Creative Killers
We’ve just wrapped up our 8-part blog series on “Breakthrough Creative.” Hopefully, we’ve given you ideas and examples of how to improve your brand’s creative efforts—from storytelling techniques, to tips on photography and copywriting, to research, to better use of data. I understand all too well that the hardest part is yet to come—actually putting these ideas into action. Actually doing the work and investing the time, energy and money to get it right are easier said than done.
So, now that we’ve armed you with some pointers on the things to do, I thought I’d give you some advice on what NOT to do. Here are three traps to avoid which will ultimately affect a healthy ROI.
I call these “creative killers” because that’s exactly what they do—they kill great creative. And chances are, they will have a direct impact on your bottom line.
Number One: No Committees.
Ever. There’s no quicker way to kill creative thinking or take a brilliant idea and compromise it to the point of mediocrity than offering it up to a committee or a focus group. Producing breakthrough creative is not a democracy. All opinions are not equal. I’ve seen far too many brand leaders ask an internal committee to “vote” on a creative concept or a logo or a new design, to make sure they felt included in the process and were heard. Bad idea. Yes, you can ask for others’ opinions. Yes, you should seek buy-in. But asking a group of people to agree on what’s good, appropriate and effective creative is begging for compromise. And compromise is the last thing you want when you’re trying to stand out in the marketplace. Bold thinking comes from bold individuals.
Number Two: Not investing the proper time and money.
Great creative takes time. It cannot be rushed. Creative breakthroughs cannot be scheduled. Deadlines exist, for sure. But great ideas take time to ruminate. You need to walk away occasionally and let your mind wander. The best ideas have time to simmer, to expand and grow. Then, perhaps the most critical part of the creative process—editing. Once you have the nugget of an idea, the time you spend editing, refining and perfecting will make all the difference.
Likewise, not investing the proper amount of money to do it right can make a great idea fall short of expectations. Far too often, creative efforts are viewed by marketers as a “cost.” Bean counters try to minimize what they spend, trying to achieve big things with small budgets. In fact, great creative is an investment. An investment in your brand that will pay off over time. You cannot “save” your way to success.
Number Three: Not trusting the experts.
I’ve seen this common mistake far too often. A brand hires creative experts to come in and make recommendations or produce high-level, breakthrough creative work, only to question their every move. Or perhaps, a marketer gives direction to an in-house creative team, wanting them to have the “freedom to think outside the box.” But then, they disregard any revolutionary new ideas, feeling a safer solution that’s closer to what they’ve always done might be more prudent. Don’t waste your money by hiring talented people, only to muzzle their creativity. Spend your time finding the right in-house talent, or choosing the best outside partner—then let them do what they do.
Sometimes, it’s not what you DO that produces the best creative results, but what you DON’T do. Breakthrough creative is an elusive thing. If it was easy, every brand would be doing it. Unfortunately, the marketplace is filled with mediocre, average creative that proves otherwise. And to be clear, I’m not talking about creative that simply makes things look or sound better. I’m talking about standout work that drives results. Creative ideas that make people buy more things. Creative craftsmanship that leads to brand loyalty. Do you want to improve your bottom line? Then put these ideas into action. They WILL pay off. We see it happen every day.
I sincerely hope that this 8-part series on “Breakthrough Creative” was helpful and provides some inspiration and guidance on how to take your creative efforts to the next level. If you need further help with moving your brand forward, I’d be honored if you reached out. You can reach me at brentn@jschmid.com.
*No committees were harmed (or used) in the creation of this blog.
Tags: #breakthroughcreative, Brent Niemuth, creative, creative killers