Bringing Creative Strategy into Digital Marketing

Key Takeaways (5-minute read)

• Your branding strategy should include seamless transitions between in-person and digital.
• Creative should be designed and formatted with digital in mind.
• Rich video content is on the rise for brands and consumers alike.
• The integration of video into a primarily listening-based platform proves that consumers want to experience content in more ways than one.

The importance of making brand connections recognizable between in-person, products, or print to the digital world cannot be measured today. It’s just expected. A seamless experience for the consumer across all platforms should be the goal for any brand, no matter the industry. When creating a brand or taking over as the design studio for an existing one, it’s imperative to consider how the company’s logo and creative standards will translate to digital communications and rich online content. So how can a digital experiential studio like ours help brands do this?

Make Your Logo and Creative Standards Work for the Web.

As digital marketing becomes more prominent than ever, the usage of brand standards across many digital platforms should be streamlined by your creative team. Graphics need to be designed and formatted in such a way that they will translate from a website to social media to video and partner content effortlessly, without losing any of your brand integrity due to grainy imagery or readability issues. Because of this, many storied brands have recently chosen to redesign their logos, and even the most iconic companies have simplified their digital branding to ensure this standard of excellence across platforms. BMW, for example, drew on its century-long history and a new focus on consumer relationships for its 2020 logo redesign, which saw the well-known black circle become transparent and the text and round mark flattened rather than having an embossed look.

“BMW becomes a relationship brand. The new communication logo radiates openness and clarity,” explains Jens Thiemer, senior vice president of customer and brand for BMW. “With this new transparent variant, we want to invite our customers more than ever to become part of the BMW world. In addition, our new brand design is geared to the challenges and opportunities of Digitization for brands. With visual restraint and graphic, we are equipping ourselves flexibly for the wide variety of contact points in communication at which BMW will show its presence online and offline in the future. The additional communication logo symbolizes the significance and relevance of the brand for mobility and driving pleasure in the future.”

Video Is the New Black.

From simple animated gifs to documentary-length branded video content, it’s safe to say that the future of digital marketing is movement. Storytelling through video is on the rise again thanks to the sensation of social media content ranging from TikTok videos to Instagram Reels, livestreaming, Zoom-style interviews, vlog series, how-tos, virtual reality experiences, shoppable videos, and documentaries of all lengths and topics. The most popular digital marketing platforms such as social media are rewarding users who share all types of content available—feed posts, videos, Reels, Stories… It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin, but in today’s algorithm-based social marketing landscape, it’s imperative for staying competitive and getting your brand message directly to consumers.

With the right digital marketing strategy, publishing rich video content across various channels doesn’t have to be intimidating. Most of it can be repurposed and retooled to fit various mediums on YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok—you name it.

According to Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing Survey 2021, 68% of consumers say the pandemic has impacted the amount of video content they’ve watched online, with the overwhelming majority (96%) saying this has increased. When asked how they’d most like to learn about a product or service, 69% of consumers said they’d prefer to watch a short video as opposed to a text-based article or explanation, sales call, webinar, infographic, or ebook/manual.

Spotify, one of the world’s top music streaming services, has amped up its video game substantially in the past couple of years. Its social media is chock-full of rich video content, from casual Reels created by musical artists and fans alike to exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes looks, music videos, and concerts. When Spotify #12 most streamed artist in the world Billie Eilish released her latest album, Happier Than Ever, at the end of July, Spotify began an innovative video marketing campaign that includes music videos fans can watch on their mobile devices while listening to the album, plus three exclusive artist playlists including a “Fan Mode” playlist on which Eilish talks to fans about the album’s creation through a short video series while they listen through the album. This integration of video into a primarily listening-based platform proves that consumers want to experience content in more ways than one.

Get Innovative with Digital.

The ever-evolving nature of the digital world means it offers ever-evolving opportunities for growth and brand innovation. Thinking outside the box is expected in this sphere where the box exists only as a screen with a whole universe of possibilities beyond it. As brand creators, you get to shape that universe, and our team can’t wait to help. Innovation could look like starting a branded podcast to reach your audience on a new platform. It might mean creating an entirely new consumer experience through your website’s user interface. Or maybe it’s forming a virtual reality video so people around the world can safely and easily access your real-life experiences. There’s no wrong answer to the question of how to innovate through digital design or digital marketing strategy. The only mandate is creating an online experience that is unique to your brand personality that will connect you with your consumers.

If you’re ready to take the leap further into the universe of digital marketing strategy and creative user experiences online, hit us up—we’ll show you the way.

About A&P A&P is a brand innovation design studio that uses its collective talent to generate ideas that will increase shareholder wealth for their clients. How? By keeping consumers wanting more. A&P delivers brilliant brand experiences in the physical and digital world every moment of every day. Their work includes consumer insight