Dial Up Creative
ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE — Not long ago I was a panelist in a discussion about the economy, and how it’s affecting online advertising. We’ve all seen, for some time now, a shift in spending away from traditional media, and toward the web. But the group that was gathered at this particular luncheon was also seeing numbers decline online, and they were concerned. Not surprising. I think anyone in any business is, at the very least, concerned. With the new year, we’re all wondering what, exactly, to be concerned about next.
Now, I realize I’m a creative guy, and my analysis of economic trends is, at best, simplified. But from my perspective, what I see in this, or any other, rough economy is opportunity. Creative opportunity. Because creativity — content — is the only thing that differentiates your ad, or your site, from everything else out there. And given that budgets don’t look like they’re going to allow us to spend our way out of this thing, creative isn’t just your best shot — it may be your only shot to increase impact and boost engagement.
Even in good times, in traditional media as well as online, a great idea, and great execution, can give the skinniest budget big legs. Nothing engages better than engaging, compelling content. And nowhere is there more opportunity to deliver great creative on a not-so-great budget than online.
For the most part, digital creatives aren’t pre-programmed to think in terms of throwing money at an idea in an attempt to make it better. When I was directing traditional spots, I saw that attempted on every other job, it seems. But all the money in the world won’t turn a bad idea into a good one. Expensive doesn’t equal good. Good equals good.
Since most digital creatives have grown up with tighter budgets, anyway, they’re accustomed to thinking hard about how to do more with less. Add to that the growing ranks of traditional creatives who are inspired by an online environment that’s free from almost all of the formulaic restrictions on time, format, shape, size, and uni-directional voice that are intrinsic to old media, and you have at your disposal a cache of talent that’s hungry to make your message stand apart. Now is the time to let them do what they do best. Great ideas are the cheapest possible way to boost a meager budget. And at any price, they’re the most effective.
In the 80s, Fallon burst out of the recession by taking risks. Not financial risks. Creative ones. Their unorthodox creative approach to simple little print ads, in the middle of a recession when everyone was playing it safe (financially and creatively,) put their clients, their work, and their agency on the map. In the current recession, creativity will again be the differentiator that smart agencies and advertisers use to rise above. The opportunity won’t be printed — it’ll be in pixels. In an unlimited range of shapes, sizes, durations and forms. Because that’s the shape of the web, and the shape of the possibilities, no matter what shape the economy is in.
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