Less Is More!

Tips For Developing Effective Creative
In a time when advertising vies for our attention across many different mediums and competes for position in the crowded marketplace, the need for clear, concise marketing is crucial. Content is king and a simple, ‘less is more’ approach reigns. In this era of strategic branding nuances, carefully targeted promotions, and meticulously crafted product and corporate images—no piece of your marketing can go overlooked.

Marketing materials that achieve the most success follow the ‘less is more’ mandate with a few simple rules that include: focusing the objective to one marketing message, limiting the clutter in design layout with strategic use of white space, and appointing key decision makers to provide input in the creative process. Read on to learn how you can put these tips to use so your creative generates the best results, delivers the most impact, and gives you the most bang for your buck.

Focus on one message.
When it comes to developing great creative, decide on one objective for your marketing piece before you start. Studies show that one, sound message is comprehended easier and stays front-of-mind longer. Even if advertising budgets are tighter, resist the temptation to put anything and everything into one marketing promotion. Decide in advance on the one, most important thing that you want your target audience to do or remember. Then plan, write, design, and develop the piece for the sole purpose of achieving that goal. Reinforce it in the headline, illustrate it in the graphics, and back it up with persuasive facts in the body copy. If there is even one idea about anything other than the key message, take it out! You’ll be happy you did when you measure response rates.

Clear out the clutter!
In effective creative, the strategic use of white space holds true to the ‘less is more’ rule. “White space” refers to the areas within the design layout that are void of graphic or text elements. White space may appear between, around, above, or below the graphics and/or blocks of text. When done well, white space will invite the reader, direct focus, and help emphasize the message. Graphic artists know the power of white space and know how to use it to grab and hold attention. Alas, white space is often misunderstood and mistaken simply for ‘empty space’ that must be filled. Sometimes clients in an attempt to be more cost effective, add extra information and cross promote additional products until their piece is cluttered. This is always counter productive to your main goal and just makes the piece hard to comprehend, less professional, less memorable, and less likely to compel the reader to act.

Too many cooks spoil the soup.
Everyone wants materials that are compelling, unified, and targeted, and consistent—but too many critics may end up providing opinions that alter the creative voice that’s been strategically crafted in design and copy. To protect yourself from the many pitfalls of “designing by committee,” make a point of selecting and announcing your team of decision makers before the project starts. Knowing who will have input early on helps get everyone on board with the main objective and will always save you time, money, and heartache. It’s also most beneficial to appoint one contact person to work with your agency project manager in order to avoid confusion or miscommunication. The designated contact is responsible for organizing and providing all edits and approvals to the agency.

Often, as in corporate branding and/or identity development campaigns, staff input and more importantly their “buy-in” to the plan can be vital to a successful launch. Your agency can be used as an objective resource to help you involve your staff at the right time by facilitating sessions to solicit their valuable feedback.

Ask an expert.
When in doubt, always talk to your agency—chances are they can tell you from experience what does and doesn’t work and what other possibilities are available that you may not otherwise be aware of. The best solutions are found when the client and agency work together so that combined insight and experience can be crafted into pure gold. Agencies that produce great creative have become experts at blending strategic and creative skills under their full-service umbrellas in order to produce marketing with stopping power. Creative experts—designers, production artists, photographers, illustrators, and copywriters today work hand-in-hand with the marketing and account service specialists in order to produce great creative that is unified in its purpose. That’s why industries across the board have come to rely on marketing and advertising agencies to meet the new challenges and find the most effective solutions.

Bouchard Marketing applies it’s own brand of comprehensive service—we call it Intelligent Creative™. Rooted in research, directed by carefully defined strategy, honed to the correct audience, and alive with imagination and art—Intelligent Creative™ makes the most sense because it always delivers the best results.