All companies need advertising to be successful. From Progressive to Burger King, each corporation relies on marketing to get its message out to customers. With such a heavy reliance on promotion, it’s no surprise that companies commonly seek assistance from advertising agencies. Ryan Kutscher is the founder and chief creative officer of one of these companies, Circus Maximus, an agency with a mission to “help brands get their stories straight and always tell them interestingly.”
Ryan’s unique journey from an unsure college student to a chief creative officer pursuing his passions
Ryan wasn’t always interested in advertising. As he entered his senior year in college, he didn’t even know it was a career. With a major in Economics and a minor in Business, he started to second-guess his academic choice as an upperclassman, realizing he wasn’t enjoying it as much as he expected. In his final semester before graduation, though he had dropped out of business school, he took a one-credit class about advertising, which introduced him to his dream career. Since then, he took an internship with Martin Agency in Richmond, attended Miami Ad School, and eventually worked his way up to becoming a chief creative officer at JWT. It soon became apparent that the position wasn’t for him, and he decided to leave his job to create Circus Maximus, his own advertising agency.
Common advertising pitfalls and how to avoid them
With years of experience under his belt, along with the knowledge that comes with building his own company, Ryan has discovered several ways businesses can overcome their struggles and succeed when it comes to advertising. Oftentimes, businesses suffer from lack of clarity. In these cases, the brand narrative is too vague, or complicated for potential customers to understand. It may also be inconsistent, sharing too many different messages and confusing buyers. When it comes to brand narrative, Ryan says to keep it “simple, not complex.” Another issue with unclear advertising is that it could be evidence of a lack of shared vision within the organization, meaning the organization itself doesn’t know where it’s headed. “Articulating a clear, concise, and resonant narrative vision is the key to achieving your brand and business goals,” Ryan shares.
Another issue companies may face when settling on a brand narrative is a lack of emotion. If the narrative is too boring, or if it feels impersonal, it won’t grab anyone’s attention. In Ryan’s words, “Emotional, not rational. Human motivations, not corporate motivations.” A good narrative should focus on the consumer, not on the business itself. It should appeal to a person’s emotions and values, striking a chord with the targeted audience. “A simple, compelling, human-centric narrative is key,” he says. This matters even more when the category the business falls into is relatively complex.
A third issue companies may face in advertising is a lack of measurement. One piece of advice Ryan has picked up that still sticks with him is, “if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.” It can be easy to put up advertisements, but if the company doesn’t know how the promotions are being received, it is impossible to know how to better connect with viewers. It is vital to have measurable goals to make necessary changes that contribute to the company’s success.
Summary
According to Ryan, there are many benefits to building an interesting brand with an intriguing narrative. It stands out to consumers, creates organizational clarity, attracts more engaged employees, drives inbound interest, and in the end, it’s more fun. No doubt about it, brand narrative can make or break a business, and avoiding the common pitfalls while making the correct choices when it comes to advertising will benefit any company tremendously.
Ryan Kutscher, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of the advertising agency Circus Maximus, is known for his wealth of knowledge and experience in advertising. He can be followed on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. More information about Circus Maximus is available on their website at https://www.circusmaximus.com/, or via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/circus-maximus/.
