Creative Strategy and the Creative Process: Concepting SBM 338 Lanny Wilke.

Creative Strategy and the Creative Process:

Concepting

SBM 338

Lanny Wilke

What Makes GREAT Advertising?

The Resonance Dimension InformationalTransformational

The Relevance Dimension

Formulating Creative Strategy: The Key to Great Advertising

The basic problem the advertising must address

The objective of the advertising A definition of the target audience The key benefits to communicate Support for those benefits The brand’s personality Any special requirements

Elements of message strategyA simple description and

explanation of an ad campaign’s overall creative approach

Main idea Details about how the idea will

be executed rationale

How Creativity Enhances Advertising

What is creativity?To originate, to conceive a thing or

idea that did not exist before.Typically, involves combining two

or more previously unconnected objects or ideas into something new.

The Role of Creativity in AdvertisingCreativity helps advertising informCreativity helps advertising

persuadeCreativity helps advertising remindCreativity puts the “boom” in

advertising

The Creative Process

The Explorer – searches for new information, paying attention to unusual patterns.

The Artist – experiments and plays with a variety of approaches, looking for an original idea.

The Judge – evaluates the results of experimentation and decides which approach is most practical.

The Warrior – overcomes excuses, idea killers, setbacks, and obstacles to bring a creative concept to realization.

The Explorer Role

Develop an insight outlook Know the objective brainstorm

The Artist Role

Task 1: Develop the big ideaTransforming a concept

Adapt Imagine Reverse Connect Compare Eliminate Parody

Task 2: Implement the big ideaAttention InterestCredibilityDesireAction

The Judge Role

Delicate balance Is this idea an aha! Or an uh-oh? What’s wrong with this idea? What if it fails? What is my cultural bias? What’s clouding my thinking?

The Warrior Role

Get the idea approved, produced, and placed in the media.Stragegic precisionSavvy psychologySlick presentationStructural persuasionSolve the problem

Concepting

What is the problem? Can advertising solve the problem? What is the target audience? What are the product

features/benefits? What is the One Big Thing? How much do we need to say or

show?

Where is the product positioned? What are the competition’s strengths

and weaknesses? What should the tone be?

Concepting Approaches

Show the product Brand identity

Show the benefit What happens when you use it? What will it do for you?

Show the alternative What happens when you don’t use it? What happens when you use the

competition’s product?

Comparison With other products Metaphors

Borrowed interest Introduce something that seems

unrelated Testimonials

Endorsement What it’s done for others

The Concepting Process

Just do it. Write, don’t talk. Throw it on the wall. When you’re on a roll, keep rolling. Funny? Show it, don’t tell it. Don’t be different just to be different. KISS Don’t second-guess the client. Build a “maybe” file.

Test Your Concept

Self-evaluationGut checkMatchbook and billboard testHonest evaluation

Creative director evaluation Client evaluation

The Edge

Nudity, sex, violence, offensive language

Music/sound effects Us versus Them Inside jokes/slang Production values/design

But remember….Some audiences have lower levels

of tolerance.How far you can push your target

audience.The risks.Your personal moral compass.You may need to defend your idea.

You need a backup idea. Don’t be different just to be different.

There needs to be a purpose.

When you’re stuck…

Back up. Go back to the books. Talk about it with others. Take a break. Stay sober.

Next, ad strategy.