What is Your Universal Truth?

In 2008, Snickers had a problem. Sales were flat and the competition for market share was growing. When you work for an association it’s likely you’ve faced a similar dilemma.

You are replacing the members who leave with new ones who join, but growth looks flat.

For Snickers, the brand used too many messages and was no longer tapping into something that would resonate with buyers.

They were just another candy bar in a crowded market, competing on taste and ingredients like everyone else (sound familiar - e.g., continuing education credits, information, networking).

That's when they made a radical decision: instead of expanding what they offered, they narrowed what they stood for.

Rather than focusing on features (price, size, ingredients) they discovered their universal truth - a simple boundary that would change everything.

So when Snickers finally landed on “You’re not you when you’re hungry, Snickers satisfies” everything changed.

They stopped selling features.

They found a universal truth and handed that single, clear idea to creative teams all over the world.

And once those teams had that truth as a boundary, they could get creative. Different cultures, different characters, same core story.

That’s what the right boundaries do. They don’t limit creativity, they focus it.

Snickers went from flat sales to 16% global growth. They created one of the 10 best Super Bowl ads of all time. And most importantly, they created something memorable in a category full of forgettable products.

Snickers didn’t change who they were as a brand - they changed the boundaries they were willing to play within.

“You’re not you when you’re hungry” became the guardrail that made creative risks feel less like gambling and more like smart experimentation.

The clearer the boundary, the more risk they could comfortably absorb.

I share this story (and the video of the Snicker's ad in my keynote) because the idea behind finding your Universal Truth is relevant to associations, start-ups, Fortune 500 companies and consulting firms.

What is your Universal Truth?