In the rush to get creative messages out and sell products, marketers often neglect brand strategy. Without a clear strategy and a strong positioning statement to use as the touchstone for creative, you often get empty messaging and wasted opportunity.
Marketing messages that aren’t consistently informed by a company’s brand promise, and don’t intentionally reinforce the positioning of the brand are in trouble from the start. Catchy slogans, cool photos or snappy headlines are just window dressing while the real opportunity to authentically connect with a target audience, build brand preference and drive action are missed.
What can you do? Referencing the client and creative brief are the best practice, but in the rush of messaging and collaboration there are several ‘gut check’ questions that can help you stay on track. Here are four quick ‘gut check’ questions I frequently use as a reminder.
- Will the creative reflect who the client truly is and tell their story?
- Does the message and offer align with the brand and positioning statement?
- Is the message believable and will the target audience accept or agree with it?
- Will this message have positive influence on brand preference and loyalty?
Adding this quick brand gut check at the start of creative development will help insure that your messages are not just attention getting, but also have a positive impact on building your brand.
