It’s the little creative things that matter
by Julian Gratton
As we all know, in any relationship, it’s the small things that matter. Yet what many people don’t realise is that it’s not only in our personal relationships that small things can have a big effect… they can also have a similar result in the relationships marketers, brands and companies have with their customers or business partners.
And why do small things matter? Well, as anyone who has ever bought a girl flowers knows; something small but effective can have a kind of result that is absolutely out of proportion to the cost.
The Spielberg effect
Filmmakers have long known the power a small but creative thing can have on an audience. For me, Steven Spielberg has long been a master of this (am sure there are lots of other Directors who have done things equally as good). Take Jurassic Park as an example. Probably the most memorable and powerful part of the entire movie isn’t the bit where you see the dinosaurs that cost millions of dollars to recreate. It’s the part where you see a glass of water on the dashboard of a car that begins to ripple as it heralds the arrival of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
From the music of Jaws, which cost far less and was much less hassle than a mechanical shark called Bruce. To the girl in the red coat in Schindler’s List and the part in E.T. where Elliott chucks a ball into the garden shed… only for the ball to be thrown back at him by an unseen alien… Spielberg has long understood that the most powerful moments come from the little things that play with our subconscious and our imagination and stay with us long after we have had contact with his product.
Spending a little and getting a lot
One brand for me that has used what I’ll call ‘The Spielberg Effect’ well by playing and interacting with consumers is the fruit juice brand Innocent. From the first day they appeared on supermarket shelves they have done little things well to ensure that they stay at the forefront of people’s minds and get people talking about some of the little wonderful things they have done.
Take for example their ingredient labels on their bottles. Like other bottled drinks on the shelves they had to include ingredients information and best before dates… but unlike all the other drinks on the shelves they decided to have a little fun with their labels to help position themselves as a true alternative to carbonated and e-number ridden drinks. A decision that probably only cost a few hundred pounds (to get a Copywriter to write the labels) but has resulted in thousands of people talking to each other about the quirky copy on the bottles.
Over the years Innocent has done a multitude of lovely little creative things that have helped build their brand and also differentiate them away from their competitors. From wooly hats on their drinks in the chill-cabinet to a grass covered ice-cream van that goes round offices delivering natural fruity goodness, Innocent has always understood that power of the small creative idea can make a big difference. Which may have something to do with the creators of Innocent having an advertising 
background.
A small idea so good people will want to steal it
I’ve been lucky enough over the years to have been on some amazing holidays. Meaning I’ve taken a fair few flights (so my carbon footprint is not something to be proud of). One flight out of them all sticks in my mind, and that’s a flight I once took with KLM to Abu Dhabi.
Thanks to being delayed I was upgraded to business class and on arrival at Abu Dhabi, the airhostesses handed out decorative porcelain Amsterdam style town houses. At first I refused mine, until the airhostess leaned towards me and whispered that the houses were filled with Bols. Abu Dhabi has strict alcohol laws that mean you can only get a drink in some hotel bars and not anywhere else… so a house full of Bols would be handy for a relaxing drink in our rented apartment.
That flight happened about eight years ago, and it still sticks in my mind. In fact there are only a few things I remember about that holiday, and am sure KLM’s marketing department would be pleased to know that their small act of creative thinking, that possibly only cost them a few Euros, still stays with me all these years later.
A similar experience greets anyone who travels business class with Virgin Atlantic. Along with your lunch you are given ornate metallic salt and pepper pots that are styled like aeroplanes. Now the first thought anyone has when they see these salt and pepper pots is to pinch them. However, when you pick them up, engraved on the bottom of them are the words ‘Pinched from Virgin Atlantic’. It’s just this kind of cheeky, fun and irreverent attitude that makes people feel good about Virgin’s brand.
And like my KLM experience, the cost of these salt and pepper pots in relation to the airfare is probably very small, but the impact they have can last a lifetime… and will undoubtedly be shared amongst friends and family over dinner as they admire the little silver aeroplanes.
Taking some small creative ideas to the streets
When we undertook our rebranding of High and Mighty’s retail stores we didn’t just want to give them a new look. We wanted to differentiate High and Mighty from being just another fashion store… in short we wanted to have some small creative niceties littered throughout the store that would stick in people’s minds long after they had left.
We put ourselves in the customer’s shoes and looked at not only their wants and needs but also every place within the store where we could interact and make an impression. Our door handles didn’t just say open and push, our opening times didn’t just have times on them, and in dwell areas of the shops there are useful little snippets of dressing advice and attitudinal quotes from famous male individuals about dressing well and looking good.
The cost of all this was a fraction of what it cost to create new store signage and fit the stores out with new carpets etc, but the effect they have had (shown by research) is to keep High and Mighty in people’s minds as well as position them as experts in men’s fashion.
In short
All of us can be guilty of looking for the big idea to solve a problem. Yet like any relationship it is not always the big gestures that create affection and repeat business… it’s the small things we do. I hope the samples I have gathered together here have sparked your imagination with regards some little creative things you could do that could have a big impact… whether it be in a call centre, in your mailings or on your product labels.
If you’d like to have some small but powerful ideas created for you… why not give Red C a call on 0161 872 1361 or click here
Tags: Award-Winning Advertising Agency, Creative Ideas, Creative Ideas Agency, Digital Agency, Direct Marketing, High and Mighty, Innocent, Jurassic Park, KLM, Manchester Advertising Agency, Marketing Agency, Marketing Department, Online Marketing Agency, Relationship Marketing, SEO Company, Steven Spielberg, Store Redesign, The Spielberg Effect, Virgin Atlantic
