Nuture The Relationship Between Strategy and Creative
This is a bigger subject to delve into than just this article, but I wanted to start the conversation as I believe there are few agencies and brands that manage this well. There is a science to this, but I believe the vast majority of where this subject will take me is in the art and leadership of it. I’ll begin with the science.
The Role of Strategy
At a very high level, the role of strategy is to analyze a given situation and, using various frameworks, provide a clear direction on a way to succeed. The key word for me here is clarity. It doesn’t matter what kind of strategy it is—brand, marketing communications, or product—the goal is to distill all the information into clear and concise insights that guide clear decisions. One of the most intriguing expressions of strategy is that it should also be controversial and irreversible.
The Role of Creative
The role of creative is connection. You can break this down further. I personally love the HubSpot methodology of the customer journey (awareness, consideration, decision) and understanding where people are so you can connect with them with the right content at the right time. But overall, the role of creative is a unique expression of a strategy that elicits an emotional connection to create a long-lasting connection.
Both Can’t Operate Alone
They need to work together. For example, as Marty Neumeier’s book, The Brand Gap, has illustrated so well, this is one of the greatest challenges brands face today. Strategies are created by leaders of organizations in boardrooms across the world. They exist in PowerPoints and Word Documents on servers and desktops. If they are not executed with intent, they fail. Nobody will buy your product after looking through 200 PowerPoints. On the flip side of this, creative without strategy is meaningless. Have you ever watched an ad and couldn’t remember the name of the brand after? I have, and that is a miss for that work. Creative for creative’s sake will fail your company equally as much as strategy without connection.
The Art of Strategy and Creative Together
I’m going to spend more time delving into this subject because I believe that if you master this, you have something very special.
The Right People
This is a pretty broad statement, but the best strategists have an ability to contribute creatively, and the best creatives have an ability to contribute strategically. I might take that a bit further: a strategist who can bring to life a creative concept and a creative who can lead a strategic session is something to look out for and nurture.
The Right Tension
Process is incredibly important, but all process really does is create a unified mentality across a team. The mentality is what is truly important. When you are developing this, you can use tools such as six hats, but I love the simplicity of transparency. For example, have you ever pitched an idea internally and the first response is “this is good, but what if?” That is the best response you can get; it pushes the solution along and makes it better. The safety to be able to share that an idea could be better and build upon it is the fastest and most direct way to create brilliance. Embrace this tension, invite it; the more time you spend here, the better the result.
The thinking of simply putting art and copy in a room and expecting them to come up with the big idea has passed. This solution is based on the concept that marketing by itself can change the game for brands. You need to put a creative and strategic thinker in a room for the big idea today because your strategy, ability to pivot, and get that messaging out there brilliantly is what will truly move the needle.