Why Are We Lacking Fresh Ideas For Creative Projects?

Why Are We Lacking Fresh Ideas For Creative Projects ideas icon illustration with white background and green plant in the lamp

For those who create content with zeal,

A round of applause to seal the deal.

Innovation isn’t a cakewalk,

Elusive inspiration, it may stalk,

Remember, creativity dwells within,

In every soul, a spark waiting to begin.

 

The creative process is a grueling journey and demands time, effort, and a constant flow of ideas. Just like crafting this poem above! So creative slumps are a natural part of that process.

In short, let’s address this question: why are we lacking fresh ideas for creative projects?

Creative Burnout?
Lack of new perspective?
Nothing exciting out of the box?

Why are we lacking fresh ideas? How do we resolve it?

The above poem was a humble attempt at something outside our general writing style!

Is it unconventional? Yes.
Is it out of our comfort zone? Yes
Is it risky? Yes.

So let’s discuss how we can help counter your creativity block because we tried to do the same too!

 

#1: Find Inspiration

why are lacking of fresh idea? find inspiration

Conversations

Meet people and have conversations. This can aid in discovering an alternative point of view.

Listen proactively. Ask questions. You don’t need to speak only to creative people to ignite your creativity!

Explore online forums, social media platforms, and chat groups to experience diverse opinions and perspectives.

 

Look for Novel Experiences

Stay curious and allow yourself to find inspiration everywhere.

Experience new things by stepping out of your comfort zone. The activities can mean getting bored and not doing anything at all! Which may be something other than your subject area of interest!

Engage in physical sports, listen to unfamiliar music, or visit an unusual place. Observe and listen to your environment, and be present.

You don’t need to force yourself and keep looking for ideas. Just have an open mind, and inspiration will find you.

 

Enjoy Boredom

To support our claim above, studies prove that a highly structured environment dampens spontaneity and curiosity in children, which impedes idea generation. Boredom helps children develop soft skills like adaptability, flexibility, and resourcefulness, thus increasing creativity!

This may sound counterintuitive, but as adults, it’s best to take a break from creating and generating ideas sometimes. Keeping still and staying quiet forces you to tune in to your imagination and helps unlock your creative flow.

Boredom realigns the creative system and allows your brain to combat the lack of stimulation. Without a structure, your brain begins creating plans, organizing activities, and solving problems. These skills are crucial for developing creativity and executing creative projects.

Go for a walk, or just stare at the fly on the wall; inspiration will enlighten you!

 

#2: Idea Generation

idea icon ilustration photography with black outer line and yellow background

Journal Your Thoughts

Gather your ideas, no matter how far-fetched or irrelevant they seem. Document them in a written, audio, or video format so you can retrieve them.

 

Embrace Imperfection

Perfectionism hampers the creative process, so allow yourself to ideate without the fear of messing up!  Adopt a non-judgemental stance towards your thoughts, and explore concepts without being prejudiced towards the outcome.

 

Reflect

Let your mind wander freely to restore your creative flow. Explore an idea, reflect, and resist the urge to have an end goal.

Mind mapping is an excellent tool for idea generation because it records your train of thought and helps you collect and connect disparate concepts.

 

Consume more content

Consume more content to gain new knowledge and revisit familiar concepts.

Read a book, watch a fun show, or listen to your favorite songs and podcasts. Along the way, you’ll find novel patterns between seemingly unrelated things.

Don’t worry if the knowledge you learn seems trivial or unimportant. All these pieces of information help the creative mind generate fresh ideas.

 

#3: Experimenting with Concepts

illustration photography of men while experimenting idea generation or brainstorming

Create content

Before starting your new project, dump your thoughts on a paper notepad on your trustworthy devices. Make unapologetically lousy content to get it out of your system before gathering input.

Sometimes, you must cleanse your creative mind of mental clutter and start afresh to get back into the groove.

 

Side Projects

Creatives work on several different projects simultaneously, so avoid allowing yourself to be stuck on one project!

Moving on to another project gives you downtime and expands your idle energy productively. It may be surprising, but while completing other tasks, you may create a mind-blowing concept for another ongoing project.

Working on multiple projects or concepts helps maximize your inspiration, ideas, and experiment!

 

Alternate Mediums

Creative people don’t restrict themselves to a single medium of expression. If you’re a visual artist, try writing about your images. Try acting out or drawing your written work if your dominant medium is writing.

