Creative Certification: Evaluating Creative

Welcome to the DMA’s Creative Certification Course

Part One

Evaluating Creative Wed., Oct. 17, 2012 ; 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Presented by Alan Rosenspan &

Carol Worthington-Levy

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• How to Evaluate Creative

• How to Get Great Print Work

• How to Get Great Digital Work

• Questions & Answers throughout, breaks as needed

Scope of the Course

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Alan Rosenspan Creative director in three countries, for O&M and

Digitas

My teams have won over 100 Awards – including 20 DMA Echo Awards for results.

More importantly, a working creative director and direct marketing consultant

Client list has included American Express, Ancestry.com, Bank of America, Capital One, Embrace Home Loans, Humana, HSBC, Life Line Screening, Oreck, Princess Lines, Scotts Lawn Service, Viking River Cruises, many others

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Carol Worthington-Levy

Wears three hats – Design/art director, writer and creative director/consultant

A stickler for responsive design: has read it all, tested it all, and even attended a seminar in Switzerland to learn what will encourage response… or crush it!

Recently sold her multichannel marketing partnership – yay!

Possibly one of the only 8-time DMA Echo winner in 3 categories: Mail, Catalog and Online/digital

Clients: AAA Auto Clubs, 5.11 Tactical, Adventures Cross Country teen travel, Wine of the Month Club, Jacuzzi, French Toast School Uniforms, Hewlett-Packard Printer Division, Niman Ranch premium meats, Comcast, American Isuzu, Intuit, BMW and more

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Two points of view

Carol’s primary background is art

Carol is from the West coast

Carol has an impeccable sense of style, design, color…

Alan’s background is copy

Alan is from Boston

Alan is from Boston

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But more importantly

We are both working creative directors and direct marketing consultants

We are both teachers and students of direct marketing

We both believe in great creative work

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Who are you?

• You want to learn more about how to develop winning creative

• You want be a better manager and motivator of your team or your agency

• You want to be able to better evaluate creative before investing a lot of time and money

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Introductions

• Your name and what you do

• You biggest challenge…

• What makes you unique?

– “I think I am the only person in this room who…”

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Before we begin…

• Judgement call

• The truth about evaluating creative…

• Backgrounds and introductions

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What do you think?

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What do you think?

• What’s your overall reaction?

• Do you think it will work?

• What do you like?

• What do you think might be improved, or what would you do different?

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The Truth about Evaluating Creative

• You are an excellent judge of creative

• You are intuitive and thoughtful…

• …when you stop to actually think about it in a critical way

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Case History

Adventures Cross Country Teen Work Travel(ARCC)

Building a multichannel creative and marketing effort

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ARCC was founded 30 years ago by two wise educators who saw promise in taking teenagers on work/travel adventures

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Their catalog was being used for direct mail — and it was too expensive

• Even good response could not make up for bad ROI

• Big catalogs make poor lead generators because they’re too hard to get through

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Plus the catalog was designed by a creative who made it

‘pretty’ but too hard to read

Tip: Reversing type out of a solid dark color can reduce comprehension to as little as 10% of what it could be

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• Mail costs and printing have

gone up $$$

• People are SO busy

• Email and websites are better

for teens

• In-person presentations are

ideal to answer questions of

concerned but interested

parents

The world had changed: a new approach was needed to reach parents and teens who would be good prospects

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• Instead of sending the catalog out first… Send self-mailer

ARCC multichannel program

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• Quick-reading piece

• Highlight the learning and

mentoring aspect for

parents

• Show fun and adventure

for the teens

Self mailer …

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• Plug in testimonials

by impressed parents

Self mailer breaks the concept down into short, easy pieces

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• Prominent call to action keeps

the parent thinking about next

steps

Includes an intro that shows the founders, and says ‘in their own words’ their vision for ARCC

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Break down the barriers one by one… using abbreviated schedules to tease

• “I don’t know whether we’ll have time this summer…”

• “They may not go places my kid wants to go…”

• “My son loves to swim and boat — will there be anything for him?”

• “It’s important for my kid to have experience that colleges will take notice of.”

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• Prospecting lists used for the self mailer can also be used for the cards

• Send to customers from prior years, who are likely to be “pre-sold”

• The cards highlight locations of in-person presentations in their exact geographic area

Postard campaign

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Reinforce the vacation- classroom concept, plus testimonials from students

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We create many touchpoints: highly targeted and focused — and each with a specific goal

Print catalog is sent to respond to requests

Mailed cards invite families to special presentations held near their home, or online

Mailed brochures reach targeted lists to drive traffic to web, phone and catalog request

Seminars are powerful touchpoints!

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• Brand concerns: how different can we make an

effort and still have it recognized as a brand?

