Years ago, an ex-partner and mentor Tom Dombrosky would get our client brainstorming back on track with one question:
“What’s the big idea?”
Not the hook. Not the headline. Not the targeting. The idea.
His litmus test (which I’ve since heard called the Barstool
Test) was: if you can’t explain it in two sentences over a drink (in Tom’s case
Stolichnaya), it’s not ready.
Every idea had to pass four filters:
- Is it simple
enough to say in one breath?
- Is it emotional
enough to make someone feel something?
- Is it relevant
to what’s happening right now in the prospect’s world?
- Is it consequential
enough to demand action.
If it didn’t clear those, it didn’t leave the room.
Most modern marketing skips this part. We optimize
headlines, tweak funnels, and let algorithms decide what survives. It’s
efficient and measurable, but a lot of it feels like carefully engineered
noise.
Great copy doesn’t start big. It starts small with a specific
detail, then tension is built so the reader feels something before you
explain anything. Then, once they’re leaning in and emotionally vested, you
reveal the big idea.
That’s the difference between information and persuasion.
You can automate distribution. You can A/B test until your
eyes bleed. But you can’t automate a clear idea.
If you can’t pitch it casually, cleanly, in two sentences
without sounding like you swallowed a marketing podcast, it’s not done.
Start smaller. Tighten it. Make it matter.
Then put it out into the world.
_________________________
For a few years, Tom and I were partners in a small advertising agency in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was the senior. I was the junior. I learned a lot, made a lot of money, and had one helluva good time. Here are a few Dombrosky stories you might appreciate:
Kicking Butt in Restaurant Marketing
No comments:
Post a Comment