The CEO's Playbook: Optimizing Creative Team ROI to Drive Impact
In 2023, Forbes estimated the creative economy to be “worth $985 billion with no signs of slowing down.” There’s no denying the significant growth potential and importance of leveraging the power of creative intelligence and production to advance core business interests.
According to Gartner, 62% of CEOs list growth as their top priority for 2024. Yet, at the same time, CMOs name shrinking budgets among their top challenges. This dual reality suggests a tension around how to best measure ROI from creative output and make the case for how branding, marketing, communication, and other creative activities drive business outcomes.
Nonprofit leaders must also grapple with the question of how to best align marketing, communications, and engagement efforts with mission and impact. Responding to this need, Hyperakt (a Brooklyn-based social impact branding firm) published a budgeting guide for nonprofit creative executives and professionals.
Today’s nonprofit CEOs are stretched in every possible direction. They are raising funds at a time when foundations and individuals are writing smaller checks and taking fewer risks. They are competing for attention and action on important causes in the face of emotional and moral exhaustion, widening ideological chasms, and organized backlash.
At Purple Haus, our clients are CEOs in philanthropy, technology innovation, public health, environmental sustainability, and education and workforce, and no sector is immune to the shared challenges of this moment. Even so, we need storytellers, meaning-makers and connectors more than ever, and here are three steps CEOs can take right now to be confident they are making the right investments:
1. Get a clear picture of the current state.
Don’t just go with your gut feeling. Get the facts. Conduct an audit of every brand marketing and communications channel and ask your team to share what they are measuring and learning. Without requiring an overly complicated process, you can get a clearer picture.
2. Trust your team to balance creativity and accountability.
Once you have the data, enlist your creative team in the analysis. Listen to their observations and leave room for their recommendations, which will be informed by creative expertise and perspective. With mutual trust and understanding as the foundation, be explicit about what's most important to you and what you are holding them accountable to deliver.
3. Let your values inform your strategic decisions.
When the pressure is on, it can be tempting to react rashly versus responding thoughtfully. Resist that urge. Lean into your values and let them lead the way. If you discover that your core brand messaging or communications strategy is outdated or out of touch, it’s appropriate to make shifts. Instead of retreating altogether from the conversation, consider how you might reintroduce yourself and remind your partners and supporters of who you are, what you stand for, and why your work matters.
Purple Haus is a boutique executive communications and creative intelligence consultancy that partners with inspiring leaders to realize their greatest impact and influence. Let's work together to achieve breakthroughs in your company and society.