There’s been quite a debate in recent years on whether or not you need be creative to be a considered a good marketing. And while yes, creativity is not the be all and end all, being creative can really help you stand out from the crowd. 

Many marketers are quick to emphasise on the importance of strategy and being strategic. But strategy that’s a replica of your competitors won’t get you far at all. And creativity with no strategy will lead to no eyes viewing your creativity. Combine strategy with creativity and that’s where you’ve got yourself a killer marketing plan. Amongst the amount of noise created by other brands, creativity feels like a breath of fresh air. It is what will make people stop in the street to look at your campaign. Or stop scrolling their feed to read what you have to say. Which is why it is so important to start being creative. 

However, creativity isn’t all about bold colours, in-your-face graphics and aesthetics. It’s more about creating a message that is unique to you and your brand. It’s about being innovative with your ideas and really thinking out of the box to make sure your business creates an impact. 

Remember: Creativity is memorable. Everyone has a creative bone in their body, and I’ll show you how you can bring that creativity within your marketing.

What makes a marketing campaign creative:

The number one step to introducing creativity within your campaigns is identifying what the hell even makes a marketing campaign creative. There are many factors which contribute to a campaign being deemed creative and here are just a few:

• Original message: A creative campaign is one that stands out and adds a new subject of discussion to one that has been extensively addressed in the past. Having an original message is a common way to spark thoughts of curiosity in the minds of readers. Whether it be a unique headline, never told before story, or words that really pack a punch, these are the things that will entice your readers to learn more about your brand and what your business has to offer.
• Purpose and meaning: Whether your goal is to create a creative marketing campaign or not, each and every campaign that you do create needs to have a purpose and meaning behind it. The meaning doesn’t need to be some deep psychological thing that only you and a handful of other people understand. It can be as simple as creating an email campaign to discuss an important well-known topic to raise awareness of your brand. Without purpose or meaning, it will be very hard to measure the overall success of your campaign.
• Shareability: Shareability is the concept of how shareable your campaign is. Does it make your audience think ‘This is so funny let me send it to my friend’ or ‘Oh wow! This is so cool, my mum would love this!’? If not then your campaign, unfortunately, is not shareable. The number one reason why creative marketing campaigns are so shareable is that they’re oftentimes audience-centric and have a sense of relatability or storytelling that appeases to the audience. The campaign is tailored specifically to the needs of the audience, helping to grab their attention and make them invested.
• Authentic: Authenticity goes a long way in the world of marketing. This is especially the case when a brand is authentic in the industry where there’s sea of other businesses trying to be something they’re not. In my opinion an authentic brand is something that feels warm, genuine, and gives off the energy of comfort. And for some reason a warm bakery with the sun glowing outside is the first image that pops up into my head. Authenticity really helps to humanise your brand and resonates with your audience. Whereas, and inauthentic brand is a brand that feels cold, feels robotic, and feels heartless. This is why it is important to include a level of authenticity, as regardless of how unique, shareable and original your campaign might be, if you’re not remaining authentic, it can make your campaign come off as distasteful. Just think to yourself, would you rather be a bakery with the sun glowing, or a cold, heartless, robot.
• Branding: When people are creating creative campaigns, they often get lost in the creativity of it all, and completely forget about the branding. The branding is the most important of your business and without it, regardless of how creative your campaign may be, it won’t be recognisable to you and your brand. Not having the correct tone of voice, using colours that are the complete opposite to your brand colours, and refusing to put your logo on, can often lead to confusion. Readers who want to purchase your product or learn more your brand has no clue who you even are! This means that no matter how successful your campaign may be in terms of metrics, you’re not going to experience any of that so called success.
• Memorability: Truly creative campaigns are memorable. They leave a lasting impression and create an unforgettable experience. These are the campaigns that people will remember for years to come. Do you remember the Coca Cola ‘Share a coke’ campaign? Of course you do! Can you believe that campaign was launched in 2011?! It feels like it was yesterday ago. However, despite it being over a decade away, it is still fresh in our minds We still remember it to this day, showcasing its memorability.

How to become much more creative in your marketing:

Look for inspiration:

I know i mentioned previously that being unique and original is one of the key steps to being creative in your marketing. BUT, before you can even think of your own original ideas, you need to look for inspiration from other brands, within and outside of your industry, and learn from them. By learning from other brands, you’ll be able to broaden your horizon on the different type of marketing campaigns, messages, copy, etc. and combine what you’ve learnt to create a campaign that truly stands out. You will also find yourself having a new outlook on the way you approach campaigns, and look beyond your everyday, traditional form of marketing.

Understand your audience:

Your audience takes centre-stage in every part of your marketing. They are your main fans, as well as your main critics. (What an emotional rollercoaster!). Which is why it is so crucial to better understand their wants and needs, so that you’re always on their good side! By understanding their pain points, behaviour, preferences, needs, and wants, you’ll be able to create a fresh brand new message that really resonates with them. Your audience will feel heard, and will be more drawn to your business or product. 

Trial and error:

Not every creative campaign that you create will succeed. And that is completely okay! Getting prepared for failure will help you ensure that you’re not afraid to try out new ideas to find out what works and what doesn’t. In my opinion there’s no such thing as a good or bad idea. There’s ideas that work and ideas that don’t work. You’ll first go through a set of ideas that don’t work before you get over that final hurdle and find an idea that works. 

Stay informed:

A huge part of being original and being unique is by being the first. Staying updated on aspects such as the latest news industry trends, and social and economic issues, will help you to create campaigns that are relevant and unique. And chances are you are the first to do it, due to the topic of discussion being so fresh. This is a concept called reactive marketing and you can read more about it in my previous blog here.

Brainstorm:

Brainstorming your ideas on a piece of paper and physically seeing your ideas and thought process laid out in front of you in honestly a game-changer. It helps to clarify your thoughts and free up space in your mind to generate new ideas. This helps make more room for creativity, and you’ll never run out of ideas. It will also take your ideas from a jumble mess floating around your brain to clear and concise theories and concepts that you can then expand on, turning these ideas into a 10 step strategy.

Quick tip: Whenever you think of an idea, instantly write it down. This will help to ensure you won’t forget the idea and your mind won’t be constantly obsessing over the need to remember.

Look for gaps in the market:

There are gaps in every market. These gaps showcase needs that are unmet, groups and demographics that are often left, niches that are heavily undersaturated and much much more, And as a marketer, it is your job to look for them gaps and fill that void that much of your audience are feeling. Looking to fill these gaps will help you to create a unique, creative campaign that hasn’t been done before.