Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: advertising creative Digital FX Louisiana Workforce Commission television commericals wright feigley communications
Last week, the team that worked on WF’s “Solutions” campaign for the Louisiana Workforce Commission spoke at the Baton Rouge Ad Fed luncheon. They wanted us to give a “behind the scenes” look at the campaign that won Best Of Show Mixed Media in last year’s Addy show.
Listening to Greg Milneck of Digital FX talk in detail about how the TV spots were produced reminded me of an important – and often overlooked – part of the creative process.
The execution.
Much of the creative process revolves around coming up with the idea. Creatives will spend hours and hours trying to turn a blank sheet of paper into an attention-getting ad that will generate big results. It’s a process that takes quite a bit of effort and determination. And once the ideas are written, designed, boarded up, presented and approved, there is tremendous sense of accomplishment felt by everyone involved.
But as satisfying as it is to have something you’ve created approved and maybe even praised, you’re not done. In fact, you’ve kinda just started. Think marathon, not sprint. It’s the effort that’s put into the idea after it has been approved that often makes it truly memorable.
Who you select to help you realize the potential of an idea is critical. For print work, choosing a photographer and selecting models can be critical to the overall success of the execution. For television, casting talent, choosing a musician to create the soundtrack and selecting a production company are key decisions that can make or break the idea.
It’s also important for the creative team to look back at what they’ve done and determine if it’s the best it can be. That’s easier said than done. After weeks of “living” with an idea and having it approved, it’s easy to get lulled into the sense that it’s fine as it is. The truth of the matter is, this is when creatives need to refocus and make that last push to greatness. There have been many times when me and the art director I worked with revised headlines, changed layouts or brainstormed better visual solutions on ideas that have already been approved by our client. And, in most cases, we got better results for the effort.
At every step throughout the creative process, it’s important for everyone on the team ask, “Is it the best it can be?” and “What can I do to make it better?” When they do, that’s when your creative has the chance to go from good to great.
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