• by Kelly Bartell , Columnist, June 7, 2016

It’s time to take a step back and redefine “powerful creative.” It’s what invites people to explore, experience, act, shop, like, buy. It must be attractive, smart, relevant and inspirational. And to work, it must also be flexible, customized and multi-faceted. It must define who you are in the minds of consumers. It should surprise, excite, and tell a story about your product or service.

Shopper marketing is at the front line of the powerful creative evolution. Building creative messaging that blends seamlessly into a shopper’s experience and delivers on a need or desire at every stage of that experience is paramount. It’s not about the big logo or the campaign consistently marching across all channels or platforms. It’s about relevancy—the moment of connection in the minds of shoppers. 

To win in the aisles there are three “must do’s” for successful creative solutions:

1. Context is key. Every consumer views your brand through the lens of their experience. Selling adorable dresses on social media? Remind your shopper of the moments that dress will enhance (ahem, #datenight). Pair that dress with some roses and a bag of Dove chocolates and you’ve put a shopping trip on the agenda. This sort of “solution selling” works harder than a national campaign because of its immediacy—and synergism. 

2. Inspire with solutions. You wouldn’t wear a ball gown to the roller derby. Don’t ask your brand to wear their national ad campaign at Walmart. Take Snack Pack, for example. At the aisle is not the time to focus on appealing flavors and 2% milk claims. While these are compelling brand messages, they aren’t the copy points that say “I’m different, try me.” Instead, powerful creative packaging design and messaging should consistently prompt the shopper with ideas, inspiration and fun to reinforce the reason to buy now, transforming their offering and boosting their business by adding value to sleepovers and after school snacks.

3. Get emotional. We’ve all seen them: product promotions that seem to have a life of their own. Teeming with well-designed, innovative graphics, these creative elements are not the cookie-cutter renditions of yesteryear. Rather they are streamlined masterpieces that stand out in the minds of a targeted audience. We can’t forget that living—and buying—is an emotional experience. 

When we think about creative impact in the eyes of a consumer, especially in the midst of an expensive purchase, the major appliance category is a great place to start.

KitchenAid launched Shop Like a Cook, a conversion marketing initiative allowing shoppers to see themselves successfully using the appliances, creating masterpiece meals and commanding a more sophisticated, attention-getting kitchen.Thecampaign converted shoppers with an exact blend of the brand's data with breathtaking, in-store creative. 

Research and results have proven that the in-store experience is the No. 1 reason a brand makes the consideration set for large purchases, It exudes confidence that this is “the right product for me.” 

So how does a powerful creative result in said consumer confidence? Quite simply, by providing a contextual basis for purchasing, by offering tangible, inspirational solutions, and by emoting a reason to make the purchase (it’ll make our kitchen look incredible). By doing this, we can inspire action along every aisle. 

Remember, consumers interact with myriad touchpoints every day. Therefore, a brand must have more personality and connectivity than ever before. It must have a powerful creative that not only redefines creativity by integrating a brand promise into customized messages, but also strengthens the brand’s core attributes, inspires, and creates an emotive experience—all while providing a contextual basis for a consumer’s purchasing decision.