There is no wisdom where there is no common sense: it cannot under those conditions find any expression.
– Idries Shahn this fast-paced, new world of marketing, where the only thing we can be assured of is change, marketers can lose sight of a simple fact: people need to understand a message in order to respond to it.

It seems intuitive, but I’ve come across a few projects lately where ingenuity or the desire to be “cool” seemed to be more important than being clear. And this can cause a clash between creatives and clients (or event creatives and their marketing strategist counterparts). As to who should lead, I agree with my friend, Anthony Miller, Pastor of Communications at Saddleback Church, who teaches his team that  “Marketing strategy should drive creative, not the other way around.”

The bottom line is that cutting-edge design and clever messaging should never trump common sense.

Here are some general themes that I’ve encountered that should be avoided by marketers near and far:

• When strictness around your brand identity outweighs clarity.
  I had a client once (who shall remain anonymous) whose in-house designer refused to put the word “store” on a building sign at a brick and mortar location because it “violated the style guide.” The brand was not well known and it would not have been obvious that it was a retail establishment without the “store” included as part of the brand name. Thankfully, reason won out, but this was an example where their (recently created) style guide should have been modified. Of course, as my friend and partner on certain projects, Taylor McWethy of Pinwheel Projects, reminded me, “There are clear triggers that let you know when it’s time to evolve your brand and therefore style guide, such as low sales or a shift in product focus.” In the end, your brand book/style guide should grow and change as your business grows and marketing strategies evolve.
• Mysterious messaging.
  I’ve worked with a few copywriters who wanted to use a headline or tagline that was hyper nuanced in order to create “mystery and buzz.” This sometimes works for well-established brands in anticipation of a big launch, but new businesses need to clearly communicate who they are and what they do. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try to be clever to capture your audience’s attention – just make sure it’s not so “out there” that it creates a barrier to learn more.
• When your creatives (or your executives) aren’t the target audience.
  This is not the opposite of the first point about brand book rigidity. This is about knowing who your brand is and who it isn’t, and acknowledging that the keepers of said brand might not represent the preferences of your target audience. For both design and voice, trying to be “hip” when your audience is more “classic” (aka older), or trying to be conservative when you want to attract a younger audience, simply isn’t going to work. Marketers have to keep drawing their teams and clients (internal and external) back to the foundational level of speaking specifically and directly to your target. After all, the platinum rule is treat others how they want to be treated, or in this case communicate with your audience in a way that speaks to them.

Of course, these are just themes, and every business and brand are different. For new businesses, especially, though, common sense should be held in high regard when coming up with new campaigns.

What are other ways that you’ve seen creativity trump common sense in marketing?