The Creative Effectiveness Ladder emphasizes the role of creative commitment in marketing success
It’s no secret, clients want agencies to prove ROI. They want to see the numbers that show them the work they are paying for is effective. Don’t get me wrong, ROI is important for agencies too. It’s how we show our clients that we’re valuable to them. But what does it mean to be “effective”? The Effectiveness Code, a 2020 whitepaper from James Hurman and Peter Field on behalf of Cannes Lions and WARC, set out to discover exactly that.
The Effectiveness Code addresses a critical issue in marketing– there is no industry standard or universal definition of effectiveness. How are we supposed to measure how effective our work is if we don’t even have a way to talk about it? In an effort to create a framework by which to measure effectiveness, The Creative Effectiveness Ladder was born.
According to the white paper, “The Ladder identifies the six main types of effects that creative marketing produces, setting them in a hierarchy of levels from least to most commercially impactful.” While developing The Creative Effectiveness Ladder, effectiveness experts Hurman and Field made another discovery: marketing effectiveness is heavily influenced by a campaign’s degree of Creative Commitment.
Creative Commitment is defined by the combination of media budget, duration, number of media channels and – a fourth, highly impactful element, creativity. Hurman and Field found creatively awarded campaigns are much more effective overall. As our fast-paced, content-rich media landscape grows, it becomes harder to capture and keep consumers’ attention. Advertisers must push for work that is not only strategic but engaging and entertaining. We have to counsel our clients and help them understand big, creative ideas aren’t risks; they’re necessary for delivering ROI.
R+K’s Ryann Flynn, Associate Creative Director, contributed to this post. If you would like to learn more about how Rhea + Kaiser can help you execute more effective campaigns, contact our Business Development Director.