Formats Are the New Ideas
The Death of the “Big Idea”
For decades, advertising was built around the Big Idea: a single concept, executed through multiple channels. But social media has inverted the equation. Today, a good idea can die in the wrong wrapper. A witty campaign line that would have ruled in a 30-second TV spot becomes invisible as a static post. Conversely, a mediocre thought wrapped in the right format—a meme, a TikTok sound, a carousel sequence—can travel further than an award-winning script. In this sense, format has become the new gravity of content. It dictates reach, engagement, and lifespan more than the underlying message itself.
Why Format Matters More Than Ever
Algorithms reward behaviour, and behaviour is triggered by format. A tweet-sized insight, a stitchable TikTok, a swipeable carousel—they aren’t just styles, they are engines of distribution. People interact differently depending on the wrapper: they double-tap images, swipe carousels, binge short-form videos, and save infographics. The format is the interface between the idea and the habit. Ignore this, and you create content people might like but won’t interact with.
Take the meme as a case study. Memes often contain banal insights or recycled jokes, but the format—visual shorthand plus text overlay—makes them spreadable. The insight is not unique, but the form is optimised for frictionless sharing. This is the opposite of traditional advertising logic: in social, form beats genius.
“In social, the container is the content.”
Designing with Format-First Thinking
The shift required is brutal honesty: stop obsessing over originality of idea, start mastering originality of format. This doesn’t mean abandoning creativity; it means channelling it into the shapes the platforms reward. Smart brands design content as systems of formats: the recurring Q&A sticker, the weekly carousel rubric, the modular TikTok challenge. Once a format works, it compounds—audiences recognise it, anticipate it, and interact with it faster.
This is not laziness; it’s leverage. By building formats that can be endlessly adapted, you create a brand language the audience knows how to use. It’s the difference between telling ten clever jokes and creating one comedy sketch format that fans repeat endlessly. The latter lives longer, scales faster, and costs less over time.
