The terms ‘innovation’ and ‘creativity’ have been overused and then some more in the traditional business world and global creative industry. Beyond being strong words that potentially elevate the public image of businesses or individuals, creativity and innovation are powerful tools that can transform those who use them wisely.
These terms are commonly used interchangeably, but not appropriately. The Word Web dictionary describes innovation as the creation or invention (of a new device or process), resulting from study and experimentation. The same dictionary defines creativity as the ability to create.
As such, you cannot be innovative without being creative. Also, innovation is only effective with constant study and experimentation. Succinctly put, a business that consistently innovates unique ideas or tools in its processes is creative.
This article will explore the role of innovation in the big picture of every business, why, how, and when you should innovate creative solutions that can make your brand stand out.
Innovation: The Canvas For Painting Your Business’ Big Picture:
Have you ever wondered how big brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi stay relevant? These brands are 136 and 129 years old respectively, and although they’ve had their rough seasons, and smaller yet strong competitors keep rising, they are arguably undefeated.
Even if a brand like Coca-Cola loses the trust of new generation consumers, it can always gain it back because the brand is always innovating creative concepts without losing sight of its consistent brand message.
For Coca-Cola, the big picture is to permanently attach a happy image to the word Coca-Cola in the mind of consumers, but it also ensures to arrive here by building individual innovative branding strategies, such as its top commercials of all times, that consistently portray happy experiences for consumers.
Note: innovation doesn’t always mean discarding existing processes, but sometimes, it means breathing life into dying practices that can still give results.
While the end goal is to be at the forefront of consumers and even critics, successful brands play the long game.
According to a Forbes’ survey of brands on social media, one out of four people buy from brands they follow. This suggests that certain attributes keep about 25% of social media users on the platforms of their favourite brands. Successful brands are not quick to change their products, services, or processes on a hunch.
You should understand that trends come and go and that you should innovate, but also maintain the brand experience that won you your customers in the first place. You should also stay focused on the big picture (long-term goal) that inspired you to create that brand experience.
How To Standout As A Creative Business
1. Get Creative Advisory
There is a reason why effective brainstorming sessions are necessary before business or brand owners make concrete plans. It is because getting unique ideas from different people expands your initial ideas and gives you so much more to work with.
Most importantly though, getting suitable creative advice from seasoned creative professionals will make your business stand out.
There are many good consultancy agencies you can consult to get and implement innovative ideas. However, if your goal is to increase brand engagement and sales, it is best to consult an equally creative agency like Talku Talku that adopts result-driven innovative branding and marketing strategies .
2. Ditch ineffective graphic designs
Graphic designs will never go out of style, but you do need to get creative with the designs that portray your business and the products or experiences it offers. A detail as seemingly inconsequential as your brand’s font can determine the frequency with which your audience opens or interact with your online content.
The colour scheme you adopt for your product packaging can also determine how fast the product sells. This is why you must work with an excellent graphics designer who understands that every detail matters.
3. Give your images life
Do you hope to get increased engagement on your website or social media platforms? Then, you might need to innovate how you present information to your audience. If you have been using only still images or graphics, it’s time to introduce your audience to enhanced graphics.
Try using 2D, 3D, motion graphics, or animated images, to tell your brand stories. Computer-generated imageries (CGI), such as this animated logo from Talku Talku, are usually very short but compelling enough to capture your audience’s attention. Such flash storytelling methods will get you better results than still images.