Simplicity. In Life and Strategy.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

— Leonardo da Vinci

I’m a big fan of simplicity. Both in my personal and professional life as well as in the marketing strategies and work I do for clients. I find that many of us tend to get entangled in a self-made web of complexity that spans e-mail, useless paper, physical clutter, etc. Same applies to business.

I noticed a tendency of companies to spread themselves too thin over a many touchpoints, while not delivering on any of them. It usually looks like this: “Herald Daily rep came in today, and they gave us a great deal on a series of 1/2 page ads”, followed up by “123AM Radio rep came in yesterday and we really have to get on top of this. So we’ll be running 30′s for the next two weeks”, and then “Did you guys know everyone is the social medias? This consultant is building us a Facebook Page!”… and then depending on your location: “We’re getting our brand tattooed on the backs of all donkeys in the area! It’ll be viral!”

Fast forward a couple of months and you have one big mess of independent campaigns running all over the place. It’s a common sight. Want to figure out how to get out of this tailspin of horror and cash leak? Try: Stop, Reduce, Consolidate and Restart.


STOP – Stop everything. No more new media buys, no more ads. Just stop.

REDUCE – Have a look at what your business is running right now. Does the pieces work together? Do they support each other and your overall marketing strategy? (ie: Does your print advertising reference your Facebook page… are your Facebook status updates creating any new comments or likes?). Everything that is no longer relevant to your vision or direction your business is going, kill it. No mercy.

CONSOLIDATE - Take whatever’s left and tie it together. Tightly. Each touchpoint should support each other. Look at your marketing efforts as an eco-system. Are consumers able to move from one touchpoint to the other seamlessly? Does it all vibe together?

RESTART - You stopped. You killed. You consolidated. Now it’s time to fire your world back up and restart the communication. You’ll find that a simplified, cohesive approach will yield much better results over time. It’s time for you to take control of your brand and get it together! [edit: for the love of God]


Well… that aside, I thought I would share some of my favorite resources on the topic of simplicity and effectiveness:

Unclutter – Great blog on uncluttering (pretty obvious hey) your life in both physical and mental senses.

Zen Habits – Simple, Clean and Clear. Leo, a professional blogger and author, provides real, actionable advice on simplifying your life.

Lifehacker – What would life be like if you couldn’t geek out every once in a while. This website will provide you with many hours of entertainment, news and ideas!


Best of luck on your simplicity journey!

Ernest. // @ebarbaric