Brands and agencies have become dangerously short-termist in their approach to creativity and effectiveness of brand campaigns and initiatives, that’s the upshot of ADMA’s annual creative effectiveness research.
The findings are based on an analysis of 250 campaigns and 700 entries to its awards, found a concerning trend towards short-term objectives and short-term creative effectiveness.
Nearly three-quarters (74%) of all submissions were based on shortterm evaluations of less than six months, with 55% evaluated over less than three months. The report claims this is because short-term effectiveness is easier to measure through social metrics and clicks, but campaigns designed to deliver over the long-term do return over 50% more business effects – such as increased market share and reduced price sensitivity – than short-term initiatives.
British marketing consultant Peter Field, who conducted the analysis and authored the report, told AdNews that because clients are driven by short-term success, quarterly reporting and looking for a quick response to work, agencies are
becoming short-termist as well.
“Everyone is starting to think this way, and it takes your eye off the long-term game, which is building the brand. At the end of the day, it means that next year’s sales will be just as tough as this year’s, but if you’re building strength into brands, it means you may not get all the return in the short run but next year, sales will be easier to achieve … That’s what marketing is about.
“Brands that have been trading on short-term initiatives are less highly regarded by consumers, and trust and esteem is eroded.
“At the root of it is that creativity is effective over the long-term … In the US, marketers will say ‘creative doesn’t work’, and it’s true to say that over a quarter, but it works enormously over the long-term. The benefits accrue,” explains Field.
The report warns that measuring effectiveness in the short term trends towards rational, activation, sales promotion-style approaches that are less likely to drive profitability and market share in the long run than emotionally driven brand campaigns.
“It’s a massive misunderstanding that if you stitch together a number of short-term successes it will build into long-term success. It doesn’t. The short-term initiatives fizzle out and you’re back where you started from,” warns Field.
The report also found that brands are turning to creativity as a substitute for budget. Only 55% of winning campaigns in the inaugural AC&E (Australian Creativity and Effectiveness) Awards came from budgets of less than $500,000 – down from 80% of winning campaigns in the old-style awards – showing that creative ideas executed on a limited budget are less likely to also be effective.
ADMA launched its AC&E Awards last year, replacing the ADMA Awards, with the aim of “rewarding the optimum balance of creativity and effectiveness” – rather than recognising one or the other.
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