CREATIVE STRATEGIES AND WRITING

8/8/2019 CREATIVE STRATEGIES AND WRITING

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INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS CREATIVE STRATEGIES& WRITING

Definitions as Introduction

Integrated Marketing Communications in·te·grat·ed [íntə gràytəd]

adjective 1. combined or composite: made up of aspects or parts that

work well together 2. combining dissimilar things: bringing together processes

or functions that are normally separate 3. open to all people: open to everyone, regardless of race,

ethnicity, religion, gender, or social class. mar·ket·ing [ma ark əting]

noun

1. selling of products or services: the business activity of presenting products or services in such a way as to make themdesirable

2. grocery shopping: the buying of household supplies,especially food -did our marketing for the week.

com·mu·ni·ca·tions [k ə my ooni káysh'nz]

noun study of human communication: the study of the different

means people use to communicate with each other, e.g. bygesture, speech, telecommunications, and writing (takes asingular or plural verb)

plural noun 1. systems for communicating: the technology and systems

used for sending and receiving messages, e.g. postal andtelephone networks

2. MILITARY transportation of troops: a system of routesand transportation for moving troops and supplies

Let me now attempt a working definition for IMC by combining the above asfollows: “a combined system for sending and receiving messages for the effective and efficient achievement of marketing and corporategoals.”

Strategies strat·e·gy [stráttə jee] ( plural strat·e·gies) noun 1. planning in any field: a carefully devised plan of action to

achieve a goal, or the art of developing or carrying out such aplan e.g. business strategy

2. MILITARY planning of war: the science or art of planning andconducting a war or a military campaign3. BIOLOGY adaptation

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important to evolutionary success: in evolutionary theory, abehavior, structure, or other adaptation that improves viability

[Early 19th century. Via French stratégie < Greek stratēgia"generalship" < stratēgos "general" < stratos "army" + agein "tolead"]

Creative Writing noun 1. writing stories and poems: the writing of fiction, poetry, or

drama, often as an exercise 2. stories and poems: works of fiction, poetry, or drama

Now, let’s integrate our definition as follows: “a carefully devised planof action to create works (fiction?, poetry? or drama?) or, more aptly,messages for Integrated Marketing Communications”

Another Definition of CreativityCreativity,capacity to have new thoughts and to create expressions unlike any other.

Creativity is a basic element in many human endeavors, such as art, music,literature, and performance.QuotesCreating is harrowing business. I work in a state of anguish all year. I shutmyself up, don't go out. It's a hard life, which is why I understand Proust sowell; I have such an admiration for what he has written about the agony of creation.Yves Saint Laurent (1936 - 2008) Algerian-born French couturier, referring toMarcel Proust I do not believe in the kind of art which has not forced its way out throughman's need to open his heart—all art, literature as well as music, must be

created with one's heart's blood.Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944) Norwegian artist.It's like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, butyou can make the whole trip that way.E. L. Doctorow (1931 - ) U.S. novelist, referring to his own creative technique

Point of Departure

Creative writing may concentrate on fiction or the writer’s imagination. Writing for IMC must be fact-based; only the style should be creative.

The Creativiti PalaverWhat is creativity in IMC?Many answers. Many perspectives. Two main divides:If it sells (or delivers the message, or achieves the set objectives); it iscreative.

If it wins awards (or stands out, is unforgettable, has easyrecall, cuts through the clutter); it is creative.

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To break through the clutter and make an impression on theaudience, an IMC message often must be unique and entertaining. However, if an IMC message is creative just for creativity sakeand it fails to achieve effective communication that will lead the targetto act the way intended, then it has failed.

The most ideal situation will be a combination of both perspectives,that is: create or write messages that not only make the cash registerring but also win on the creative scale.

Integrated Marketing Communications Creativity

The ability to generate fresh, unique and appropriate ideas thatbring effective solutions to communication problems.

An appropriate creative idea must be relevant to the targetaudience.

Posers for achieving the balanced writing Does the material position the product simply and with

unmistakable clarity?

Does it bind the brand or organization to a clinching benefit forthe target?

Does it contain a Power Idea (Big Idea)

Does it communicate Brand Personality?

Is this message unexpected, unique?

Is the material single-minded?

Does it reward the prospect? Is it reverting, arresting target’s attention? Does it exhibit painstaking craftsmanship?

The Creative Process: The Young Model James Webb Young, former creative vice-president at the J. Walter Thompson Agency, said: “The production of ideas is just adefinite process as the production of Fords (vehicles); the

production of ideas, too, run an assembly line; in this production the mind follows an operative technique which canbe learned and controlled; and that its effective use is just asmuch a matter of practice in the technique as in the effectiveof use of any tool.”

To demonstrate this, Young’s creative process contains five steps:1. Immersion. Gathering raw material and information

through background research and immersing yourself in theproblem.

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2. Digestion. Taking the information, working it over, andwrestling with it in the mind.

3. Incubation. Putting the problems out of your consciousmind and turning the information over to the subconsciousto proffer solutions

4. Illumination. The birth of an idea –the “Eureka! I have it!”phenomenon.

5. Reality or verification. Studying the idea to see if it stilllooks good or solves the problem; then shaping the idea topractical usefulness.

