psuspring ‘08 mktg 442 creative strategy week 2 turn in homework

PSU Spring ‘08Mktg 442

Creative Strategy Week 2

Turn In Homework


AMA to New Orleans


Your Objectives for the Class


Three basic categories

Process Ins & outs of working within a creative

department in an agency

Steps taken to produce work

Learn what a creative team does

Career Prep I need good ideas for work

How to apply my creativity; how to sell my ideas

Ability to succinctly explain objectives & strategy

Critical thinking; explain & motivate

Use my knowledge & experience; not just regurgitate

How to brainwash audiences

Meet new associates with whom to network & build careers

To better organize, articulate and present my ideas

Misc. Get out early

Not hate the class; have some fun

Creative/Creativity How to incorporate creative strategies into

marketing strategies

How to share & back up creative ideas

Deeper understanding of how creative strategy influences brand identity & equity

Steps taken to do a “unique” ad

Understand why “creative” is so crucial, aside from the obvious

How creative is really done

Are my “Big Ideas” big enough

A better way of discussing/writing creative ideas & strategies; when to be concise & when to be wordy

How to write a good brief

Ability to critique ad strategies

Present & defend


Networking events; third Wednesday of each month:

Masu in SW Portland.

Starts around 5:30 and winds down around 7:30 p.m., depending

on the crowd, which may range from 25 to 40 professionals.

Usually a mix of employed and unemployed, all looking to improve

their situation or that of others.

Free, as are the email reminders

No standard format for the evening, simply show up with a few

business cards, buy yourself or someone else a drink and

introduce yourself to a few people.

http://www.pdxmindshare.com/


Creative Process


Functional


Experiential

“The production of ideas is just as definite a process

as the production of Fords. The mind follows an

operative technique which can be learned and

controlled; its effective use is just as much a matter

of practice as in the effective use of any tool.”

- James Webb Young, J Walter Thompson

Writer through Director, 1912—1964


Young’s Creative Process Model

ImmersionGathering raw material and information through background research and

immersing yourself in the problem

DigestionTaking the information, working it over, and wrestling with it in the mind

IncubationPutting the problems out of your conscious mind and turning the

information over to the subconscious to do the work

IlluminationThe birth of an idea—the “Eureka! I have it!” phenomenon

Reality or verificationStudying the idea to see if it still looks good or solves the problem; then

shaping the idea to practical usefulness


Bendinger’s Variation

PreparationMore info = more possible connections

FrustrationUnless the answer is obvious or reached through simple logic, frustration can

result

IncubationMull it over; sleep on it; discuss with others. Groups of people and creative

teams duplicate this same function

IlluminationAHA! Two previously unrelated elements connect—you’ve just had an idea

EvaluationIs it a good idea? Learning to be critical of your own work in a positive way

ElaborationWorking out the idea, copy and layout. Having good ideas is often pretty

easy; making them work is work --Bruce Bendinger, author of The Copy Workshop


What Creative Teams Do

Develop communications that accomplish objectives

Their job:

Turn all of the information regarding product features and

benefits, marketing plans, consumer research, competitive

information, market trends and communication objectives into a

creative concept that will bring the advertising message to life

Your job:

Get them close, inspire their thinking, and give them a great

starting point: THE STRATEGY


Creative Output

OMG!!!

What were they thinking???

Basic and commonly seen

Accurate and doesn’t suck

Better

Accurate, targeted, on strategy, connects, particularly arresting, intriguing, compelling

Best

Involves consumers on both rational and emotional levels; capable of affecting a change in thoughts and behavior

So “nails” the intersection of subject and audience that a new way of looking at a product, service, category, or interrelationship is created


Note: Ads removed to reduce file size


How Creative Teams Do It

Advertising is a team sport; Copywriters and Art Directors

depend on each other

If done right no business relationship is closer

Art Directors are visual: right side of the brain

Make ideas look right

Copywriters are verbal: left side of the brain

Typically more time with clients and account executives

Preparation, frustration, incubation, illumination,

evaluation, elaboration

The meeting is the media*

“You probably think you do ads for print and TV. Wrong! You do

meetings!” * Bruce Bendinger, author of The Copy Workshop


The Meeting is the Media

Or, selling an idea can be harder than having one Visualize the meeting

How big is the room?

