“They called it fluff!”
Creating or marketing brands means promoting and demoting ideas everyday. When you’re delivering creative work to a client, they need to see nothing less than concepts you and your team firmly believe in. But sometimes, something happens between that first client meeting and the presentation of your winning design work or copywriting. Something that runs the risk of throwing your work off strategy, if you aren’t mindful enough to call it out. That thing is preciousness.
If You Love That Idea So Much, Marry It Already
You have to believe in what you present. Period. Why would a client want to see concepts that have anything but your fullest support? But sometimes, creative workers can become spellbound by an idea. When that happens, it becomes hard to see the forest through the trees. Other ideas that might seem less sexy can actually be more in line with the audience’s need. That’s why it’s critical to know when you might be seduced by an idea that’s more spectacular or clever than strategic and impactful.
How to Avoid Preciousness in Creative Work
- Ensure that your creative work is guided by a solid brand strategy.
- Always ask yourself what the real desire is for your audience. Does your creative work truly function to drive home a solution to their need?
- Ask yourself: Does your creative work really communicate your client’s passion to deliver?
- Ask yourself: Have you overlooked the potential of any ideas? Sometimes a seemingly weak idea is really just underdeveloped.
- Ask yourself: Are you being hard enough on your favourite ideas?
Strategic Creative Work Wins
As branding providers, the fun of our work lies in combining creative elements in the most effective way that meets the client’s business objective. Ultimately, the best creative work helps the target audience choose your client’s brand over the competition – and that’s something to hold near and dear.
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