Now I’ve got a reaction out of you, I’ll begin.
There is an inherent imbalance in the way creative is treated.
Creatives share ideas for approval with people far more rational than they are. And that’s probably a good thing. Cost benefit analysis. Feasibility studies. ROI studies. It’s all for good reason. It makes absolute sense.
But, strangely enough, it doesn’t happen, or seem to work the other way round.
People that have an existing economic, engineering framework feel that logic is the completely rational answer. It’s binary. It’s either wrong or right. And mostly the latter.
It’s the mechanistic versus the psychological.
There’s pretty much a 100% chance of them never saying ‘these numbers all make absolute sense. But before I present this, I’ll speak to some creative people to see if they can come up with something better than absolute sense’.
Which is exactly… why they should.
Because in the creative world there is no wrong. There’s often bad, and ugly for that matter, I’ll grant you that, but there is no wrong.
Imagine in a mathematical problem-solving situation, somebody asks ‘what about if we introduce the added variable of a melon? Or a giraffe?’
They’d be absolutely baffled. It’s irrational. Absolute madness.
But if it was a session to solve a wider problem, perhaps reframing that problem can provide the best route to the solution.
So let’s look at measurability again, but this time from a creative point of view. Don’t let the spreadsheets dictate. Take a step back and think about the results before the results. Measurability should be emotionally driven. Statistics give us insight which allow us to interpret them into human traits. As it’s those that drive human behaviour, or purchasing decisions.
In a nutshell, it's about thinking more for our clients so their customers think more of them.
Using our brains properly. Genuinely looking at what clients need to get them ahead of the competition.
Stepping back. Not being a ‘marketer’ a ‘copywriter’ or a ‘strategist’ but being a human. Thinking about what humans would want from them. What would genuinely make them want (or want more of) what they have to offer.
The funny thing is, the answers are there. You just need the so-called ‘irrational’ people that can see them when others can’t. Often that takes a generous helping of emotional intelligence, especially when there is an abundance of ‘brains’ in the room.
Make no assumptions.
What should someone feel from opening, reading or watching something you have produced? They should definitely feel something.
Excitement? Intrigue? Guilt? They might feel happiness. Better still, they might laugh out loud.
You don’t get that from spreadsheets or figures. It’s the interpretation of data that can lead to amazing insights, which lead to emotionally driven reactions.
Ask yourself what influenced the choice of car you drive. If it’s a Volvo, no doubt because it’s perceived as safe. If it’s a VW, because it’s reliable. A luxury car? That’s multi-faceted - it makes you feel special or immensely comfortable in every sense, and hey, if people are impressed to see you driving it, then even better, eh?
Psychologically speaking, whether you admit it or not, you’re more likely to think with your heart than your head. So, effectiveness is about making people’s hearts react.
Is this just obvious? Uncommon sense? Hard work?
I think it should be.
So if you want good work, speak to the people that know how to get you in the feels. Creative psychos.
*Please note that I made this up. It’s based on absolutely no scientific information, whatsoever. I just felt it, and was written with the sole purpose of encouraging you to read on. And since you’re reading this…well…
