The Importance of a Creative Strategy
When it comes to developing marketing materials – be it a capabilities brochure, a sales promotion, a direct mail or advertising campaign, or web content – the best way to save time and money is to ensure that your communications professionals prepare a creative strategy before they begin working on copy and design concepts for you.
A creative strategy is a short document – often only two or three pages in length. It outlines the purpose of the communications tool you are producing; the marketing and informational objectives it is intended to meet; the influencing strategies it will employ; and, the key messages it will deliver. The creative strategy also describes the tone to be used for communicating; the reactions and perceptions that should be created among targeted recipients; the basic physical attributes the tool should have (size, shape, color schemes, tactile qualities and imagery); and, the manner in which it will be used. Finally, the creative strategy should include a project budget and production schedule.
Developing such a document in advance of launching the creative process serves two purposes. First, it helps you capture and organize your thinking with regard to the project in a disciplined, strategic fashion. Second, it gives the creative professionals working on your behalf (account and project managers, writers, designers, web programmers, etc.) the parameters they need to design and produce the project in accordance with your needs and expectations.
Ideally, once your project has been completed, your creative strategy should serve as a reflection of it – accurately and completely describing the qualities, characteristics and attributes of the marketing and communications tool you have produced.