Isn’t that the most common expression you unknowingly use when you see something outstanding that sends shivers down your spine or gives you a big ‘WOW’ factor? But my reason for using this expression is not the word – ‘fantastic’ but the word ‘Simply’ and how revolutionary can it be for brands who manage to achieve it.
Simple is elegant! Simple is Beautiful! Simple is Pure! Simple is Fantastic! Yes there are thousands of similar expressions out there and we encounter them almost daily. But little do we realize how hard it is to achieve that expression, to reach that stage of Simplicity in our work and in our thought process. It involves a different kind of thinking to deselect the unwanted, focus your strength on the single most important thing and articulate an idea or product that truly solves a problem for millions.
I think the best place to begin is to look at some great brands who have managed to convert their ‘brand’ into a ‘verb’, who have managed to become part of our everyday lives without us realizing it. It’s a natural human phenomenon that our memory is short and in this super fast digital era, it’s become even shorter. We tend to remember and recall things that bring a connect in the most simplistic manner. For e.g. Nike’s tagline – Just do it. Its straight forward approach actually tingles our inner instinct to ‘go out and give our best’ and of course use Nike’s products while we are doing so.
While Nike managed to create a brand recall by tapping into our emotion of ‘wanting to be an achiever’, brands like Google rule the planet by simplifying the medium of accessing information to the last bit. Starting from its user-interface and super connected web of applications; it has surprised us with endless possibilities to access information. It is a brand that was built on a good idea – to make information available to all, and has stood the test of time, resulting in our enormous trust in it.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? You may hate to admit but most of us open our eyes to our mobile phones. It has replaced our bedside alarm clock and even the daily newspaper. The brand that has contributed most to this change is undeniably ‘Apple’. Let’s study the name of this brand and how does it relate to what it delivers. During his biography, describing about why he chose this name, Jobs told Walter Isaacson that he thought the name sounded “fun, spirited and not intimidating.” Over the years Apple has created products that are not over powering or intimidating rather they focus on making people’s live simple and fun. And that’s the reason unknowingly they have become part of our everyday lives. Apple’s simplistic approach towards product design and marketing has made it the most valuable brand in the world today.
While the story of well-established brands who’ve done this right is always interesting, I am searching for more. What’s the recipe to create the next series of brands that would create a ripple as much as their earlier counterparts? I came across this interesting video:
It’s a Global Brand Simplicity Index 2014 by Seigel+Gale that succeeds greatly in finding the effects of simplicity on a brand. Towards the end, the video introduces a new definition for ‘Simplicity’ that edges towards ‘being disruptive’. I am finding many new brands like Uber, Ola Cabs, Oyo rooms fall under the category of being ‘disrupters’. These app-based services are forcing us to step outside conventional thinking and adopt new ways that make our lives simpler. They have managed the break the monopoly of big sharks in their field and are giving power to the common man.
So if you are a young start-up experimenting with a recklessly creative idea that’s never been done before, take time to understand it’s value and purpose in your user’s life. Don’t shy away from pouring it out endlessly because that will allow you to deselect the unwanted, remove the friction and focus only on the necessary. And surprisingly the outcome will be a simplistic approach towards this new brand that reaches to the hearts and minds of your customers.
