Most creative work isn’t bad. It’s just unnecessary. Not essential. Noise.
The video looks great. The site redesign is clean. The merch table is loaded. But what would happen if you quietly removed it all tomorrow? Would anything actually change? Would getting rid of it actually clear space for more meaningful messaging?
In busy organizations, creative often becomes purposeless activity. We produce because we can. We launch because it’s time. We redesign because the current materials feel stale. But production isn’t progress. And volume isn’t value.
The average mid-size organization spends tens—or hundreds—of thousands of dollars annually on creative execution: websites, campaigns, video, print, events. Yet many of those projects launch without a defined success metric. Not because teams don’t care. But because intent was never clarified upstream.
Before you greenlight your next project, think this through:
The Noise Test
If we removed this tomorrow . . .
- Would anyone really notice?
- Would any measurable outcome change?
- Would our team feel the loss strategically—not just emotionally?
If the honest answer to all three of these questions is “probably not,” you’re not launching strategy. You’re making noise. That doesn’t mean the work is poorly designed. In fact, it may be brilliantly, beautifully executed. It may even win praise internally. Heck, your boss may love it. But if it doesn’t move behavior, clarify a decision, or influence action, what’s the point?
(NOTE: If you want an objective way to evaluate your next project, scroll to the bottom of this post for a scored version of The Noise Test—a practical, detailed way to pressure-test creative before time and budget are committed.)
What Noise Looks Like in the Real World
1. The Beautiful Website That Converts Nothing
You launch a redesign. Great! It’s cleaner, more modern, with better photography. Wonderful!
Six months later, engagement is similar. Conversion rates are flat. The sales team hasn’t noticed a difference. So what happened?
Maybe the team started with a layout instead of clarity. No primary action was defined. No key audience segment was prioritized. No measurable success metric was agreed upon before design began.
The result: improved aesthetics, unchanged outcomes.
Upstream fix:
Before wireframes, answer this: What single action should this site drive? Everything else should support that.
2. The Swag That Gets Left on the Table
The merch is clever. The design is sharp. The slogans make people smile. But at the end of the event, half of it remains untouched. Why?
Because the item expressed brand personality but reinforced no specific message. It wasn’t connected to a campaign objective, audience need, or long-term touchpoint. It was memorable, but not meaningful.
Upstream fix:
Ask: What should this item remind people to do? If it doesn’t reinforce a behavior or message, it’s just branded clutter.
And remember: every dollar spent on decorative swag is a dollar not spent solving a real constraint. Creative isn’t free. It competes with everything else the organization could be doing.
3. The Polished Video No One Asked For
It’s cinematic. Well-lit. Professionally edited. People say, “That looks amazing.” But nothing changes.
There’s no increase in adoption. Or shift in understanding. No measurable response. You have no idea is if the video was successful, because you never asked what it was for. The issue wasn’t execution. It was intent.
Upstream fix:
Start with: What decision should this video influence? If you can’t answer that clearly, you’re producing content instead of strategy.
Across industries, over 90% of organizations now use video in their marketing. Far fewer can clearly articulate the ROI of each asset. Volume has increased. But measurement hasn’t kept pace.
The Hidden Cost: Credibility
Noise isn’t just a wasted line item. It erodes confidence.
When organizations repeatedly launch creative that doesn’t change outcomes, stakeholders start to question whether creative investment works at all. Teams become skeptical. Budgets tighten. Innovation slows.
Over time, that’s more expensive than any single project. Strategic clarity protects credibility.
What Strategic Creative Actually Feels Like
When creative starts upstream, it feels different.
- The audience is clearly defined.
- The desired action is specific.
- Success metrics are agreed upon before production.
- Format follows purpose, not the other way around.
Sometimes that leads to a video. Sometimes it leads to a landing page. Sometimes it leads to a printed guide. Sometimes it leads to doing less, but doing it better.
The medium is secondary. It’s the outcome that’s essential.
Bringing Strategy Back to the Front
So here’s where the (creative) rubber meets the (strategic) road. Before your next launch, ask:
- Who is this project truly for?
- What behavior are we trying to influence?
- What changes if this works?
- How will we know?
If those answers are clear, execution becomes sharper, faster, and more efficient. Creative decisions actually become easier. Internal alignment also improves.
AND . . . your work stops competing with noise. It starts making impact.
The best creative doesn’t begin in a design file, a production schedule, or a merch catalog. It begins upstream—in clarity.
When that clarity is in place at the start, what you create doesn’t just look good. It makes an impact. Creative is expensive. Clarity is cheap. Start there.
The Noise Test (Score It Before You Launch)
Rate each category from 1–5 before production begins. Be honest. This only works if you resist inflating your score.
Scoring scale:
1 = Vague or undefined
3 = Somewhat defined, but incomplete
5 = Specific, measurable, and agreed upon
1. Clarity
Can we articulate the primary behavior this should influence in one sentence?
- 1 – We’re generally “raising awareness.”
- 3 – We want more engagement, but haven’t defined what that means.
- 5 – We want decision-makers to schedule a demo within 30 days.
(Or download the guide. Or sign up for the event. Or complete the application.)
2. Audience
Have we prioritized one clearly defined audience over all others?
- 1 – “This is for everyone.”
- 3 – We have multiple audiences in mind.
- 5 – This is specifically for operations leaders at mid-sized organizations.
(Or first-time buyers. Or existing customers at renewal stage.)
3. Stakes
If this fails, does anything measurable suffer?
- 1 – Not really. It would just be disappointing.
- 3 – It might affect perception, but we’re unsure how.
- 5 – Failure directly impacts pipeline, adoption, revenue, retention, or a defined business priority.
4. Metrics
Have we agreed on what success looks like before execution begins?
- 1 – We’ll know it when we see it.
- 3 – We’ll track views, likes, or impressions.
- 5 – We’ve defined a specific KPI tied to business impact (conversion rate, qualified leads, booked calls, completed purchases, etc.).
5. Trade-Off
What are we choosing not to do in order to do this?
- 1 – No clear trade-off. We’re just adding this on.
- 3 – It competes with other initiatives, but not explicitly.
- 5 – We intentionally deprioritized another project because this has clearer strategic impact.
How to Interpret Your Score
20–25: Strategic initiative. Proceed with confidence.
16–19: Strong potential—refine before production.
12–15: High risk of noise. Clarify intent before spending.
Below 12: You’re funding activity, not strategy.
