“A bird in the hand is …” “Do unto others as you would have them …”

No doubt you were able to finish those statements. For centuries, people have. They’re short, simple, easy to understand. The ideas behind them are complex. The statements are not.

In their new book Made to Stick, authors (and brothers) Dan and Chip Heath argue that simplicity is at the heart of creating ideas, and messaging, that sticks in our minds. That doesn’t mean that the ideas they suggest are not complex – “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is a quick summary of a philosophy that can guide every one of your actions – it’s just the statements that are simple.

Think of how this works in your own life: You meet someone new at the neighborhood barbecue and they ask what you do. You rarely dive into the details of your everyday work or overall responsibility. More likely, you have it summed up in less than 10 words: “I work in marketing” or “I’m head of marketing for XYZ company.” Short, simple, easy to understand.

So why is this so tough when it comes to creating messaging for our brand or products? The Heath brothers would tell us we’re cursed with knowledge. We know too much about our brand and we try to cram it all in. We try to cover all aspects of what it means instead of focusing solely on the core. By doing so, we shift the focus away from short, simple, easy to understand.

Try this: Jot down all the corporate taglines you can recall off the top of your head. Then look them over. You’ll see a pattern: short, simple, easy to understand. Then make that your mantra going forward, to make sure your marketing follows suit: short, simple, easy to understand.

After all, you can spend a lot of time making sure your messaging fits the brand, but it doesn’t matter if no one remembers it.