• We had response reasons to choose different

fonts, different treatments, etc.

• In the long run, the ‘brand look and feel’ they

had was counter-responsive…

• Our approach was to do what we knew was the

‘right thing’, and go for the response

The material did not exactly match the catalog…

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What do you think?


• Do you think it would work?

• Why or why not?• Questions about the methodology or approach

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SuccessThe campaign served several purposes…

• Generated interest among those who never heard of ARCC

• Educated parents and kids about what’s available

• We didn’t get deeply into the topic of the competition… why start educating the reader that there IS competition?

• Cannot share numbers… but client came back for the following year’s campaign!

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Our goals

How to get the best creative work

What to look for; what to watch out for

Checklist on “How to Evaluate Creative”

How to motivate people to do their best work for you.

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Section 1:

How to Get The Best Creative Work

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• How can you tell if it will work in advance?

• How to give useful and welcome feedback

• Timing & Budget Questions

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First, a definition

What is the best creative work?

You’re not looking for work that makes you laugh, or may win an award show

You’re looking for creative work that’s going to generate response

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• Does it have to be new?

• Does it have to be different?

• What are some signs of good creative?

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Does it have to be new?

• Not for the sake of being new

• New in this category

• It must be relevant to the product and the market

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Does it have to be different?

• Not for the sake of being different

• Good creative should tell you something you don’t know…

• …or make you think of something in a new or different way

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• But it should never, ever take away from the message

• Or worse, send the wrong message

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7 Key Elements to Look For

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1. Does a Big Idea Burst Through?

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The first question to ask of any direct mail piece, advertisement or press release

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“Without a big idea, your advertising will pass like a ship in the night.”

-David Ogilvy

“In direct marketing, the ship will sink.”

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Why are big ideas so important?

A big idea cuts through the clutter

A big idea can multiply your success 10 times over

You only need one

It costs more to do a bad idea than to do a big idea

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What is an Idea, anyway?

An idea is a change

“I have an idea; let’s do things the way we’ve always done them before!”

The bigger the change, the bigger the idea

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Letter to Ministers in Germany

They were concerned about declining church attendance

They wanted to “wake up” ministers – and invite them to a discussion about the problems

They used a very simple letter – with just one sentence!

1700 Views!1700 Views!

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How do you know if it’s a big idea?

Is it a new idea? Or new in this category?

Is it relevant to the product?

Does it make you think? Not “what are they talking about?” but about your relationships, your job, your

life, your future…

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How do you know if it’s a big idea?

Does it make you feel?Emotion is stronger than logic

Is it credible? Do you believe it?

Does it stand out from others in it’s category?

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2. Does a single-minded message come through?

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People have a hard time “getting” even one thing

It’s not because they’re dumb; they’re just busy

Make sure your message breaks through the clutter – by focusing on one message

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The “Bed of Nails” Approach

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3. Is the Creative

Focused on People?

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One of the great secrets...

Most companies focus on their products...or worse, themselves

The best companies focus on their prospects and customers

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Ancestry.com

The world’s largest genealogy company

Has access to over 3 billion records, and will help you search

Their most successful direct mail and e-mail

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But make them look good

Don’t show your prospects as “dumb”

Don’t make fun of them…

Make them into heroes – like Kodak

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9191

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4. Does it have an arresting Visual?

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The Power of Visual Thinking

People remember less than 10% of what they’re told (and it’s always the wrong 10%)

“Follow my directions carefully”

People remember more than 50% of what they see

They even make it up - to fill in the gaps

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Show and tell

Show me what you’ve got

Show me what you’re made of

“Show me the money”

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Imagine a Harley Davidson Motorcycle parked inside a great cathedral

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5. Does it have a compelling headline?

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Headlines are Critical

They should have your key benefit in them

80% of people read that – and nothing else

Subject line in e-mail even more important

Johnson box serves the same purpose

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WFNX – 101.7

• Alternative Rock Station in Boston

• How can they capture the tone of their station in a billboard?

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6. Is it involving?

What Barnes & Nobles knows

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3 Proven Ways to Involve People in your

Advertising

Ask questions or quiz them

Use an involvement device

Use the word “you” – a lot

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6. Is it “campaignable?”

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“Campaignable?”

Is it just a one-shot, or can you build a long term campaign around it?

Does it easily lend itself to other media?

A big idea can last for years…

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Antwerp Zoo in Belgium was looking to boost attendance

Their elephant got pregnant

Send out a birth announcement?

…or create a campaign?

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Multi-media campaign started right after conception

Turned all of Belgium into proud parents

Millions of people followed her 22 month development from inception to birth – including her first ultrasound photograph!

Congratulations, it’s an elephant!

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Kai-Mook became the first elephant born on the internet on May 17, 2009 – weighing a healthy 100 kilograms.

