Aspire Articles

Not Art for Arts sake

Brand and marketing companies are increasingly needing powerful and innovative campaigns and advertising to cut through the clutter of a highly competitive marketplace. New media has further driven this need as communications channels have become diverse and more fragmented. Companies are realising the need for a powerful and integrated brand story that will reach across new and old mediums in a dynamic and integrated way. Traditional agencies have struggled to meet this need, often working with new technology companies but finding their cultures incompatible. This is not surprising really when you consider the introverted nature of technology versus the extroverted nature of brand and advertising agencies. It is this bipolar environment which can unhinge campaigns or brands that are attempting integration.

Agencies on one hand create a campaign or brand concept but don't really know how to integrate it into all of the mediums it needs to fit in. They end up with an art for art's sake approach where the campaign creative becomes more important than the practical aspects. On the other side of the coin, technology companies play at creating branding but fail to grasp that branding is beyond new media and needs brand or campaign story telling.

Branding and marketing campaigns in the 21st century need to integrate an artistic and creative approach that is aligned to an organisations strategy and with an ability to work with new and old media.

This is a challenge for the traditional companies and is causing the emergence of a new category of agencies. These agencies are focused on the creative component to generate the x-factor needed to cut through. However this creative must be aligned to the strategy of the organisation and work the mediums it will be delivered in.

This 'not art for art's sake' approach is the essence of a creative intelligence. A creative intelligence is a business competing in the 21 century utilising the knowledge economy to leverage traditional story telling talents. This is against an environment where strategic objectives must be met in whatever medium is most important for reaching the target audience.

Aspire is leading the way in this field. Our focus on being a 'creative intelligence' is giving our clients the ability to enhance their competitiveness and integration in the cluttered world we live in.