Creative Advertising Concepts

Only 30% of advertising and comms CEO roles are held by women 😳 This is despite women making up 70% of junior–manager positions across the industry. The step up to the C-Suite is where things seem to fall apart. And for women of colour, that gap is even more dramatic. Why does this matter? Because women make 80% of purchasing decisions. If they don’t see themselves reflected in leadership, or in the marketing messages created by that leadership, we surely miss not only representation, but commercial opportunity, too? Time and again it has been proven, women bring strengths the industry desperately needs: → Collaboration and emotional intelligence → Long-term, strategic thinking → Nuanced understanding of diverse audiences → A balance of bold creativity with empathy → Skill in navigating complex cultural landscapes Soooooo, how do we fix it? According to WACL (Women in Advertising & Communications Leadership ), five key levers drive change: 🗣️ Update the language of leadership ⭐ Promote for potential, not just experience ❤️🩹 Support women through health challenges 💻 Enable flexible working 👀 Better represent women in advertising and media For me, representation is one of the most powerful, yet easy-to-activate elements. But after attending a bunch of major industry events this year, I was SO BORED of seeing the same “type” of marketing guru booked for talks, featured in blogs, or presented as THE voice of the industry. In plain sight, there is an abundance of BRILLIANT women shaping some of the world’s biggest brands: 📺 Marian Lee, guiding Netflix’s global marketing 💄Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer at L’Oréal 💻 Janine Pelosi, who made Zoom a household name The talent is there. The impact is proven. What’s missing is visibility. If industry platforms, events, and organisations diversify the “thought leadership” spotlight, we give the next generation of women in marketing role models to look up to. And role models are EVERYTHING. They’re how the next gen see what’s possible and start believing they can get there too. If we are going to even slightly attempt to close the gap between mid-level and C-suite representation in our lifetime, then it’s time some fresh industry voices were handed the mic. 🔗Linking some great articles in the comments below. ------ 👋 I’m Jo Bird, Creative Director & Brand Builder 🎤 Now taking speaker bookings 🔗 Work with me – link in bio

By far my most successful prospecting mechanism is sending Physical Gifts, I sourced over $200K in Closed Won Revenue last year from gifts, and positively influenced hundreds of thousands in pipeline. Why It Works: ↳ Direct mail increases email open rates by 20% and boosts response rates by 80% (Sendoso). ↳ It achieves a 40% response rate, far outperforming email’s 0.12% The Process Part 1 Identify Your Prospect: ↳ Focus on VP-level and above. ↳ If they’re back in the office, consider sending something larger or even a communal gift (think: coffee for the team or a case of energy drinks). Part 2 Find Their Address: ↳ Use FullEnrich to find someone's mobile number, it is by far the most accurate system I have ever used and has completely changed the game for me. ↳ Use location-finding tools like White Pages to do a reverse phone address search. ↳ For remote prospects, ensure you're sending it to their home (with care and respect for privacy). Part 3 Pick the Perfect Gift: ↳ Use Amazon or gifting platforms like Sendoso. ↳ If you use Amazon make sure the item is eligible for a gift note so you can personalize the message. ↳ Personalization is key—tie the gift to something unique about the prospect. ↳ Balance quality and cost based on the role (you might splurge for a CRO but keep it modest for other roles). Part 4 Craft a Creative Message: ↳ Short and impactful works best. ↳ Make it relevant, memorable, and tied to why you’re reaching out. Part 5 Nail the Follow-Up: ↳ Direct mail alone won’t book the meeting—it’s part of a multi-touch approach. ↳ Send an email 1-3 days before the gift arrives: “P.S. I sent a little something your way—hope you enjoy it!” ↳ Call on the day it arrives and reference the gift. ↳ If there’s still no response, follow up on LinkedIn.

If you want to attract women consumers at your emerging brand, here's a free tip: Make content for women BY women: 🟠 Take Dove, for example. Their "Campaign for Real Beauty", which first launched in 2004, was originated by Debra Fried and Jacqueline Leak from Ogilvy, New York. The campaign increased Dove soap sales from $2B to $4.5B over three years, and it turned Dove into a cultural movement. They worked with renowned photographer, Rankin. They opted to do no retouching for this campaign, which paved the way for other brands to start doing the same. (My only note is if this were a campaign created in 2025: put a woman photographer behind the lens and have a woman-heavy crew). 🟢 Partake Foods, founded by Denise Woodard in 2016, is consistently highlighting and lifting up other women and telling their stories across their social accounts. Women contend with feeling like they have to deflect and downplay their own accomplishments. Seeing other women break out of that thought cycle can break us out of ours, and then we are all more empowered. Partake has done something really special in their content: they have elevated other women, and in turn elevated themselves. If you want to connect with women consumers: Be more thoughtful about who is leading your creative -- don't necessarily just go with the first creative director who you think of or know. Take some time to figure out who will create your brand's mood. Take a beat and contemplate who you're going to put behind the lens. Create a strategy around who will be the face of your brand in front of the lens. Uplift and empower women in your content. Which other brands are really hitting the mark with women?

