What makes a campaign really great—even remarkable—and what it takes to get there. A look at some successful campaigns across all mediums, discuss what we can learn from them, and then review the creative process to get there.

1. Smart, compelling strategies
for creating successful
creative campaigns
From good to great.

2. Shannon Flowerday
Digital Designer, Elevated Third

3. HOWARD GOSSAGE, 1955
People don’t read ads.
They read things that
interest them. Sometimes
that happens to be an ad.

4. Effective campaigns:
What do they have in
common?

5. They’re Memorable.

6. They resonate with customers.

7. They communicate how the product or service
makes your life better, happier, more productive.

8. The stand for values above and beyond
the product or service.

9. They are inextricably
linked to the brand.

10. Stories of success:
What made these
campaigns great?

11. Did it make me gasp when I first saw it?
Do I wish I had thought of it myself?
Is it unique?
Does it fit the strategy to perfection?
Could it be used for 30 years?
ACCORDING TO OGILVY:
HOW TO RECOGNIZE
BIG IDEAS
1
2
3
4
5

13. Be unexpected.
Know your
audience.
DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB
TAKEAWAYS

16. If it ain’t broke,
don’t fix it.
Consistency
builds a strong
brand identity.
ABSOLUT VODKA
TAKEAWAYS

19. Be extremely
literal.
Outdoor isn’t
limited to
billboards.
DENVER WATER
TAKEAWAYS

22. Involve your
audience in
your campaign.
Find the right
channels.
DORITOS LOCOS TACOS
TAKEAWAYS

24. WEST SYDNEY
UNIVERSITY TAKEAWAYS
Tell a really
good story,
and people will
want to listen.

26. VOLKSWAGON
TAKEAWAYS
Hook with an
intriguing
headline.
Embrace
simplicity.

29. QUEENSLAND TOURISM:
BEST JOB IN THE WORLD
TAKEAWAYS
Experiment with
non-traditional
channels.
Even small brands
can make a big
impact.

30. Great campaigns:
What’s the process?

31. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Prepare.
Incubate.
Ideate.
Implement.
Iterate.

32. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Prepare.
Study your product/service.
Ask the right questions.
Specify the target audience.
Look at the data.
Do the research.

33. PREPARE:
STUDY THE
PRODUCT

34. PREPARE:
THE TARGET
AUDIENCE
Our target is middle-
aged women who
care about eating
healthy.
Our initial target is a Whole
Foods shopper. Early 30s-40s,
female, active, health conscious
with a dietary restriction, either
voluntary (vegan, vegetarian) or
involuntary (lactose intolerant,
gluten allergy). This customer
is engaged with social media,
particularly on mobile devices.
BAD GOOD

35. PREPARE:
COLLECT DATA
We asked 150 participants which ad they preferred in a Google Survey.
The Winner? Product + Image (C)
A B C

36. PREPARE:
DO THE RESEARCH
We reviewed what social posts
performed well, and researched the perfect
Pinterest photo, according to science.

37. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Incubate.
Walk away.
Why great ideas come in
the shower.
Outer-Inner Tasks.

38. DAVID OGILVY
Big ideas come from the
unconscious... But your
unconscious has to be well
informed, or your idea will
be irrelevant.

39. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Ideate.
Brainstorm ideas.
Collaborate with others.
Evaluate and refine.

41. IDEATE:
BRAINSTORM IDEAS
Various headlines and food photos used
in the initial round of designs

42. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Implement.
Embrace the medium(s).
Encourage cross-channel
connections.

43. IMPLEMENT:
Final executions: Responsive landing
page, media ads

44. THE CREATIVE PROCESS
FOR GREAT CAMPAIGNS
Iterate.
The life of a campaign.
Post-mortem.

45. ITERATE:
POST-MORTEM
Review of conversions over first month of campaign.

46. Final Thoughts.

47. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Never underestimate the
power of good typography
and simple image editing.

48. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Learn how to sell.
Learn how to write.

49. FINAL THOUGHTS:
Be the jack-of-all-trades.
Focus on getting good
at a lot of things in your 20s.
That way, you’ll know what
you want to become great
at later in your career.

50. THAT’S ALL, FOLKS!
ANY QUESTIONS?
Thank you!
shannonflowerday@gmail.com
Contact me on LinkedIn