A praise for originality (in marketing)

A brand works if it’s relevant and memorable

I was triggered recently to think about the quality and originality of this piling mountain of marketing content that I’m facing everyday. Those long kilometers that I laboriously scroll through in my social media feeds. Those ads that follow me in digital. Magazine covers. The outdoor billboards. Blogs. Motion advertising of all sorts. I noticed that – apart from the well-researched display ads blindness – a lot of this content is just of really poor quality. Repetitive, generic, written poorly and so illustrated.

Coming from an artistic background, I grew up in a constant quest of searching for originality. There’s been this ethos of a struggling artist present in the air; always seeking inspiration, breakthrough moments, a muse. Trying to crack that next creative idea. Honing the craft. Finding one’s signature style. Working in a flow mode. All soaked in that bohemian, buzzing cafe culture. Yes, and the artsy nonconformism was in the air too; and this air was sticky. Maybe it was the turpentine fumes… I don’t know.

Looking back, what didn’t appeal to me was that it was very much a closed circle. A vicious one. Spiraling down, in my mind – or standing still, at best. With notions of the never-ending creative struggle, and no way out of it. It’s a trap. Pretty much the same as the flood of poor marketing content that hits my eyeballs daily.

The generic becomes irrelevant the very moment one of key competitors demonstrates a more powerful, genuine brand identity that people can relate with.

What if the artists, the ultimate creators, would learn how to apply their unique skills commercially? What if the people responsible for the advertising noise around us strived for more creative quality and originality?

The case for business creativity, take 1

Is that an utopian vision? Imagine the untapped potential of creators who possess the technical and conceptual skills, and all they lack is just the drive to succeed in business. Or the ones that lack connections or decent understanding of commercial opportunities, while being top creative minds in their fields. Hidden in their studios, conquering the world from spare bedrooms and couches.

Connect this with the over-stretched business creatives and marketers, taking the easiest routes due to business pressures, hoping for turn-around outcomes and ROI. Okay, the Return on Investment might be actually a bad example here, especially with so many companies relying on free resources to build their brand image! But you get the point.

What if we could merge the two worlds, developing original content that is genuine? Content that strikes the nerve? Visuals and narratives that tell a unique story creatively, as opposed to copy-paste and boring cliches? Few real-life examples:

1. I bought from (B2C) – or did business with (B2B) – companies that had their distinct brand personality expressed through real imagery and footage. I’m not saying that stock creative libraries are any bad. It’s just an observation – the best companies around happen to invest in their brand voice strategically. Other companies that play this cheaply, often will do so in other areas as well. When it comes to building brand’s affinity, real content of high quality beats everything. If your brand was to use a generic picture of a smiling young person wearing a headset as your support chat agent’s avatar, you’d be better off with just the default graphical icon. Really. That might be even more inclusive.
   
   So I prefer to buy from companies that show their real selves, and I’m not alone. These brands do stand out, making the rest look like… ehm… like nothing really. The generic becomes irrelevant the very moment one of key competitors demonstrates a more powerful, genuine brand identity that people can relate with.

2. About 2 weeks ago I spoke with my former colleague who mentioned that she recently worked on a podcast for one of her clients, and they created original music for it. Instantly reminded me of two other situations – I did a similar thing for my side project, composing and recording a jingle myself for a podcast trailer. A sneak peek here:
   

   
   
   
   I thought it was the right way for me to express what I wanted to achieve – it’s the small nuances that make a difference, like composition and chord progressions in this case. You won’t get such a thing from a royalty free library.
   
   Another one, a bit older, from about 2 years ago is an example from our sales kick-off event at Unit4, with a bespoke theme music written and performed live by professional musicians. Here’s them rehearsing behind the scenes:
   
   
   
   Again, going that extra mile pays off when it comes to original content.

3. I had the pleasure of working with an award-winning Creative Director (hello Ian Styles!) who’s signature project for Moonpig was designed around a bespoke, dynamic typography system, reflecting the brand’s playfulness and values. It’s this level of branding sophistication when you realize that those “details” do matter, as they become an integral part of a brand’s identity. I mean: beyond its visual layer, the actual identity. Original design can be a crucial component of market differentiation. In the same way, iconic product design and user experience contributed to Apple’s success.

A brand works if it’s relevant and memorable

So here comes the real quest we should be pursuing now in the new marketing. There’s a global trend of companies reinventing themselves with a refreshed brand purpose and values. It’s a sizable movement already, re-positioning businesses as contributors for the greater good. We did that at Unit4 as well, but it’s a global trend to prepare companies for the future of work, and for future generations of stakeholders – employees, owners, investors and local communities alike. This, in principle, should generate more value for all.

Along this transformation, organisations understand that it’s their real actions that matter for stakeholders in the long run. Real people, taking real actions and telling real stories about this. Brands are made by people, for people. I’m not aware of a successful brand that doesn’t have people behind it. Not yet.

The case for business creativity, take 2

What has changed in how businesses value originality, then? Nothing. Every founder or a business owner is a business artist. It’s the same mantra – call it a blue ocean, unique selling proposition, value proposition or differentiation. Call it a zig when everyone zags. What is changing is the circumstances, the context, presenting new opportunities ahead. Just think about this: imagine a real business, taking real actions, that communicates to the market using cliches and stale messaging. It simply undermines its own credibility. Grossly. What makes a brand credible is this layer of a strong foundation in trueness and integrity.

Here’s the best part – given the current pace of innovation, it’s never been so easy to generate original content to communicate the most authentic brand message. This is valid today, and will be even more valid in a few months from now, as more innovation unfolds. Today, everyone can create a website, a vlog, a broadcast, a photoshoot or a commercial. You can film and edit an entire movie with a phone. Technology has democratised content creation to an unprecedented degree. The level previously reserved for ATL, high budget productions now hits social media creators. Yet still, we – the marketers of this world – keep using some generic stock content and templated messaging to tell our otherwise genuine stories. How is that even supposed to work?

The takeaway is simple. Next time you are to launch some marketing – a campaign, a blog, a newsletter – make it real. Grab your phone and take a snap to illustrate your article. Make a vlog. Show the real person you talk about. Draw a diagram scribble on a napkin, take a picture and use just that. Generate value, instead of diluting it with overused boring stock imagery. Go bespoke to grab attention.

And if you really feel like you lack the skills or talent to do that well – to my previous point, it’s never been so easy to learn new things, either. YouTube alone can give you a head start that professionals 20 years ago could never have dreamed about. Or you have millions of talented artists just one click away, who can lend your project that extra glimpse of authentic depth.

Good luck!

/K.