Dare to disrupt with creative marketing

Marketing: Naked

 Every business needs to disrupt to some degree – this does not mean ripping up the rulebook, but perhaps tearing out a page. 

Companies need to be as restless as their customers. Using disruptive, creative marketing helps smaller businesses stand out and gain an advantage over larger competitors. A strong, unique brand identity and compelling communications make you memorable and thereby leave a lasting impression on clients tired by the same old daily deluge.

Businesses are facing a changing tide of customer expectations and behaviours, along with advancing technology. Customers expect a deeply personalised experience with the brand they interact with. Delivering authentic, valuable content in new and unanticipated ways gives you a better chance to win hearts and minds.

None of us are superhuman

In founder-led businesses, short-term pressures and constant plate spinning often mean there is little time to take a strategic view about how creative marketing makes you different. Every week brings a new marketing challenge or trend. Businesses without the time, resource, or knowledge are turning to trusted collaborative partners to create the brand identities, visuals, and content that will capture attention beyond a fleeting second. This often requires new thinking and outside creative input. A fresh perspective can help you answer two questions: what is the simple truth that makes our brand connect with people and how do we communicate that truth? Winning marketing teams are challenging and reshaping conventional practices to address this, whether that’s investing in taxi decal wraps, tube advertising, or even billboards. Marketing methods like this not only allow for more creativity, but they also provide a more direct marketing approach, which can deliver impressive results.

The evidence shows, for example, that the direct mail revival is here. As reported on Forbes, in 2022 alone, direct mail showed an ROI of 43%*. Tactics like this, however, should be seen as an addition to your marketing toolkit, not a replacement for other methods.

Every business has a leaky bucket

The challenge for every business is to acquire new customers, but a bigger challenge is to keep the ones you have fought hard to win. Disruptive marketing keeps the conversation going with existing customers. It keeps your brand front of mind when it is time to renew or buy again.

Creative marketing is your guardrail against disruption in your industry and protecting your business requires two things. Firstly, invest in the foundations of your brand: your mission, values, story, positioning, and key messages. Secondly, apply new, creative and commercially-smart thinking for your marketing. Working out how to use disruptive tactics is critical to that thinking. Kickstarting a disruptive campaign is easier than you think. Many companies start with a small test that is measurable and aligned with a business goal.

*www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2024/03/08/the-direct-mail-revival-and-how-marketers-can-respond/