Where is the wall?

Where are the people you’ll be presenting your ads to seated? Who are they?

You’ll have to make an impact in that space; own the room with the power of your work

Attack the wall Give the meeting a headline

Get the theme up big

Have a simple right-brain visual to go with all that left-brain verbiage

Remember, if you don’t do the meeting right, the ads will never run.Or worse. Another team wins.

Bruce Bendinger, author of The Copy Workshop


The Creative Brief


Purpose of a Creative Brief

Beginning point for the creative team’s work

Purpose of ad/campaign

Audience insights

Product insights

Tone, style, voice

Strategy

The document that inspires the creative team to do great

work

Format varies by agency

All agencies and creative groups easily become militant about

what is the “right” creative brief format and content


For This Class

Why we’re doing this

Audience Insights

Product Insights

Executional Considerations

Creative Strategy


Terms

Demographics: “hard” infoAge, gender, income, geography, household size, spending pattern(s)

Psychographics: “soft” infoPerceptions, preferences, values, behaviors

Findings vs. InsightsThe difference between data/information and its relevance

Creative teams depend upon insights

and like data/information to back them up


The Difference Between Findings and Insights

Findings = data/information

Insights = key points relevant to the assignment


Example #1: Travel Portland

Findings

There are 56,637 corporate meeting planners on the west

coast

There are 13,365 association meeting planners on the

west coast

There was $107B spent on meetings in the U.S. in 2005,

$75B of that from association planners

Ninety-percent of that spend was from delegate/attendee spend

There were 1,245,000 meetings held in 2005, 82% from

corporate planners

37% of corporate planners booked convention centers

compared to association planners 24%


Example #1: Travel Portland

Insights

Corporate planners present a greater opportunity for

convention center business

While associations’ total spend was higher, corporate

planners represent a stronger revenue opportunity for

meeting facilities compared to associations

Corporate planners represent an excellent opportunity for

Travel Portland to diverse its revenue stream and capture

additional mindshare


Example #2: Samaritan Health Services

Findings

Individual hospitals have unique naming without the SHS

name incorporated

Brand assets are written with clinical tone and manner

rather than empathy and compassion

Brand assets do not appear to have purpose or meaning

The health plan websites/collateral is totally different from

the System and its sub-entities

The imagery, colors, naming and layout of brand assets

are inconsistent throughout the materials


Example #2: Samaritan Health Services

Insights

Clear definition of the SHS brand and sub-brands is critical

to show relevance and value to the community

There is a need to bring clarity to the value of the system

to demonstrate benefits received and differentiation from

competition

Visual representation of the brand does not embody the

integrated system – identity must be aligned to the brand


Back to the Brief…


Audience Insights

1. Based on the demographic, qualitative research and our collective

experience, the most insightful target audience characteristics are…

Here we talk mostly about psychographic and behavioristic characteristics. For example: What

are the target audience’s big issues…their needs…their pains…their challenges...their fears…

their hopes? How do they feel, what do they think when they use this brand or category? What

are they looking for/do they want that this product/service/company can provide?

2. Why are some people in the target audience buying the product and

others not?

3. What do they currently know and think about our brand?

4. What emotional and psychological barriers do we need to overcome?

5. What emotional and psychological characteristics can we enhance?

6. Who is the real competition and why?


Product Insights

1. What are the most important or unique rational benefits

and emotional attributes of our client’s products?

2. How do these most important benefits connect with the

audience’s needs, wants and world view?

3. What is the competition’s strong point?

4. What is competition’s weakness or vulnerability?



Proper message tone

Corporate posture

Brand personality

Current positioning

Competitive flash points

Legal taboos and requirements

Hot buttons

Concurrent brand campaigns

Peculiar market conditions

Specific client preferences

Other parameters that might impact the direction of the creative

work


Creative Strategy

Based on insights (audience & product) and executional

considerations the most compelling thing we can

communicate is (what?)

A single, clear, focused statement

This is the Big Idea in rough form; it needs to be short,

sweet, and to the point

This the most intellectually challenging part of the brief. It

falls under the most scrutiny, generates the most debate,

and is the definitive starting point for great (or horrible)

advertising.


