Is It Good?
5 Secrets to Producing Creative that Sings
Written by: Sara Winslow, Creative Director
The other evening, I was sitting at the kitchen counter catching up on some work when my daughter walked in. She stopped by and gave me a hug on her way to fire up the Oculus for a game of Gorilla Tag.
"What are you doing?"
I was providing feedback on some creative that had been sent my way for review earlier in the day.
"Taking a look at some creative."
She evaluated what was on the screen and asked me a few other questions. What client was it for? What were we selling? What did we want the readers to do?
I took her through it, briefly explaining the client's goals and strategy and summarizing the call to action. I tried to make it interesting. I showed her how a headline should capture the attention of a reader and the supporting copy should bring it home. She was interested, so we spent a little while dissecting the reason behind everything on the page. We talked about image choice. The way colors work together. Where the logo is placed and why there has to be so much tiny legal copy. We talked about use of space and why it is important not to have too many words. I threw some creative terms at her. Palette. Narrative. Risk-taking. Audience.
She listened to my answers, and then came back at me with one last question:
"Is it good?"
Those three words - that one question- perfectly encapsulate what it is that I do every day. I have tried to explain my job to others not in the industry many times. And I can never quite find the way to do it. But that one question, asked casually by my 11-year-old daughter, pinpoints the simplicity that surrounds complicated judgement calls made by creative directors every single day.
Is it good? Well, really, is it?
There are so many factors that go into evaluating a piece of creative. When I dig into a piece I always start with the basics. Is everything spelled correctly? Is the CTA present and are the correct channels included? Have we done everything that was asked of us in the creative brief and by the account lead?
Then, I look deeper. Is the messaging on brand and does the concept do what it's supposed to do? Does it look like something we've done before? Does it look like something someone else has done before?
Most of the time I know if something is good at first glance. I feel a click in my chest that, if audible, would sound just like the satisfying thunk of sliding a padlock closed. And, like the closing of a padlock, the intuition about creative tells me that everything is in its place and just right.
I've been doing this long enough that I can quickly consider and evaluate whatever piece of creative is in front of me. No matter the format - video, digital, print, social, curated content, or organic advertising - figuring out if something is good boils down to making sure 5 core elements are present.
The 5 Elements of Good Creative
Emotion: Whether it's happy, heartfelt, or humorous, your creative should have an emotional purpose.
Scan-ability: Make sure your message is concise and easy to digest.
Relatability: Your target audience should be able to take away a central element that ties back to their lives.
Clarity: Say it clearly. Get to the point.
Engage-ability: Your creative should grab attention - and hold it!
When evaluating creative, make sure you have something to say that's worth listening to. Take your time (even when there is none) and create your space. Good creative comes from listening carefully and sending the right message. You are putting something out into the world in hopes of catching the attention of an audience already oversaturated with content.
That night when I finished talking with my daughter, I gave her an honest answer:
Was the creative good? Not yet.
But it was going to be. We just needed to make sure the five elements were there. And sometimes that takes time.
But first, you need to make sure to ask the right questions.
