Creative Executions vs Business Objectives: Where Do They Meet?

This past February, I was invited to mentor at the One Club’s Creative Boot Camp in Los Angeles. I was excited to hear ideas from young, eager creatives, born from a generation known to be multitalented self-starters and doers. 
 
I had a short period of time to review the creative briefs, so I could give concise and meaningful feedback while also encouraging students to ask the right questions. I met with four groups of students, each for 30 minutes. It was clear that the students who intuitively asked strategic questions up front, unafraid to challenge one another, put forward the most interesting and industry-applicable ideas.

In the old paradigm, the marketing world was full of either left-brain thinkers (analytical and objective) or right-brain thinkers (creative and intuitive). Account people and planners are traditionally tasked with most of the left-brain strategic thinking. However, with the dominance of small agencies (fewer than 50 staff) on the rise, there is an expectation for creatives to wear many hats, and to balance analytical perspective with innovative ingenuity.  In my experience, the most interesting and effective art directors and writers have always been those who were not only interested in pretty visuals and clever headlines, but also had an interest in the clients’ strategic business objectives as well.
 
It was refreshing to see that the assignment given was one that creatives may actually face in a real-world scenario, not one where you could just bring back lofty, irresponsible creative ideas that would never fly. This boot camp gave the students a unique opportunity to solve a targeted and complex client challenge with distinct barriers and limitations, requiring them to truly understand the target demographic.
 
It was an invigorating experience to hear the student’s raw thinking, unadulterated by corporate politics—the absence of preconceived limitations or best practices in advertising often sparks some of the most brilliant ideas. The One Club’s Creative Boot Camp was a perfect example. As the next generation of creatives will soon know all too well, work that is presented in a pitch may not be what ends up in the real world. The challenge is to convince the client that you understand their business first; then you can bring real creative solutions.
 
Valerie Moizel is Co-Founder/ Executive Creative Director at The Woo