Interchange your mode of expression to experience your creative process in a different light.

In fact, with the dawn of  AI tools, you might develop unconventional opinions, ideas, and approaches at work. Artificial Intelligence is becoming an accessible reality of the present. As the name suggests, it is a medium to elevate your creative processes in diverse ways.

 

Share

Finally, share your stories, failures, opinions, hacks, tips, and progress with others. Learning is a two-way street; you may garner more ideas from peoples’ reactions to your work.

 

Why Do We Need Fresh Ideas?

The answer is simple. Creativity must be nurtured, and we must work on our right brain rather than pressuring our logical left brain. This opens space for fresh ideas and viral concepts!

Did these tips inspire you to keep creating and exploring?

Take a breather and look around you for innovation. Let your imagination and innate instincts guide you. Remember, gather your ideas to refer to them later and shout “Eureka!” when they come in use.

Most importantly, express, process, enjoy the journey, and good luck!

 

How Long Should Your Video Content Be?

How Long Should Your Video Content Be?

Video length on different platforms

Videos are increasingly becoming the more popular choice when it comes to digital marketing. After all, videos perform better than images on almost every social media platform.

Consumers generally remember the content in videos better than in images. This is as videos are a lot more dynamic, and engage both our sight and hearing. Images, on the other hand, are static and only engage one sense: sight.

Many marketers believe in the myth that videos are expensive and time-consuming, and not at all worth the slight advantage they hold over images. Furthermore, plenty of consumers may leave a video halfway, which would reduce the effectiveness of using such a medium.

However, video marketing isn’t as disposable as you might think it is. 81% of businesses that use videos in their marketing strategy agree that it helps to engage your audience, deliver clear messages, and promote your brand, amongst other benefits. 95% of video marketers also noted that videos have helped increase understanding of their product or service.

First off, videos definitely provide a significant advantage over images. Imagine if you were to convey a large amount of information via images. Your audience will most likely lose interest upon seeing such a lengthy wall of text.

Meanwhile, videos are able to keep things concise while still answering the basic questions to help consumers make an informed choice. 64% of consumers tend to reach a purchasing decision only after watching a branded video.

Not only that, but videos are far more engaging as well. Videos attract three times more engagement on Instagram than sponsored ads. They help to create a space for you to build connections with your audience, making your brand more personalised for them.

So how long should your videos be?

Be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, every platform has its knicks and knacks. In order to make sure your video does the best it possibly can, you need to understand not only the features each platform offers but the type of audience they cater to.

Take for example the users on TikTok or Snapchat. They are often used to watching short clips on these platforms and would probably not appreciate it if they were suddenly forced to watch a long video. On the other hand, YouTube users are more accustomed to watching lengthier videos and therefore it is more acceptable to show them longer content. Different platforms are able to hold attention for different amounts of time, so keep that in mind.

  • Facebook

Facebook insights have discovered that videos “get shown organically to more people when they’re at least 3 minutes long.” Keep in mind that an organic Facebook video is one that is posted and gains exposure without any advertising spend.

At the same time, Facebook’s algorithm rewards engagement over duration, so it is not guaranteed that your video will get more exposure just because it is 3 minutes long. Therefore, make sure to focus not just on your video length, but your video message as well. By encouraging engagement such as likes, shares, and comments, your video is more likely to get a boost in their algorithm.

The same can not be said for Facebook Video Ads.

Marketers can also fork out a sum of money in order to get more views for their videos. For every person that watches your video for longer than 3 seconds, Facebook will charge you for a view.

Therefore, if you’re paying to promote a video ad, you need to get your main point across as quickly as possible. The viewers that Facebook push out your ad to might not necessarily be familiar with your brand or your content, so they might lose interest easily. If that’s the case, retention is the most important target — so cut to the chase and keep it short.

One additional tip that we recommend marketers to keep in mind is to optimise their videos to still be understandable even with the sound off. 85% of users on Facebook actually watch plenty of videos without the sound — perhaps they are in a public place — therefore, in order not to ostracise this crowd, the message of your video should be clear even while its muted.

  • Instagram

On Instagram, there are two types of videos you can post: IGTV as well as Stories and Reels.

The latter has restrictions on the length of your video which means that your videos generally cannot be longer than a minute. If you wish to post a video longer than 60 seconds, you would need to post it as an IGTV.

