I do not expect the extensive research process I have described to always be called for or budgeted. But, it is important to be educated about your client before producing creative work on behalf of your client -- trust me, your work will be much better for it.

Most creative work is an attempt to offer solutions to problems. So, it is only logical to determine what the problems are. It has been said that there aren’t really any problems -- only solutions. But, in order to find solutions you need to find opportunities… and in order to find opportunities, you need to define the problems [it’s a vicious cycle].

If problems are the “clouds,” opportunities are the “silver linings” (sorry if I’m beating a dead horse). So, the next leg of our journey will be -- you guessed it -- the “Problem/Opportunity Analysis.” (Yeah... I learned that in business school.)

After doing the research and writing the situation analysis you should be able to make a list of six to eight viable problems that you are facing. This is not as easy as it may seem. I have often asked others (including clients) to give me a list of what they consider to be the marketing problems they are facing. I usually get a mish-mash of convoluted ideas -- you see, the ability to think in a structured, precise and "strategically correct" manner requires experience, discipline and solid facts. [This could answer the time-honored question of why they make you study algebra, calculus and statistics in college.] At any rate, it can be useful to know what your client thinks the problems are -- sometimes they even get it right. ;-)

Nevertheless, the problem identification component of the strategic plan is crucial. Every strategic decision you make from this point forward is going to hinge on defining the problems clearly and accurately (still beating that dead horse to a pulp.)

The next task is to turn the problems into a workable list of opportunities. The opportunities will be the beginning of the creative journey -- the building blocks of your creative platform. Opportunities make up the “launching pad” for all subsequent creative decisions -- including defining your target market, your mission, objectives, positioning statement, unique selling proposition, and all the other strategic and tactical factors to consider in writing the “creative brief” – the roadmap for a successful creative journey.

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As I mentioned, the boardroom is not the place for opinions without solid support. I remember a meeting with an Atlanta based Fortune 500 company that was planning on opening several retail stores in the Atlanta metro area. After the presentation of my “big idea,” one of the board members said he had only two concerns -- “we better do this before the competition finds out about it” and “how are we going to pay for it.” I explained that aside from the widely-known provider of the life-sized celebrity puppets to be used in the television commercial, and a wildly-popular local radio personality whose voice and likeness [a custom-made puppet -- he had a “face for radio” -- not everyone can have my rugged, good looks, eh?] would be featured in the work, only the vendor co-op manager and media sales rep at a local TV station and those present at the meeting were aware of it. I then handed out my budget with details on how product vendors would match (co-op) client funding.

I had also explained how the demographics and socio-economics of the talent (including the puppets) was selected to appeal to the company’s highly defined target audience… how the creative theme was carefully constructed to sell through specific product and consumer benefits... how the mission and positioning of the client were incorporated into the copy-points… and how we had created a unique “brand personality." The work incorporated our corporate identity design and “page style” to ensure consistent branding. The challenge was to accomplish this in a highly-creative, 30-second "donut" TV spot.

The media strategy was to use television and radio spots, “scotch-truck” newspaper ads, and a periodic direct mail circular (mini-catalog). We had arranged for prize drawings (including a scale model mini-racecar), numerous giveaways, and local radio station remote broadcasts, complete with live music and celebrities. Everything was carefully planned for relevance to the target market, the company and its products.
When I drove out to the first grand-opening I couldn’t find a parking space -- cars lined the streets for several blocks and the new store was packed with excited and more important, paying customers. We had achieved success within a comparatively tight budget (our competitive spending research indicated that the competition spent dramatically more for grand openings) through careful strategic planning (and I was recognized for being way more than just another pretty face).

In business school, I was told about a research study on entrepreneurs. The study found that the vast majority of them put more planning into their holiday vacations than they did in starting their new businesses. It is no wonder that, according to the Small Business Administration, two-thirds of the approx. 700,000 new businesses started in the U.S. fail within five years.

In starting a new business, a new advertising campaign, or a new video production (or a vacation -- I sure could use one!); planning is crucial. Proper planning starts with proper research. I'll talk more about this in my next blog.

Journey from Concept to Creation : positioning statement

The "Silver Lining."

The boardroom.