If a good marketing campaign can put a brand on the map…a great one can take it around the globe. In this blog, we’re going to talk about how to build truly great marketing campaigns that set brands apart from the competition, leave real impressions on consumers, and lead to true success in the long term.
Now, a lot has been written about this topic — a simple Google search will yield countless step-by-step guides that focus on the nuts and bolts of building a successful marketing campaign. And although things like defining goals, setting budgets, and determining effective channels are all necessary, we want to go above and beyond the tried-and-true methodology. Because if you want to achieve real greatness, you’ll have to dig a whole lot deeper.
So grab your shovels, and let’s take a look at how we build marketing campaigns that matter.
Start with a Little Soul-Searching
Before we start any campaign, we need to do a little soul-searching. No, that doesn’t mean we climb mountain tops in the Himalayas and align our chakras (though that couldn’t hurt). We’re talking about finding the ‘soul’ of the brand. This goes beyond the brand’s benefits, style and voice. To find a brand’s soul, you need to look at its mission and vision, to extract the promise of what it can truly bring to its audience. Take as much time as you need for this step — because it will be the foundation of all your marketing efforts.
Find Value in Unexpected Places
Your campaign needs to do more than sell a product or service — it needs to deliver on a promise. This is a promise of hope, of inspiration, of fulfillment. You need to reach your audience on a personal level, a psychological level, to find a real need that you can answer. Once you single out what this need is, it’s time to start developing some assets.
Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm
Want to make it rain? You’re going to need a whole lot of lightning. And that’s where brainstorming comes in. It’s important to cultivate a creative space where everyone feels safe, because there’s no wrong answers when it comes to the search for inspiration. And while you’re in an intense creative session, make sure to take notice of everyone’s individual reactions to a certain idea. In any creative agency, there’s always a tendency for groupthink to rear its ugly head. But if you notice a genuine reaction amongst your team, you know you’ve got something to work with.
Look at What the Competition Is (and Isn’t) Doing
As you’re developing your campaigns, it’s a good idea to take a look at what the major competitors are up to. Not so much to look for ideas, but for what NOT to do. If you try and recreate the success of a competitor’s campaign, the best you can do is slightly worse than what they have achieved. Instead, take notice of what they haven’t tried, and strike there.
Well there you go, globetrotters — some inside-ameba ideas to get you started on building your next great marketing campaign. Now get to work!
