This training program was introduced by Louws in 1990 on the behest of its marketing clients.

Knowing that Louws had worked with a vast majority of major advertising, promotions, direct marketing and internet based marketing companies in the world, and conducted a training program for them called “How to sell creative ideas to your clients”, it was assumed that Louws might serve a dual function.

Since then, over 13 years has passed with Louws conducting both programs, one for the agency business and one for the marketer.

The agency training has been documented into 3CD’s and has become an integral component for the marketer in understanding how to better evaluate their own creative work being presented to them by their agency.

Agencies have for decades said that marketers only get the kind of creative they deserve. Louws does not agree with this philosophy. Instead we, through observation, have seen that marketers get the kind of creative work they are capable of allowing. The better a marketer can evaluate true creativity and its relevance and application to their marketing communications the better the communications become and so in turn the better the results.

Following are the three phases to the training, the actions taken and the expected outcomes for each.

Phase 1: The Brand Brief
Colloquially coined “The Vault Doc” in that it becomes the quintessential document that contains the essential ingredient of what the brand stand for and represents.

Actions: Review of how to communicate the essence of the Brand Position to the agency and how to ensure its perpetuation within all communications. Louws provides a document entitled “Brand Brief” for considered future use by both the marketer and their agency partners.

Outcome: A marketer who knows that their brand and what it represent, has been clearly identified, documented and is now an integral part of all future creative development by its agency partners independent of the communications discipline.

Schedule: ½ - ¾ day Workshop with up to 10 participants.

Phase 2: The Creative Brief
Louws has renamed this the Advertising Brief as its purpose is precisely that. The ensure that the advertising agency [in the fullest sense of advertising, to include promotions, direct marketing, event, and e-marketing] has sufficient and agreed upon direction to create communications that achieve an advertisers communications goals.

Actions: Review of how to arrive at a creative brief with the agency to ensure that the goals for the creative can and will be met by the creative staff of the agency. Louws provides a document entitled “Advertising Brief” for considered future use by both the marketer and their agency partners.

Outcome: A marketer who knows that their brands unique brand positioning, value to its constituency and expected deliverables have been clearly identified and documented in such a manner as to allow for the best creative communications from its agency partners independent of the communications discipline.

Schedule: ½ - ¾ day Workshop with up to 10 participants.

Phase 3: Evaluating the creative ideas and work
This is the cornerstone to the training – what both phases 1 & 2 above are leading to.

Actions: This is a workshop that addresses the following – but not limited to – subjects.
» What is a creative communication?
» What is good creative?
» What is bad creative?
» What are the observable differences between what an agency believes is creative and that of a marketer – and how do you avoid the trappings of these differences?
» How can you evaluate and differentiate between form and function in creative communications?
» When does style vs. substance work and not work?
» When does substance play a larger role than style in the creative product?
» How does ones own perceptions help and hinder the evaluation process?
» How does ones familiarity with or lack thereof the intended targeted audience assist and/or impede ones evaluation of creative work?
» What can you do with the proverbial “I just don’t like it” gut reaction and turn this into productive direction and dialogue?
» What does borrowed creative get and not get you? (Essentially duplicating the success of other marketers campaigns)
» How to give a creative the direction they need to address your issues as a marketer without dismantling the “creative juices” of your agency?

Schedule: 2 day workshop with up to 10 participants.

Contact Louws about this workshop.

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