Creative Strategy & The Creative Process

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Class Objectives

Identify members of the creative team

Tell how to differentiate great advertising from the ordinary

Explain the role of the creative strategy and its principal elements

Explain the purpose of the message strategy and how it differs from the creative strategy

Define the four roles people play at different stages of the creative process

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The Creative Team

Copywriter

Creative Director

Art Director

Ultimately responsible for the creative product

from an ad agency

Responsible for the verbal message of an ad campaign, the copy

Responsible for the nonverbal message of an ad campaign, the design

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What Makes Great Advertising?

Audience Resonance

Informational Transformational

Giving information that offers relief from some real or

perceived problem

Uses positive reinforcement to offer a reward to the audience

Best ads of 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TwuB3Dmnfk

Great ads “reverberate” with the audience, get their attention, and

make them think about the message

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What Makes Great Advertising?

Strategic Relevance

Audience Needs & Wants Client Goals

Alka Seltzer ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFKifpMtlNs

An ad may get you to think, but what is it making you think about?

Entertaining, captures the imagination, “wow” factor,

thought-provoking

Must be relevant to the marketing and advertising strategies of the company

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What Makes Great Advertising?

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Writing the Creative Strategy

• Problem the advertising must solve

• Advertising objective

• Target audience

• Benefit statement

• Support statement

• Brand personality

• Special requirement(s)

The Creative Strategy is the component of the advertising strategy that guides those responsible for developing creative advertising. It serves as the creative team’s guide for writing and producing the advertising. The written plan includes the following:

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Writing the Creative Strategy

Problem the advertising must solve: Often comes from situational analysis (weaknesses, opportunities, threats)

Advertising objective: What is the advertising aiming to accomplish?

Target audience: Primary and secondary markets to be reached by the advertising

Benefit statement: What is the key benefit of the product or brand to thetarget audiences you’ve identified?

Support statement: A support statement to reinforce the benefit(s)

Brand personality: Describe the brand through your advertising

Special requirement(s): Budget, media limitations, legal requirements, etc.

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Example

• Problem the advertising solves

• Advertising objective

• Target audience

• Benefit statement

• Support statement

• Brand personality

• Special requirement(s)

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Message Strategy

The Message Strategy is a simple description and explanation of an ad campaign’s overall creative approach – the main idea, details about how that idea will be executed, and rationale. It has 3 components:

• Verbal• Non-verbal• Technical

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Message Strategy

Verbal Nonverbal Technical

!

What the ad should say; words to use; relationship of copy to medium used

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Message Strategy

Verbal Nonverbal Technical

!

Graphics & visuals, and their relationship to media

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Message Strategy

Verbal Nonverbal Technical

!

Execution approach and mechanical outcomes; limitations and mandatories

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Message Strategy

Nonverbal communication is key in this Diet Coke ad

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Message Strategy

More nonverbal communication from Pringles

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Message Strategy

Effective message strategy?

http://www.youtube.com/user/sprintnow

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Creativity’s Roles

How Creativity Enhances Advertising

Fact-Based Thinkers: linear thinkers who like hard data to analyze and control. Logic, structure & efficiency.

Inform Remind “Boom”Persuade

Value-Based Thinkers: make decisions based on intuition,

values, and moral codes. Good at using their imaginations.

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Inform, Persuade

Metaphors help readers understand the intended message in this Visa ad

Fact based or value based?

Fact based or value based?

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The Creative Process

Explorer Insight Objective Brainstorm

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The Creative Process

Explorer

Artist Develop“Big Idea”

Parody

Eliminate Compare

Connect Reverse

Imagine Adapt

Concept Transformation

Insight Objective Brainstorm

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The Creative Process

Explorer

Artist Develop“Big Idea”

Insight Objective Brainstorm

Implement:CreativePyramid

Action

Desire

Credibility

Interest

Attention

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The Creative Process

K2 Skis ad demonstrates the creative pyramid

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The Creative Process

Explorer

Artist Develop“Big Idea”

Implement:CreativePyramid

Insight Objective Brainstorm

JudgeRisky,

DelicateDecisions

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The Creative Process

Explorer

Artist

Judge

Develop“Big Idea”

Implement:CreativePyramid

Insight Objective Brainstorm

Risky,Delicate

Decisions

Warrior OvercomeObstacles

Presentto Client