However, HubSpot has found that videos that receive the most comments on Instagram are on average 26 seconds long. It would be best to keep videos on Instagram shorter than a minute.

This is because people are often used to scrolling quickly through their feed on Instagram, and pausing to watch a long video actually goes against their muscle memory. As such, their attention span for videos on Instagram generally does not last as long.

Furthermore, it is not possible to rewind these short videos on Instagram, which means that people would most likely skip or move on if they miss a part of the video and are unable to understand the point of it.

  • Twitter

Twitter’s previous video duration limit was only a mere 30 seconds. Now, they have started allowing users to upload videos up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds long on their app, matching the character limit that they set for their tweets. However, this does not necessarily mean that you should post videos of that length.

In fact, Twitter users are also often scrolling through their feed quickly on that very same app, which means that they would be more accustomed to shorter content. Therefore, it is still recommended to keep video content under 30 seconds long.

If you want to get people to watch your long-form content on Twitter, you can create short teaser videos and link people out from there — be it to another social media platform such as Facebook or YouTube.

  • YouTube

The main difference between YouTube and other social media platforms is that on YouTube, users are actively seeking out videos to watch. Instead of having a curated feed for them to scroll through, users are browsing through video content with the mental preparation to watch them.

It is also significant to note that unlike Facebook’s algorithm, YouTube’s algorithm actually rewards videos that have more watch time by pushing them up in search results as well as users’ recommendations.

Therefore, longer videos do have the potential to do better on YouTube — as long as viewers are engaged and actually stick around to watch your lengthy video content. YouTubers are, in fact, recording longer videos, which has been observed to rank higher in search results.

Planning out a video marketing strategy may sound complicated, but break it down and you will see that it is easier than you think. Why not ask MIU if you have any further questions on video marketing? It is, after all, the marketing tool to look out for in 2021.

The Comprehensive Guide to Brochures in Singapore

Email Marketing — the What and the Why

Brochures in the age of digital marketing

One may wonder if brochures still have a place in digital marketing. Don’t worry – this is absolutely a normal concern to have. While brochures may not be a business’s first option when it comes to marketing, they offer their benefits that other marketing methods do not provide. Let us explain to you why brochures won’t be going away, not even in 2020.

The Comprehensive Guide to Brochures in Singapore 1.jpg

  • Brochures are cost-effective

Are you looking to make more bang for your buck while still managing to promote your brand? Brochures are just the thing you need. Not only that, but they are easy to distribute. You can hand them out at company events, exhibitions, and workshops. Alternatively, brochures can also strategically placed in various locations, including your promotional mail. Meaning, they will most likely help you reach a wider audience.

  • They are permanent and tangible.

While online ads are brief and only lasts as long as the consumer is on the webpage, brochures are permanent ads for your company. Many might prefer browsing through a tangible brochure and keep them for future reference rather than scouring the internet for information about your company that may or may not be there. Since they are always visible, having a robust graphic design for your brochure would grab attention quickly.

  • Brochures personalise your business.

They act as an easy way to connect with your audience. When you hand a detailed brochure over to your consumer, they will appreciate the effort taken to design it as they flip through each page. Not to mention, it is a great way to network — be it with your consumers or your competitors. Additionally, a brochure can go towards building brand awareness and credibility. Done right, and they can even contribute to your brand identity.

  • Multiple distribution channels

Are you worried about the relevance of brochures in the age of digital marketing? Well, guess what — technology has made it possible for digital brochures to be a thing. So if digital marketing is more your style, you can opt for e-brochures instead. Having both physical and digital brochures can expand your visibility, is a great way to introduce your company, and makes for positive press. Indeed, brochures are here to stay in the age of digital marketing.

Top 5 brochure design agencies in Singapore

Creative Design Agency Singapore | Jehm Studio

1. Jehm Studio

Priding themselves on their artistry, Jehm Studio specialises in a wide range of designs, from brochures to posters to banners. With a heavy focus in a user experience strategy, this design studio creates stunning graphic designs that are unparalleled thus far.

Singapore Design Agency | Advertising Agency

2. Diseno Advertising

Diseno Advertising is one of the well-known design firms in Singapore, but did you know they offer brochure design services as well? Great at visual story-telling, Diseno is one of the best choices to turn to for your design projects. They even provide printing services as well — talk about a one-stop solution for all your brochure needs!

