In a world of copy-and-paste trends, endless scrolling, and AI-generated content, creativity stands out – and it’s vital if you want to get your brand noticed.
The dictionary defines ‘creativity’ as ‘the use of imagination or original ideas to create something’. This elusive ‘something’ is the creative output we’re searching for. For brands, it’s found most impactfully through a nuanced creative strategy.
Whether you’re a start-up looking to get ahead or an established brand hoping to draw attention with a new campaign, nailing down your ‘big idea’ is the starting point from which everything else flows.
Brandnation stands by their philosophy of ‘Creativity. Multiplied.’.
“When you have that core idea, you need to think how it’s best delivered across channels including PR, social and digital.
“We believe when there is a bold creative idea, and there’s intelligent amplification behind it, that’s where our clients and brands can get the biggest business impact,” explains Joe Murgatroyd, Partner and Creative Director at Brandnation.
About the author
Natalie Clement | Digital
Marketing Executive
With international experience as a digital marketer, writer, and editor, Natalie has worked across sectors including lifestyle, technology, and tourism.
Why does creativity matter so much, right now?
Agencies and brands have cottoned on to the need for greater creativity, with more and more expanding their creative teams. Research conducted by The Creative Study even found that global brand founders and leaders attribute 60% of a company’s success to creativity, design and marketing.
There’s a number of reasons why the need for creativity is on the rise. First up, dwindling attention spans.
It’s not uncommon to find yourself scrolling through social media, spending mere seconds watching a video or reel, before flicking to the next. Unless of course, there’s a hook or idea that resonates and keeps you glued to the screen.
“It’s incredibly hard now to be able to cut through the noise. Content and marketing is 24/7, it’s always on and it’s incredibly competitive and being able to get that cut though has become harder than ever,” says Joe.
“You have a number of seconds to grab someone’s attention – whether that’s them scrolling through TikTok or Instagram.”
There’s also the ever-increasing number of media platforms. Each channel has its own nuances and often requires a different approach to content creation.
“As an industry, we urgently have to think outside the box with how our content shows up and the type of content we are creating. Creativity is at the heart of that – it involves thinking laterally about how you can deliver a message differently that will stand out on someone’s feed.”
What should brands consider when getting creative?
It’s more than just thinking up an idea. Although of course, this does help.
Creative executions, even the bold ones, should be strategic and take brand variables into account.
”Consider whether it’s true to the brand’s values, their place in the market, who their audience is – is it a territory that the brand should be playing in?” Joe advises.
“Sometimes, creativity can fall short when it feels like it’s been crowbarred in and not a natural place that the brand should be playing in.”
Creativity should be valuable to an audience. Whether that’s creating an emotional reaction or offering a new perspective, some form of output is essential. “Creative shouldn’t be for creative sake – in its most basic form, it’s being able to solve a problem,” adds Joe.
Done well, creativity can help brands go beyond emotional reactions and transgress into emotional investment. To get there, brands must consider the social context within which their idea is delivered.
“Creative has to be timely and it needs to be relevant. Sometimes that can be lost. It’s important to work with the news agenda and make sure you have a different perspective, maybe a sideways look on what the story can be.”
Fostering creativity and embracing big ideas can help to give you an edge over competitors. But big ideas require bold moves. At times it can require you to take risks and enter the unknown, because if you keep doing the same thing, which hasn’t worked out so far, then it’s time for a (strategically planned) change.
The future of creativity alongside artificial intelligence (AI)
Increased anxiety around AI and the potential role it could have in disestablishing jobs is a hot topic these days.
“For people like designers, photographers and video editors, there is a bit of unease about the direction in which the industry is going,” says Joe. After all, AI is evolving at a rapid rate and it’s not uncommon to now see AI-created videos, photos and content.”
From a more positive perspective, Joe adds that increased technology means there are lots of tools which can make creativity a lot easier. “That could be image generation-AI which helps you articulate and illustrate an incredible idea for clients at pitch stage.”
But can AI match human creativity?
“I think creativity as a whole is slightly more bulletproof than other disciplines. There is still a long way for AI to do that conceptual, out-of-the-box thinking that only a human brain can capture at the moment,” says Joe.
Ultimately, the brands that win among their competition are those that think outside the box, create shareable moments and emotionally connect with their audience.
PR, creative communications, influencer marketing and digital marketing all lean on creativity to thrive so having these areas covered within your company can make a huge difference.
Interested to find out how we drive results for your business through a creative approach? Get in touch.
