Your creative strategy is at risk of becoming outdated. How can you keep it fresh in a fast-paced market?

Nine times out of ten, the reason your creative strategy is starting to feel outdated... is because it wasn't built on a human and enduring truth at the start. One of the best creative strategists I met years ago (veteran Roy Meares) said to me, "I don't care about campaigns, I care about enduring stories". And his Anchor™ Family' or 'Speights™ Southern Man' campaigns lasted for years. The point is; once you find that storytelling PLATFORM it can remain relevant and effective in an ever-changing tactical landscape - whilst still building consistent equity in a long term brand proposition.

Here's what has helped me in the past... • Audit and update your brand guidelines • Monitor industry trends and competitor strategies • Gather customer feedback to stay aligned with preferences • Experiment with new creative approaches in small campaigns • Use data analytics to inform strategy refinements • Foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation • Leverage AI tools for creative optimization and personalization • Collaborate across teams to generate fresh ideas • Balance consistency with strategic evolution of brand elements • Test and iterate rapidly to keep pace with market changes

The number one key to ensuring your creative strategy stays relevant is to keep up with the latest trends and market changes. Yes, it takes effort, but in today’s world, if you’re not staying current, you’re falling behind. Of course, how much you need to adapt depends on your brand, organization, and client needs. Not every business needs to shift with every trend, but awareness is crucial. If you don’t have a large team to handle this, incorporate it into your weekly or monthly routine—take time to read up on industry changes or follow similar brands to see what’s evolving for them and make changes accordingly if needed

Best way to approach ensuring your creative strategy stays relevant and on point is to face the market directly. Get in the trenches to understand what are the hot topics and tech/tools. Test, learn, optimise and repeat.

La clave para mantener estrategias creativas sin correr el riesgo de que se vuelvan obsoletas es el estudio permanente de la triada: marca, consumidor, entorno; teniendo claro que el entorno influye en las maneras de actuar de la marca y del consumidor. Para ello, contar con estrategias flexibles es fundamental, pues tal flexibilidad permite realizar cambios de forma y conservar el fondo, dando cuenta de una marca adaptable, fresca y capaz de moverse al ritmo del mercado.

It's pretty simple: just do it. Change is hard but worth it. Honestly not sure how this is even a question (thank you LI AI for the deep thoughts lol)... isn't the ability to change kind of core to the our jobs? 😣

Static strategy is a contradiction. This doesn’t mean abandoning old experiences. Instead, it highlights the importance of lifelong learning and integrating both "old" and "new" knowledge into meaningful actions.

Habitual Competitive Shopping to keep updated on strongly observations on every field. That's really helpful to get information globally about what are the changes coming through and how can adopt it.

Sim, mudar é inevitável. Abraçar e aceitar a mudança traz sabedoria. É a chamada “lei da impermanência” para a cosmovisão budista tibetana. Tudo muda o tempo inteiro. Se nos desapegarmos da noção de permanência e deixarmos de desejar que tudo dure para sempre, inclusive nosso conceito de “ser felize para sempre”, conseguiremos caminhar em direção a uma genuína, profunda e verdadeira felicidade. Mudar, crescer, se transformar é necessário!

In the words of Mad-Eye Moody: "Constant Vigilance!" It is critical for a brand's creative strategist to keep an eye on what's going on, and it goes beyond the obvious stuff like following pages on social media. We'd periodically check the kind of creatives that brands are spending big money on. Facebook Ad library provides valuable data for free, on creative ideas that are working (or being tested) by the entire industry. It's better to go further down the marketing funnel: sign up to mailing lists, fill up lead forms in websites, get into the audience lists of market leaders and competitors. Getting an idea of what brands are doing to actually close sales is quite helpful in building an overall strategy.

The more I spend time at conferences, events, performances and keynotes, the more I realise that it's what you bring to them that makes them actually, truly useful. Come to new knowledge being pre-armed with the network of thoughts and experiences that are intrinsic to you - you'll find unique connections and insights that can only have formed in the interplay between you and the person on-stage. In that way, you'll create thinking that only you could have generated in that moment, rather than passively absorbing the knowledge around you.

You don’t even need to go looking for inspiration. It’s all around you. The first step is to get out from behind your desk, slow down and start observing.

máximo que puder. O ChatGPT disse: ChatGPT Na minha opinião, buscar inspiração constantemente é crucial para manter uma estratégia criativa atualizada. Olhar além do seu setor, explorando outras indústrias, formas de arte ou até mesmo a natureza, pode trazer ideias inovadoras que diferenciam sua marca da concorrência. A polinização cruzada de conceitos pode resultar em campanhas únicas e criativas. Participar de conferências, workshops e eventos é uma ótima maneira de interagir com colegas e aprender novas perspectivas. A inspiração pode vir de qualquer lugar, então é essencial manter a mente aberta e absorver tudo o que puder para enriquecer sua estratégia.

Pour éviter de m’enfermer dans une routine, je m'efforce de trouver l'inspiration dans des domaines variés, que ce soit dans d'autres industries, dans l'art, la culture ou même en observant les tendances sociales. Cela m'aide à apporter de nouvelles idées et perspectives à mes projets.

