One of the great challenges in the business of creativity is tempering enthusiasm for catchy taglines and bubbly copy. Because the fact of the matter is, not every client needs over-the-top creativity. I had a meeting today that reminded me just that. The message is the foundation, and you need to build a foundation that is suitable for the structure that is eventually going to sit on it.
Most of the work I do is in the healthcare sector. I know the language and I know how to put a face on an industry that too often relies on the newest whiz-bang to try and sell its services. Being creative in the healthcare arena requires a heavy dose of personal testimonials. Healthcare – physicians clinics and hospitals especially – are promoted best when someone who has had a great experience offers testament to that fact. Pretty simple. Pretty straightforward.
But how does one go about marketing to the Human Resources set? I had a long conversation over coffee with a client seeking to do just that. I came in with my creative juices flowing and had prepared for the meeting with a dozen or so catchy taglines to jump-start a promotional campaign. But once we got to talking, it hit me: “Who are you talking to?”
Sure, a catchy tagline may be just what it takes to get an HR executive to take a second before sending a mailer to the roundfile, but that’s not enough.
In order to make a marketing piece effective for a group that is necessarily focused on details, the prose needed to speak to the audience.
At the end of our chat, I was confident we were headed in the right direction – one a little more straightforward than the direction I usually have the latitude to head.
And in a very real way, that’s what creativity is all about: The ability to throw out the status quo and go where the project leads.