Oftentimes, brands will spend thousands of marketing dollars on an omnichannel media strategy without investing in quality creative. Countless studies and brand campaigns have shown marketing teams that creativity should be a priority, not an afterthought. In 2023, brands are understanding the importance of creative investments and reallocating budgets to make room for quality design. 

Humans are Visual Learners 

Nearly two-thirds of people are visual learners. Because humans are wired to process imagery more efficiently, visual aids can be processed 60,000 times faster than text alone. While people only remember an average of 10% of information 3 days after hearing it, adding an image can improve this recall to 65%. Better visualization of data and processes should be a priority for brands looking to simplify key information and effectively communicate with consumers. 

Creative Quality Makes a Difference

Kantar’s study on “The Power of Creative” saw a 30% increase in ROI when improving an ad’s creative quality from “average” to “best.” In addition, another study by Kantar found that creative quality is the single largest driver of brand impact and accounts for 50% of campaign effectiveness. Consumers do notice the quality of creativity, and these investments increase spending efficiency of media dollars. 

People will Pay More from Brands with Good Design

In Adobe’s State of Create report, a study states that 59% of people will choose to do business with a company based on good design. Similarly, 45% of consumers will pay more for a product or service with good design. The same report found that 46% of people will not purchase from a brand if the website or mobile experience is poorly designed, and 50% of people would make judgements of a company based on its marketing materials’ design quality. These statistics indicate that consumers notice “good design” and that these judgements impact their purchase decisions. 

People Want to Trust the Brands They Buy From

86% of consumers will pay more for a product when they trust a brand. Similarly, 45% of consumers said that high quality images and detailed product descriptions were of the top 3 reasons they trust a product. Consumers trust quality photography and organizations that invest in their brand image, associating these efforts with professionalism and care. Good design pays dividends when considering long-term brand impact and customer loyalty. 

Consumers Lead with Emotion

As much as we would love to say that our decisions are always logical, consumers tend to make decisions based on emotional responses. A study by Psychology Today found that, when evaluating a brand, a consumer’s emotional response to an ad has 2x the impact on purchase intent than the content of the ad. Thorough, creative thinking and campaign strategy are the keys to effective advertising. 

Brands who choose to invest in quality creative will see a more efficient spend of media dollars. For brands looking to level up their current creative strategy, Direct Agents’ full-service creative team does everything from photo and video shoot production to social asset design. Get in touch today: https://www.directagents.com/capabilities/creative/

Katherine Grabowsky, Senior Creative & Content Specialist, Direct Agents