GOOD CONTENT IS CREATIVE CONTENT
Everything has been done before. Nothing is original anymore.
Or so people say.
Could it be that the reason has less to do with what we are capable of, and more to do with the fact that conforming to what is familiar is just an easier way out?
Take a look at the movie industry, for example. When was the last time you’ve seen an original idea?
Now, granted the industry has been driven by financial gains for sure. Sequels and superhero movies have become the norm in driving revenue because when you already know what people like, why try anything different?
But the same old, same old becomes boring, fast. So, in this age of putting twists on the same old stories from years ago, how do you make something original?
The answer is simple: Invest real, palpable time and effort into brainstorming and discussion.
When we don’t invest in the idea people, we don’t get new ideas. And while it may not always be profitable to do something new every time you create, peppering in new ideas, concepts, and campaigns is a way to keep flexing your creative muscles and keep your brand fresh.
Plus, new things make bigger waves.
Remember the clever Tide ads that aired during the Superbowl? The very meta commercial parodied every cliche type of advertisement you see on TV, and inserted themselves in it to say, “Isn’t every ad featuring clean clothes just a Tide ad?”
This tongue-in-cheek play on advertising made this ad stand out, while simultaneously calling out the repetitiveness of every other ad on the air. Now, that’s a way to make waves.
And who could forget the “Alexa loses her voice” Amazon ad, which managed to hit every demographic with their slew of celebrity spokespeople?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6-8DQALGt4
By playing with the simple idea of “What if Alexa lost her voice?”, the ad managed to go all kinds of places comedically, while being attention-grabbing and memorable in its strangeness.
This sort of creative thinking turned what could have been an ad about an item (the Amazon Echo) into an ad about a brand (Amazon). It managed to be fun and still feature the kinds of things that Alexa can help you do—from teaching you how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, to setting the mood with music.
So while investing in creativity may feel daunting in the moment, it pays you back in the long run when you’ve got a viral ad on your hands.
It just goes to show that when you curate the right creative energy, and open the floor for everyone to contribute their best ideas, you can come up with some pretty powerful content.