“Award winning” may not be the best way to judge the potential of creative developed by your advertising agency. While personal opinions are important, the “I like it” approach shouldn’t be your ultimate criteria for judgment either. In fact, there are some industry insiders who will tell you that, in their view, anyone can win awards and design executions to do so.They will also say personal opinions and total team con sensus don’t matter either. In their view, and mine, the best mea sure of any creative execution lies with its ability to meet an underlying strategy and drive brand sales. Since strategy, tactical execution, and brand success are fundamental to the jobs of brand managers, many may question the value of such an obvi ous statement. In practice, however, many brand managers today still judge creative work on its likeability, perceived awardwinning potential, and a handful of comments derived through qualitative research. This de facto approach to creative development has weakened the potential impact of many campaigns. It has also created an environment that supports the consistent tinkering of the most valuable assets we work with: the brands themselves. With internal and external pressures reaching new heights, focusing on the basic premise of strategic relevance and market impact is critical to client and agency successes.With this in mind, the following concepts are key to developing that “next big idea.” Strategy is King Every agency that have ever worked with, or for, has had some type of briefing document it uses to frame the assignment at hand, usually referred to as a creative brief.While briefing doc uments are normal in the industry, their appropriate use and util ity in creative development are not. As a brand manger,you can do a few simple things to help in this area: . Work with your agency during the brief development process to ensure that strategies are clear and consistent with your objec tives. Input at this point is critical to the outcome, so don’t be hes itant or reluctant to take the time. . Use the brief throughout all stages of creative development to measure the work itself. It should be the foundation for judgment and feedback. . Resist the temptation to adjust strategy along the way, unless it is absolutely necessary and never adjust your strat egy during the process itself without rewriting the briefing document(s). Everyone Has an Opinion Whether the opinions are your own or those of a select few in your target audience or company, opinions are valuable when developing work for your brand. While individual views con tribute to formulating creative executions, it is critical to weigh personal judgments in the context of the end objective(s) and strategy itself. Remember that all of us, for the most part, see things based on our own knowledge,beliefs,and experience.Brand strategies, however, often seek to challenge conventional thinking and approaches. Creative development that leads brands to a high er place in the minds of internal and external audiences can become fodder for over analysis and criticism. Success, therefore, requires focus and attention. Committing yourself to weighing your opinions with a strategic focus may be easy. Entrusting others to follow suit can be challenging. As every company has multiple stakeholders and most firms entrust researchers to assist in the development of executions, the end result is a development process filled with people desir ing to weigh in on where you are going. The following may help you in your efforts: . While it may be important to politics and ego, consensus doesn’t always lead to the best work. Changing copy for one person, logo size for another, and background color for some one else, may prove more damaging than beneficial. Focusing conversations on creative in the context of the underpinning strategy can help address the myriad of input received during development. . By definition, qualitative research is not projectable and should not be generalized to your entire target audience. Using your strategy as a crutch, review qualitative research with a wary eye. Recognize that most research subjects never hear your strategy directly, and your efforts, by design, may challenge them in ways that they are not accustomed to … yet. Beating the Odds Total team consensus, research, and awards do not have to be at odds with executing against a sound strategy.They can actu ally be substantive to the process and a tribute to an outstand ing effort.But this approach may not win awards. It may not make you jump up and down with excitement when you see it. The best outcome of a strategically focused creative effort is brand success.The effort and your brand are worth it. Strategies Behind Creative Executions Total team consensus, research, and awards do not have to be at odds with executing against a sound strategy. They can actually be substantive to the process and a tribute to an outstanding effort. PALIO COMMUNICATIONS, Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is a fullspectrum, strategically driven advertising and communications firm. For more information, visit palio.com. Mike Myers Executive VP/ Managing DirectorClient Service Palio Communications THE CREATIVE PROCESS
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Strategies Behind Creative Executions
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Commercialization