Physical still cuts through digital noise. We spend a surprising amount of time hand-building branded boxes of Vermont products. We ship 70–80 of them every month to customers and prospects across the country. Why would a B2B software company invest in direct mail? Because attention is scarce, and trust is earned in moments that feel human. A thoughtful, local, tactile experience starts conversations that email alone won’t. Plus it reinforces what we help our partners do online: build reputation through genuine engagement. It works best when the ask is light, just a thank-you, a clear next step, or maybe a QR code that leads to quick feedback or a short testimonial. And the real power comes from consistency by sending to a focused list, tracking responses like you would any campaign, and following up personally. Local and multi-location businesses live on reviews and word of mouth. A small physical touch could be the spark that drives more digital engagement. Try a physical touchpoint this quarter and measure the lift in response and conversations.

𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 Have you ever received a beautiful postcard or letter from a brand you love and felt that little spark of joy? In our digital-first world, there's something deeply personal about a physical touchpoint that arrives in your mailbox. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Antonio Hersonski, Head of CRM, who shared fascinating insights about integrating print into modern CRM strategies. His experience completely shifted my perspective on this "old school" channel. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 Let's be honest - most CRM professionals (myself included) hesitate to explore print marketing. It seems expensive, complicated, and outdated compared to our digital toolkits. But Antonio challenged this thinking with some compelling points: - Print creates a tangible connection with customers who may not engage with your emails - For products with higher price points, the ROI can actually outperform digital channels - Unlike saturated digital platforms, physical mail almost always gets opened - For brands that already sell physical products, print marketing creates natural alignment The most surprising insight? When properly targeted, print campaigns can achieve voucher redemption rates of 20-30% - numbers that would make any email marketer jealous! 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗥𝗠 𝗠𝗶𝘅 Antonio emphasized that print shouldn't be your first CRM channel. His team built a foundation with email, app notifications, and in-app messages before expanding to print. Where print truly shines: - Complementing digital campaigns (they found sending emails BEFORE print arrives works best) - Targeting customers who aren't responsive to email - Reaching customers at specific lifecycle moments - Seasonal campaigns for high-value periods like Christmas 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 What struck me most was how print marketing reconnects us with the physical, human experience of communication. In a world where we're drowning in digital noise, there's something powerful about holding a beautifully designed piece of mail in your hands. As Antonio put it: "Everyone opens their mailbox at some point." 🎙️ Want to dive deeper into this fascinating conversation? You can listen to the whole podcast episode on Spotify, Apple, and other podcast channels. 💬 Have you experimented with print in your CRM strategy? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments.

"Why aren't there more women leaders in the creative industries?" That's something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. The creative world has no shortage of talented women... But leadership roles? That seems to be different. Why is that? It’s not a talent issue—women have created some of the most incredible and iconic designs out there. But still, leadership seems to be male-dominated. I think there are a few reasons: 1️⃣ Old patterns die hard. The creative industry has been led by men for so long, and change just isn’t happening fast enough. 2️⃣ Balancing it all. Leadership roles can be super demanding, and society still expects women to juggle more when it comes to home and family. 3️⃣ Few role models. When you don’t see people like you in leadership positions, it’s hard to imagine yourself there—or know the steps to get there. And with so few female leaders... Finding mentors becomes another uphill battle. But things are starting to shift: → More voices being heard → More women getting recognised → More seats at the decision table 💪 Still, we're not moving fast enough. Let's give women real opportunities to lead. Let's trust their vision. Support their growth. Because when we limit leadership to one perspective... We limit creativity itself ✨ #DiversityInDesign #WomenInLeadership #CreativeIndustry

"Not a spreadsheet!!" 🙈 How Dara Denney builds winning creative teams: This is Dara's easy 5 step framework that brings data and creatives team together that's been battle tested with over $100M of ad spend. According to Dara, the key lies in one simple truth: creative freedom is a myth. “You need to attack the sources of ambiguity within the creative process. This is the secret to building high-performing creative teams" Let's break it down: 1. Remove ambiguity with SOPs "The most ambiguous parts of the creating process have the biggest impact on performance" Think of all ambiguity that exists in your creative production workflow: Research: Who is conducting competitor research? Where is the team documenting customer reviews, and how are you using the performance data you’ve collected? Roadmap: Is everyone clear about the goals and tasks in your creative production pipeline? Or does every new request feel chaotic? Performance: Does your designer know why the last ad bombed? Is data on performance understood or locked in some spreadsheet? To remove ambiguity, Dara suggests formalizing the creative project lifecycle stages research, execution, review, client submission, and launch—for streamlined creation. She calls these stages Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). 2. Hire a dedicated Creative Strategist Creative strategists remove ambiguity from the creative process by doing the hard work of understanding customer psychology, the competitor landscape, deep analysis of performance data, + uncovering the strategic problems ads need to solve. 3. Make data accessible AND exciting Not sure which metrics to narrow down on? Focus on your primary KPIs, such as spend, purchases, and cost per lead. These metrics will give you a good understanding of your campaign's performance. Additionally, look at storytelling KPIs, like drop-off rates, average video watch time, hook and hold rates, and CTRs. Just make sure you use some type of visual analytics platforms to make the data accessible and interesting for creatives (that's what Motion (Creative Analytics) does btw) 4. Roll out a sprint structure Here's a simple structure you can start with: - Monthly roadmaps, metric checkpoints, bi-weekly retros - Keep the process on track with daily stand-ups Regularly analyze ad formats and metrics as a team during your live sessions and set up a Slack channel for sharing high and low performing ads where you can chat async on what you're seeing 5. Build a data driven creative culture You need to embed Creative Strategy into your org culture. Start all brainstorms with a data download. Ex: share competitor research, customer insights, past creative performance but make sure you start from data or incorporate it into how you operate. To keep momentum up, create a "win" Slack channel to celebrate learnings and top-performing ads and conduct monthly retros to keep the team aligned and engaged with data.