Zoo attendance more than doubled – over 300,000 new visitors

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Absolut Best Campaign

First ad appeared in 1980; still going strong 1500+ ads later

Created by Geoff Hayes of TBWA

Ads have become collector’s items; thousands of people write in requesting their favorite

Rolled out “In an Absolute World” in 2007

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Judge for yourself:

Do these upcoming examples meet that list of criteria?...

• Big idea• Single-minded message• Focused on people• Arresting visual• Compelling headline• Involving• Campaignable

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• Target market: Web

programmers and

webmasters for

medium to large sized

businesses

• They hate getting

junk mail

• We’re going to “sell”

them a web portal for

a new research site

• Client doesn’t believe

that mail works

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• Big idea: make your website charismatic, like Elvis!

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• Letter

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• Brochure:Only Elvis can

draw as many people to your site…

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• Reply with Offer: a limited edition Elvis collection that everyone wants, even programming geeks

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Comcast … see if this mailer meets the criteria

• Single-minded message• Focused on people• Arresting visual• Compelling headline• Involving• Campaignable

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Home entertainment: Comcast

• VIP invitation gets attention

• They flip it over…

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Home entertainment: Comcast

• Concept: you can have your own private film festival in your home — how??...

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• Challenge: Comcast high speed internet might at first not seem like entertainment as much as for email and website access. But Comcast wanted to position it as a way to download movies

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• This positions the reader as a VIP when they get Comcast high speed internet

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Did it fit these criteria?Do you think it worked?


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Isuzu B2B mailing: does this meet the criteria too?

• This Isuzu truck is a huge seller• It’s especially well sized for two

industries: light construction, and the food industry

• Challenges: how to get companies with fleets to consider buying several instead of just one

• Budget $90,000

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Isuzu Fleet campaign• Targeted two

markets ONLY

• Created a mailer for each, that is very specific to that industry

• This one is light construction: This truck can carry “6000 pounds of cement”

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Isuzu Fleet campaign• This truck can

carry about 6,000 lbs of cement – sized specifically for typical construction load

• Of course it’s absurd – the box is 12 in. wide

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Isuzu Fleet campaign• A dimensional package

needs all the hardworking elements that traditional flat mail does!

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“500 gallons of Tomato Paste enclosed”

• This one is for the food service industry

• Typical load for this industry would be 500 gallons of tomato paste

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Sent out 3000 boxes per targeted market

• Campaign cost $90,000• We sold 140 trucks• Bottom line - $4.2 million in sales• New leads generated for future contact• Huge ROI

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Isuzu B2B fleet mailing: does it meet our criteria?


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One last example: The Wayfarers Walking Tours

Does it have…• Single-minded message• Focused on people• Arresting visual• Compelling headline• Involving• Campaignable

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Wayfarers had a very expensive catalog they were mailing

• Too expensive for prospecting: beautiful production values, heavy paper, etc

• Response not high enough when going to cold prospects

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Mail is great for lead generation to travelers

• Costs a fraction of a catalog• You can actually get to the point much faster,

generate more action

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The big idea: A walking tour is

different — and this difference gives you a more

wonderful vacation

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Roll fold self mailer releases information gradually

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Targeted a high end audience who loves travel

• Emphasized great meals• Showed people becoming friendly• Emphasized that the most memorable

adventures are best experienced close up• The journey is as important as the destination

• Response: 5% to cold mailing lists• Strong respondents converted in high numbers

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The Wayfarer’s mailing: does it meet our criteria?


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How Mick Jagger

briefed Andy Warhol for

“Sticky Fingers”

album cover

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The Secret to Getting Great Creative

Creative people always have choices. They can’t always decide what they will work on; but they can always decide how much of their effort and heart they will put into their work.

Your goal is to make them want to go that extra step for your projects, your product , your company – and of course, for you.

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Where the Best Creative Work Begins

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Briefly speaking

• Successful creative starts with a well thought-out brief or Creative Strategy Form

• It doesn’t end there – but it starts there

• The more time and effort you put into your brief – the more likely you are to get effective work

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The Briefing Meeting

• A brief should never simply be handed-out or e-mailed.

