May 2024 Edition
Talking Points
As a results-focused variable, creative work is underrated. In this age of measurement and results, marketers often look to strategy, media, frequency, and so on. But creative influences campaign performance and drives actual outcomes. Study after study validates the impact creative has on ad effectiveness. Often, developing effective creative comes down to the following five habits.
Be Distinctive
Your customers spend more time online than ever before. But they are exposed to more ads on more channels than ever before. You have one chance to make a first and lasting impression. So, how do you make your ads stand out? In short, be different. Don’t copy. Don’t do what others do. Find a fresh visual style, point of view, or unexpected music track. Deliver something surprising. That’s how you will capture and hold your customers attention.
Elevate Your Brand
Creative work that generates greater awareness features prominent branding. It creates a link between every message and the brand itself. To increase the prominence of your brand, make sure your advertising communicates your vision, your mission, your brand values and what they mean for your customers. Also, listen to what consumers are saying. Analyze your mentions on social. Comb through product reviews. That will enable you to shape your creative in a way that elevates your brand.
Show Your Value
Sometimes, being distinctive and well-branded can be enough to get your ad noticed. But when it comes to building brand awareness and credibility, informing consumers about your products, or demonstrating value for premium pricing, you need to actually show how your brand fulfills customer needs. Your creative should clearly illustrate how your company makes its customers lives better.
Evoke an Emotional Response
Most people feel before they think. Logic and explanation validate decision making, but emotion creates the desire for a product of service. That’s why the most effective ads elicit some kind of emotional response. Emotional ads focus less on product features and more on things that inspire customers. They appeal to the audience by being funny, touching, or highly personalized.
Give Customers a Voice
Maybe the best way to connect with customers is to show you truly understand them. This can be challenging for many marketers who become so focused on their brands that they lose sight of what resonates with their audience. So, talk with your customers. Listen, follow up, and find out what’s genuinely important to them. And when creating your ads, put their needs first.
Once you start practicing these habits on a regular basis, your creative work will become more effective and your customers will respond in positive ways. Both of which will strengthen your brand and deliver long-term success.
Based on a The 5 Habits of Highly Effective Advertising by Dustin Duke.
