Keeping things fresh
Everyone loves fresh things. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of sleeping in fresh sheets or cooking with herbs picked fresh from your own garden. We love fresh food, fresh clothes and fresh ideas.
One of the hardest things to do in the creative industry is to put a new spin on things. How do we create something unique in a saturated market? There’s a lot of competition out there, and no matter how you look at it, a car is just another car; a beer is just another beer… right? Maybe not:
- Tesla motors released the Model S, a car that is fuelled by batteries and the power outlet in your home.
- Budweiser invented the Bud Light, a low carb beer option that is now the top-selling beer in the world.
- Krispy Kreme put original glaze on their donuts; you would be forgiven for thinking them the food of gods.
- Converse designed kicks called the All Star, a revolution in design that stood the test of time.
- McDonald’s actually lets you create your own burger and has table service. How many people saw that coming?
Regardless of your area of expertise or the services of your business, there are some things that major brands and new innovators have in common that lead them to success. By following the following three ideals, you can start keeping it fresh and making an impact.
Find your angle:
When Budweiser endeavoured to create a low carb beer, their angle was to make something that tasted amazing and was indiscernible as a low carb beer. Without the flavour, there was no Bud Light success. They found their angle, and they were committed to it. Bud didn’t compromise on their angle, and neither should we compromise on ours.
The best way to keep things fresh is to find your own angle, discover a new way of interpreting something, and commit to your point of difference. All t-shirts serve the same general function, but each iteration is fresh in its own way in order to reach different people. So, Step One really is: be your own t-shirt!
In creative terms, we want to highlight how the thing we are making — our vision, our version, our interpretation of that thing — is unique. Why does it stand out amongst the rest? What about it makes you want it over other brands? Once you’ve done this, you have successfully found your angle.
Push boundaries:
One of the biggest obstacles we face when creating something is self doubt. Keeping things fresh requires us to push boundaries, to try something new and to not be afraid of taking steps that traditionally would be perceived as going against the grain. In marketing, we thrive on finding ways to push boundaries and to commit to new exciting ideas to share things differently.
Pushing boundaries means getting something that is different from what you are used to. If you discover that your idea is fairly common, or that you are reproducing somebody else’s work, then you might need to consider that your idea is not as fresh as you thought it was.
Let go of the norm and embrace the unique ‘you’. Great brands push boundaries; consider the Red Bull company. They create energy drinks but sponsor some of the most extreme sports on the planet. They break the limits of what human sports do and brand themselves with it. They are pushing the boundaries so much that they’re breaking through the atmosphere!
Remain constant in your vision:
Often during a project I will continue to get new ideas, fresh angles and a multitude of other thoughts as to how something will turn out once it’s completed. While new ideas can help to push our concepts to new levels, we need to make sure that we aren’t constantly changing our initial fresh thought. Remember — be committed to your angle. Too many ideas can easily shift a vision or leave it behind completely. Don’t lose sight of what you are trying to achieve; see things through to the end.
Believe it or not, many brands are still successful today because they have remained constant in their vision. Take Coca Cola, for example. This brand has been around for over 100 years, and their iconic wording and brand has always remained the same. Today the brand is continually rebuilt around this main element. Somehow it still looks fresh and exciting every time I see it.
All of these points are stepping stones to keeping things fresh. They can be applied in design, work, staffing, and our everyday lives. A creative agency doesn’t just produce the same things everyday; they find ways to carve a unique niche in the marketplace and to communicate your angle better. We work hard to make sure that we produce fresh and amazing work for our clients.
If you would like us to help keep your business fresh, send us an email below to chat with one of our specialists.