. I may not have realized it then, but Pee-Wee’s playhouse accommodated as many lessons as it did toys. And to my surprise, the lessons were of the marketing variety. That in and of itself is a teaching moment. Whether we realize it or not, marketing and its core tenants consume our day. They surround us. Some we see, most we don’t. I missed this one…almost.   

If you’re familiar with the show, you might remember Mr. Herman’s afore mentioned tin foil ball. Basically it was just as it sounds. A ball of foil. With one key distinction that made it memorable. It. Was. Huge. Pee Wee would add to it every so often, thanks to occasional donations from his friends. The ball literally became so big, that it could no longer fit in the playhouse, thus it was donated to a foil museum (yes, apparently that’s a thing).

 

 

It’s this ball of foil that recently reinforced a marketing philosophy I practice and preach in my own work. That is that consistency and frequency can take what was once an overlooked idea and turn it into something people can’t help but notice. Your brand is no different than this ball of foil. At first it’s a standard, commonplace piece of foil. No one cares. Then it’s little more than a wad of foil, what looks to be trash. If you saw it, you might register its existence, but more than likely you’d forget about it. Except as more and more foil is added, the more interesting it becomes. It’s not just a single piece of foil. It’s not just a wad of foil. Suddenly it’s a ball of foil. Now people are noticing. People are starting to talk about it. But it doesn’t stop there. More and more foil is added still. Now it’s not just a tin foil ball, it’s the world’s largest tin foil ball. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen and everyone wants to see it, touch it, and roll it!

Now it’s a brand people care about.