Core Creative (or CC) is something that we talk about a lot within My Creative Gurus (MCG for short). It's the heart of everything that we do, So it makes sense to write a quick blog to help people understand what we mean when we reference a company's Core Creative.
What does a Core Creative consist of?
In a nutshell, it is the heart of your company, the reason why your company exists and its unique positioning based on this. Often a company's CC is developed by looking at a company's motivation and ethos, which is formed into an actionable direction and motivation of growth. It can also be used to create a unique story of which can be used for unique market positioning. There are different levels of meaning of CC within every company, with various creative core touch-points and motivations.
Core Creative vs Creative Core
The first thing people tend to say when we mention Core Creative is "don't you mean Creative Core?". In fact, we don't, an example of Creative Core would be the reason an artist painted a particularly beautiful picture, the impulse behind why he chose to paint that particular image. Where his Core Creative would be the reason why he paints at all. The motivation that pushes him to paint rather than doing another occupation.
Why is my company Core Creative valuable?
Mainly because without it, your company wouldn't exist. It's the motivation that drove the installation of the company, the idea that inspired the founder forward to establish the company and operate for success. The spark that first lit the flame of an enterprise.
If every company has one, then what the problem?
Most companies CC has become almost a secondary thought, a tag line which they have gotten so used to saying/haring that it actually has very little practical meaning. This happens because companies get caught up in the corporate game. Individual personal opinions, focusing on competing against your business competitors or the changing business landscape are just a few of the possible reasons a company will lose focus of its CC motivations. This is why MCG was founded to help companies get back to their "Core". This is why MCG was founded to help companies get back to their "Core". By reconnecting with their CC, companies can again start to function in a way where innovation and growth is the primary business focus.
Core Creative touch-points
Brand Core Creative
This will be a summary of the above, as I feel it's pretty well stated already. A brands Core Creative is a driving direction for a company. It is the bigger picture of what a brand stands for. The creative energy that makes that brand stand out from its competitors and the reason why that brand doesn't need to be within a competitive space. By focusing purely on what brands do best and developing their company with a focus on this, they will move away from the competitive arena solely by refusing to compete.
Employee Core Creative
Most companies overlook that it is people that are the heart of their company. Without employees, no company would function. Even with the growth of new technologies, there will always be the need to have a vital human element involved in the process somewhere. Employees CC is about finding out why your employees work for your company rather than anyone else? What is their motivation for wanting to get up every day and come into work? What is it about your company that they feel connects to their passion for that particular industry? What is it that they want for their future with your company? Why do they consider themselves brand ambassadors or what is it that hinders them from becoming true ambassadors?
Employees have a wealth of information to help drive brand growth. A lot of companies operate as if the brand is separate of its employees and a lot of the time these companies experience a very high turnover of staff, often employees staying just long enough to get what they need for their CV before moving on to a company that will better fulfil the CC motivations. Taking into consideration your employees, CC motivation is a vital part of any company growth.
Customer Core Creative
Discovering what customers want is something that all companies spend a lot of money and time researching. Why and how customers feel a particular brand connects to their unconscious/conscious reasoning and needs (be it business or personal needs). By focusing on your customers that are loyal to your brand and how your brands CC is translated to them successfully, you are better positioned to understand how to also bring these motivations to new customers.
Core Creative and company growth
By using the overriding brand directions and motivation collaborated with employees perception and motivations for championing that brand (the reason why they work there rather than anywhere else) you can begin to bring the two motivations closer, so the employees' motives are in line with the company growth. Even evolving brand core motivations to be more in line with employee adapting processes and technology to keep up with industry and employee needs.
Core Creative and marketing
By having a much clearer understanding of why you function as a company, your unique positioning and core motivations allow you to stand out from the competition purely because you cease to compete. Rather than trying to stand out, you appeal to the same core motivations of your customers via a unique marketing position with is influenced by a clear brand motivation that your customers also shares.
Core Creative and innovation.
This allows for an amount of fluidity when trying to push innovation within companies. Having a clear brand motivation and direction established means that companies can innovate new ideas with less rigidity. Rather than sticking to the same habitual thinking and methods that stay well within the normal company comfort zone (doing things as they always have been done), ideas can be tested against a defined brand CC and growth goals. Allowing you to use the companies CC as a guide for innovating ideas rather than just following trends.
By knowing how to properly develop and use your company reason for being in the structure of a developed CC, you can make better brand decisions and identify a constant motivation and areas of company growth. A company CC should be as fluid as the company, evolving as the company grows. Taking into account employees and customer motivations and CC.
You can read examples of how we help our clients discover and develop their Core Creative via our case studies on our website https://www.mycreativegurus.com/discover or contact us for more information about how we can help your brand design and use its Core Creative.
Author: Mark A Yearwood
Founder & Creative Consultant of Guru Creative Consultants