• It should be an interactive process; with the final brief emerging from the meeting

• You need to encourage comments and questions – and get the answers as soon as possible

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Your Role in Briefing Creative

To initiate the project and provide the information necessary to complete it

To be an “expert” on your business; or to get the answers they need before the work is completed

To be open to new ideas and solutions To give constructive and specific feedback to

help improve the work (when necessary)

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Not Your Role

To dictate the work

To withhold information or fail to provide it on a timely basis

To not have the answers

To create false deadlines or emergencies

To abuse creatives in any way, shape or form

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The Role of Creatives

To represent the consumer’s point-of-view

To be an “expert” on their business – advertising and direct marketing

…and to become an “expert” on the clients business

To come up with big ideas

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Not the Role of Creatives

To give the client only what they asked for…

To postpone the work and do a last-minute scramble

To give up, or do less than their best

To think that that account people, or clients, aren’t smart or good at their jobs

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The Death

of an Agency

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The Creative Strategy Form

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Every company has a different format

It is a blueprint of the job -- and a contract

It should be developed, agreed on and signed by everyone involved in the project - particularly the most senior person

It can be used to evaluate work

It has to be simple, understandable – not just filled with jargon

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1. Project Description What are we doing? Why?

2. Objective What are we trying to achieve? What do we want people to do? Be as specific and realistic as possible

3. Target Audiences The more specific, the better

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4. Main message and proof

What is the single most important reason that someone will buy our product or respond to our mailing?

Why should anyone believe you…?

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5. Offer What do they get? What do they have to do to get it?

6. Key points What other benefits do we need to communicate?

7. Ways to Respond Did we make it easy? Did we give them a choice?

8. Tone and Manner Consistent with the product?

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9. Mandatories Legal, logo, etc.

10. Budget How much do we have? Let the value of the customer drive the budget

11. Schedule How much time is left?!!!!

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Put time on your side…

You want to give creative people time to do their best…

..but you also want your project to stay top-of-mind

Plus you don’t want them to forget anything, or worse, do it at the last-minute

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Think in stages

Ideally, you want them to come back with rough ideas within 5-7 days

This keeps your project fresh in their minds and motivates them to get started right away

After this first meeting, you can give them more time to refine, make changes, add to the mix

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Two questions you must answer

12. What is the target market currently using/doing? Understand their mindset Are they using a competitive product? Making do

without? Why should they switch to yours?

13. “You know you need it when…” When does someone know they need your product? Puts you in their shoes Identifies points of pain You’re looking for agreement...

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Reviewing the Work

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Best Practices

Allow them to finish their presentation, before you jump in

Start by acknowledging how much work has been done, and what you like

Review the brief to make sure that everything important has been addressed

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Be constructive

See the big picture first – don’t nitpick

Never get personal. Not “I don’t like that headline” but “Does this headline have the main benefit?”

Go through the Checklist with them

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Moving ahead

Take the time to provide thoughtful, useful feedback

This is your first exposure to the work; they have been at it for days

Resist the urge to change for change’s sake

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Never say “The client will never buy this…”

Don’t try to anticipate what others will say or think; give your own opinion

Remember you are all on the same side

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How do you know if it will work before it goes

out?

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“You cannot judge direct marketing.

It judges you.”- Denny Hatch

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Besides…

“Creative” packages don’t usually work

The “ugly” stuff almost always seems to win

Even the best work seems to produce a disappointingly low response

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How do you know…?

The only guarantee in direct marketing is a moneyback guarantee

It can be very surprising what works and what doesn’t

However, if you use the following checklist, you will maximize the probability of success

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Checklist

12 questions to ask about any creative execution

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1. Is it on strategy?

2. Is it appropriate to the product and the positioning?

3. Is there a big idea? Does it come through?4. Does it have a striking visual or

graphic?

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5. Do the offer and main benefits come through quickly and clearly?

6. Does the offer stand out?

7. Is it believable? Are claims supported with facts or testimonials? Is there a guarantee?

8. Does it include a strong call to action in every element?

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9. Does it make you think or make you feel

10. Will it stand out from others in this category?

11. Are all the elements working as hard as they can for you?

12. The big question: would you respond?

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These are all the ways to evaluate creative for regular advertising.

But direct marketing has to work even harder

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We have to get people to act

Go to our website

Call a toll-free number

Send in an application or response form

Bring something into a store

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1. It must be 100% absolutely clear• Above all, it must be clear and easy-

to-understand

• If people don’t “get it” – you lose

• You need to be direct in direct marketing

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2. It must have a compelling offer• “If you want to dramatically improve your

response, you must improve your offer” – Axel Anderson

• They must know exactly what you want them to do, and how

• They must have an urgent reason to act now

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3. Credibility is king• We need to prove what we claim

• We must use numbers, specifics, facts, lists

• Testimonials are critical

• One false note can kill response

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The rest of the Scott’s LawnService

case-history

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What do you think?


• Which package did you like best?

• Which do you think worked best?

• Why?

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We told you that you’re an excellent judge of creative!

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Thank you!

Alan Rosenspan& Carol Worthington-Levy

See you tomorrow atPart 2: Creative Rules that Work for Print

Thursday Oct 18, 2012 — 8:30am - 12:00pm

Documents

Creative Certification: Evaluating Creative