Creative Marketing
The central theme of creativity in
organizations:
Creativity has been a central concept in many
disciplines ranging from the fine art ,
psychology, sociology, economic, engineering
and management.
In marketing, like other disciplines creativity is
the fuel for continuous success. The
continuous search for novel marketing ideas
and approaches is a central part in marketing
efforts.
Creative marketing:
Creativity is not new to marketing. Historically,
marketers attempted to use creative concepts
and approaches in marketing as well as other
concepts and techniques to achieve their
objectives.
Creativity was usually and intensively used in
the product and advertising areas. Nowadays, creativity
has been widely and intensively used in marketing as
one of the major sources of competitive advantages.
Product distinctions by differentiation is facilitated by
ongoing development of creative marketing program.
The role of these programs is to provide the
necessary techniques to enhance creativity and at
the same time to overcome the barriers that may
affect creativity.
Creativity defined as the process by which
individuals or teams produce nontraditional,
novel or useful ideas and implementing them
in a real practices of marketing. This definition
includes two criteria: (novelty and utility)
*Novelty: means originality
*Utility: means the idea is relevant to the
organizational goals and can reasonably
expect to extract some value.
The Importance role of creative marketing:
1- It can maximize aspects of business toward
which it is applied. In this way it serves to add
value to products beyond their tangible or
obvious features.
2- Creativity is essential for managing the speed
of change in today’s marketing environment.
This speed of change is expressed in terms of
rapid change in technology, increase in global
Competition and shortening in product life.
Thus, creative marketing is characterized by the
following :
1- It does not stop at the stage in which a new
idea is generated. It goes beyond that to
implement such idea into real practice of
marketing.
2- It has to successfully utilize the new ideas in
order to be beneficial to the business
organizations.
3- It is not limited to certain marketing area. It is
extended to any marketing practice. There is a
large number of real examples in this regard.
Some misconceptions of creative marketing:
1- creative marketing is only a technology push,
which results in focusing on R&D with little, if
any, concern for users’ s inputs for such a
process.
2- It is concerned with satisfying only present /
current needs.
3-It is generated only from inside the company.
4- It comes only from outside the company.
5- It is only practiced by huge corporations.
6- It is linked with certain personnel at the
organizations.
Creativity of individuals or teams has three
major components:
1- Domain skill: it is the foundation for all
creative work, it involved factual knowledge,
technical proficiency and special talents.
2- Creative thinking skill: there are two routes
of creativity, one is guided by fantasy and
brainstorming , and the second based on
knowledge, and solid background.
3- Task motivation: motivation can be either
intrinsic (driven by deep interest and
involvement in the work, by enjoyment or
personal sense of challenge) or extrinsic
(driven by desire to attain some goals that a
part from the work itself, such as achieving
promised reward.)
Creative organizations must have three
components:
1- resources: means organization has available
things to aid work such as sufficient time for
producing novel work, people with necessary
expertise, funds allocated to that work
domain, relevant information and availability
of training.
2- Management practices: means all
management levels ( individual departments,
project teams, project supervisions) are likely
To foster creativity when it is marked by clear
planning , feedback and good communications
between supervisor and work group. In
addition, the management ability to constitute
effective work groups that represent a
diversity skills and are made up of individuals
who trust and communicate well with each
other, challenge each other’s ideas in
constructive ways, are mutually supportive
and are committed to the work they are doing.
3-creative techniques: such as using
brainstorming by which group members
communicate ideas to the facilitator who in
turn writes them down on a board or flip
chart.
Creativity in marketing mix
First: product: (goods/ services)
Creativity in products is very important to face
competition and go with changes that happened in
customers’ tastes and needs.
Examples:
P&G focused on allocating big budget for developing
creative goods that contribute in solving consumers
problems, as a result it becomes a leader in the
packaged goods
such as tooth paste which fight decay and shampoo
against dandruff, also created diaper with brand
name ultra pampers, which is characterized by high
absorption. As a result P&G has got high market
share and enhanced company image. Using the
package as retrieval cue (example Movie Tavern
theater pairing dinner with movie.)
Regarding societal orientation in packaging, industry
designs packages considers the disparate needs of
several categories of
Potential consumers as follows:
1- children: designing a package that easy for
them to use, or has child – resistant closures if
the item is potentially harmful.
2- Elderly people: designing a package that easy
to handle with clear label to facilitate reading
it.
3- Disabled people: diminishing obstacles to
proper use of package based on the type of
disability.
Booing 737 company found that it had a good
opportunity in the third world countries, but
unfortunately the airports structure of such
countries are not applicable with the design of
booing 737 because the departure and taking
off routes are very short. The company
redesign its planes to match the physical
structure of those countries.
Creativity in services:
*Banks today made an electronic board that
announces the waiting time for each customer
once he/she has taken a ticket number.
*Some car maintenance centers provide their
customers a car for temporary use while their
cars are in maintenance.
Second: Creativity in price:
*Set price for peak time and another for normal
times.
*Set especial price for club members.
Third: Creativity in promotion:
* Use jumping advertisements in print media such
as magazines. The advertisement is developed
in a thick and strong paper different from the
other magazine papers
The advertisement is folded in a way that can not
be seen while the magazine is closed. Once the
reader opens it and reads one by one page
until he/she reaches that page the
advertisement jumps. Certainly, such action will
increase readers attention.
* American bank developed a creative advertising
called (green sale) and published it in a known
newspaper, the massage Saied that the bank
decided to grant people money without any
interests or any kind of expenses.
Fourth: in Distribution:
*In supermarkets, the shopping trolleys are
attached with calculators. And self- check and
paying. (Scan as you shop)
• The availability of children area in supermarkets.
• *Some supermarkets co-operate with another
noncompetitive companies and provide them
with places to conduct their business.
*Place items that attract children in reachable
shelves.
Public washing machines.
Kid-Zania play centers designed for children from 4 :
14 years who want to give children a taste of
different careers. The entrance fee allows children to
play at various occupations using branded from
sponsors such as P&G. Ford Car
Some companies are creating opinion leaders to
serve as brand ambassadors who spread
positive word about a company’ products. For
example Nike created a ton of buzz worldwide
during the 2012 London Olympics when it shot
400 of its Nike sponsored athletes ( green/
yellow Volt Fly-kite shoes ). The shoes became
the talk of the Olympics.
Philips turned users into brand ambassadors for its
novel Wake – up Light system in Norway. ( can we
help people wake up when the sun does not rise)
A few years ago, Philips launched the first Wake-
Up light which is a bedside light system that
simulated a natural sunrise, helping people to
wake up more naturally and happy. At first, Philips
had difficulty explaining the complex benefits of
the wake – up concept to skeptical consumers.
The solution aimed to create knowledgeable consumers
advocates who could explain the product to others
through an award- winning integrated media campaign
called (Wake up the town), in which it supplied the
system to 200 residents in a town experiences
complete darkness 24 hours a day for 11 weeks each
year. Then Philips asked consumers who used the wake
up light to honesty share their
Experiences on an interactive web sit, in blog
posts and on face-book. Also, Philips arranged
media interviews and posted video mini-
documentaries on the side. The results of the
three month WOM (word of mouth) campaign
were: 87% reported they were waking up feeling
more refreshed. 98% reported that they would
continue to use the wake up light.