Most advertisers think complex, clever messaging is the key to standing out. But in the early 2000s, GEICO did something that marketing textbooks said was ridiculous... They simplified their entire value proposition to just 15 words: "15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance." And then repeated it. Again. And again. And again. Critics called it "mind-numbingly simplistic" and "creatively bankrupt." Here's the psychological principle they leveraged that most marketers completely miss... It's called Cognitive Fluency. Our brains are hardwired to trust information that's easy to process. Not clever. Not complex. EASY. When GEICO embraced radical simplicity: 📈 They grew from the 8th largest auto insurer to #2 in the US 📈 Market share exploded from 4% to over 13% 📈 Annual written premiums soared from $3.2 billion to $35+ billion 📈 They became one of the most recognizable brands in America According to Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder letters, this single, simple message transformed GEICO from a minor player to an insurance powerhouse. The psychology at work is profound: When information requires less mental effort to process, people: ✅ Find it more trustworthy ✅ Remember it longer ✅ Associate it with positive feelings ✅ Are more likely to act on it Here are 5 ways to apply Cognitive Fluency to your advertising RIGHT NOW: 1. Identify your core value proposition and ruthlessly cut it down to under 20 words. Then test it against your current messaging in ad campaigns. 2. Audit your website's above-the-fold content. Can a 12-year-old understand what you're selling in 5 seconds? If not, simplify immediately. 3. In your next email subject line test, compare your normal approach against an ultra-simple 5-7 word version that a 5th grader could understand. 4. Look at your top 3 performing ads. Create versions that use simpler words, shorter sentences, and one clear benefit. They'll likely outperform your originals. 5. For social ad copy, test using the exact same headline and first line across multiple creatives rather than having each be unique. Repetition builds fluency. The data is clear: most marketers dramatically overestimate how much complexity their audience can handle. Your ads don't need to be clever. They need to be CLEAR. What brand do you think has the most effective, simple advertising message in the market today?

What would happen if the next generation of girls grew up seeing marketing that truly represented them? Not impossible beauty standards. Not limitations or tired stereotypes. Marketing that showed their strength, intelligence, and unlimited potential. I think about this a lot, especially as the mother of a teenage daughter. When I look at the ads she’s exposed to, I ask myself: ✅ Does this inspire her? ✅ Does this empower her? ✅ Will this make her feel seen, heard, and valued? Because the truth is, marketing shapes culture. It tells us who we are, who we can be, and what’s possible. For too long, marketing has painted a narrow, unrealistic picture of women—and it’s time for that to change. If you’re a marketer or a business leader who believes in women, here’s my challenge to you: ✅ Create marketing that celebrate women’s diversity and strength. ✅ Make sure your creative teams include women who can bring authentic insights to the table. ✅ And think about the impact your marketing has—not just on sales, but on the way women and girls see themselves. Because when women feel empowered, they also lift up those around them. So when women thrive, we all thrive. Isn’t that the kind of world we should all want to create for the women we love? #RepresentationMatters #MarketingToWomen

Email gets deleted or vectored to a subfolder. Ads get scrolled past. But that postcard? It's sitting on your kitchen counter for weeks. I've got PostPilot postcards scattered across my desk right now (occupational hazard), but here's what's fascinating: every time I walk through my kitchen, I'm subconsciously processing whatever brands are magneted to my fridge. This isn't just anecdotal feel-good marketing BS. We can actually measure this "lingering presence" effect. The cleanest way to prove direct mail's incremental value? Holdout testing. Take your audience of lapsed buyers (say, customers who haven't purchased in 90 days). Send mail to 80% of them, hold back 20% as a control group. Both groups see your: • Meta ads • Email campaigns • Google ads • TikTok content • Superbowl ad • Whatever other channels you're running The ONLY difference is the mail piece. It’s the fricking gold standard of attribution. When the mail group outperforms the control group (which happens consistently), you can definitively attribute that lift to direct mail's unique staying power. Unlike digital touchpoints that disappear the moment you scroll past them, physical mail creates persistent brand exposure in customers' daily environments. Brands like Vuori, Allbirds, and Glossier have figured this out, they're not just competing for momentary attention in feeds, they're establishing physical presence in homes. The math consistently shows: customers who receive both digital AND physical touchpoints have higher lifetime values than those reached through digital alone. Are you testing this "lingering presence" effect in your own marketing mix?