Define insight. It’s an enquiry that usually yields a roundabout response from planners. ‘Illuminating truth’ is the explanatory thread we pick up consistently… seeing the familiar in a new way is certainly a good start. But the thing that gets me most on this subject (sure I’m re-channeling the question) is how narrowly applied the notion of insight is. Specifically, I’m thinking of the decree from Brand Keys and the like to capture an insight and cage it like the prize specimen of a Victorian entomologist. Insight shouldn’t be petrified. It’s a living, breathing thing that constantly responds to the environment and influences around it. Bringing insight meaningfully into a brand world (and organisation) is a process, so it makes sense to keep it as alive and pumping as possible. A real insight doesn’t need cosseting; it should happily withstand a bit of real life knocking about. If not, it really does deserve to go in a box with a lid – the bin.