You’ve probably seen an elephant making an appearance in our marketing, and you may be wondering…what’s with the elephant? Well, the famous story that provided the inspiration for this campaign goes a little something like this:

A group of blind men are asked to touch an elephant and describe what they feel. The blind man who feels a leg says the elephant is like a pillar; the one who feels the tail says the elephant is like a rope; the one who feels the trunk says the elephant is like a tree branch; the one who feels the ear says the elephant is like a hand fan; the one who feels the belly says the elephant is like a wall; and the one who feels the tusk says the elephant is like a solid pipe. They begin to fight over what the elephant is, and simply cannot agree.

This story reminds us of the importance of the “big picture,” and helps embody our philosophy of integrated marketing communications: the idea that all of your marketing efforts should complement and support one another, regardless of channel.

The other lesson gleaned from this story is the importance of collaboration. Had the blind men worked together, they may have been able to determine what the elephant was. Instead, they each stubbornly clung to their own views, and because of that attitude, were unable to come to an accurate conclusion.

So, we ask you: is your marketing taking into account “the big picture?” Are you using collaboration to come up with the best solution? This story serves as a simple reminder that by working together—and by paying attention to not only the details, but the big picture, as well, we’re able to produce stunning results.