If you were to ask anyone what the secret to true business success is down to, they might reply “advertising”.
Advertising is by far one of the best ways to get your business off to a flying start and no more so than with creative advertising. Focusing more on your community of fans rather than general promotion to the masses, creative ads influence people towards making purchases rather than focusing on traditional mass sales.
But are creative ads replacing our old style of “advertise, promote, sell”? Research tells us that while we are more drawn to these types of ads, there is no firm evidence that the “influencer culture” of selling is permanently changing our purchasing patterns.
There is actually little evidence connecting creative messaging with increased revenue. This is, in part, due to the lack of reporting from brand managers and agencies on the efficacy of traditional advertising methods.
Despite this lack of historical data recording, we do see that creative campaigns are very effective. Many recorded that certain aspects of creative advertising within influencing purchasing behaviour should be prioritised over others. This includes geographic markets and cultural preferences. By using these methods to target ads, the likelihood of sales increases and the overall effectiveness of the ads improves, making for a better investment.
Within creative ads it’s important to consider the originality of a campaign. Key elements, such as surprising, amusing or shocking content can provide a richness and uniqueness that consumers will be drawn to.
Societal standards within advertising often go unnoticed until challenged. For example, perfume adverts are often full of beautiful people with sweeping landscapes basking in opulence. It isn’t until consumers are faced with a creative ad that epitomises the opposite of this that they notice the difference. Not conforming to these stereotypes can really make a campaign stand out.
Of course, while this non-conformist approach is popular, it would seem lazy to produce ads that simply appear to be the visual opposite of a ‘traditional’, more familiar campaign. Instead, shift your mindset so that questioning routines and focusing on growth are at the forefront.
Take time to collate ideas, no matter how wild, that you can refer back to later and refine. One “out there” idea can often grow into a more cohesive and subtextual ad that will make the consumer think more deeply about the topic. This is where the influence and community building really occurs.
The true art of creative ads and marketing is to be able to find a subtle balance between creative and non-creative consumers. A compelling campaign designed for great thinkers may alienate a proportion of your community, breaking trust they may have with the brand.
Consider how you can reach all areas of your target audience without limiting your message. Risk taking in the marketing world has brought such great opportunities with consumers that we can use this as an example of how far we can push creative risk to achieve great ads.
By making safe choices, we will not grow or succeed; merely produce the same mediocre content for consumers to disengage with.
Use your creativity and create something truly unique to pique their interest instead.
Written by Yasser Obeid, Managing Director, a.k.a Media