Creativity is something you need to believe in.
It’s never 100% certain a creative idea’s going to work. No matter how many logic boxes it’s ticking or how much it’s researched, it just might not connect with the public.
I’ve worked with clients and agency people who were unconfident with that creative side of the job, even outright hated it.
One often said ‘well, I’ve raised my concerns but if you’re convinced it will work then ok’. A thinly veiled attempt to abdicate themselves of potential blame.
Another would ask ‘why does the work have to be creative?’. Why, indeed.
But I’ve also worked with ones who were 100% part of the team.
Who fully trusted that we weren’t just interested in creative for its own sake, or even worse, awards. Instead they knew that great creative gives you the best chance of creating a connection with people, which is what makes it work.
That level of trust creates belief.
It unites creative, strategy, production and client, energising them so they put everything they have behind the work.
Hedge your bets or stay on the back foot and you’ll ultimately undermine things. People will sense you're not fully behind what’s being done and you'll not get their best.
Belief isn’t blind faith.
Do as much as you can to make sure the creative’s going to be a success. Have checklists and rigour.
On one of the riskiest, and most successful, pieces of work I’ve been involved in we had a very open chat with the clients. Careers and reputations were on the line, we had to make sure everyone was fully behind the work.
We went ahead. Our rigour had create trust.
Build trust. Build belief. Build great creative.
