Power Tools. OTIs. Opportunity to Influence.

I’m thinking out loud today. Nothing scientific. But, as I am beavering away on a couple of projects for clients of different sizes, with varying levels of brand power, advocacy and brand love.

When working on new creative, it’s not good enough to think what’s a cool idea. It has to be in the context of the ‘what’s possible’ and ‘what may work’. That is, not just budget, but ways in which we can influence the audience.

Opportunities to Influence (OTIs) are something I am talking about a lot right now. It’s important, especially with challenger brands to consider the ways to influence with the least budget.

Big brands, with big budgets can aim simply for disruption, weight of spend and the abstract. It’s sooo much easier working for a big brand. That’s the power tool of the big brand. Budget and existing levels of brand love. Not doing something new – that’s not and never will be easy. Great ideas are always difficult to find.

Smaller challenger brands have to leverage their assets – and often that’s relevancy (as it always has been) which means it’s MORE important for challengers to really understand their audience acutely, and identifying the OTIs as part of the brief, not as a consequence of the idea generation. That’s the power tool of the smaller / challenger brand. Insight. Understanding the audience.

Either way, they both need great ideas. But without budget on your side, market intelligence is your only friend.

For the next month, I am going to start working creatively thinking about the OTIs as well as the brief. I’ll report back soon.