What Is CREATIVE STRATEGY?

Summary

A creative strategy outlines the organizing plan for a creative advertising idea. It clarifies the idea platform, orchestrates integrated campaign elements so they make sense together, and briefs tactics adhering to the main idea. Reasons to create one include: connecting cross-channel executions, ensuring channel relevance, linking complex campaigns, and guiding other creatives. It differs from brand strategy in focusing on execution of current creative ideas vs long-term brand identity. A sample campaign shows reinvigorating the 'It's Miller Time' tagline. Common mistakes are just creating social media ideas or lacking an articulated creative idea platform.

Takeaways

• 😀 A creative strategy organizes a creative idea into a plan of action with 3 outputs: platform, orchestration and tactics
• 👉 Platform clarifies the essence of the creative idea that's being executed
• 🌟 Orchestration ensures all campaign executions make sense together across channels
• 📝 Tactics adhere executions to the main idea and fit the communication channels
• 🔑 Creative strategy ensures integrated campaigns have cohesion across executions and media
• 🗺️ Brand strategy sets high-level long term direction; creative strategy actualizes it into executions
• 🎯 Creative strategists articulate abstract creative ideas and orchestrate executions
• 🚀 Creative strategy amplifies and improves a creative idea into an integrated campaign
• ❌ Don't need full creative strategy for straightforward briefs like banner ads
• ❗️Creative strategy requires a clear creative idea platform to build executions from

Q & A

What are the three outputs a creative strategist is involved in?

The three outputs a creative strategist is involved in are: platform, orchestration, and tactics. First they clarify the idea platform, then orchestrate the different executions of a campaign to make sense together, and finally brief in all the tactics.

Why is having a creative strategy important?

A creative strategy is important to have integrated coherence across different mediums and moments, make executions suitable for different channels, and connect the user experience through complex campaigns.

What is the difference between creative strategy and brand strategy?

Brand strategy happens at a higher level and remains constant over time, providing the framework that creative strategies operate within. Creative strategy is based on executional elements of the brand strategy.

What skills does a creative strategist need?

A creative strategist needs to understand creative ideas and articulate abstract concepts, have knowledge of different channels especially social media, and be good at orchestrating all the pieces of a campaign together.

Can you provide an example idea platform, ecosystem, and tactical brief?

For the Miller Lights "It's Miller Time" campaign, the idea platform is that Miller Time is about doing what you want versus expectations. The ecosystem is creating a beer koozie sneaker for Father's Day. The tactical brief is to target young adults forced to do unwanted things, positioning the koozie sneaker as a gift for dads on Amazon banners.

When might you not need a creative strategy?

You may not need a full creative strategy for straightforward requests like creating some banners. Creative strategy is most useful when there are a number of integrated executions working together.

What are some common mistakes with creative strategies?

Some common mistakes are just coming up with creative ideas for channels without a full strategy, or trying to create a creative strategy without first establishing a clear idea platform.

Why has the creative strategist role emerged recently?

The creative strategist role has emerged due to the proliferation of technology creating new communication channels. Many creative strategists started in social media and are channel experts who are now taking on more strategic responsibilities.

How does a creative strategy ensure channel suitability?

The creative strategist works with media agencies and considers what executions will work for different channels. This prevents tactics like slapping a TV ad onto Facebook without adaptation.

How does creative strategy connect the user experience?

The creative strategist oversees the user journey across different touchpoints to ensure coherence. For example, if directing people to a website, ensuring it is consistent with previous interactions.