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In marketing, creativity is the key to a brand’s success. And the word “safe” or “playing it safe” means becoming invisible. Yes, people need to sometimes stick next to a wall when making a certain decision, but not in marketing. Marketing means risks and out-of-the-box ideas. It means going the extra mile for having that unique value proposition that will make you different from others.
That is why every time a bold idea gets watered down a bit by the CEO, the boardroom members, or even your meeting colleagues, your brand gets stripped from its own identity. And all of the creativity haters in the world will be able to lean back in satisfaction.
Think about it: a bland campaign doesn’t only fail to cause excitement, it fails to simply stick or exist in the mind of your consumer. And in today’s market that is filled with noise, chaos, creativity, and weird extravagant ideas, being invisible is like receiving the dementor’s kiss of death.
Criticism: The Price of Originality
If you’re creating a bold campaign, that means you’re signing your marriage certificate to criticism. If your campaign doesn’t at least make a few people raise their eyebrows in confusion, awe, or even surprise, then you’re probably not pushing hard enough. Your brand’s creativity doesn’t have to be universally adored; however, it is always meant to be remembered. Brands that lean into originality know that criticism is just the receipt you get for daring the market to stand out in its crowd.
Case Studies: When Brands Leveraged the Power of Criticism
Let’s take a look at some brands that stood tall and fought or the ones that succumbed to the criticism’s cruelty:
- Apple: Once ridiculed for being “too different” For having one button! And now they’re literally the pioneers of innovation and tech advancements that more tech companies are rising to imitate.
- Nike: Faced backlash when they partnered with Colin Kaepernick, but the bold (human-driven) move strengthened their position as a brand that has shared values with their consumers.
- Old Spice: Could have stayed boring in the men’s grooming aisle, but instead embraced quirky humor and vintage aesthetics in order to revive their brand’s legacy in a quick and complete way.
- Kodak: The brand that let time win. This is one brand that has been too cautious to embrace digital photography, and we all know how that ended.
- Gap (2010 logo fiasco): Tried to play it safe with a generic redesign. Criticism piled on, and instead of embracing boldness, they backtracked. And to backtrack, you know that you messed up and were about to lose that loyalty base you had.
Creativity Is a Battlefield
If you think that branding is a tea party, then by all means, allow me to burst that little bubble. Because branding with creativity is a battlefield. One to be dominated. And the most memorable campaigns are born from risk and not from population unity or unicorn-based utopian harmony.
Creativity is a factor that is powered by criticism and unlike that popular belief, it shouldn’t be intimidated or shy away because of it. If you come out of your own marketing campaign without some criticism or scratches, would you even consider calling it dominating the battlefield?
Taking the Critic’s Opinions to a Candle-Lit Dinner
Embracing criticism is that process that you go through in order to succeed. Because this is one word, that doesn’t mean you failed; it means you’re becoming more visible and gaining more eyes on your brand. Silence, according to the marketing-wise, should be your biggest fear instead of the noise that comes with criticism.
If your brand is one that is enduring criticism, then you’ll end up shaping a cultural conversation (no matter how bad the direction is steering your audience). Yes it could be negative, positive, or even a mixture of both. Because when the whole world agrees on something, take heed and fear armageddon.
Final Word
In marketing and the creation of campaigns, fear kills faster than failure. Safe campaigns might avoid controversy, but they guarantee irrelevance. But bold brands? But bold brands? They tend to stay and shine no matter how hard criticism hits them.
