Art & Copy: May We Introduce You to Code
The first creative revolution began in the 1960s when art partnered with copy for the first time. Creative director Bill Bernbach (the B in DDB Doyle Dane and Bernbach) recognized that pairing the wordsmith & artist could spark genius. “The difference between the forgettable and the enduring is artistry” was how Bernbach put it. Tony Mikes of Second Wind says the first creative revolution introduced “white space,” “irony” & “focus groups.” It was the dawn of design and shameless self-promotion. The preferred method in the ’40s and ’50s was the boring repetitiveness of the “universal selling proposition” propounded by Ted Bates CEO Rosser Reeves. Art, when used, was expected only to support the drumbeat of the copy—“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand” was a Bates line.
Second Creative Revolution
Today, we are in the middle of the second creative revolution because of technology and the audience. As Tony continues, “Don’t sell me; engage me, inform me, entertain me.” The key trend of this new revolution is that people don’t want to just “buy,” they want to “buy in to” the essence of a brand. This is a call to brands to be authentic.
“Code” is now being added to the core of good creative process. Code facilitates new kinds of experiences, but it doesn’t replace the storytelling skills the advertising industry has honed over the past fifty years. We bring brands to life by expressing their personalities. Now we do that through interactive digital messaging.
It used to be that there was the ‘real’ world and the ‘digital’ world and the two rarely met. Not anymore. Thanks to mobile devices, these two worlds are both part of a daily experience. Physical events are triggering actions online, and vice-versa, creating new opportunities for marketers to invite people to interact with their products through the web.
Audiences of One: Crafted Just for You
People can now decide if, when and how they interact with brands. Consequently, our definition of great creative work is changing. Notice I didn’t say “ads!” It’s so much bigger than that. This is an exciting time for fresh thinking about how to deliver brand messages over multiple channels that people will respond to.
The best storytellers have always been able to make us feel as if they are speaking to each one of us individually. Using real-time data and cues like time of day, location and interests, we can tailor and personalize messages in ways that make them more valuable and meaningful. Content is being delivered as posts, ads, videos, websites, etc.
Advertising was needed in order to inform the readers about your products or services. But now, because of the Internet, when you are ready to buy, you may know just as much as the salesperson.
Creating Tools, Not Just Ads
Marketing has become less about talking and more about doing. Creating tools that make people’s lives easier, more productive and more fun can bring a brand’s promise to life in tangible ways. Brands are leveraging data to help us exercise more, track a pizza delivery, or make driving a social experience. The brands of the future will create real value and connect with their audiences through marketing.
Right now you can collect customer data from forms on your website and use it for a myriad of marketing methods. Strategizing and synchronizing the campaign is still in the hands of agencies.
Benefits of online marketing include measurability, targeting, budget setting, accessibility to small business, and speed to market. Some of the tactics are:
Pay Per Click • Social Media • Email Marketing
Organic Search Engine Optimization • SMS (short message service)
VIA Staff Weighs In
The story has changed
For many years Art and Copy were the life of the storytelling party, they would show up in our magazines, mailboxes and newspaper whether they were welcome or not and talk to us about whatever they wished. Oh man, Art and Copy were fun back then, we couldn’t get enough of them and their seemingly endless amounts of entertainment and excitement! Over time though, Art and Copy’s brashness became a little annoying. “Please just be quiet Art and Copy,” we would say. “We’re not interested in the things you’re telling us about. They don’t matter to me!” Sadly, we began to avoid Art and Copy because we didn’t like who they had become.
Then, one day Art and Copy met Code. Now Code was not pretty like Art and Copy. No; Code was a different type, a behind-the-scenes type, who understood timing and placement and who liked to keep detailed records. Code realized that by adding his skills to Art and Copy’s storytelling ability, we would once again enjoy brand stories. Why? Because we are given the choice to read and enjoy only the brand messages that we want, when we want.
– Ryan Thiele, VIA Creative Director
Still creating a unique personality
No longer is creative one-dimensional. Today’s creative is multi-faced and reaches more audiences faster than ever before. As a result, today’s designers have a broad range of skills to keep target audiences connected and attentions grabbed. Keeping up with technology is what separates a good designer from a successful designer. Messages are delivered multiple times in multiple ways. It’s easy to get the message out, but capturing interest and creating a need is most important. What designer doesn’t want their client to be successful?
– Carlo Labriola, VIA Sr. Graphic Artist
Advertising is no longer about persuasion but engagement
User experience (UX) is a term you will frequently hear when it comes to advertising and marketing. It simply means a company must combine different tools like art, copy and code that will speak to the end-user in a meaningful way. This can mean the user will visit your website, download an app, and use social media to help spread your message.
– Leslie Lopez, VIA Digital Artist
Copywriting has expanded
Writing great headlines, scripts and body copy is nice, but now we need to sustain a conversation. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, poetic or literary, but it must always be relevant and real. Writing for a website incorporates keywords. We balance writing for people with writing for search engines. It’s an art in itself.
– Libby Pals, VIA SEO Specialist
Code has opened up so many new channels
There is more power in the hands of the consumers than ever before. Information about topics, products or services is just a Google search away. As more people reach out for information, the bigger the demand grows for web developers. We use our skills to put Art and Copy into the digital world and make sure they perform well. Collaborating as a team allows us to brainstorm for exciting new solutions to use data as a marketing tool. There are new technologies being launched every day, and it’s important to keep up-to-date with all the trends.
– Przemek Wiejak, VIA Front End Developer
Forbes Top 7 Online Marketing Trends of 2014
1. Content Marketing Will be Bigger Than Ever
2. Social Media Marketing Will Require More Diversity
3. Image-Centric Content Will Rule
4. Less Will be More
5. Mobile-Friendly Content Will Be Necessary
6. Ad Retargeting Will Grow in Effectiveness
7. SEO and Social Signals Will Become Even More Intertwined
Contact Julie to discuss assessing the effectiveness of your website’s user experience and in thinking through how to make improvements.