P&G’s three principles for creative marketing

Procter & Gamble, the consumer packaged goods manufacturer, is tapping into creative principles based on human connection, product performance and diverse partnerships as it seeks to drive growth.

Why it matters

Growth is the superpower of the creative industries, according to Marc Pritchard, P&G’s chief brand officer. Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2022, he set up three principles for defending adspend, creating business growth and attempting to make a difference to society, not only as part of brand purpose, but across the marketing ecosystem itself.

The three principles

• Creativity must feel personal and talk about people’s lives, reflecting their reality and making their day a little better. “It touches people,” Pritchard said. “You can make them laugh, cry, act – and, of course, buy.” (WARC subscribers can read more here.)
• Communicating product performance and superiority matters for driving growth at a time of growing competition. “Performance matters. There’s a job to be done and a problem to solve,” said Pritchard. “We need to convey what that everyday product is, what it does, how to use it, why it’s better – and do so in a way that is useful and interesting.”
  
• The third creative principle for P&G is to build trusted creative partnerships – and to make sure these efforts reflect the diversity of the audience it is hoping to reach.

The big idea

“It’s creativity that makes markets bigger; that inspires innovation to attract more people to markets; that advances economic inclusion, where more people benefit through higher incomes, increased wealth, and more purchasing power” – Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer, P&G.