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Advertising Creativity
The two basic issues that are associated with the advertising creative process: Creative
Strategy and Creative Tactics.
Textbook
Pages 258 - 259
Determining what the advertising message will
say or communicate
Creative
Strategy
Creative
Tactics
Determining how the message strategy will be
executed
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Creative Advertising for Old Spice Body Wash
This visual presents a popular Old Spice ad and a couple of tag lines. Ideally, ads and
commercials will appeal to, and often create or shape, consumers’ problems, desires, and
goals. It is becoming more and more difficult to come up the “big idea” that will break
through the clutter and strike a responsive chord with the target audience.
Textbook
Pages 257 - 258
Smell like a man, man
The man your man could smell like
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The Importance of Creativity
Advertisers are looking for more than award-winning ads — they want ads that move
product. Striking a balance between creative advertising and effective advertising is difficult.
For example, the ads shown on this slide all won awards for creativity, but failed to increase
product sales.
Textbook
Pages 259 - 260
Many advertising and marketing people have now become
ambivalent toward, and even critical of, advertising awards.
They argue that agency creative people are more concerned
with creating ads that win awards than ads that sell their
clients’ products.
Best ads of all time?
• Alka-Seltzer…
Mama Mia! That’s a spicy meatball!
• Nissan …
Enjoy the ride.
• Altoids…
Curiously strong.
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Different Perspectives on Creativity?
These are two opposing viewpoints related to creativity:
Textbook
Pages 260 - 261
Managers Creatives
Only artistic value
and originality count
It isn’t creative
if it doesn’t sell
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Determinants of Creativity
The two primary factors of creativity… divergence and relevance.
Textbook
Pages 262 - 263
Ad-To-Consumer
Brand-To-Consumer
Original
Flexibility
RelevanceDivergent
Elaboration
Synthesis
Artistic Value
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Creative Advertising for Absolut
This is an example of the creative advertising that helped make Absolut vodka an iconic
brand.
Textbook
Pages 264 / Exhibht 8 - 3
This ad is a good example of creative advertising that
relies primarily on thought-provoking imagery.
The ad is part of the integrated global campaign, which
uses the tagline “In an Absolut World.” It plays off the
brand name to illustrate a whimsical, imagined world
where everything is as ideal as Absolut vodka.
This ad features New York’s Times Square adorned with
famous works of art, rather than billboards.
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The Creative Challenge
Creativity is limited only by guidelines; there are no hard and fast rules or formulas that
guarantee success.
Textbook
Pages 264 - 265
Marketers must take all the research, creative briefs,
strategy statements, communications objectives, and
other input and transform them into an advertising
message that engages the audience’s interest and
makes the ads memorable.
Because there are no absolute rules, no formulas, no
“right way,” given the same problem, a dozen creative
talents would solve it a dozen different ways.
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Residence Inn Takes a Creative Risk
Residence Inn has taken a creative approach with its new ads. This highly evocative campaign
was created to showcase Residence Inn’s new “Innfusion” décor, which redefines the
extended-stay experience with distinctive zones to meet the needs of the extended stay
guest… cooking, dining, working, relaxing, and sleeping.
Textbook
Pages 266 - 267
The ads use theatrical performers to show guests how
to master, not just survive, a long trip. In this ad,
Residence’s in-room grocery service is highlighted.
Not all companies or agencies agree that advertising
must be risky to be effective, however. Many are more
comfortable with ads that simply communicate
product or service features and benefits.
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Creative vs. Hard-Sell Advertising
This is the perpetual struggle between the suits and poets:
Textbook
Pages 267 - 268
Suits
Rationalists who argue that
advertising must sell the
product or service, and that
the more selling points there
are in the ad, the greater the
chance of moving the
consumer to purchase.
Poets
(Proponents of creativity)
argue that advertising must
build an emotional bond
between consumers and
brands or companies that
goes beyond mere product
advertising.
