How to Develop a Creative Concept From Scratch Share: Async Labs Date Published 26 January 2022 Categories Blog Reading Time 4-Minute Read Are you creative enough to stand out from the competition and increase sales in today’s world? Every business needs some creativity. Creativity is the soul of advertising, it “breathes life” into the messages about products and services. Are you creative enough to stand out from the competition and increase sales in today’s world? It’s estimated that the human brain has between 2,500 and 3,300 thoughts per hour. That’s 60,000–80,000 thoughts per day! How do we bring these creative ideas to light to develop them? One way to do this is through a creative concept. What is a creative concept and how to use it in your content marketing strategy? Let’s dive deeper into the topic! What is a creative concept? The creative concept is the story behind the compelling messages that create and encourage the target audience’s desired behavioral responses. It is a “big idea” that targets audiences’ needs and wishes. The key to a good concept is information. The more information you have, the more sound your concepts will be. When thinking about creative concepts, keep asking the following questions to get a clearer picture: What is the big idea? What problem are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to target? What does success look like? 6 steps for developing a creative concept Creative Brief When Pope Julius II. asked Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, his brief wasn’t to paint the ceiling or cover up terrible cracks. The commission was to paint it for God and inspire humanity. This event is a picturesque way of explaining and summarizing a good brief. A good brief is to bring the challenges as close to the brand as possible — to “scratch” deeper and provide real insights that come with knowledge of the brand and the target audience. It is a guide for developing creative concepts. Research and analyze data The development of a creative concept should be based on research, understanding of the target audience, communication channels to be used, and objectives. Use different methods of data collection (surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions) to determine the main problem and benefits of the product or service and gain various insights about your target audience. The data collected will help you formulate the goal of the campaign. Define the problem As the process continues, the concept and ideas must answer the following questions: What challenges do you want a creative concept to solve? Why do you need this campaign? What do you want the target audience to do as a result of the campaign? Brainstorming and selecting ideas Find a different solution for a problem and brainstorm ideas. There’s no wrong idea at this stage, as long as it’s consistent with the brief and can meet the campaign’s goals. To find the best ideas, ask yourself these questions: Is it appropriate for the target audience? Does it match the communication strategy and creative brief? Does it address the key benefits and objectives? How will the idea attract attention? Does your idea have the potential for expansion? The idea feasibility After vetting the ideas you’ve selected, make sure they’re feasible. Match your ideas to the budget and timeline. Once you’ve selected the best ideas, answer the questions about the campaign: Will it appeal to the target audience? Do you’ve enough budget? Can you promote the idea through the communication channels selected for this program/campaign? How can you stand out from the crowd? Do it better than others in every way! Put your ideas into action Check across all communication channels to ensure your ideas align with a budget, timeline, and implementation. Then execute them. Creative concepts are rough drafts that are sufficient to convey an idea and test whether or not it’ll resonate with a particular audience. Reach your customers effectively Because a creative concept can convey the marketing message or advertise a product at the speed of light, it plays an important role in advertising campaigns. Depending on the variable elements of the campaign (size, staff, budget, delivery time, etc.), the creative concept process may take shorter or longer. If that’s too much for you or you don’t have time, you can also hire an agency to do it for you. Async Lab’s team of creative marketing professionals can help. Contact us to get started. Want to see notable examples of creative concepts? Check the full article What Is a Creative Concept and How to Create It From Scratch.