Part 3: Preparing the

Message

 Another major transition in our study of

advertising
 We have considered The Process and the
Planning now we will venture into the
creative effort—Preparing the Message

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 Chapter 10

Managing Creativity in
Advertising and IBP

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© 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning
PPT 10-2
 Why Advertising Needs
Creativity

 Advertising is plagued by ad clutter.

 Brands, especially mature brands like Burger
King become boring and irrelevant. Great
creativity breaks through the boredom and makes
brands relevant.
 Great advertising can help create great brands
which make an emotional connection with
consumers.

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 Ad in Context Example

Do
Do you
you
think
think this
this
ad
ad would
would
break
break
through
through
ad
ad clutter?
clutter?

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Creativity across domains

 Creativity is a gift, a way of seeing the world and

crosses domains from music to art to poetry to
advertising.

 Creativity is the ability to bring together inconsistent

elements and make connections.

 Mozart, DaVinci, Keats, Ogilvy?

 Creatives are self confident, unconventional, showing

total commitment to their craft.
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Creativity across domains

 Creative genius in the ad business—not as

prominent as in other domains

 Creativity in the business world—hard to

recognize sometimes

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Can One Become Creative?

 A very big question . . .

 Is creativity an end result? Or a way of
thinking?
 Public acceptance of a person’s work
is not always a good measure of
creativity.
 The main point is that in advertising—
we cannot do without creativity.
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 Ad in Context Example

How
How would
would you
you rate
rate
this
this ad
ad from
from aa
creative
creative
standpoint?
standpoint?

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 Ad in Context Example

How
How would
would you
you rate
rate
the
the creativity
creativity of
of this
this
ad?
ad?

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 Creativity: Against
Stereotypes

 Because someone is in a “creative”

position does not mean they are creative.
 Conversely the “suits” are not necessarily
uninspired.
 Tension and conflict are common in
advertising—the suits versus the creatives.

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 Agencies, Clients, and the
Creative Process

Oil and water . . .

 Conflict and tension in the creative/management interface
 Advertising is a social process of struggle for control
 Also conflict “within” agency process
 Clients often do not recognize they are “killing” the ideas
they claim they wanted
 Account Executives are the liaison between agency and
client
 Proper structure needs to be in place to overcome conflict
and let the talent come through
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 Assuring Poor Creative

1. Treat your audience like a statistic

2. Make your strategy a hodgepodge

3. Have no philosophy

4. Analyze your creative effort as you do a research

report

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 …Assuring Poor Creative

5. Make the creative process “professional”

6. Say one thing and do another

7. Give your client a candy store

8. Mix and match your campaigns

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 …Assuring Poor Creative

9. Fix it in production

10. Blame the creatives for bad creativity

11. Let your people imitate

12. Believe post-testing when you get a

good score

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 Making Beautiful Music Together: Coordination,
Collaboration, and Creativity

Executing IBP is like a Symphony . . .

 Many individuals make unique contributions to the whole.
 A “maestro” brings it all together.
 The “warm-up” of a symphony sounds disjointed and
random.
 Musicians focus on “sheet music” much like an ad plan.
 The situation is just like a symphony with many players
having distinct jobs.
 Collaboration and coordination is required through teams.

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What We Know About Teams

 Most challenges are beyond the scope of any one

individual.
 Research shows teams are effective when leaders are
clear that the team is accountable for performance
results.
 Synergy through Teams -- Blending talent through teams
creates synergies.
 Effective teams find ways to let individuals excel within
the team structure.
 Teams Promote Personal Growth --Team members
learn from each other.
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What We Know About Teams
(con’t)

 Leadership in Teams
– Leaders first job is to build consensus
– The leader ensures the work of the team is consistent
with the plan
– Leaders must also do “real work” with the team and
contribute
 Direct Applications to the Account Team
– The account team can be envisioned as a bicycle
wheel with the leader as the hub
– Spokes come from direct marketing, pr, creative,
graphics, interactive etc.
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What We Know About Teams
(con’t)

 Fostering Collaboration through the Creative Brief

– The creative brief is a document that sets up the goal
for the advertising IBP effort and gets everyone moving
in the same direction.
– The creative brief does not mandate a solution though.
– It can prevent conflicts
 Teams Liberate Decision Making
– The right combination of talent, with a leader and a
creative brief can result in breakthrough decisions
– Teams with members that trust one another are
liberated to be more creative
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 Igniting Creativity Through
Teams
 Teams come up with better ideas than individuals.
 Just the right amount of “tension” can have a positive effect.
 Cognitive Styles:
– The right brain/left brain metaphor reminds us that people approach
problems differently
– Cognitive style is the unique preferences of individuals to
approaching problems.
 Creative Abrasion—The clash of ideas from which new
ideas and breakthrough solutions can evolve.
 Interpersonal Abrasion—The clash of people which shuts
down communication and kills new ideas.
 Leadership is needed to promote creative abrasion and limit
interpersonal abrasion.
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 Eight Rules for Brilliant
Brainstorming

1. Build off each other

2. Fear drives out creativity
3. Prime individuals before and after group sessions
4. Make it happen
5. It’s a skill
6. Embrace creative abrasion
7. Listen and learn
8. Follow the rules or you are not brainstorming
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 Final Thoughts on Teams
and Creativity

 Creativity is fostered through trust and

open communication in teams
 Both personal and team creativity are
critical
 The position of the creative director is
critical as a creative and a manager

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 Have YOU Decided to
Become More Creative?
 Redefine problems to see them differently from other people.
 Be the first to analyze and critique your own ideas.
 Be prepared for opposition.
 It is impossible to be creative without knowledge.
 Too much knowledge can stifle creativity.
 Find the standard, safe solution--then decide when you want to take a risk
by defying it.
 Keep growing and experiencing: challenge your comfort zone.
 Believe in yourself, especially when surrounded by doubters.
 Learn to cherish ambiguity--from it comes the new ideas.
 People are most likely to be creative when doing something they love.
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