Stop the boredom: How start-ups and scale-ups use creative marketing as a competitive advantage

Studies show that around 80 percent of all B2B ads and 50 percent of B2C ads do not attract the necessary attention to make an impact. This is often due to the fact that many campaigns are neither emotionally nor visually appealing enough to be remembered by consumers. The quality of creativity plays a central role in the success of a campaign. Studies show that creativity accounts for up to 80 percent of the success of traditional TV campaigns and up to 89 percent of digital campaigns.

Boring advertising, on the other hand, poses a double problem for the marketing of start-ups and scale-ups. Firstly, it is a waste of resources, and secondly, it forces companies to increase their media spend in order to be noticed despite mediocre communication – a phenomenon known as the „cost of being dull“.

However, there is a way out of this costly trap of boredom. Companies that use creativity as a strategic marketing tool to create targeted emotional connections and unique brand elements not only stand out, but are proven to achieve better results. Creativity is critical to increasing short-term sales as well as building long-term brand awareness and customer loyalty.

What is creative marketing?

Creative marketing involves more than just eye-catching visuals and catchy slogans – it’s a strategic approach that uses deeper psychological and emotional mechanisms to maximize impact. Brands that create strong emotional connections, such as Nike with its “Just Do It” campaign or Coca-Cola with “Share a Coke”, can build lasting customer loyalty. These emotional connections are often based on a match between the brand values and the wishes and needs of the target group.

A prime example for start-ups and scale-ups is the “Bitter Sweet” campaign by Tony’s Chocolonely. The Dutch chocolate brand has managed to combine the serious issue of injustice in the cocoa supply chain with the joy of chocolate. With an eye-catching visual identity and unevenly chunked chocolate bars, Tony’s underlines its positioning as a challenger in the industry while staying true to its core promise of “Crazy about chocolate, serious about people”.

watch the video: Tony’s Chocolonely – unequally divided chocolate bar

Another important aspect is the linking of brands with certain needs, so-called category entry points (CEPs). CEPs are mental triggers that cause consumers to remember a brand when a need or a specific situation arises. Brands that focus on these relevant moments can increase their mental availability, i.e. the likelihood that they will be considered in a purchase process. One example of this is Snickers, which specifically uses the moment of hunger as a CEP with “You’re not you when you’re hungry”.

Distinctive brand assets such as colors, shapes and logos act as mental shortcuts and make it easier to recognize the brand in different contexts. Successful brands such as McDonald’s with the Golden Arches or Coca-Cola with the distinctive red color use such assets to evoke immediate associations and set themselves apart from the competition.

Why is creativity so important in marketing?

The importance of creativity in marketing can be explained by the structure of the market. Only around 5 percent of potential customers are ready to buy at any given time, also known as current demand. The rest, i.e. the 95 percent who are not yet ready to buy, are what we call belong to future demand. This dynamic market structure illustrates how important it is to remain present in the minds of consumers, even if they are not actively looking for a solution at the moment.

Creative marketing plays a key role in staying top-of-mind. People remember two to three brands when a need arises, the so-called relevant set. Brands that manage to get themselves into this set through emotional connections and creative storytelling have a significant competitive advantage. In 70 to 80 percent of cases, the purchase decision is made in favor of one of these brands in the relevant set.

HSBC impressively demonstrates in the B2B sector how creative marketing can be used to occupy a specific category entry point. With its “Different Perspectives” campaign from 2003, HSBC positions itself as “The World’s Local Bank” and wants to be the first choice when companies want to expand into new markets. Through creative visualizations of cultural differences, HSBC underlines its deep understanding of local characteristics and thus remains in the minds of potential business customers.

How to lay the foundations for creativity

As a marketing executive, it is not your job to be creative yourself. But you do need to create the right conditions for creative solutions. The key is to have a clear and actionable marketing strategy that consists of four core components:

1. market segments: Clearly define which part of the market you want to target – and which you don’t. Describe the people in this segment, their needs and their behavior in the market.

2. objectives: Set specific, measurable and realistic goals. Instead of vague statements such as “increase brand awareness”, define concrete goals such as “increase market share by X% in period Y” or “be top-of-mind for certain category entry points”.

3. resources: Determine what you are prepared to invest – both financially and in terms of time. Ensure a realistic balance between goals and available resources.

4. positioning: Get to the heart of your value proposition and show how you stand out from the competition. Good positioning opens up opportunities for creative solutions.

An outstanding example of the power of a clear strategy and positioning is T-Mobile in the USA. As an underdog in the market, T-Mobile boldly defined its positioning as an “un-carrier” and turned its weakness into a strength. With the “Somebody had to” campaign, T-Mobile staged itself as a disruptor in the industry, addressing classic customer pain points. This clear strategy led to creative solutions that turned T-Mobile from a niche provider into the third-largest carrier in the USA within just a few years.

From strategy to creative implementation

Companies like Salesforce are impressive examples of how creative solutions can evolve with corporate strategy. From the initial “The End of Software” guerrilla campaign that positioned Salesforce as a SaaS pioneer, to “The Customer Company” and the current “Team Earth” campaign, Salesforce has consistently managed to connect major social trends with their corporate positioning while consistently leveraging their distinctive brand assets.

Such examples illustrate how creative teams based on a clear strategy can develop their full potential. For managers, this means:

1. clear briefings: a structured briefing ensures that creative work is aligned with the overarching corporate goals. Briefings should not only contain specific instructions, but also leave room for creative solutions.

2. realistic expectations: Unrealistic goals or comparisons can greatly inhibit the creative process. It is important to adjust expectations to the available resources and market conditions so that creative ideas emerge without unnecessary pressure.

3. evaluation of creative proposals: In the age of AI, ideas are just a prompt away. However, ideas are only effective for the business if they reflect the strategic positioning well and reach the target group. A well-founded evaluation helps to ensure that the ideas are not only creative, but also brand-relevant and effective.

4. courage for innovative ideas: Openness to unconventional and bold concepts is crucial to revitalize a company’s positioning. Salesforce shows impressively how innovative ideas that pick up on social trends can become successful campaigns. This combination of creativity and strategy not only strengthens the brand image, but also supports long-term success.

Conclusion: creativity as a real competitive advantage

Creative marketing knows no boundaries – it offers companies countless opportunities to position themselves successfully on the market. It is crucial that marketing arouses interest, attracts attention and builds an emotional bridge between the target groups and the company’s positioning. Without this creative power, companies run the risk of being lost in the crowd – with costly consequences.

In an increasingly saturated market environment, where almost 60 percent of consumers question their brand loyalty, the first impression of a creative campaign can often be decisive for the purchase decision. Companies that integrate creativity into their DNA stand out noticeably from the competition – both in the B2C and B2B sectors.

For managers, this means treating creativity and innovation as strategic priorities. It is important to create an environment that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and allows new ideas to flourish. The integration of different perspectives – whether from partners, customers or external creatives – can lead to authentic and effective brand messages that make the decisive difference in competition.

a guest article by Sebastian Wicke, Solokarpfen
sebastian.wicke@solokarpfen.de