Making News

(July 10, 2007)

CREATIVITY + SMART PLANNING = MARKETING SUCCESS

By Melanie Strachan 

When embarking on a new marketing journey, “out-of-the-box” thinking takes you to an incredible world of big ideas. But adding on another essential element – a business roadmap to your creativity inspired destination – is what sets winning companies apart from the competition. Building creative content that follows a strategic plan is what matters most. 

Jeff Mason, K&A Creative Director, offers a few imagination sparkers to get your creative juices flowing:

  • Question, question, question. What you are trying to accomplish? Where are you going with your marketing program? What is the unique selling proposition (USP) of your product or service? Who are your target audiences - single men, stay-at-home mothers, working women, Generation X, Baby Boomers? Do you need to focus on a specific geographic area or demographic group to boost sales? Are you enhancing your image as an industry expert? Are you pursuing social media outlets to increase sales? The more insight and information that go into your strategic marketing plan, the easier it will be to build creative content that fulfills the plan.
  • Stick to a clear set of goals and objectives. A defined purpose for your creative platform will make your life a lot easier. For example, “raising awareness of our product” is less effective than “creating awareness of our product and its advertising messages among 10 percent of the target audience.” The old rule of setting SMART objectives (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, time sensitive) is still smart thinking.
  • Consider the rational and emotional “reasons to believe” in your offering. Making a list of these unique selling propositions (USPs) and emotional connections that you know will affect your target audiences may become the basis for future copy and visual messaging.
  • Gather the ingredients. Compile your mandatory creative elements including the company logo, Web site, physical address and phone number. Ensure you have all of these at the beginning of your creative work. Double check for accuracy (for example, call phone numbers and send test emails) and identify any that need to be updated as part of the creative process. Better to be prepared from the start than to lose time, money, energy and momentum trying to fix elements in the middle of a campaign.
  • Set the time. Develop a creative timetable to position the ideas you have brainstormed into actionable items. A process well planned is a process well executed. Plan time for:
    • Initial creative review
    • Revised creative
    • Final internal creative reviews
    • Client presentations
    • Material delivery dates
  • Do your research. Hold focus groups to better understand your target audiences - it will help hone your messages (remember: the best campaigns have a maximum of two extremely strong messages). You want consumers to hear consistent communication that resonates with their desires and interests.
  • Test your concepts. The best creative people understand that the ultimate success of a creative platform is when it resonates with the target audiences. Take you creative out into the field and test them before finalizing them. It confirms your understanding of the best approaches that appeal to your target audiences.  

Originality and imagination are the building blocks for successful marketing campaigns. This is true whether you are marketing luxury home products or even a presidential candidate. In today’s world, perception is reality. Compelling creative communicates the desired perceived value of your offering, calling your target customers to action.


<< Newer                                                                                                                                       Older >>