Don’t be deceived by the title. You don’t have to choose. But for small business owners, you must prioritize. When faced with this balancing act we encourage you to return to what drives your business forward.

Many local businesses miss the mark of connecting with their audience because they choose trendy, over-polished and often vague creative instead of identifying and then building off their already solid reputations. It can’t be stated enough that to succeed YOU MUST BE YOU. That means your creative needs to continue to tell your story in an effective manner. If that requires a more “local” or “unpolished” feel to do so. We say jump in head first.   Not every advertising budget is created equal. Not every company is Nike or Apple where a simple swoosh or icon is all that’s needed to create familiarity.

Work within yourselves to create, project and brand your company in a way that will not only connect with your target customer, but will generate significant results. That should be daily goal of all advertising. Because, in the end, it’s only creative if it works. Creating a buzz is great, but what we really want to see is an increase in profit. Our advice: NEVER sacrifice actual results for a perceived image.