Demystifying Creative Content

Did we just make creativity accessible? If so, let's do the same for creative content.

A quick caveat: I've performed this particular party piece live before, often catching people off guard. It's worth noting that individuals in leadership or sales roles within creative agencies often HATE what I'm about to walk you through. They fear it limits the agency’s creative freedom, oversimplifies our work, and constrains our potential.

However, an alternative, more inclusive perspective could argue that it renders our work accessible and comprehensible for everyone. It serves as a roadmap, enabling clients to trust our divergences from the norm because they grasp what constitutes success and repeatability. Hence, when we deviate, they understand why. #JustSaying

Anyway, I digress.

Were you aware that an academic research team meticulously analyzed 200 award-winning commercials and concluded that 89% of them could be sorted into only six categories?

This is both fascinating and enlightening. It signifies that the advertising creative elite operate within just six templates, not 200 or 25. Six specific approaches prove to be highly effective, prompting their continued use, whether consciously or not.

Would you be interested in delving into the template along with references and examples?

Of course you would.

1. Extreme Consequences (e.g., The Lynx Effect): A dramatic transformation or outcome resulting from the bold, exaggerated, and attention-grabbing use of a product or service.

2. Pictorial Analogy (e.g., Sony Bravia Balls): Visual metaphors or symbols vividly illustrating complex concepts, ideas, or product attributes in a striking, relatable, and memorable manner.

3. Extreme Situations (e.g., Dumb Ways to Die): Humor, exaggeration, or playfulness to raise awareness of a message in a memorable way.

4. Competition (e.g., The Energizer Bunny): Enduring resilience and the ability to outlast rivals, signifying consistent performance, longevity, and unyielding competitiveness.

5. Dimensional Alteration (e.g., Guinness noitulovE): Manipulating perception, challenging conventional perspectives, showcasing transformative change in a unique, thought-provoking way.

6. Interactive Experiments (e.g., Whirlpool Care Counts): Combining technology and real-world impact, inviting participation in a meaningful project that demonstrates the tangible benefits of innovation.

The researchers subsequently attempted to classify other advertisements for the same products that didn’t receive awards, revealing that only 2.5% of them aligned with these templates.

This indicates a clear-cut or proven method to craft award-winning advertising. And in this context, awards equate to EFFECTIVENESS.

Corporate Communications:

In the pursuit of making my profession more accessible, I sought out a similar study, but unsurprisingly, there's a scarcity of comprehensive research on business-critical corporate communications. No funding for that. Nevertheless, drawing from my extensive experience across various workplaces and projects, I've distilled a simplified equivalent.

The reason this particular approach tends to face resistance lies in our desire to showcase the impressive and unique projects we do. We often hide the repetitive yet foundational work that sustains our agencies and finds extensive use in major corporations worldwide.

Why do we hesitate to highlight the fundamental elements of our services? It’s by no means a reflection of ALL we do, or ALL we’re capable of.

Here are the six most common deliverables produced at an integrated (strategy, design, digital, film) agency, particularly one specializing in corporate communications:

• Infographic - To simplify complex information.

• Fact sheet - To communicate essential information.

• Website - A home for your brand (internal or external).

• Social cards - To create a consistent visual across social media.

• Interview film - People speaking to people.

• Animation - To bring pictures to life.

I can feel the cringe from agency professionals right about now. "But we do far more than just this." Absolutely, you do. However, these things constitute a significant portion of your work, they're effective, and you should talk about them more.

Now, here comes the profound part.

We confuse originality of content with originality of form.

The form is the animation, or the factsheet or the website. The thing we know for sure works. The content is the story we have to tell. Another infographic doesn’t mean the same infographic.

True creativity flourishes when there's a systematic approach to generating work rather than focusing solely on the end product. Process paves the way for meaningful content. As Nils Leonard put it, 'The brief is THE CULTURE that you want the project to have.'

How we research, mine, or provoke our clients to deepen our knowledge and uncover the true problem we’re attempting to solve makes it different. It's not about filling in boxes with corporate sounding words; it's about establishing the essence and atmosphere of the project.

These are the questions we need to answer to inform creative content.

• What is the opportunity?

• What is the problem to solve?

• Who is the audience?

• What are the key messages?

• What are the proof points?

• What does success look like?

If you aren’t already asking these questions, it's time you do. If you are, recognizing their significance is crucial.

Spoiler alert: It’s about helping businesses see differently, helping them speak differently and carve out their place in the world—meaningfully.

By breaking down these questions at the start–we are making what we do accessible. We are crafting a narrative about HOW and WHY we get to our recommended approach.

Our recommendation doesn’t need to speak to something entirely new. Instead, we aim to forge new connections, identify trends, understand our audience, and combine ideas to foster a fresh perspective.

It’s a simple equation. Process + Imagination = Serious Creative.

As you were.

MrMcK.

Read: The full study on what makes good advertising.

Watch: The references for each ad - playlist here.