When I first started in marketing, my observation was that often, a breath-taking ad was the hallmark of a successful brand launch. But in my experience, nowadays, that’s changed—that ad, that hook, that viral clip—they’re just moments.
Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Talk to a social media creator, and chances are, they can generate a good idea for a brand. As a result, I believe that recreating the “great ad” model is a high-cost gamble, especially in an age where many people say they’re dealing with information overload. Moreover, I’ve observed that the old metrics we marketers celebrated often don’t deliver predictable results, and more and more clients are looking beyond fleeting numbers and demanding something more durable: sustainable results.
The way I see it, the old model overvalued the spark when the real worth was in the strategy.
A viral moment doesn’t fix a broken purchase path; an optimized funnel does. A clever ad campaign doesn’t solve a talent acquisition crisis; a long-term recruitment strategy paired with a good campaign does. For us marketers, the goal should be to create an overarching plan of attack, not just a billboard that advertises hype that may or may not be able to be backed up. Marketing initiatives can successfully deliver business outcomes when there’s a strong strategic foundation behind them.
Collaborate, Create, Connect
So, what does this all mean for marketers?
In my experience, the old creative model of the “big idea” is eroding—it was a process filled with risks, because so much of its success arguably depended on a hunt for a single viral moment. In marketing, it’s paramount to rely on the intersection of good ideas and good data and to align what we do with the goals of the business we’re serving.
I see the most successful marketing campaigns of the modern age as following a three-phase framework. The first phase is to collaborate: to align business goals with audience news and authentic brand DNA. This flows into the create phase, which is the building of the permanent solution or operational asset. Finally, there’s the connect phase, which is the launch of that solution to build a loyal, measurable community.
If you’re a creative in this day and age, my advice to you is: Don’t just rely on your instincts, aesthetics or a single “big idea” to carry a campaign. Modern creatives should shift from being purely creative playmakers to being strategic problem-solvers. That means designing with data, grounding concepts in business objectives and building assets that can be measured, iterated and scaled. Whether you’re a graphic designer or a content strategist, you should understand concepts such as the definition of a customer funnel and UX best practices.
Instead of chasing ideas and rolling the dice, build a system where your designers can thrive. The pipeline from business alignment to decision-making to launching is, I’ve found, straightforward but effective. Turn creativity into a disciplined, repeatable system, aligning the client’s mission with the creative strategy of the agency. Ensure that every campaign outcome is traceable to business intent and customer insight rather than fleeting virality.
Additionally, think in systems, not one-offs. Think of solutions that can evolve with the brand you’re working with instead of peaking in a moment of virality. You should collaborate earlier, validate assumptions with real audience insight and treat every design as part of a repeatable framework.
As a modern creative, you shouldn’t just be an artist. You should be an architect of outcomes.
Strategic Design Ethos
Now, this is where we come to the new role of the modern creative. It goes beyond a new process or a different way to track success. This is a “strategy design and execute ethos” that redefines the creative director from a peripheral artist who is there to “make things look attractive” to an essential partner who is at the table every step of the way.
In my view, the creatives who thrive in this new landscape will be the ones who transcend their “art” to their clients’ success. They’ll have the courage to ask the hard questions before they start creating, and they’ll have the business acumen to understand the answers.
We must be as fluent in business as we are in aesthetics. To be anything less is, in my view, to misunderstand the job entirely. We are not just artists; we are strategic creative partners.
Feature image credit: Getty
By Monica Alvarez-Mitchell
Founder and CEO, Pulse Creative. Read Monica Alvarez-Mitchell’s full executive profile here. Find Monica Alvarez-Mitchell on LinkedIn. Visit Monica’s website.