Working at Breworks Design & Communications | Glassdoor.sg

3. Breworks Design & Communication

From each photo and each word selected to include in the brochure, Breworks takes it seriously. They understand just how important each element plays a part in delivering your key message to your target audience — and know how to bring it out by assembling the best designs and layouts. With 17 years of experience, BDC certainly knows the ins-and-outs of the marketing industry.

Secret Hideout | LinkedIn

4. Secret Hideout

Secret Hideout offers modern and versatile designs to capture your audience’s attention amongst the ever-changing trends. If you find yourself in urgent need of a brochure for your company, Secret Hideout can get the job done in just a few weeks. They take pride in being such a reliable agency, enough to deliver the brochures right to your doorstep.

MIU - A Creative Agency for All Things Digital | express purpose …

5. MIU LLP

Innovative and futuristic, MIU has always had a flair for designing. Beyond the unlimited design package which we have talked about frequently, their design team comprises people from various backgrounds, contributing to the unique flavour they have. As a creative agency based in Singapore, MIU offers high-quality solutions for your business brochures.

How to decide if a brochure design agency is professional

With plenty of choices out there, how can you tell which agency has the right skills to deliver? One of the few ways is to see just how they design their brochures — do they include the necessary information? These are some aspects that should be present in a brochure.

A Guide to Creating Crystal Clear Window and Door Company Logos • Online Logo Maker's Blog
The logo MUST be visible on the brochure cover. (Source: Online Logo Maker)
  • Company logo

This might go without saying, but the brand logo always has to be prominent on the first page of your brochure. Not only does it help with brand awareness, the clarity of whose brochure it goes a long way in making your brochure more appealing. No one wants to pick up and read a brochure if they have no idea who it is about.

  • Headline and subheadings

Along with the company logo, the headline should be right beside it on the cover page. This makes it clear to the reader what the brochure is about, and is a good drawing point for your target audience. From there on, keep in mind to have subheadings within the brochure as well, so that everything is organised and easy on eyes.

Graphic Design Portfolio | Graphic designer portfolio, Portfolio design, Book design
Help readers break down your brochure into chunks by having a content page for easy reference. (Source: Creative Market)
  • Content page

To help your audience understand what the brochure has to offer, a content page must be present inside it. Otherwise, you might lose your audience’s interest just as quickly as you grabbed it. When they know the contents of the brochure and how informative it is, they are more likely to read it as well as keep it with them.

  • Illustrations

This goes without saying. Nobody wants to receive a 10-page brochure that is filled with just text. Moreover, the human brain processes visuals faster than text, where up to 90% of the information it absorbs comes from visual outlets. Illustrations and graphic designs are a great way to attract consumers, so keep it as a vital aspect of your brochure!

Dental Brochure Design | | Brochure design, Brochure, Dental
Remember to include a CTA by leaving some form of contact information! (Source: Branding LA)
  • Contact information

It is important to remember to include your company’s information or any way that interested consumers can reach your business. Without this section, the whole purpose of the brochure is lost! I would recommend having at least two different points of contact in the brochure itself — be it your company website, Facebook, or social media channels.

And there you have it! Our comprehensive guide to everything brochure-related for your marketing needs. Now you’re ready to venture off on this new marketing journey. Need a brand consultant for your brochure marketing strategy? Find your solution at MIU today.

The Ultimate Guide to Advertising in Singapore Part 2

The Ultimate Guide to Advertising in Singapore

Advertising vs. Marketing — What’s the difference?

In our previous article, we talked about the types of advertising that you can find in Singapore. These range from the traditional print to social media platforms which are increasing in popularity. We also touched briefly on the differences between advertising and marketing. However, in order to truly understand what goes into a good brand strategy, we first need to look at the nuanced differences between marketing and advertising.

Marketing vs Advertising: Which Will Make You More Money?
What are the nuanced differences between advertising and marketing? (Source: Lyfe Marketing)

So what defines marketing? Marketing is the systematic planning of bringing awareness to your brand, defining your brand identity, and overall the process of making your brand a household name to consumers. Alternatively, advertising is about putting the plan into action — to really make your business seen and heard, be it in a physical space or a digital one.

