They typically feature cool images and design intended to grab our imagination and build a bridge to the brand’s proposition. Frankly, they leave me confused. I call this approach “passive creative.” It’s creative work that forces the audience to move through too many “mental clicks” to understand what the brand is offering. It’s unreasonable to expect that visuals and design alone will inspire the audience to learn more. Words and images together are much more powerful and work harder than the sum of the parts. People say “a picture is worth 1,000 words,” yeah, but consider that those 1,000 words may not be the ones that lead the audience to your brand’s unique proposition. You really need to tell the audience what you want them to do.
It’s just not enough to depict beautiful people, in beautiful places doing cool stuff; that’s cheesy, mind-numbing television. Images that make us “wish we were there” or “wish we could do that” certainly capture our attention, but should also provide a platform to speak from and be clear about why they’ve demanded our attention.
Here’s an example of passive creative on a billboard I saw in Massachusetts:
Is this woman David Yurman? Is David Yurman the photo credit? Is this a new show on Netflix? If you’re not someone who knows that David Yurman is a high-end jewelry brand, this ad is worthless. What’s missing from this tormenting creative is clarity of purpose.
On the other hand, this Nike ad that launched last week is a great example of how three words can send your imagination down the right path:
Even if you don’t know that Alex Morgan is a member of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, this ad is subtly packed with activation. It invites us to:
- Dream about the success of U.S. women’s soccer
- Dream with all female athletes about equality and recognition
- Dream with Nike, and let them inspire us to “just do it”
- And, most importantly to Nike, it tells us that if we’re on their same page, we’ll also love their brand. This is the part that sells!
Three simple words led us down this rich path. Without them, we would have passive creative, like the David Yurman example that leaves half the audience behind.
The Yurman path might go something like this:
- Who’s that? Some famous athlete Nike’s sponsoring?
- If you do know who Alex Morgan is: Cool, looks like Nike’s sponsoring Alex.
- Hey, when’s the World Cup? Is it in France?
Not so rich. You might get a point or two for brand recognition (like Nike needs that), and some credit for being up to date. You need to lead the audience to water and make them WANT to drink, not leave them wondering what to do next. Advertising creative is primarily about sales activation. You definitely want to drive affinity for your brand, be aspirational and build relationships. But ultimately, you need to sell something. Use your words!
Ready to make your creative more direct, more engaging and more successful? We’d love to help. Email me at neals@jschmid.com, or call 913-236-8988.
Tags: audience, branding, creative, customers, neal schuler, passive creative