Purpose must drive creative and execution
A promotional announcement, or worse, an entire campaign can quickly go off the rails, if you
aren’t clear about your purpose, or
devote your attention to creative aesthetics, and lose sight of your purpose.
Purpose must always drive creative direction and execution.
And, get to the point quickly, or your viewer/reader will abandon you.
A couple of recent examples of “misses”:
Nuts.com
I buy regularly from Nuts.com. Consistently great product, outstanding customer service, and lighthearted, customer-centric messaging. I recommend them without reservation.
Strong SEO, nicely organized Web site, and friendly check-out. Active social media presence, with more than 50,000 Facebook likes, and more than 5,000 Twitter followers. Regular posts everywhere. Great job!
However, just before Thanksgiving, this 8-page holiday this flyer arrived in my mail postal mailbox. Sorry to say: it misses on several levels.
Buried headline
Color palette not holiday-related
No urgency
No offer
No call to action
Buried picing
Tiny, undramatic product shots
Features and sub-features not clearly delineated
Center spread story doesn't engage quickly enough
Flyer was tabbed, but tabs not perfed, so it’s nearly impossible to open without tearing the piece as it's opened.
They committed the marketing budget, time, and effort to creative design, production, and postage. The finished piece doesn't pull the eye through the message, and they haven't enticed the reader to do anything. I wonder how the post mortem on this piece will go.
FontFont.com
Another great online resource, also known as FontShop.com. I've ordered fonts from them for years. Huge selection, very well design user interface. They regularly email new font announcements. Layouts and purpose are usually clear and compelling.
But what happened here? The top portion of their email (shown) is graphically catchy, but diluted and unclear. The Subject Line is “Meet the new FontFonts and watch the quick brown blockbuster.” Cute, perhaps, but compelling? Purpose must drive creative and execution.
What”s the video? Click to the landing page. There resides a very creative, cleverly produced, high-production-value video, but with no obvious message! The message is in the accompanying text, but how does the video stand on its own drive the point home? Dare I say it again? Purpose must drive creative and execution.
Your Thoughts?
What did I miss, here? Let me know of other examples of “misses.”