In the fast-paced world of modern business, creative strategy is increasingly viewed as an unnecessary add-on, rather than essential factor in growth. If you have a strong brand and a product that is doing well in the marketplace, it is easy to get into a rhythm of plug and play, the “don’t disturb the sleeping baby” mentality. And why should you? Everything is going great…until it isn’t.
When we engage with clients it’s not usually because everything is perfect and running smoothly. Most of the time it is because they have seen a dip in sales, there has been a change in direction for the company. Maybe they are facing some new challenges from competitors in the industry, or some other unforeseen obstacles. This is when panic might set in along with the “quick fix” directives. It is precisely at this point that creative strategy is overlooked and undervalued. Frequently, strategy is seen as a wasted budget spent on “thinking” when in fact, it’s that thinking that is your best chance to solve these challenges.
Your best defense is a strong creative approach
As creatives, we are trained to move quickly. Lightning in a bottle can happen, but a lot of it falls flat when the “why” and “for whom” is not defined prior to execution. Duck tape and gum can only work for so long. You need to address the bigger issues.
What if instead of waiting for the eventual slowdown or company pivot, you periodically evaluated your creative approach? Whether it is through a strong marketing campaign, brand evolution, advertising, or something entirely different, a solid creative strategy can move the needle in the right direction. And what better time to do this than when things are going well?
At SketchDeck, we have a wide range of capabilities. However, we continue to focus on our “integrated approach”. We define this as any type of work that is highly conceptual and strategic in nature. Our integrated approach means we spend the bulk of our time researching and developing an airtight creative strategy that will ultimately inform all creative execution. From there, we take the visual interpretation up to 11. This approach to creative execution allows us to really evaluate our client’s goals, challenges, audience, and any other essential information. Only then can we fully customize a creative solution designed to exceed expectations.
Elevating and evolving your creative strategy
The key to elevating and evolving a creative approach is to recognize the importance of it in the first place. A lot of companies put creative strategy in the backseat when it comes to their business goals. There are always a million other things that get prioritized over creative strategy because like all human beings, we want that quick, cheap, quantifiable fix that solves the problem laid out in front of us. These solutions do exist, but they are a temporary fix at best. At worst, the quick fix causes more problems for the future.
This is where a true creative strategy can work wonders for your brand and ultimately, your business. Without a creative strategy, the execution has no foundation to stand on. Like a house in a hurricane, brand’s without the strong foundation of creative strategy are at the mercy of any adverse force.
When we develop a strategy with our clients, our goal is to partner with them as closely as possible and dig deep into their organization so we can properly implement the right creative solution. When we have the right amount of time and budget for this work to be done, the results are incredible. There is relevance and significance to every creative deliverable when creative strategy guides us. This ensures we are talking to the right people, in the right places, with a compelling message.
What story will you tell the world?
One way to look at creative strategy is through the lens of film. What is paramount to every great film? A great story. Look at how many big budget, special effects-laden films ultimately bomb at the box office. They lack one important thing. A great story. Great creative requires great narrative too. Which is why we push so hard for putting the time and money into developing a strategy-first mindset. There is so much value in strategy, but it is so often overlooked because it’s not the big shiny object.
So, how do we change our thinking to strategy-first? First off, slow down and evaluate the big picture. It’s easy to get caught up in needing to show results or fix a problem quickly, but as mentioned before, that is only a temporary solution and can lead to more problems down the road. Secondly, take ownership of the process and collaborate closely with your agency. The more they know about your organization and business goals, the better the strategy will be. And this might be a surprise, but most agencies love to collaborate with clients. We definitely do. Finally, don’t overthink the process. Trust your partners and rely on their expertise, but don’t try to solve every problem with one strategy. Prioritize the most important goals and try to hit those.
Creative strategy can be a big undertaking, but with the right partner, it can be an easy one and make a world of difference. We want to be that partner with every client we work with and hopefully bring your business to new levels of success.
