Creativity
Creative Strategy
CREATIVE STRATEGY
Message Development
Creativity in Marketing
 What We Create
 Creating Added Value
 Creativity in…
 Advertising
 Public Relations
 Sales Promotion
What We Create
 We Create Ideas
 “A new combination of previously existing elements”
 We Create Brand Equity
 Something that sticks to the “Velcro” of the brand
Example: “Whassup?”
The Creative Strategy is
a plan for capturing the mind of the audience ...
the message design ...
the blueprint for the execution
Creative Strategy determines the persuasive approach an ad will use to carry out the
advertising strategy.
Creative Platform or Brief
Product/Service concept or problem adv. is expected to solve or promote
Advertising Objective
Selling Strategy/Positioning
The benefits a user receives from these features
Emotional Payoff
Head – rational message
Heart– emotional message
The Creative Concept
Strategy
Creative Concept: Message that is AttentionGetting and Memorable & Serves as an
Umbrella for a Series of Ads in a Campaign
Creativity
 Relevance
 Originality
 Impact
Creative Roles
Art Director
Person most responsible for the graphic image of the ad.
Makes decisions about using art or photography in print.
Use of color is another important design decision.
Copywriter
Person who shapes and sculpts the words in an ad.
Copy should be as simple as possible and should have impact.
Avoid Adese, which is formula ad copy.
Advertising Appeal:
The suggested mood or tone for the advertisement
The ways mood and atmosphere will be achieved
Two Types of Appeals:
Logical appeals (rational appeals)
Emotional appeals
Emotional appeals
Star Appeals/Testimonials
Ego Appeals
Fear or Anger Appeals
Sensory Appeals
Sex Appeals
 Love Appeals
 Social Acceptance Appeals
Novelty Appeals
Creating Added Value
Creating Attention
Creating Deeper Connections
Creating New Perspectives
Pepsi
“TombRaider” Promotion
Creativity in Advertising
 Interest in an ad is influenced by…
 Surprise (Good)
 Information (Better)
 Benefits (Best)
Creativity in Public Relations
 Example: PR Like a Virgin
Richard Branson understands that the media doesn’t get many interesting photos
Here he is in his balloon.
Richard Branson understands that the media doesn’t get many interesting photos
Here, he promotes a book which promotes his brand
 Example: Harley-Davidson - Happy 95th
 Every year, every company has an anniversary.
 Creative PR can make it something special
 All brands have ads
 Good PR about those ads adds extra value
 But it has to be “newsworthy
Creativity in Sales Promotion
A Creative Approach can provide an added reason to buy - on top of the Incentive!
Creativity in Sales Promotion
A Creative Approach can provide an added reason to buy - on top of the Incentive
Win/Free/Save
Building Brand Value
Creativity Can Build Brand Values
 It can Reinforce Existing Feelings
 It can Create New Feelings and Attitudes
It can Add Image and Imagery
How Creative Works
 Effective Creativity persuades
 Three Cornerstones of Persuasion
 It connects to the Target
 It communicates the Benefit
 Effective Creativity gets to “Yes”
 “The Closer”
 It gets you to “Just Do It”
When it works, “Creative” is…
Effective Surprise!
 It could be a Big Surprise!
 The “AHA”
 I never thought of it that way before
Effective Surprise!
 It could be a Small Surprise
 The “Oh yeah!”
 That’s just the way I feel
The Creative Department
 The Process
 Creative Collaboration
The Product
 The Creative Concept...
 Turned into an Ad
 The Result Creative Communication
The Players
 The Creative Team
Writer/Art Director
 Create Selling Concepts
Jeff Goodby & Rich Silverstein of Goodby Silverstein & Partners
The Process
 Creative Collaboration
The Assignment
 Informal (or formal) group meeting
“Here’s what we’ve got to do.”
 Tools may or may not be ready
 Collaborative Thinking
 BrainStorming
 Thinking Together
 Until… THE CONCEPT.
Creative Support Systems:
 Almost every agency has a set of intellectual tools to help them solve advertising
problems. Like:
Target Sketch
 Consumer Insight
 Brand Character Capsule
 Creative Action Plan
Target Sketch
 Helps Target “Come Alive
 Helps in “one-to-one communication”
Don’t think of people in the mass. That gives you a blurred view. Think of a typical
individual, man or woman, who is likely to want what you sell”
Claude Hopkins
Helps in a critical task - talking to people who are not like you.
Consumer Insight
 Example: Baby Clothes
 Need to add “reason-why” to emotion to justify higher price point
 Style plus functionality for babies and moms
 To Mom, it says “we understand”
 Example: Tires
 Why should I buy Michelins?
 Example: Crackers
 Why do I need Uneeda?
Brand Character Capsule
“describes what the brand stands for in terms of consumer perception”
 Usually the result of extensive research
 Describes values that the advertising (marketing communication) will reinforce.
 Useful decision-making tool
 This is us/This isn’t us
Creative Action Plan
 Different Names at Different Agencies
 Common Characteristics
 Target Description
 Communication Objective
 Product
 Benefit
 vs. Competition
May have other Sections
 Example: Key Fact and “Problem the Advertising Must Solve” (Y&R Creative Work
Plan)
“Selling” Creative Ideas
 Presentations Need Planning
 A Good Presentation Format:
 Present Problem/Assignment
 Unique Interpretation of Problem
 The Insight is introduced
“The Reveal”
 Be ready for questions, comments and criticisms
Producing Creative Ideas
 Now other specialized professionals and suppliers join the creative team.
Print Team Members:
 Electronic pre-production
 Art buyers
 Photographers
 Illustrators
 Printers
Producing Creative Ideas
 Now other specialized professionals and suppliers join the creative team.
Radio Team Members:
Voice Talent
 Announcers
 Actors
 Singers
 Composers & musicians
 Recording Studios & Engineers
Producing Creative Ideas
 Now other specialized professionals and suppliers join the creative team.
Radio Team Members:
Voice Talent
 Announcers
 Actors
 Singers
 Composers & musicians
 Recording Studios & Engineers
Producing Creative Ideas
 Now other specialized professionals and suppliers join the creative team.
Television Team Members:
 Agency Producers
 Production Houses
Video Production Facility
Producing Creative Ideas
 Now other specialized professionals and suppliers join the creative team.
Television Team Members:
 Agency Producers
 Production Houses
Directors
Actors
 Editors and “Post Houses.”
Director Joe Pytka
In Conclusion
Whatever you do, you’ll do better with a little...Effective Surprise