It's something every business needs to survive: advertising. Unfortunately for most businesses – especially small ones – the advertising part of the business plan suffers due to lack of funds. Even large businesses with big ad budgets suffer too, mainly from spending too much money on ineffectual ad campaigns that don't distinguish them from their competitors. The solution isn't more money or more advertising, it's getting creative in getting your message out!
Let's begin with some tips to make the creative process a bit more effective. First understand that great ad ideas don't just flow out when you hit the "creative" button; they trickle. You could have one great idea spring forth, but it won't work with your message, or a flash of inspiration could hit when you see a man hail a cab.
The second thing about great ad ideas is that the idea you run with is not the same at the end as it was in the beginning. It transforms in a process that includes many tiny decisions, changes, and adjustments. But this is a necessary thing; an almost-perfect ad can be worse than a mediocre ad in front of the masses.
Remember your discarded ideas that didn't fit this campaign? Get them out of the trash can and save them. In fact, record all of the ads or ideas that move you as you go about your life. You never know when you'll need to find inspiration for a new campaign. Old and other's ideas may contain the spark that sets your creative juices flowing.
Finally, when you have your ad, print up a copy and look at it "as is." Then compare it to a mock-up of where it will end up. For example, if it is to be in a newspaper, cut out your ad and paste it in a likely spot in a random paper. For a billboard, paste your ad on a piece of plexiglass, go to the side of a road, and hold up the plexiglass till it just covers the billboard. When you see your ad in its future element, you can see if it really works… or might need some adjustments.
Don't forget to think outside the box. The world is saturated by advertising and we have become jaded a bit, especially by the most common mediums of advertising. Presenting a simple message in an unexpected place will most likely be more effective than any expansive, expensive billboard. For example, take a look at body advertising, or a new form of street ads.
As pointed out before, a good creative campaign is a process with many changes, all stemming from that first inspirational spark. To get you started, here are some very clever pictures of creative advertising from around the world.
