Naming Your Big Idea

The idea for this week’s episode of TBOA came from none other than Mister Rogers (as in Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) who articulated his big idea perfectly to journalist Tom Junod.

Jonathan and I explore how to name your own big idea—why it’s worth your time to do it, an approach to dig for yours and the nuances of how to articulate it to your ideal audience:

How Mr. Rogers’ big idea changed the worldview of a cynical journalist—and how to apply the same framework to yours.

A formula to start pinpointing your big idea (with a live example to see how it works in real life).

Weaving the elements of a big idea into your marketing and branding.

The psychic rewards from having your own business and the role your mindset plays in naming your big idea.

Making your big idea crackle with emotion for your target audience.

Quotables

“A great big idea is really concise, really clear and really big.”—JS

“Your big idea is focused not on you and what you do but on the result—the outcome, the transformation you deliver.”—RM

“You know you’re onto something when you find the germ of an emotional reaction in your wording. You start thinking: that’s what I do—it makes me really happy and clients love these outcomes.”—RM

“The less clear your big idea, the more drag there will be, the more waste there will be…if you can streamline your big idea, you can start zooming.”—JS