Unless you are a creative yourself, you may have not known it’s a noun that can refer to people – to artists. I was first introduced to the term close to the end of my undergraduate career when someone from my University’s Career and Employment Services came to discuss the job market that we were all about to walk into as graduates receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Much of what she had discussed I was already familiar with – but what I greatly appreciated was her discussion of non-stereotypical job routes a fine artist may take after graduating college.

“Creatives help us see life in a new light – to perceive a new dimension, a deeper way of encountering what we know.”
– Jeff Goins

We have all heard of the stereotype of the “starving artist”, but many artists do not make their money through their artwork alone. Instead, they use their creative potential in other, innovative ways, that can be invaluable in many work environments. Graphic designers are not the only types of artists who can use their skills in multiple work environments, all artists see the world a bit differently than the average individual which is why they can bring so much to the table. I concentrated in Digital and Experimental Media for my Bachelor of Fine Arts, and in doing so I obtained an internship with Make-A-Wish Kansas for about a year as a graphic designer, and now I am working with Cherish Local as a Marketing and Creative Manager. Within my current position, I am responsible for creating and managing our multiple websites, Facebook pages, and blogs. I design various graphics for contests, promotions for our clients, and email campaigns. The best part about concentrating in an experimental field during my undergraduate career is I have a lot of skills in my pocket that allow me to contribute to my job in plenty of ways.

Jeff Goins spoke on this topic beautifully, “Creatives help us see life in a new light – to perceive a new dimension, a deeper way of encountering what we know”. His statement is reinforced by a Creative Tech conference (2016) held to explore how “…marketing can touch the human experience in diverse and encompassing ways”, From attending this conference, Judy Shapiro, realized creative trends that would dominate 2017. With the technology we have today it is more important to build a brand experience than a brand’s personality. This calls for “experimental creative strategies to optimize individual’s media channels”. An example Shapiro gave of this was a brand promotion that leveraged mobile as a medium with an app that allowed users to remotely skip a stone at a lake – this helped to create their brand-experience.

Being a creative within the marketing field is much more than creating aesthetically pleasing content…

Marketing has become more personal, and it is essential to humanize the brand so consumers will be more likely to connect with it. Sharpiro refers to diversity as a “trust gate” that allows passage for all authentic marketing to illustrate genuine human moments. TJ Leonard, CEO of VideoBlocks, suggests that “first person content will drive content demand in 2017”, which is a direct result of the explosion of social media. This “real life” content is authentic, imperfect, and increasingly mobile (which, in itself, is an essential marketing trend to pay attention to).

An example of using “real life” to appeal to customers is Dove’s Real Beauty campaign. Dove took a risk in exposing the absurdity of its own industry which uses very thin, and photoshopped, models to make sales. Going directly against this, dove decided to bring in a diverse group of women, from all shapes, sizes, religions, and cultures. This is exactly what Sharpiro was talking about with the “trust gate”, because with consumers receiving that message of body-positivity they were more likely to buy the product because of how that campaign positively impacted them.

How an audience feels about the marketing message they are receiving from a product is vital to if they will even consider investing. The creatives are the masterminds behind creating that marketing message, they are responsible for considering new authentic ways in delivering that message, and essentially creating the “core message of marketing”. Being a creative within the marketing field is much more than creating aesthetically pleasing content, but it is coming up with the story that content will tell in order to draw in the desired audience.

For More Information:

• 5 Creative Marketing Moves
• 5 Transformative Creative Trends in 2017
• Creatives
• Content Marketing Expert: Where Digital Media is Heading in 2017
• What is a Creative?

Author: Megan Carry
Marketing and Creative Manager for Cherish Local