There is no spoon: how do you bring an unproven concept to life (and get buy-in for it)?
Anyone who knows me knows that The Matrix is among one of my favourite movies. One of its most iconic lines, packed with philosophical meaning ‘there is no spoon’, is about perception vs reality. Those who have seen it will know that in this scene, the spoon in question is a construct of the simulation. It doesn’t exist in the physical sense – so bending it isn’t about changing the object – it’s about Neo realising the object is an illusion – that he must change his perception.
Ultimately, the movie taps into postmodern philosophy – especially the idea that our reality is constructed by beliefs, systems, and language. The same is true when seeking to get buy-in and support for an unproven concept. Because if people don’t understand it, they won’t support it. This is the moment when brand and communications do their most important work.
Because before there’s proof, there has to be belief.
Building belief in the unfamiliar
When something is genuinely new, and truly visionary, it often starts life as an unknown. A concept. An ambition. Something that doesn’t yet have evidence, a case study, or even the right vocabulary to explain it.
Take NESO’s Virtual Energy System (VES) – a pioneering initiative that aims to create a real-time digital twin of Britain’s energy system. The concept was ambitious. The technology was complex. But the (potential) impact was transformational. However, in its earliest stages, the idea wasn’t self-explanatory. It needed a story to ground it in the real world and bring it to life.
Not just a technical diagram or a white paper, but a narrative; a reason to care.
What made the difference in getting industry and stakeholder support wasn’t just the architecture of the system, it was the architecture of the message. Strategic communications gave audiences a way to engage with an abstract vision. Brand gave it credibility. Language gave it clarity.
From whiteboard to belief system
Often, unproven ideas face an uphill climb: internal stakeholders need to be convinced, collaborators need a reason to get involved, and funders need something they can get behind. This is where brand steps in – not as decoration, but as a bridge between intention and action.
The VES brand wasn’t built on complexity. It was built on clarity, coherence, and conviction. It translated a technically intricate system into something human, relatable and worth supporting.
The choice of words mattered; the tone mattered; the visuals mattered. Even the consistency across channels mattered. Together, these things created a sense of momentum, even before the initiative got underway.
Show the concept but lead with the benefits.
Communicating an unproven concept often means balancing explanation with inspiration. You have to show the concept, yes, but you also need to show the why. Why it matters, why now, why this team, this mission, and this moment. Like The Matrix, bridging the gap between the perception (or potential) of a concept or idea versus the reality that it may have never been done before.
In this sense, taking a theoretical concept and giving it personality, story, sometimes urgency, helps to shape perception before results are even visible. Done well, this creates a kind of gravity by pulling in stakeholders, collaborators, and partners who want to be part of something bigger than themselves. And when people feel like they understand it and can get behind the benefits, they’ll want to help make it real.
Strategic storytelling is not a soft skill
Just like the VES itself, good brand strategy is a system of different components. One designed to support innovation by making something communicable, credible, and contagious. It ensures that even the most technical concept doesn’t live in a silo, but in people’s minds (without the invasive need to be ‘unplugged).
This is especially critical in complex, multi-stakeholder environments like the energy sector. If you wait until the project is “ready” to start building belief, you’ve missed the moment.
Imagination needs infrastructure
The VES project shows us that the infrastructure of belief, built through brand, storytelling, and communications, is just as vital as the physical or digital systems we’re designing or disrupting.
So, if you’re working on something unproven, don’t wait for the data to speak for itself. Give the idea a voice. Give the system a soul. Give people something to believe in, before it exists.
Because bold ideas can only become reality when people believe in them.