Build it and they will come

In the classic 1989 American fantasy-drama film, Field of Dreams, starring Kevin Costner, novice farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice that whispers “If you build it, he will come”, and sees a baseball diamond. His wife, Annie, is skeptical, but she allows him to plow under his corn to build the field.

The movie’s plot is wrapped around Ray’s morose in having passed over opportunities to play ball with his father in his youth, along with his dreamy fantasy of building a baseball diamond in his corn field in the hopes of reconnecting with his father in some otherworldly reality. As his quest unfolds, he initially faces the threat of financial hardship, while attempting to solicit players and patrons to fulfill his ball diamond dream. In the end however, in an imaginary ball game scene, Ray is pointed towards home plate, where he sees a catcher remove his mask and recognizes his father as a very young man, and asks his Dad to play catch. As they begin to play, hundreds of cars can be seen approaching the cornfield, ultimately portending the manifestation of the main character’s aspirations.

“Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”
– Oscar Wilde

Does Life Really Imitate Art?

Oscar Wilde opined in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying that, “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life”. The idea holds that art sets the aesthetic principles by which people perceive life, and does not imitate life. What is found in life and nature is not what is really there, but is that which artists have taught people to find there, through art. As in an example posted by Wilde, although there has been fog in London for centuries, one notices the beauty and the wonder of the fog because “poets and painters have taught the loveliness of such effects… They did not exist till Art had invented them.”

What’s All This Got to do with Building Emotional Brands?

More than you might think…

Consumers are everyday folks, just like you and I. Art enthusiasts for sure. Moviegoers. Music lovers. Sports fans. And guess what? We all have one thing in common: it’s in our DNA to look for inspiration, to be led and engaged at a higher level. The good news is, when we are, when we do see someone or something that captures our imaginations in a big, big way, we tend to follow. And “rabid followers” is exactly what businesses and organizations operating at the highest level today are looking for in their quest for a competitive edge.

So, the next time your branding and marketing communications provider proposes you build a ball diamond in a cornfield, we suggest you think twice, before you deem it entirely outlandish. We’ve learned first-hand that when you inspire consumers with a field of dreams, they really will come out in droves.

Ask us to walk you through campaigns that really hit it out of the ballpark. Call 1-204-235-1284 today.