Sails talk

What can Jorn Utzon, the architect of one of the indisputable masterpieces of human creativity in the history of humankind, teach us about marketing? How much time do I have? Not much? Okay, here it is: Associate your product/service with an idea if you wish to leave a vivid, long-lasting impression in the memory of your target audience. (The bigger the idea, the better.)

According to Paul Arden, a former executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi, here is how Jorn did it (from Paul’ book titled Whatever you think, think the opposite):

Sails Talk.

What I find interesting about the Sydney Opera House is how the architect Jorn Utzon sold his outrageous and what was then unbuildable design to Sydney’s city fathers. When presenting his plan he referred to the building as a sail. Once the committee had the image of sails on the water, no other entrant in the architectural competition stood a chance. He summed up his concept in one word.
Sail.
Brilliant.