Even if you don’t like it, it may be very good.

Personal preferences. We all have them when it comes to advertising. It’s not necessarily a matter of right or wrong, good or bad … it’s just what moves you personally. You see an event invitation, a landing page, a print ad — any piece of advertising someone else wrote and designed — and you have an immediate reaction to it. You have a first impression. You form a quick opinion.

I had a different idea for a headline. The font isn’t my favorite. That’s not the photo I’d choose. I’d use more descriptive words. There’s too much white space … plenty of room for another image, callout, link or copy point.

As a marketing professional, your knowledge and experience are crucial in judging creative work. And you have every right to your personal opinions, of course. But here’s the more important point: Is this creative piece right for the audience it was designed for? Does it actually do what it’s supposed to do: inform them, impress them, intrigue them, compel them to act? And might it actually be good in all those ways even if you don’t especially like it?

Why, yes … yes, it can be. Creative directors, art directors, copywriters, account managers, and data/metrics analysts may each look at an advertising piece from a different point of view, yet they all put their experience, talent, and knowledge into making that piece as appealing and as effective as possible. There’s an art and a science to successful advertising. And the results are best when the ad creators – and the clients — know that and understand exactly how much of each is needed.

Whether you produce your advertising in-house or rely on outside professionals, the next time you’re reviewing a creative piece — at the concept stage or further along in development — stop to question your immediate reaction to it. Is what you don’t like about it just a personal opinion (I really hate purple; why can’t they just use Helvetica; here’s room for 2 more bullet points), or do you truly think the larger audience won’t be impressed and won’t respond the way you want them to? Do you trust your creative partners to have a good handle on that art-and-science-equals-success thing? Answer those questions, and you’ll know how much stock to put in your first impression of that brochure or website or mailer … or whatever it might be.

Good creative partners will always care what you think and listen to what you have to say, because they respect your experience and insights. But they’d also like you to trust them to know what pulls people in and what draws them out.

Those who create advertising keep audience, objective, and strategy top of mind throughout the creative process. They absolutely should consider both the “beauty” of a well-designed piece and the “brains” of what’s needed to compel consumer action. And if they’re good at what they do, they won’t let their own personal preferences keep them from creating advertising that achieves both. They have opinions. They have favorite styles. But they know they must take to heart the advice they give to others: Even if I don’t like something about it, it may be very good. They understand that personal preference isn’t what determines “good” advertising. And those are the kinds of creative partners you want.

Let Us Be Your Creative Agency and Brand Partner

If you want advertising and marketing materials that truly make your community stand out from the crowd, Attane stands ready to be your creative partner. Whether you want to create awareness, extend special offers, invite people to events, or introduce new amenities and services, we can work with you to ensure your community always stays top of mind with your audience. Contact us today to learn more about how Attane combines art and science to create truly informative, impressive, intriguing, advertising that achieves all your objectives and compels people to act.