How to evaluate a creative?
One of the biggest problems that most marketers on the ‘other’ side of the Advertising table face is this!
How do you evaluate a creative piece that comes to your table?
It has been a learning experience for me to get on to the other side of the table and here are a few tips in gauging the creative your advertising partner brings to the table.
Right Brain elements
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Fundamental rule: View it like your customer. What is your first reaction when you see it? Remember the customer is lazy. He may not read your ad fully. He may not even notice it for all you care. So is the layout in front of you making the job easy for your reader / viewer / listener?
Easier said than done, but it is important for you to step into the shoes of your customer and understand the communication from his / her perspective. And do not give yourself more than 5 seconds to react / respond. It is because your customer may not give more than that kind of time! If the layout / creative is giving you a desired response from within you within that time-frame, then continue looking at the creative. Else, I believe that you have the liberty to reject it. -
Follow your gut: Sometimes, your gut would be your best ally. Purely logical approach to a creative may not just work always. If your gut says that the creative would do the trick (despite you taking more time to get convinced), it is still better to go with it. Because many times, the best of answers to the most complex problem is just not logical.
Left Brain elements
If the layout passes muster on the above two parameters, you are at liberty to read on and screw it up completely by looking at the logical elements. Most often, a great creative goes through the logical side of life and gets completely changed and in the process loses its charm. You would do great if you do not change the creative in entirety in the name of logic, but ensure that you are within the law of the land 
.
Here are some tips to check (and cross check) before going ahead!
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Brief to creative
Check your brief to the creative and confirm if the creative solves the purpose. Ensure that the creative is doing its intended job. Many times, it is required of the agency to go beyond the brief (if they understand your category) and deliver more than what the brief states. That is what we call ‘value addition’. But it is important to ensure that the creative does the job it is required to. I recently bumped into a media firm’s advertisement in a magazine. It shows a cake cut into six pieces with qualities like ‘ROI driver, Passionate Team, Media Neutral etc., written on each piece. The creative has done the job (technically) of communicating the various qualities of the agency, but does it arrest you and leave you with a lasting impression? Questionable! -
Is the creative the brief itself?
Many times, in the name of sticking to the brief, the agency may come back with the brief as the creative. I have in the past seen creatives where even the words used in the brief were included. This may just not solve the purpose. Almost all LIC ads which needs to show two benefits from a plan will feature a pair of cute looking twin sisters or a man showing a ‘V’. OBVIOUS! The brief was ‘twin benefits’ and the agency was lazy enough to show a pair of twins or two fingers. -
What is the take away?
Check what the take away of the creative is. What does it leave you with? What is the message that you get out of the creative. If the take away is desirable, then we have a winner. If it isn’t, you need to reconsider the brief, the approach or the creative itself. -
Is it stating the obvious?
No point in doing this either. If the message that the creative leaves, is as obvious as ‘A for Apple’, then the creative execution must be really great. Else, it is better to reconsider. For instance, almost all Fevicol creatives leave you with the message ‘Fevicol sticks’. Something as basic as that gets noticed always purely because the creative execution is awesome. -
Is it logically and / or factually correct?
Ensure that the creative is logically and / or factually correct. It is very possible that you may let the agency take creative liberty to showcase your product, but so long as it is not over the top. This is a very nebulous area and the parameters are not the same for all product / service categories. To show a white patch on your outfit where the Tide pack zooms past is creative liberty. Although it is not logically or factually correct. -
Regulars
I am sure there would be a set of regular elements that must be a part of any creative. The logo, pack shot, brand name, brand guidelines, color scheme etc. Check them four times over. It is worth it!
Well, these were some points that came to my mind while this post was being conceived. I am sure there are many more tips that can be used in evaluating a creative. Would be great if they are shared on this platform!
Happy evaluating!
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Hey thanks, i guess all of us on the ‘other’ side do visit this process mentally, but the way you have put it is quite exhaustive.
Btw, one rider in evaluation might be to keep the sensibilities of target consumer in mind. Very often we evaluate the layout and copy basis our mindset…it helps if one takes a step back, enter into the shoes of brand personality and then evaulate the creative.
Of course, ideal thing would be to do a quick and rought consumer research, so that one gets to hear the eavaluation and feedback from the horse’s mouth. This also introduces certain objectivity and avoids many arguements and iterations.
Hi Suharsh, Agree with you. Thanks for your comment and point of view. Much appreciated.
Cheers
Thought deeply on the same but came up with a single point to add. if it may qualify..
Creative Adaptation
With growing number of mediums to grab eyeballs, one must also consider the creative adaptation for different mediums during the course of the evaluation process.
Thanks Sandeep for your comment. I do agree with you that one needs to consider adaptations before approving a creative. It is also however possible that some creatives may just not be suitable for a particular medium. The decision should then be taken on a case-to-case basis. Thanks again.