A creative approach in marketing is now essential and is emerging prominently in many if not all industries. Standing out from the competition can be imperative for any brand, and this is where creative digital and content marketing can play a big role. What's better than real-world examples? Our case study shows how Bannerflow helps brands create great ads and reach their goals.
Obviously, businesses may be concerned about the constraints that COVID-19 could potentially lead to creativity. However, our 2021 In-Housing Report shows that 58% of in-house marketing teams have seen an increase in creativity during the pandemic. Just 8% saw a decrease in marketing creativity.
But why is creative marketing so important? Isn't marketing about strategy and data?
In this article, we explore the concept of creative marketing in digital channels, review its importance and learn how to measure it. We will also aim to understand how this works with your traditional methods to effectively target your audience and ensure that your team is equipped with everything you need for success.
We will discuss the following in this guide to creative marketing:
- What is Creative Marketing
- Why is Creative Marketing Important?
- Creative Marketing Examples and Ideas
1. What is creative marketing?
Creative marketing is the act of providing something that will provide a persuasive experience to your audience. Creative marketing is a combination of things. This includes establishing and understanding your brand, knowing what your audience wants and needs, as well as connecting to the audience's sentiments.
Therefore, to get to the sweet spot of creative marketing, your business needs to align with your brand and marketing efforts to drive success.
What is creative? When we discuss this, we tend to think of areas like design, music, and the arts. This new field uses creative concepts to sell a business's products or services through marketing. To achieve this, it combines the most effective elements of both creativity and marketing.
There are also different approaches to the many types of creative marketing, including:
- Branding
- Customer Experience
- Advertising and Promotion
- Services and Products
Creating a strong identity for your brand, using great content (not just blogging, but video, podcasting, and more) as well as marketing your services or products can contribute to being creative. As can considering the experiences of your customers.
Always keep in mind that your creative team cannot work alone. A creative marketing campaign cannot, should, and should not work without important data and research to inform it and help it flourish. These marketing elements coexist in harmony.
What about Creative Guerrilla Marketing?
Guerrilla marketing is the epitome of creative things. A difficult method to define, its strategy largely relies on the element of surprise, attracting attention and unexpectedly inhibiting (in a positive way) audiences.
A well-executed guerrilla marketing campaign is original, engaging, and shareable, and can increase a brand's reach. This type of marketing is commonly seen on the street and in public places such as train stations or events. There are also types of creative guerrilla marketing concepts that will only work if they are engaged.
Discussing guerrilla techniques in team meetings will not only bring life to a spectacular campaign. It can also get the creative juices flowing to use inspiration for other weapons of your marketing efforts.
2. Why is creative marketing important?
In the digital age, the average human will use an electronic device – usually a smartphone, laptop or smart TV – sometimes even before breakfast. This widespread use of digital tools brings exposure to hundreds, if not thousands, of advertisements and other media, so getting creative with your marketing can be important.
Creative marketing can cut down on noise. This technique can be especially sensitive to use for small businesses or a brand that doesn't have the budget to increase spending.
Effectively applying creativity to your marketing efforts and campaigns means that a message you think is important will be remembered. With the right groundwork to back up creative campaigns, this important message will tell a story and be remembered by the right audience.
This is what your creative marketing focuses on the written content or stunning banner ads. The roles of your marketing team can also work together in this way – data can be turned into a beautifully written narrative that turns into a captivating visual concept.
For example, when it comes to the advertising sector, creative marketing can be key to making your digital assets stand out from the competition.
Bottom-line? Creativity equals originality. Without originality, you're unlikely to shine, spark emotion, and really establish your brand identity.
Creative marketing can not only help a brand stand out, but it can also be highly cost-effective. Plus, creating an environment where your team feels empowered to think big can lead to more creativity, which means better ideas and exciting future campaigns.
3. Ideas for Creative Marketing
The idea generation process will look different for all creative marketing teams, depending on the type of brand you have. However, it is always good to gather input from people of all backgrounds.
A nudge in the right direction is also welcome when it comes to thinking up examples and getting inspiration. Here are some different areas and questions that brands may consider when looking at creative marketing ideas:
branding
Does your branding fit? Do you stand out from the competitors? Does your website use creative elements such as videos, attractive designs, or reviews?
customer experience
Are your creative efforts targeted to your audience? Will your customers consume/enjoy/be entertained because of their experience of your output or your touchpoint with your brand? Will your creative marketing evoke the spirit you want?
content marketing
Your content needs to tell compelling stories that your audience wants to hear. Does it attract attention or is it best in class, expert material? Is it a scene or can it be made a scene? Think outside the written word - this means making the choice of videos, podcasts, games, quizzes, charts, and more.
social media Marketing
Know your audience when it comes to your social platforms and be on the pulse of social trends. Have you thought about how to use story formats creatively? Maybe your followers join a contest? Use hashtags, and national or international days in the calendar, and then think outside the box.
advertising
Use data and tools to personalize targeted ads for your customers. Tools also free up your team to brainstorm and work creatively. Remember that ad space is competitive. Will your brand be memorable? Will it stand out from the crowd?
Conclusion
To stand out from your competitors, creativity is key. However, simply 'being creative' isn't as easy as it sounds, so we hope this guide has equipped you with everything you need to get ahead in your industry.
Whether you choose to bring your marketing efforts in-house, embark on a journey of digital transformation or focus on one element at a time, the road to creativity is certainly exciting.
Using the power of technology and tools effectively is a tried and tested way to promote what your marketing team can offer in the creative space. If you want to test how you can stay one step ahead of the competition, why not book a demo of our premium CMP to see how it might work for you?
With BannerFlow, your team can create truly memorable ad campaigns on a large scale. The platform will support the entire lifecycle of your campaign – from creating your ads to managing the campaign, then massively customizing and personalizing it.
