As South Africa gets ready to commemorate the 31st anniversary of its democracy, and to celebrate its collective freedom, it might be the right time to reflect on the ideals of freedom and what they mean in business.
It’s no secret that marketers generally wish to have more creative freedom when impacting brands. This is because to limitations like brand guidelines and defined boundaries set by clients to operate within to safeguard their brand image, briefs that could be clearer, quick turnarounds and bottleneck.
These factors can stifle creative freedom and the potential for maximum impact on brands, which would benefit the overall profitability for all involved. However, the question is how can marketers identify strategies, or best practices, to balance efficiency and impact amid brand guidelines, and retain their client base?
The collaboration between the creative and client service teams is vital. On one hand, the creative team thrives on originality, creative innovation and pushing boundaries.
On the other hand, client service teams are the guardians of brand integrity, ensuring that all campaigns stay within the guidelines set by the client. Striking the right balance between creative freedom and brand limitations requires mutual understanding, deliberate strategy and clear communication.
Unpacking this dynamic further, integrated marketing agency – Matte BLK’s senior art director, Thato Moatlhodi and group account director, Fredine Swigelaar, both emphasise that marketers must be strategic to achieve this goal.
The two seasoned campaigners listed the following tips for marketers looking to unlock more freedom for themselves while working within the ambit brand guidelines.
Seek the ‘why’ behind limitations
Clients have internal rules and guidelines that eventually determine how they want their brand image to be published, and these trickle down to how agencies are expected to operate. It’s part of the agency’s responsibility to find out the “why”, according to Swigelaar.
“Sometimes, brand guidelines may feel restrictive, but it’s essential to understand the rationale behind them. Client service teams should dig deeper into the client’s reasoning and communicate it effectively to the creative team. This understanding often opens new creative opportunities to work within those boundaries,” she adds.
Understand the client and the brand
The creative team must immerse themselves in the brand’s identity, voice and values. The client service team, on the other hand, must support this by managing the relationship with the client, understanding how the client prefers to function and how to traffic the creative work between the two organisations seamlessly.
Client service teams play a crucial role here by acting as translators between the brand guidelines and the creative expression, helping creatives find innovative ways to interpret the rules without overstepping boundaries.
“The foundation is a strong relationship with the client. It’s key to achieving creative freedom. Client service teams should nurture trust by consistently delivering value and demonstrating an understanding of the brand. Once trust is established, clients are often more willing to loosen strict limitations and allow more creative exploration,” says Swigelaar.
Technology integration
Technological advancements can support the management of client relationship, through managing the production, communication and logistics process.
Tools such as Adobe Analytics, Improvado and HubSpot offer solutions for predictive analytics and tracking systems to manage delivery timelines effectively, minimising delays and errors.
Be responsible with ‘rules’ – they exist for a reason
Moatlhodi implores marketing firms to be responsible when navigating through brand limitations to solve problems because “rules are the for a reason. They guard the brand’s integrity. To the client it’s not about creative freedom vs brand limitations, but it’s about protecting their equity”.
“The limitations set by clients guide creatives when looking for the best ways to impact brands. The solutions offered by creatives should help the clients protect their brands, as much as amplifying their objectives. The clients are busy and contract marketing agencies for solutions; clients don’t have the time to find the solutions with them.”
Be solution minded
Moatlhodi urges creatives to search for solutions for the ‘need for more creative freedom’ puzzle on their side first.
“The solutions are normally on our side of the fence. It takes a careful understanding of the client’s brand to fit the missing pieces to the puzzle when it feels like client limitations, like CI specs for example, limit creative freedom.”
Another common quick fix is a more collaborative approach between clients and marketers, if there is room, so that the marketers can create the necessary freedom for themselves.
