Wheeeee! My first post on andshakers!

And if I am to start pontificating on advertising in general and creative in particular, it seems incumbent upon me to find a definition for this stuff before I start spouting off.

Especially if I’m going to spout off using fancy-ass words such as pontificate and incumbent.

So in the case of advertising, what is good creative?

Everybody talks about it. Argues about it. Claims they are for it or jealously deride it.

But what is it?

Award shows define it, don’t they?

Nope.

What award shows ultimately recognize is an ad’s ability to cut through the clutter (and if you’ve ever sat through 10,000 ads whilst judging a show you know what I’m talking about). And cutting through the clutter is without a doubt essential but it is not the whole story.

Of course, Bill Bernbach said, “Our job is to bring the dull facts to life.”

That, along with everything else Bill B. ever said, still applies as much today as when Mad Men wasn’t something you DVR’d. And while close, it still isn’t quite the simple measure of good creative for which I am looking.

Can it be found?

I think so.

And in one word: relevance.

Advertising – in whatever form – is the bridge that connects the consumer to the brand.

To do so, it must be as relevant to one as it is to the other.

Case in point: we’ve all see ads that make us smile, make us laugh or make us cry.

And we’d love to tell our near and dear ones all about them – if only we could remember what the hell it was they were advertising.

Such is the ad that is relevant to the consumer – it obviously made a connection – but not to the brand.

On the other side of the pickle, we’ve all seen ads that bore us to no end.

Witness the latest GM TV stuff with the old geezer CEO droning on about whatever. He might be saying something important, but I’m not paying attention.

(Indeed, I find it telling that the only reason this example came to mind was because I read about it on adage.com; the “consumer me” never noticed it on the tube until after the “adland me” read about it in the trade press.)

That said, the point is to be engaging.

But be sure said engagement stems from your brand’s message.

You are NOT right if you have a young man bang his head on a door jamb just because it’s funny.

You ARE right if he bangs his head because a lifetime of eating your product has helped him to grow straight and tall.

Likewise, you are NOT right if you are on Facebook just because everyone else is.

You ARE right if you use Facebook to join consumers with your brand in a manner unique to that particular venue.

A bridge is not of much use if it does not connect one side of the chasm to the other.

And an ad is not of much use if it isn’t as relevant to the consumer as it is to the brand.

Relevance is everything.

You may recommence arguing.

- Craig Cooper