Creative Formats: What They Are and Why They Matter

What are “creative formats”? Google doesn’t provide a clear definition. However, it turns out we’ve all seen and are familiar with them, even if we don’t work in a creative agency. It just takes a little bit of structuring. So, what are these creatures, and how can we understand them?

Creative formats are ways of conveying a certain idea or concept in a new form. These formats help deliver social communications to a target audience, changing perceptions and shaping attitudes toward a brand or initiative. In the case of PR for charitable organizations, this could involve an innovative approach to addressing a problem or social mission through a product, video, or content.

Before diving into the types of these formats (no shortcuts here), let’s first explore what leads to their selection. Why do we choose one particular format over another, and why is it important to study our target audience?

When a client approaches us with a request to create creative campaigns, we start by selecting the optimal communication channels: social media, media outlets, informational materials, events, etc. How can we most effectively and clearly convey a truth, values, or point of view to our target audience? That’s why we study this audience, clearly define the objectives, and analyze our resources (for example, what budget we have to roll out the campaign). Once these points are worked out, the picture of the future channel and format begins to take shape.

Now, let’s talk about formats. Let’s start with an info campaign — the queen of communication products. But before even beginning to develop it, preliminary research takes place. The next steps include refining the initial concept, executing the campaign, collecting campaign results in parallel, and further research. The final step in our info campaign is writing the report.

Now, let’s focus on specific formats.

Manifesto Some call it a “brand manifesto,” others call it a “video.” It lasts about a minute, has its own rhythm, and consists of simple, emotional, and short phrases. With this format, a brand shows its point of view and values. After watching the manifesto, viewers should immediately feel an emotion.
Bright examples of successful manifestos include:

Collaboration with an Influencer This is one of the trendiest and most popular creative formats. People buy from people. Over the years, we’ve trusted thought leaders more and more. This collaboration can be unpaid (for example, barter-based) or paid. The influencer may use a single piece of content or a series of posts on their page. It all depends on the agreement. From such collaborations, the brand reaches a broader audience, and consumers get interesting content. Everybody wins!

Collaboration with Organizations or Media This is essentially the same as collaborating with thought leaders. They are popular and everywhere. The goal is still to expand the audience. The details depend on the agreements. For example, you might create a special project, where certain media outlets publish an article on request, or someone might create interactive, visually engaging materials, such as a new podcast or an invitation to an existing YouTube or TikTok show.

Reels or TikTok Series Short video formats set trends, influence content, and shape audiences. Even YouTube has adapted — now there’s YouTube Shorts. This format goes viral, grabs attention, and can sell a product or highlight a problem in seconds.

No matter how creative your SMM video content is, it still needs structure. And the content funnel is something we can’t ignore. But let’s take it step by step.

Every post on social media has its own purpose, especially if it’s related to sales. Not every single post has the power to engage the necessary number of clients. If you’re making promotional videos to sell tickets to a course or event, you need to warm up your audience. This is where the content funnel (or sales funnel) comes into play. It’s a sequence of posts on social media that leads a potential client step by step from discovering the brand to making a purchase decision.

Example of sequential posts:

• Create a meme or trendy video tailored to your topic.
• Produce a more serious video with trending music.
• A serious (but not overly serious) video related to your topic.

In reality, these are just some of the creative formats available in the market. You can also create merchandise, poster bombing, educational videos, disruption, flash mobs, billboards, documentaries, songs, promo videos, podcasts, native ads, UGC (user-generated content), and pretty much anything else you can think of.

To see great case studies and maybe get inspired, you can regularly browse CASES, Ads of the World, ADWEEK, and always check out the work of advertising contest winners.