Custom home building is no different than building a custom marketing message. You wouldn’t go directly to a builder and say”…build me a house. I think I want this, this and that. Here’s a check…have at it.” You’ve got to start with a very well defined plan, a well constructed message that will resonate with your target audience that must be identified, and create a way to track results.
When creating marketing and communication deliverables (ie. print ads, web banners, TV commercials, promotional videos) it’s a common misconception to think it’s as easy as picking up the camera, shooting some footage, bringing it into the computer and hitting the “Make Magic” button. Or, “I have Photoshop and a ton of special effects…I can create a print ad with the touch of a few buttons.” And it’s easy to think that way. A 30 second ad goes by quick…it’s just a series of shots with music and some graphics at the end…shouldn’t be that hard to create, right? What is not always considered is all the preproduction, planning, the research, the orchestration, scheduling, coordination, content generation, word smithing, location(s) scouting, talent scouting, even wardrobe selections… the “blueprint” creation that went into that fleeting :30 seconds or :60 seconds for radio or a well designed and implemented print piece.
There are many elements that go into developing a marketing deliverable (ie. logo creation, print ad, :30 second TV commercial, etc.) just as there are many building materials and ways of installing those materials into a new home. “Oh, you want the custom bamboo hardwood as opposed to roll out laminate flooring. No problem…just let me adjust the scope of the project, including budget and completion date.” Now we need to order the new materials, define what process will change and determine who is best suited to install bamboo hardwood.
When you sit down with an architect to draw up blueprints, you’re beginning to build your home…on paper. You’re designing, planning, adjusting…getting everything to match your needs and desires to build your dream home…within a budget, of course. You don’t want to begin building a foundation that will only support a single story, 1800 sq. foot home if what you really intended to build is a two story, 2500 sq. foot home. Print design, web design and video production are no different. You need to start with a plan…on paper; a blueprint! A strong, solid concept that will carry your message in a creative and meaningful way. You need to conceptualize, design, develop…have a plan in place before you ever begin taking anything to screen or print. In video production those documents are called treatments, scripts, storyboards. Print design will usually have many, hand drawn at times, concepts and drafts to start with and narrow down to the best one.
And along the way…once the builder has come in and started building your home, using the blueprint as their instruction manual, if there is a change to that plan (again, referring back to the bamboo hardwood as opposed to the laminate) the builder can accommodate according to the architect’s plans. He will most likely give you a bid letting you know the price difference and the new expected completion date. Because you’ve changed your mind, mid process, the builder is more than happy to accommodate, but needs you, the client, to understand and agree to, a change in cost and delivery date and completion date that now suddenly effects everything else in the process. The scope of the work has changed. Same with marketing and advertising. We will gladly adjust and deter from the blueprints…as long as you, the client, understand that there will be a change order, a revised estimate and a new expected delivery date.
The planning in the creative process can be painful at times, and not always the most flattering part of the process, but extremely crucial for the success of your campaign. A blueprint is the most critical component when creating your dream home. That’s where Peppershock comes in. We’re the architects, the builder, the producers. We help you create your marketing and communication blueprints from the pre-production stage, through production, post-production and ultimately distribution and tracking the results.
