Are you stuck in the Sahara Desert of sameness in advertising? Thirsty for a riveting oasis of creativity that stands out in the sea of mediocrity? It’s time to talk about “Creative Strategy in Advertising.”
Creative strategy is the invisible glue that holds your advertising campaign together. The blueprint guides the construction of a skyscraper, not the brick and mortar.
You might be thinking, “Why the art reference? Are we turning into Salvador Dali here?” No, we’re not. But just like Dali’s melting clocks, a creative strategy can bend the reality of your brand perception in the eyes of your consumers.
Let’s take an example. Remember the Old Spice “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign? Now that was an advertising campaign that had a crystal-clear creative strategy. They didn’t just sell deodorant; they sold the dream of manliness that was as irresistible as a perfectly grilled steak to a starving carnivore.
Let’s get something straight. Creativity without direction is like an unleashed Ferrari with a blind driver. It’s fast, flashy, but it’s going to crash into a wall. That’s where data steps in. It’s the compass that points your creativity in the right direction.
In 2019, the Content Marketing Institute reported that 67% of B2B marketers used content marketing data to make their advertising more creative. And boy, did it pay off. Businesses saw a 19% increase in sales and a 14% increase in customer retention. So don’t just throw darts in the dark. Light it up with data.
Imagine this. You’re in a boxing ring. In one corner, you have originality. In the other corner, you have effectiveness. Who wins? The answer is: it’s a draw. Here’s why: you can be as original as a rainbow unicorn, but if it doesn’t resonate with your audience, it’s as useful as a chocolate teapot.
On the other hand, you can be as effective as a Swiss Army Knife, but if you’re as dull as a rusted spoon, no one will give a hoot.
Steve Jobs once said, “Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works.” Translate that into the language of advertising, and you get “Creativity is not just what it looks like and feels like. Creativity is how it sells.”
Ever heard of the phrase “People buy with their emotions, not logic”? It’s not just a cliché—it’s a fundamental marketing truth. A study from Harvard Business Review showed that emotionally connected customers are more than twice as valuable as highly satisfied customers.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not telling you to start a sob-fest in your ads. I am saying that your creative strategy should weave a narrative that makes your audience feel something. Make them laugh, think, and feel warm and fuzzy inside—don’t make them yawn.
Just as important as a rudder to a ship. It’s what guides your advertising to its destination.
Absolutely. With metrics like brand recall, conversion rates, and customer engagement, you can see in the trajectory of your brand’s success.
Balance is key. Originality and effectiveness need to go hand in hand. Also, use data to guide your creative decisions. It’s like having a GPS in the wilderness of creativity.
Not necessarily. What works for one product category might not work for another. For instance, a one-point increase in creativity scores for shampoo and detergent ad campaigns boosted sales impact by 4%.
However, the body lotion and face care categories, which also tend to feature low levels of creativity, were harmed by additional creativity: Sales impact fell by nearly 2%1.
Emotions are the strings that pull the hearts of your audience. Your creative strategy should make your audience feel something. Don’t just make them watch your ad, make them experience it.
So there you have it, folks. A creative strategy in advertising isn’t just about sprouting wings of creativity. It’s about guiding those wings with the compass of data, strumming the chords of emotion, and striking the perfect balance between originality and effectiveness. Remember, investing in a highly creative ad campaign has nearly double the sales impact of a noncreative campaign2.
As the great Picasso once said, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” The world of advertising is your canvas, and you are the Picasso. So go ahead, and paint your masterpiece.
Up until working with Casey, we had only had poor to mediocre experiences outsourcing work to agencies. Casey & the team at CJ&CO are the exception to the rule.
Communication was beyond great, his understanding of our vision was phenomenal, and instead of needing babysitting like the other agencies we worked with, he was not only completely dependable but also gave us sound suggestions on how to get better results, at the risk of us not needing him for the initial job we requested (absolute gem).
This has truly been the first time we worked with someone outside of our business that quickly grasped our vision, and that I could completely forget about and would still deliver above expectations.
I honestly can't wait to work in many more projects together!
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