The creative process has a redrawn roadmap, shaped by digital and social influences and consumer choice about where and when they decide to interact with advertising and marketing. The economy has also paved new paths for artistic talents as clients ask them to push on even further with less funds.
Peter Viento joined activation agency Alcone last month as senior vice president and chief creative officer for Alcone/East. He works out of the agency’s Darien, CT, office and brings with him experience at MARS Advertising, SaatchiX and Ogilvy & Mather. While there he addressed creative challenges in the consumer and shopper solutions spaces for Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Wendy’s, LG, Diageo, Elizabeth Arden, Unilever, GSK and Frito-Lay.
Here, Viento shares some thoughts on the ever-evolving universe of creative.
PROMO: What are the trends?
VIENTO: As digital and social evolve, almost on a daily basis, understanding your target is key. Being able to use the right media with the right message to engage your target at the right time will help you win. I always hear brands tell me “we want an app, or a QR code”. My first question to that is “why… what are you trying to achieve? What is the action that you hope to get out of the app or QR?. Understanding the tools we have to engage our target and how to use them is essential. The coolest, new social media portal or iPhone app does not always move the needle. Just because something is new and trending high doesn’t mean it should be “shoe horned” into every brands marketing plan.
PROMO: Once you have the tools, what’s next?
VIENTO: You need to select the right message. Lately brands seem to be split. Some are adapting the “see-say” approach. This is the practice of showing a visual with a headline that tells the target exactly what to do. Other brands incorporate a more emotional direction or thought provoking effort. This direction delivers creative that stops the target in their tracks and makes them think. Although this approach usually works better for award show judges, it’s not always the best approach in-store when we have just a few seconds to get our message understood and generate action.
PROMO: So what is breaking through the clutter?
VIENTO: I find that the “perfect cocktail” of traditional and digital are breaking through. Brands need to pull together the right mix of media to engage their target. I also feel that simple, quick messaging with a stunning visual work. Too many messages or logos make everything turn to wallpaper. Draw your target in with something that is interuptive and engaging while letting them know what they need to do will help you win.
PROMO: How do you meld creative design in digital and traditional?
VIENTO: I have always heard “we need a digital art director to design the web, app or social interface” Not so. The skills to designing a digital interface are achieved from being a great designer or art director. A great designer should be able to design anything regardless of the medium. I have achieved the greatest success by partnering designers or art directors with digital strategists. The designer brings the execution skills and the strategist helps them understand how click through works and the architecture of the page.
PROMO: What will be hot six months from now?
VIENTO:Of course digital and social will continue to evolve. However, I think ultimately there will be a backlash in sharing personal data. Less will be put out there for the general public and more will be kept close to smaller, social circles like Google Plus and this information will become currency. More and more the power is being put in the hands of the shopper and the consumer. They will make decisions on their time and on their terms.
PROMO: How will this affect creative?
VIENTO: We need to continue to develop programs to meet them at the right time, the right palace via the right media. Mobile will continue to evolve with more being done on mobile devices. In fact, I have a co-worker who bought a car on their mobile device, paid for it, arranged for shipping and had it delivered to the office … all without ever speaking to a live person. We will buy things, find the best deals, connect with brands, adjust our heat and AC at home, start our cars even unlock our front doors all from our mobile devices.
PROMO: The economy has changed. How has creative evolved to meet today’s economy?
VIENTO: I constantly hear “we have a limited budget” from clients. To me, this is an opportunity, not a barrier. It’s an opportunity to develop a plan that will be hugely successful based on focus and very specific “jobs to be done”. Developing a more targeted approach without gratuitous add-ons will help brands win. I have also found that smaller, focused nimble teams help cut hours and get us to bigger thinking.
PROMO: What keeps you up at night?
VIENTO: Jay Leno, then Jimmy Fallon … Jay draws the line and Jimmy steps over it. I hate thinking to myself “I wish we had created that” so I’m usually up at night thinking of “that”.
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