How do you ensure that your creative strategy aligns with the business objectives and the audience needs?

A business goal has to exist to serve an audience need. As simple as that sounds, I’ve found a few disconnects at this early stage that require a fundamental change to the brief - or the business goal. Only once this has been clarified, the treasure hunt for insights begins- to unearth what the audience feels about the problem. Or what they feel about the lack of the solution.

This is a delicate balance. It starts with a deep understanding of the company's goals and the audience's preferences. By conducting thorough market research and audience analysis, identify key insights. Regular collaboration with cross-functional teams ensures that creative concepts are developed with broader business objectives in mind. KPIs and clear performance metrics guide the process, ensuring that creative strategies are measurable and focused on driving results that align with business objectives. Aligning creative strategy with business goals and audience needs is an ongoing effort that involves research, collaboration, it's crucial to have open lines of communication, allowing feedback to flow freely and a data-driven approach.

I like to think that creative strategies are born from the brand strategy and positioning. So, the brand, the challenge, the audiences are already defined and data has given input. The creative strategy takes all that "logic" and transforms it into a blueprint for emotional connections–relevant to the audiences, authentic to the brand, compelling and exciting to help concepts break through the clutter. Two sides of the coin, you can't have success without the head and the heart working together.

The secret recipe to ensuring creative strategy aligns with business objectives and audience needs involves equal parts of telepathy, mind-reading, and a sprinkle of unicorn magic. Just kidding! In reality, it requires a deep understanding of the business goals, thorough research on the target audience, and a dash of creativity to concoct a strategy that hits the sweet spot between what the business wants and what the audience craves. So, it's a delicate mix of data, insights, and a touch of imaginative wizardry.

Reading + Reading + Reading is the only way to get traction with an audience. Consumer insights are available in many forms, but most of them are reports and grievance. A lot of creative people want to start with the process of figuring out ideas before spending the time required to read and learn. The spadework includes studying what competition is doing if there is any competition material available. For a lot of start-ups they may be the first of their type of product in a space. In that case studying the content consumption patterns and material will provide the insight. Strategy works when it's designed with accurate demarcation of how the content will behave in today's dynamic UGC environment. Keeping your gut instinct alert is key.

This research step is not a third party market or financial analysis. It's key to identify and understand real users. Talk to them!! Develop your persona(s) as a composite of your target customer. If you can identify their painpoints or what would really make their lives/work better, that will focus the next step of brainstorming solutions.

While identifying the demographics and audience is key to understanding the impact you are looking for in your creative strategy, one of the most effective tools you can use it talking with successful conversions from previous campaigns. Personas are great, but in the end, real people purchase you or your client's products and services. Go out and talk to people who have bought the service and find out what they like, what solutions is provides, and how you can improve their experience.

I've always found that business objectives can't be successful unless they are relevant to the audience. They must intersect. If they are created in isolation, they risk not connecting, being ignored. That's the first step. Then, a strong creative strategy can be born from that connection. But creative strategies aren't necessarily ideas, their insightful, motivating directives (highly creative) that inspire concepts, guide creative teams and generate unique thinking.

Always start with the problem, the current moment we are in, and where we want to go. We need to visualize this ideal future, so we can imagine different ways to get there; there's never just one right answer. Our creative strategy is a follow-up to the overall business objectives. If this isn't the case already, then there isn't much alignment left to do. Find out what the main business objectives are; our ideas are tactics that will help us reach those goals. Objectives are the ones that need to be SMART. For everything else, let go of SWOT, SCAMPER, ACRONYMS... Simplify your frameworks, read the brief, and trust your instincts. Good ideas take care of themselves!

One of the most useful tools I have used has been the Miro platform for mood boards and storyboards, as well as mind-mapping concepts. Miro's new AI tool for mind-mapping can help you brainstorm and iterate concepts and interconnected topics quickly, with clear organization.