Creative Strategy Development

Each IMC message is a part of a series of messages that make upthe IMC campaign or any of its subsets such as Advertising, Public

Relations and so on. Interrelated and coordinated with other communications

activities, all messages and actions center on a single theme oridea that appears in different media across a specified timeperiod.

Determining the unifying theme for a campaign is a critical partof the creative process, as it sets the tone for the individual ad,corporate event, or even a sponsored programme.

A campaign theme should be a strong idea, as it is the centralmessage that will be communicated in all promotional andcorporate communication activities.

Copy Platform This written document specifies the basic elements of the creativestrategy.It is called many names such as creative platform or work plan,creative brief, creative blueprint, or creative contract.Here is sample outline that can be used to guide the creative process

. Basic problem or issue communication tool must address

. Marketing, Corporate and Communications objectives

. Target audience

. Major selling idea or key benefits to communicate5. Creative strategy statement (campaign theme, appeal, and

execution technique to be used).Supporting information and requirements

The Search for the Major Selling Idea

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A. Jerome Jeweler, author of Creative Strategies in Advertising,states:

• The Major selling idea should emerge as the strongest singularthing you can say about your product or service. This should bethe claim with the broadest and most meaningful appeal to your

target audience. Once you determine this message, be certainyou can live with it; be sure it stands strong enough to remain thecentral issue in every ad and commercial in the campaign.Big ideas become the basis of very creative, successful IMC

campaigns.

The Big Idea has been described as “that flash off insight thatsynthesizes the purpose of strategy, joins product benefit withconsumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings subject to life,and make the reader or audience stop, look, listen.

The real creative test is coming up with the big idea. Many products and services virtually offer nothing unique, and it

can be difficult to find something interesting to say about them.

Approaches to finding the big ideaUsing a unique selling proposition (developed by Rosser Reeves)Creating a brand image (popularized by David Ogilvy)Finding the inherent drama (an advertising philosophy of Leo Burnett)Positioning (introduced by Jack Trout and Al Reis)

Unique Selling Proposition USP

Characteristics • Each advertisement (or any other IMC message must make a

proposition to the consumer beyond mere product or corporatepuffery. It must say: Buy this product (or believe this message) andyou will get this benefit.

• The proposition must be one that the competition either cannotclaim or does not offer. It must be unique either in the brand or inthe claim.

• The proposition must be strong enough to move the mass million(or your target), that is, pull over new customers to your brand (orany other objective of your message).

For USP to work, there must be a truly unique attribute, benefit,or inherent advantage that can be used (and substantiated) in theclaim.

It requires considerable research and perhaps documentation of the claim.

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It must also have a sustainable competitive advantage thatcompetitors cannot easily copy.

Creating a brand image

Ogilvy said that with brand (or image) advertising, “everyadvertising (or message) should be thought of as a contributionto the complex symbol which is the brand image.

Image advertising is particularly important when brands aresimilar.

Image advertising has become increasingly popular and is usedas the main selling idea for a variety of products and services,including soft drinks, cars, airlines, beers, financial services andclothing.

The key to successful brand image advertising is developing animage that will appeal to, (connect, and resonate) with the target.

Inherent Drama

Burnett said inherent drama “is often hard to find but it is alwaysthere, and once found it is the most interesting and believable of all advertising appeals”.

It should be based on a foundation of consumer benefits with an

emphasis on the dramatic element in expressing those benefits. Messages must be presented in a warm, realistic way that thetarget can relate with.

Positioning

Introduced in the 1970s, positioning has become a popular basisfor creative development.

The basic idea is that the message/material/event is used toestablish or “position” the brand (be it product or corporate) orservice in a particular place in the mind of the target. Often this

place is top-of-mind Trout and Reis originally described positioning as the image

consumers had of the brand in relation to others in the samecategory.

This concept has been expanded beyond direct competitivepositioning.

Positioning can be done on the basis of attributes, price/quality,usage or application, product users, or product class.

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Since positioning can be done on the basis of a distinctiveattribute, the positioning and USP approaches can overlap.

Positioning is often been used as a company’s creative strategyinherent drama it has multiple competing brands.

Summary

Creative development and execution are a crucial part of an IMCprogramme and are often key the success of the entire marketingcampaign.

The creative specialist or team is responsible for developing aneffective way communicate the organization’s marketing andcorporate messages to the customer/target/publics.

The challenge facing writers, artists/designers, conceptualists,and others involved in the creative arm of IMC is to come up withfresh, unique and appropriate ideas that can be used as solutionsto communications problems.

Creativity in IMC is a process of several stages includingpreparation, incubation, illumination, verification and revision.

Creative strategy development is guided by specific goals andobjectives and is based on a number of factors, including thetarget audience, communication problems, objectives, and themajor selling idea or key benefit the brand want to communicate.

Copy platform is a work plan that generally states these factorsand serves as a guide to the development of the specific

message. An important part of the creative process is determining the

major selling idea that will become the central theme of the IMCcampaign.

There are several approaches to finding the major selling idea,including using a unique selling proposition, creating a brandimage, looking for inherent drama, and positioning.

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CREATIVE STRATEGIES AND WRITING