Using Birthdays as a Powerful Marketing Strategy Birthday marketing is often underestimated, yet it’s a powerful way to win back lost customers, strengthen loyalty, and attract new ones. This approach might seem old-fashioned, but it’s highly effective for building personal connections and showing customers they are valued. To maximize impact, be the first to congratulate your customers with a special offer or gift 30 days before their birthday. This not only creates positive anticipation but also drives additional sales. Have you tried birthday marketing in your business? What has been your experience? Let’s discuss the potential of this strategy. #CustomerRetention #MarketingStrategy #BirthdayMarketing

Always have a coworkers base to interact with, usually socializing some things of your projects (when possible) will give you a wider perspective, colleagues, team members and some other contacts in your field can participate, directly or indirectly, on your creative process, and the final deliverable of your project.

Buscar inspiración más allá de nuestra industria es clave. Pero, ¿qué tal si vamos un paso más allá y nos sumergimos tanto en los mundos digitales como físicos de nuestros clientes? Al explorar los foros, redes sociales y plataformas donde interactúan, así como los lugares que frecuentan, podemos descubrir sus necesidades, deseos y hasta sus frustraciones más profundas. Esta inmersión integral nos permitirá crear contenido mucho más relevante y conectar con ellos a un nivel más personal.

La inspiración es sumamente importante y puede encontrarse en cualquier lugar, debemos mantener la mente abierta a todas las tendencias y situaciones a nuestro al rededor, salir un rato a entrablar una conversación con alguien con un punto de vista distinto al nuestro, de otros sectores, dar una caminata, investigar tendencias, escuchar podcasts, probar nuevos sabores, probar experiencias nuevas, todo suma, como personas creativas absorbemos todo lo que nos rodea, qué mejor que ordenar todas esas ideas en una, de manera inreíble y que funcione para lo que estamos creando. ¡Ser un caso de éxito!

La inspiración, pilar fundamental de la creatividad, surge de una sensibilidad cultivada y una capacidad de observación desarrollada. Aunque nuestro entorno ofrece innumerables estímulos, estos pueden pasar desapercibidos si no hemos cultivado nuestra percepción. Para desarrollar esta sensibilidad, es crucial atender a diversos estímulos sensoriales y exponerse a variadas formas de expresión. Como sugiere John Berger en su libro "Ways of Seeing", ampliar nuestra forma de percibir el mundo enriquece nuestra capacidad de inspiración y, por ende, nuestra creatividad. Este enfoque nos permite aprovechar las múltiples fuentes de inspiración que nos rodean, nutriendo así nuestro potencial creativo.

The problem with A/B testing creative concepts is that it sets the creative desire very low. Which in turn makes the creative feel like they should output the most likely concept to A/B test well - so small incremental adjustments to what already exists. And if they do that everyone will say, well done. But there is no A/B test for missed opportunities. Your creative team are unlikely to come to the table with a daring, out there concept that will redefine your sector. And that is a missed opportunity. So, by all means A/B test small incremental ideas but you better hope your competitors do the same.

I’m all about experimenting. One time, I thought I had a killer campaign idea until I tested it and the data said, “Nope.” But that’s the beauty of testing—you get to refine before you go all in. It’s like being creative with a safety net.

Na minha opinião, testar rigorosamente é fundamental para manter uma estratégia criativa dinâmica e eficaz. Utilize testes A/B ou outros métodos experimentais para avaliar novas ideias antes de sua implementação completa. Essa abordagem permite ajustar conceitos com base em dados e feedback real. Não tema o fracasso; cada teste oferece informações valiosas que podem conduzir a inovações bem-sucedidas. O foco deve ser na melhoria contínua, não na perfeição imediata.

Avant d’adopter une nouvelle idée à grande échelle, je la mets à l'épreuve à travers des tests rigoureux. Cela me permet de recueillir des données, d’obtenir des feedbacks et d'apporter les ajustements nécessaires pour maximiser l'impact tout en minimisant les risques.

Here's what has worked for me, more often than once: - Openness to feedback: Showing content pieces to a variety of people to see what works (or doesn't) - Experimenting: Experimentation with newer content forms and advertising type forms to reach a wider audience helps - Every trend is not for you: Just because things aren't working doesn't mean you have to do everything. Stay true to your brand's ethos before changing your skin to be a part of a wave

Se ha vuelto poderoso la integración de la audiencia en la estrategia que nos obliga a que sea más creativa de acuerdo a la investigación de ese seguidor. Hoy es necesaria la honestidad y el criterio por lo tanto la interacción es fundamental y no se queda solo en redes sociales, rompamos pantallas y lleguemos al individuo y a la comunidad.

If you mix all the vibrant, beautiful, amazing colours in the world you get… brown. If your creativity starts and stops at asking your audience to come up with ideas for you. Don’t expect them to be particularly inspired by your brand.

Je crois fermement en l'importance de rester connecté avec mon audience. En écoutant leurs besoins, en sollicitant leurs opinions et en les impliquant dans le processus créatif, je m'assure que mes stratégies restent pertinentes et alignées avec leurs attentes.

