‘Kaan khol kar suno!’ Because creativity starts with listening. Ideas are all around us. We just need to make a connect. That’s why one needs to be all ears when others are talking in the room. So that you can draw inspiration and take a leap from there to come up with new ideas and new perspective for your client.
How To Make Your Ad Campaign Creatively Effective
If the source of inspiration is the conversation, the most important factor is patience. Soaking in everything from the conversation and reading between the lines will lead to new insights and out-of-the-box ideas. Extended chats and interactions can tell us much more than what we hear in a briefing session. Rely on such instances to understand what the client believes in.
Active listening is as important as proactive questioning. Listen to understand more about your client’s thoughts, challenges, barriers etc. And by asking pointed questions you will we be able to develop a better understanding of the task at hand. It’s like conducting your own mini research.
Don’t just listen to the CEO or the CMO. Go beyond the immediate team and listen to the extended team and stakeholders. Try to understand the real life situations faced by sales and customer service teams. Reaching out to stakeholders can help create a strong in flow of information and could bring in new perspectives. Market research, customer feedback, employee feedback are all great ways to listen more effectively. Gather more data and insights from interactions with the teams to develop a deeper understanding.
But above all else, listen with your heart, not just ears. Open up to your client’s point of view and explore the possibilities. Keep aside all preconceived notions and mental blocks. When you start feeling the emotions, the brief comes to life.
It is equally important to follow your gut feel. After having absorbed all this information in different ways, it is your instinct which will be stronger than the logic. The onus also lies with the client to listen, understand and trust the agency for recommendations. A great amount of trust, confidence and listening is required in a symbiotic relationship with your clients, only then can creativity thrive.
Author Bio: The author of this article is Jay Shah, Founder and Creative Head of Mad Minds – a creative advertising agency based in Mumbai.
