The Spark
It’s 1972, and the smell of fresh asphalt fills the air at Hayward Field in Oregon. Runners, their breaths visible in the crisp morning chill, lace up their shoes. Among them stands a young coach, Bill Bowerman, gripping a prototype of a new running shoe. Next to him is Phil Knight, a man with a vision as relentless as the runners pounding the track. Nike was still just a whisper then, catering to athletes and obsessing over performance footwear. “What if,” Bowerman says, holding up the shoe with its now famous waffle sole, “we didn’t complicate running, we made it effortless?"
By the late 1980s, Nike had grown far beyond Hayward Field. In a brainstorming session, advertising execs pitch a bold idea. “Three words,” someone says. “Just Do It.” Phil Knight leans back, skeptical but intrigued. “It might be crazy enough to work,” he says. A pause. Then: “Let’s run with it.”
By the 1990s, Nike had struck a chord. Those three simple words resonated far beyond sports. Nike wasn't just selling shoes; they were selling perseverance, grit, and the belief that the finish line is wherever you decide to place it.
Across the country, another story unfolds. It’s 1997, and Apple is on life support. At a brainstorming session, Steve Jobs draws a large 'X' through a cluttered whiteboard, leaving only three products: the iMac, the iPod, and an unnamed device that looked like a bigger iPod.
“We’re doing too much,” Jobs says calmly. “We don’t need to be everything. We just need to be great at a few things. Simpler. Clearer. Things people can’t imagine living without.”
By the late 2000s, Apple was changing the world. Jobs knew the iPhone wasn’t just a product—it was a vision, a doorway to a future that few had even yet imagined.
Nike and Apple remind us that the most transformative ideas aren’t just bold—they’re simple. They strip away the noise, find clarity in chaos, and ignite movements that transcend products and services.
Why Do These Ideas Endure?
Timeless Truths: Great ideas tap into universal truths or emotions, making them timeless. “Just Do It” isn’t just about sports—it’s about determination and self-belief. These ideas endure because they reflect what people deeply value.
Clarity in Complexity: The simplicity of bold ideas makes them easy to understand, remember, and share. Whether it’s a phrase, logo, or campaign, clarity ensures these ideas aren’t lost in the noise. Simplicity doesn’t oversimplify—it distills.
Scalability: When ideas are simple enough, they can grow from a spark into an unstoppable movement. Think of the scalability of social media—born from a simple human desire to connect, it evolved into a multi-billion-dollar ecosystem shaping global culture. Simplicity is what allows ideas to travel far and wide.
The Resonance
What’s the idea behind your brand? Not just what you sell, but what you stand for. What bold, simple truth defines your vision? When was the last time you stepped back, stripped away the noise, and asked: What really matters here, what truly resonates?
The best ideas become powerful when they are clear and simple. They resonate because they reveal something true, something others can easily see, feel, and share.