Think of it this way — advertising is concerned with telling consumers that this is the product or service that you have to offer. Marketing, on the other hand, is concerned with crafting the right message as to why consumers should opt for your brand, amongst the thousand other companies out there.

It is important to note that not all businesses require advertising solutions, but all businesses should strive to market themselves as efficiently as possible. 

blog image part 2 2.jpg

The best advertisements always involve equal parts market research and equal parts creative thinking. However, conducting extensive research on a market may stretch beyond the limits of what a company could do, due to reasons such as lack of resources or untrained staff.

This is where a marketing agency can come into play. With the right tools on hand, they can assist in developing a thorough plan by studying the market data. Having to devote the company’s resources to planning a marketing strategy might put a strain on other work processes and delay efficiency. It is therefore generally recommended for brands to seek out an advertising agency when planning an advertising campaign.

However, choosing the right agency for your company may not be as straightforward as it may seem. As one of the financially densest regions in the Asia Pacific, it is important to stand out with a strong brand identity. Not to fret — we compiled a list of the top advertising agencies in Singapore to help you in your decision.

Top 8 Advertising Agencies in Singapore

1. MIU

MIU - A Creative Agency for All Things Digital | express purpose …

Despite the few years that MIU has been in existence, they have been steadily growing at an increasing rate. Looking at the satisfied reviews from clients, MIU has indeed quickly built an impressive portfolio for themselves. This agency provides all-around services like branding, digital strategy, and PR while ensuring the best for their clients — and that includes their advertising and marketing solutions.

2. Notion Age

Notion Age SEO Agency Singapore - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding

This particular advertising agency has worked with a huge range of businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. You can definitely trust them to handle all aspects of your marketing plan, be it the research or the execution. Having been around for almost two decades, Notion Age certainly knows the value of what it’s doing.

3. Digital Marketing Singapore

 

Also known as DMS, Digital Marketing Singapore has helped prominent clients like McDonald’s with their advertising campaigns. As a company driven by results, DMS puts in the effort to achieve the best possible outcome in every project that they take on. it is no wonder that they are among the top advertising agencies in Singapore with their unique marketing strategies.

4. MediaOne

MediaOne Business Group Becomes the Leading Digital Marketing Services Provider in Singapore

As an award-winning company, MediaOne prides itself for having a team of talented and experienced marketers that promise to deliver impressive results. From Fuji Xerox to Changi Airport Group, MediaOne’s marketing services are indisputable.

5. Edelman

Edelman (firm) - Wikipedia

With experts in various fields, Edelman’s focus on delivering new-age solutions to their corporate clients is part of what makes them stand out greatly. Having a positive reputation of representing their clients well, Edelman is sure to impress you with their expansive field of expertise.

6. Possible Advertising Agency

POSSIBLE | LinkedIn

Possible Advertising Agency, or PAA for short, is a niche company that zeros in on their advertising solutions and innovative strategies. They are certainly an agency to look out for when it comes to settling on an advertising agency that best understands your needs.

7. MediaKeys

Global OOH company Mediakeys simplifies services under one brand umbrella

As a 100% independent communications group, it is impressive how far MediaKeys has come. Expanding from its 9 regional hubs to offices in over 45 countries, MediaKeys is definitely a company that always strives to perform to the best of their capabilities. Specialising in leading international advertising campaigns, this agency will definitely not disappoint.

8. UM Singapore

UM Singapore makes three digital hires | Digital | Campaign Asia

With a distinct motto like “Can Lah!”, UM Singapore definitely knows how to stand out. Their wittiness does not just stop at their mission statement, however — the integrated solutions they provide proves their commitment to being the best in their field. With such a can-do spirit, UM’s constant innovation leads them to discover the best outcomes for their clients.

Despite the accelerated growth of online marketing in Singapore, it still has yet to reach its fullest potential. However, advertising agencies have to take note of the everchanging legal landscape brought about by such a rapid growth of the industry. It may not be easy for businesses to stay on top of their game with the high pace of changes, which presents an increasing need for agencies to step in for assistance.

Creative agencies often offer a variety of services that can be summarised in three categories — marketing, design, and advertising. Marketing involves the consulting, research, and planning activities. Design is more concerned with the visual, UX and UI experiences, such as web design. Last but not least, advertising represents the promotional and PR services. With MIU, we offer all three to the best of our abilities so feel free to drop us a message for more details on our advertising solutions.