Corporate
vs. Creative

In brand marketing, the zero-sum game that can play itself out in the battle of “Corporate vs. Creative” is a deeply rooted conflict.

At Charley + Company, we call it “Conditioning of the Marketing Mind," a conflict ingrained in the perceptions and thought patterns around the practice itself.

Conditioning is commonly ignored in modern marketing literature. But it’s an active, opposing force taking up residence in brand marketing departments across the world.

It’s almost taboo. This fact that we’re “conditioned” at all to think or act is like a gut punch to our belief system: an inner reckoning of what we thought we knew about “X, Y, and Z.”

At the heart of brand marketing, there are two kinds of conditioning: “Corporate Conditioning” and “Creative Conditioning.”

They couldn't be more at odds.

The first, “Corporate Conditioning,” is a disposition for familiarity: a risk-averse style of creative thinking in the pursuit of stability and structure. The second, “Creative Conditioning,” is a disruption of that familiar world: an embrace of artistic values that believes in the concept of creation without constraint.

It's unrealistic to think that a brand marketing department will at any time be without one or the other. While the least favorable outcome is to have too much of one altogether.

 In the perfect world, “Corporate Conditioning” and “Creative Conditioning,” exist as a Checks and Balances system, bringing a sense of equilibrium to both business and brand.

They must strive to be complementary in brand marketing, not conflicting.

The benefits of “Corporate Conditioning" look like:

• Quicker Decisions: With the mental makeup to avoid risk or conflict, consensus around brand marketing decisions occur quickly (i.e. a well-oiled machine)
• Simpler Execution: By lessening the complexity of entertaining multiple viewpoints around the brand marketing (time becomes the beneficiary)
• Stronger Together: Cohesive missions improve one-to-one relationships within, bringing purpose and unity to brand marketing teams (these missions are also more marketable from a Talent Brand perspective)

The benefits of “Creative Conditioning" look like:

• Increased Innovation: Creativity unconstrained, is that ability to concept new brand marketing ideas that break from the Corporate Consensus (a groupthink Checks and Balance)
• Creative (Over)Confidence: The Creative Identity can bring a bit of irrational confidence that's needed in seeing beyond brand marketing's potential risks or conflicts (devil's advocate)
• Inclusion of Individual POVs: Personal ideas from dissenting team members result in a broadening view of the brand marketing overall (this is part of staying relevant)

In brand marketing, we cannot escape "Conditioning of the Marketing Mind," nor the polarity between "Corporate" and "Creative."

Through objectivity and balance, we must embrace it.

It's in the best interests of our teams, our companies and ourselves to bring to bear.