Sample Brief from Last Term


Audience Insights

Target audience

The target audience for this advertising campaign is women 24-34 who are looking for a comfortable bra that adds support without the annoyance of an underwire. Average annual household income of $73,000 and already has a favorable view of the Warner’s brand.

Audience description

Julie is 27 years old and is a barista at Starbucks. She has struggled to find the “perfect” bra ever since she began to wear them. She has tried several different brands but has failed to find one that offers great support while still being comfortable. Often times she walks into a store and is clueless about which bra to buy that fits her body the best. This is a very frustrating experience and she wishes there was a better way to buy a bra.

Julie is a confident, independent woman. If she found the ideal bra she would not hesitate to buy it no matter how expensive.


Product Insights

Most important attributes

Support and comfort

Product description

Warner’s collection of wire-free bras provides the support of an under-wire

without the discomfort. Women often force themselves to endure the

under-wire because it is a “necessary evil.” Meaning, that it greatly

enhances the appearance by making a woman appear bustier, but at the

same time the wire can be painful and dig into the chest. Warner’s has

finally created the solution to this problem in crafting the perfect bra. A bra

that provides comfort and lift without the painful under-wire. This bra also

has a sexy design that will suit the audience, because it‘s not too skimpy

yet not too covered either. It comes in a variety of colors and sizes to suit

any occasion.

This product will coincide with a “Wire-Freedom Event” which will have an

expert bra fitter at several locations in order to help each woman find the

appropriate size and fit for their body type.



Brand personality

Caring about customer desires and confident about their products.

Focus and feel of advertisement

The focus of the ad should be the bra. It needs to look comfortable

and sexy. It needs to make the woman viewing the ad feel as

though she has just found what she has always been searching

for. The ad should be fairly simple yet it should excite something

inside the viewer to learn more about the product.

The most compelling thing to communicate about this

product:

The search for the perfect bra is over. Warner’s has crafted a bra

that will meet all your expectations if not more; it combines

comfort, support and style all into one bra.


Creative Strategy

Feel perfect and look perfect too.


In-Class #2

Truth, Lies & AdvertisingChapter 5, up to “The Briefing Itself”


According to Jon Steel:

1. What is the one reason to write a brief?

To help make advertising better

2. A brief is not intended to:

Prove a point to yourself or to others

3. A creative brief(ing) is the bridge between [what] and [what]?

Smart strategic thinking and great advertising

4. What defines great advertising?

Advertising that involves consumers on both a rational and

emotional level, and is capable of affecting a change in both

their thoughts and behavior



5. The two main tasks of a creative brief are:

Inform and inspire

6. Who should be involved in preparing a brief(ing)?

The brief(ing) “owner” and team members who can contribute

meaningfully

7. If it’s not [what] to the consumer, it’s not [what] to the brief?

Relevant; relevant

8. Of the two hours in John Webster’s briefing, how much time was

“irrelevant and useless”?

One hour, 59 minutes



9. To John Webster, what constituted a great briefing?

A single word or sentence that gave him an idea

10. What, in a perfect world, might a client prefer a creative brief to be?

List of instructions; checklist against which to “grade” the advertising

11. Downside of this approach (instructions; checklist)?

Little, if any, room for creativity

12. What is the key word in the John Madden/Michelle Pfeiffer paragraph?

Relevant

13. What’s the difference between writing to a brief and writing from a

brief?

Limiting vs. liberating



14. What is a good way for planners and account executives to

justify their existence?

The quality of the advertising or the quality of their creative

briefs/briefings

15. What do you think of Hegarty’s means of coming up with the

first ad in a campaign; explain why briefly.

16. What is the argument for putting creative ideas in a brief?

If the writer of the brief can’t come up with an interesting,

relevant idea the creative team will probably struggle as well

17. How does Steel equate Joe Montana to writing a creative brief?

Simplicity is genius


For Next Week

Homework

Pick a product and write a brief

Find and source audience information

Remember the difference between findings and insights:

Data and information vs. its relevance

Remember to write the brief as though you’ll be presenting it to

your creative team

Extra Credit #1

Crispin Porter + Bogusky vs. Carton Donofrio Partners;

who’s more relevant today and why

http://cpbgroup.com/

http://www.cartondonofrio.com/

psuspring ‘08 mktg 442 creative strategy week 2 turn in homework

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