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You Like the Design But Will Your Customer?
By Robin Major
Whether you are designing and writing your own marketing or getting other people to do it for you, it needs to be evaluated objectively otherwise you could make a wrong decision, costing your business lost sales and wasted marketing budget.
Most creative marketing work is evaluated subjectively. Great marketing gets rejected and mediocre marketing gets approved simply because of personal prejudices. If you don't like the colour brown then no matter how good the brown version is, you are unlikely
to give it the green light.
The easiest way to evaluate creative marketing work objectively is to review it against the brief--that's the written document
that explains what the website, packaging, signage or whatever it is needs to achieve. It does not need to be a lengthy document but the more thought that is put into it, the better the creative work is likely to be.
A brief is not just something big companies do for ad agencies. When marketing resources are tight as they tend to be in
smaller companies, a clear well thought through brief is the best insurance policy that your marketing tools will work, bringing in the sales you need.
Without a written brief, producing creative work can become a bit of a fishing expedition. The designers and copywriters keep
creating concepts until they stumble across something you like. This 'design by exploration' is expensive in both time and money and can be very stressful for all concerned.
When evaluating creative work here a few high level matters to consider:
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The Big Idea
Unless the creative work has a big original idea then you will probably look pretty much the same as your competitors only the logo will be different. It takes courage to stand out from the crowd so expect to feel a
little nervous or excited by the work. At the early draft stage do not get too hung up about details such as the correct shade of brown or the grammar. Afterall, what's the point of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?
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Careful Brand Positioning
Marketing is 99% perception. How does the creative work position your brand and is that how you want it to be perceived? Is it congruent with your brand identity and values? Is the tone right? Or does it clash and send mixed messages
about your brand? Is your point of difference from competitors clear?
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Relevancy
Will your most important target markets relate to it? Remember you can't please everyone so you need to select the most important customers you want to attract. Does it have the conversation your customers want to have, providing the
right information in the right level of detail with the right language in a natural sequence?
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Persuasion
What first impression does the work make? Does it grab attention? Are all the elements of persuasion there and roughly in the right order? Do the visuals communicate the benefit and give people a reason to
read the supporting copy? Is the offer clear and compelling?
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Great marketing looks deceptively easy but clearly a lot of thinking is required -- both analytical and creative. It takes real talent, focus and dedication but the results of getting it right can transform your
business. Imagine having more demand than you could cope with!
©
Robin Major Ltd, 2010
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Need Help with Your Marketing?
If you need help writing a creative brief or evaluating creative work please contact me.
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