In today’s digitally driven world, customers surfing social media apps or websites are bombarded with a new ad every minute. If the advertisement doesn’t hold their attention, it takes them only a second to hop on to something else. Therefore, advertisers have to focus on creativity more than ever- especially in the digital space.

First things first, what is a creative advertisement?

When creative individuals come together to explain a product or brand’s story creatively, the final result will be an ingenious advertisement. 

While creative advertisements are the ones that stick around the most with viewers and consumers, a lot of advertisers are not acquainted with what creativity in an ad entails. They think that adding any imaginary element or an obscure idea to design an ad is enough to make it compelling for the audience. 

However, it’s not what creative advertisements intend to do.

The best creative process in advertising is connecting your audience with unique and influential creatives. The ads don’t have to be over the top to attract the viewer’s attention. After all, subtlety does work the best. Ads can deliver the right punch of creativity with the right messaging and strategy to grab the audience’s eyeballs. 

Steps To Creative Process in Advertising

Creative advertising is a complete process that includes many steps. Each step introduces new challenges that the conceptualizer must tackle to deliver the message powerfully to the audience. Each idea can come with a unique approach to creating advertisements, but the fundamental steps that are common to the methods are given below:

Step 1: Doing the homework 

Before creating an ad or a campaign ad campaign, the advertisers need to do their research to the tee. It includes understanding the brand offerings, their position in the market, consumer insights, competitors, and the market. After completing the research, the advertiser should chart an extensive brand communications plan. 

Step 2: Crisp creative brief 

The next step is to convert the research into a creative brief. At this stage, the advertisers sit with their team and discuss every point mentioned in the brand communication plan. 

The creative brief must define the target audience niche, expectations regarding what the advertisement wants the customer to watch or feel, a crisp message to entice the audience, and one or two objectives. 

Step 3: Setting the expectations straight 

Once the creative brief is final, the advertisers must organize a meeting with their team. In this meeting, they should make the team understand the client’s requirements, advertisement strategies, passion, and vision. 

The tone of the meeting should be informal so that everyone can put forward their suggestions freely. If necessary, the advertisers should facilitate a brainstorming session between their team members and the client. Here in, you can note down their expectations and objectives from their creative advertisements. 

Step 4: Conceptualizing ideas 

Once the creative team knows what to do, it is time to develop innovative and creative ideas. Once they have thought of enough ideas and put them on record through drawings, notes, etc., it is time to hold a meeting again. 

This meeting would be to finalize the ideas for the creative advertisement. The discussion should be informal again to keep the ideas and suggestions flowing. At this stage, the advertisers should encourage the good ideas and discard the bad ones politely. Here is where you start conceptualizing the creative story, headline, bits, and designs of the creatives. 

Savvy advertisers don’t force their ideas on anyone. They use the opinions of the clients and creative team members and give impromptu suggestions that reverberate with everyone. 

Step 5: Creative meetings 

Once everyone on the board understands the best creative process in advertising and knows their next task clearly, the advertisers should now execute. Arrange for touch points post every stage in the process and get an idea about where your team stands.  The advertisers’ job here is to look at everyone’s output and make some critical suggestions if required. The creative process must get serious here, and everyone should focus on delivering their best work. Multiple meetings could take place before creating the final copy of an ad campaign. 

Step 6: Giving written feedback 

Once the creative meetings are over, everyone should relax for some time and think of strategies to bring out the best ad story. The advertisers should also consider feedback or suggestions they could not provide during the meetings. 

The feedback can be shared through memos so that every team member knows about their next target. Usually, advertisers use this step to provide final suggestions to their team members. Everything from the title to the design is given a last go at this stage. 

Step 7: Testing phase 

Advertisers might skip this step for small ads, but they do need to set up testing for colossal ad campaigns. In this phase, they might test a few ideas the team has brainstormed during the meetings. The ads are shown to a smaller audience to check their response to them. The ideas that get the most positive answers are put together for the ad campaign. 

Step 8: Getting approvals 

Once the ads are shortlisted, the advertisers need to take approval from their superiors. They must keep them in the loop throughout the creative process. Smart advertisers know how to make their ideas work and impress clients and bosses. 

Step 9: Production

At this stage, advertisers get to produce the ads. For example, if high-quality product images or pictures of the models are required, advertisers will arrange for a photoshoot. The idea is to stick to the original story and make impromptu improvisations if they fit the context. 

Step 10: Post-production 

Once everything is done, the advertisers get involved in post-production, where final touches are added, and the ads are polished to make them more effective. 

This is pretty much everything advertisers need to know about what is a creative advertisement and curate the best creative process in advertising. Still, looking for more effective strategies? Click here for more ideas on creative ads and campaigns.