How do you make your creative strategy stand out?

First thing, you’ve gotta know your WHY. What makes your soul light up? What’s the mark you wanna leave on this world? That’s your North Star. Align everything – your problem-solving, your opportunities, your value – to that. Your brand ain’t just a logo or a color scheme; it’s the heartbeat of your business. It’s what connects you to your customers, making ’em feel something real. Now, don’t just talk about it, be about it. Measure your success, evaluate your impact. If you ain’t making a difference, you’re just making noise. Set your goals, and then smash ‘em. That’s how you build something that’s gonna last, something that’s truly your own. If you lose yourself, you lose everything. That’s the truth bomb right there.

There are 2 essential factors to creating a brand UVP (unique value proposition): (1) positioning (2) differentiation. To achieve these identity attributes defines where the brand belongs among others yet how it is uniquely different from all others. This is a creatively challenging goal to achieve because of bureaucratic pressure to fit in and not stand out or apart too much. But great creativity serves up a brand that shines brightest in the eyes of its beholder.

There are only three sins in creative work: 1. Lying. 2. Copying. 3. Being boring. Avoid those three? You're well on your way.

Empathy: Put yourself in their shoes to comprehend their needs and challenges deeply. Feedback: Gather feedback from your audience to refine your understanding continually. 2. Define Clear Objectives: Specific Goals: Set clear, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives. Alignment: Ensure your creative strategy aligns with your overall business objectives. 3. Understand Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Clarity: Clearly define what sets your product, service, or content apart from the competition. Benefits: Focus on how your offering solves problems or fulfills needs better than others. 4. Be Creative and Innovative: Brainstorming: Encourage diverse teams to brainstorm ideas, fostering creativity and innovation.

To make your creative strategy stand out, focus on these tips: 1. Know your audience 2. Keep your message clear 3. Highlight your unique value proposition 4. Use visually appealing elements 5. Tell a compelling story 6. Maintain consistency across channels 7. Introduce innovative and unique elements 8. Foster engagement and interactivity 9. Design for adaptability 10. Define measurable objectives 11. Be authentic in your communication 12. Seek feedback and iteration

Tailoring that creative strategy to the specific audience, that’s where the magic happens. It’s like cooking a gourmet meal; you gotta know the taste buds you’re cookin’ for. You take those demographics, psychographics, and all the other graphics, and you put ‘em together like a beautiful symphony. That’s what makes a brand sing. Don’t just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Get deep in the minds of your audience, feel their heartbeat, know their dreams and desires, and you’ll be painting a masterpiece that resonates. It ain’t just business; it’s like a soul connection, a spiritual dance with your audience. Now, go out there and create something that’s real and alive, something that speaks to the heart.

A creative strategy needs to support the brand's authenticity. That is what will make it stand out! Your audience, who are your stakeholders need to see themselves in it and own it.

Everyone wants to be bold with their content but don't lose sight of the two previous points, understanding your audience and your purpose. Never let your brand overshadow its audience because without them, you wouldn’t have a brand to begin with.

Too many brands try to be a "one size fits all" solution for a large vertical. Being specific, unique, and tailored to your niche audience is much more impactful. Always remember the 80/20 rule. 80% of your revenue comes from the top 20% of your audience. If 8/10 people don't like you, so what? Focus on the 2/10 people that you are perfect for and love what you do.

You gather that feedback from the real world, from those stakeholders, and you put it to work. You gotta have the courage to face those strengths and weaknesses head-on. You keep sharpening that blade, and you’ll cut through anything. But let’s keep it one hundred; this ain’t about playing safe. It’s about finding that edge, that raw, unique thing that sets you apart. And then you work it, refine it, and perfect it until it shines like a diamond. Remember, the road to greatness is paved with trials and errors, so don’t be afraid to stumble a little on the way to finding what truly resonates.

If you have to try to 'make your creative strategy stand out' - you've already FAILED. ?? Avoid this, quick-test your creative strategy BEFORE producing a single asset ?? 1. Can you summarise the central creative IDEA of the campaign in 15 seconds? No? Make it simpler. ? 2. Can you state an INSIGHT that led you to the campaign idea? Oh, you don’t have an insight and will be saying the same thing as the competition? Back to the drawing board you go! ?? 3. Is that insight TRUE, NEW, and RELEVANT to your audience? If no, you can still run the campaign…but limit your expectations on effectiveness. ?? TL;DR Do creative WELL, and it WILL stand out.