When you have your audience clear and the target of your campaign stated, you'll know the most effective channels to interact with and test your content, always rely on your findings of your personas, will be a powerful tool during all the creative process.

Why guess when you can ask? In one campaign, we had our audience vote on content themes, and the engagement skyrocketed. People love being part of the process, and you get insights straight from the source—it’s a win-win.

La tecnología nos empodera para responder a las necesidades cada vez más inmediatas de nuestros consumidores, personalizando la experiencia a escala y liberando el potencial creativo de nuestros equipos. Al automatizar procesos repetitivos, agilizamos la creación y distribución de contenido altamente personalizado que se adapta a las preferencias individuales de cada usuario. Esto no solo mejora la experiencia del cliente, sino que también optimiza nuestros recursos, permitiéndonos dedicar más tiempo a desarrollar estrategias creativas innovadoras y construir relaciones más sólidas con nuestra audiencia.

My best insight is not to just 'read' about new technologies, but truly engage with them before passing judgement or talking about them. Try to find the gaps between what the tech has been built to do and where you can see a new opportunity in it. Play with it in a way that tries to break it, not just accept it on its own terms. Find the early adopters in your community and grill them without mercy about what they find compelling, practical or entertaining about what the tech can do (or, preferably, has done) for them.

In fast-paced markets, leveraging technology is not just about adopting the latest tools—it's about creating ecosystems that connect the right knowledge, resources, and people. By integrating visionary thinking with emerging tech, even what seems impossible today can become feasible in the near future. Fostering a mindset where technology fuels collaboration can accelerate innovation, transforming long-term goals into actionable roadmaps with immediate results.

1. Real-Time Data Analytics Customer Insights: Utilize AI and machine learning to analyze real-time data from multiple sources like social media, sales, and customer feedback. This helps in understanding changing customer preferences and trends, enabling you to adapt your creative strategy 2. Personalization at Scale AI-Driven Personalization: Use AI to create personalized content and experiences for customers. Personalized marketing messages and targeted campaigns can increase engagement and drive conversions. 3. Social Listening and Sentiment Analysis: Use social listening tools to monitor online conversations and sentiment around your brand. This enables you to quickly adapt your messaging and campaigns to align with emerging trends.

Je veille à rester informé des dernières innovations technologiques qui peuvent enrichir mes campagnes. Qu'il s'agisse d'automatisation, d'outils analytiques ou de nouvelles plateformes, j'utilise la technologie pour améliorer l'efficacité et la portée de mes initiatives.

Conocer la evolución de la tecnología indudablemente no ayuda a ver nuevas posibilidades de integración. Desde este punto de partida nos queda analizar qué nos funciona con lo que hacemos y que podemos seguir explorando para aplicar más tarde o no.

Tech is a game-changer, but creativity is still the soul. I recently used AI to analyze audience behavior, which gave me data-driven insights, but I used human intuition to craft the messaging. Data and creativity are like peanut butter and jelly—they’re better together.

Change is inevitable. We cannot keep listening to people with old ideas who are unable to adapt and modify. - Hire people who are flexible and passionate about what they do. - Talk to all kinds of people doing all kinds of work. - Experiment with your work style while having fun. - Stay updated with technology and AI progress. - Gather data, study them, and make intuitive as well as informed decisions. - Listen to the people who you hired. - Take a break from work, roam around the park, have some tea, and come back with more energy, if not new ideas. - Life imitates art and art imitates life. Everything is about perspectives and experiences, so don't be so hard on yourself if one thing didn't work out.

Marketing isn’t about being rigid; it’s about staying agile. When a campaign didn’t land as expected, we made quick tweaks and relaunched with better results. Being flexible doesn’t mean you’re indecisive, it means you’re smart enough to adapt when needed.

One measure of high quality creative strategy is that flexibility and adaptability is built-in. I always factor in how the creative can grow over time. When I first started in the business this was known as creative"having legs." You want to make sure that you're creating a creative platform that can evolve and stay fresh while retaining the essence of the brand. The other important element is to avoid being too trendy. That doesn't mean creative execution can't be current, but the underlying strategy should not be subject to the whims of of pop culture - otherwise your strategy will change too often and you won't be able to build brand standing or equity.

Na minha opinião, cultivar a flexibilidade é essencial para uma estratégia criativa sustentável. É importante promover uma cultura de inovação, onde novas ideias são bem-vindas e exploradas. Adotar metodologias ágeis permite ajustes rápidos com base em feedback ou mudanças no mercado. Flexibilidade não implica falta de estrutura, mas sim ter uma estrutura resiliente que apoie a evolução e o crescimento contínuo em projetos criativos.

La capacité à pivoter rapidement est essentielle dans un environnement dynamique. Je garde donc une approche flexible, prête à adapter mes plans et à explorer de nouvelles voies si cela s'avère nécessaire.

In the creative field, there will be always room for improvement, and flexibility is one powerful tool in our arsenal of innovation and improvement over time, you need to try different styles, methodologies, gathering ideas and testing, so you will become a more versatile professional and artist.