There are many discussions around the question of the importance of creative work in the digital age — which is targeted, personal, and measurable. As time passes and digital marketing machines become more precise — the picture becomes clearer — If you have good content that can be organically distributed in the echo chamber ( social networks and communities) you don’t need invested creative work.
In other words — the term “creative” in marketing and advertising is returning to its original meaning of being an “idea person”.
Create a good idea that the social machine will love to distribute — and you’re all set.
The age of traditional creative work using clever slogans and choir and dancer videos is end.
For Example (a bit old but always relevant):
In 2019, Innovation Norway, the country’s tourism agency, launched a controversial marketing campaign focused on the small Norwegian island of Sommarøy.
The campaign claimed that the island, which experiences 69 days of constant sunlight during summer, was petitioning to become the world’s first “time-free” zone.
Campaign Overview
The campaign was designed to draw attention to Norway, especially its northern regions, as a tourist destination.
The main components of the campaign included:
- A press release claiming Sommarøy residents were promoting an initiative to become a time-free zone
- Images of watches tied to a bridge, symbolizing the abandonment of time
- Images of Children playing football at 2 AM
- People painting houses in the middle of the night
- Flexible working and study hours
- A petition signed by residents to officially become a time-free zone
The campaign managed to generate significant media attention across all major media outlets: BBC News, Associated Press, CNN, and Time magazine
Successful social media activity included:
- A Facebook page named Time-Free Zone
- A YouTube video titled “Time-Free Zone — Sommarøy, Norway“- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR4G1ddRcHw
Media value of the activity was worth $20 million . The estimated Exposure was 2.4 billion people