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Creative Personnel
These are some of the adjectives often used to describe creative types, such as artists and
copywriters:
Textbook
Page 268 - 269
Abstract
Less structured
Less organized
Unconventional
Intuitive
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Young’s Creative Process
One of the most popular approaches to creativity in advertising was developed by James
Webb Young, a former creative vice president at the J. Walter Thompson agency. This chart
shows and describes the various steps in Young’s model of the creative process.
Textbook
Pages 269 - 270
Get raw material and data, and immerse
yourself in the problem
Immersion
Take the information, work it over, wrestle with
it in your mind
Digestion
Turn the information over to the subconscious
to do the work
Incubation
“Eureka! I have it!” phenomenonIllumination
Study the idea, evaluate it, reshape it for
practical usefulness
Verification
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Walla’s Creative Process Model
This visual shows another approach to the creative process, which was developed by English
sociologist Graham Wallas.
Textbook
Pages 269 - 270
Incubation
Setting
Problem
Aside
Preparation
Gathering
Information
Illumination
Seeing the
Solution
Verification
Refining
the Idea
The
Creative
Process
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Test Your Knowledge
A client manufactures maternity clothes for businesswomen, and it wants a new advertising
campaign. Visits to obstetrician's offices to observe the clothes being worn and to maternity
shops to see how they were selected could be a part of the _____ stage of the creative
process.
A. Preparation
B. Verification
C. Revision
D. Reality check
E. Incubation
15. These are the various forms of background information that can be provided to creative
specialists during the preparation, incubation, and illumination stages of the creative
process.
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Getting Creative Input
Textbook
Pages 270 - 271
Read anything related
to the product or
market
Listen to what people
are talking about
Use the product to
become familiar
with it
Ask everyone involved
for informationWork in and learn
about the client’s
business
Conduct studies of
product, service,
audience
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Branding Research
Young & Rubicam developed a proprietary tool for building and managing a brand. Known as
the BrandAsset Valuator, it produces the type of output shown in this visual:
Textbook
Pages 271 - 272
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Qualitative Research Input
Many agencies use qualitative and ethnographic research, in addition to quantitative
research studies. Qualitative research techniques:
• In-depth interviews
• Focus groups
Focus groups bring together 10 to 12 people from the target market, who are then led
through a discussion regarding a particular topic. These groups give insight into why and how
consumers use a product or service.
During ethnographic research, consumers are observed in their natural environment. Some
agencies send anthropologists or trained researchers into the field to study and observe
consumers in their homes, at work, or at play.
As a rule, creative people are open to any research or information that will help them better
understand the client’s target market.
Textbook
Pages 272 - 274
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Input Verification and Revision
This visual shows the objectives for the verification and revision stages of the creative
process, as well as the research techniques that can be used.
Textbook
Page 274
• Evaluate ideas
• Reject the inappropriate
• Refine the remaining
• Give ideas final expression
Objective
• Directed focus groups
• Message communication studies
• Portfolio tests
• Viewer reaction profiles
Techniques
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Storyboards and Animatics
A storyboard is a series of drawings used to present the visual plan or layout of a proposed
commercial. It contains a series of sketches of key frames or scenes, along with the copy or
audio portion for each scene.
Textbook
Pages 274 – 275 / Exhibit 8 - 11
Because storyboards are too
abstract for many consumers to
understand, the agency may
produce an animatic, a videotape
of the storyboard along with an
audio soundtrack.
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An Advertising Campaign
This visual shows the various components of an advertising campaign, which is a series of
interrelated, integrated, and coordinated marketing communication activities that center on
a central theme or idea, in different media, across a specified time period.
Textbook
Page 275
Integrated
Interrelated Coordinated
In Different Media Over a Time Period
Marketing
Communication
Activities
Centered on a Theme or
Idea
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Campaign Themes
These are successful themes employed by a number of major companies:
Textbook
Pages 275 - 277
Marlboro Marlboro Country
Wheaties Breakfast of Champions
BMW The ultimate driving machine
Nike Just do it
McDonald’s I’m lovin’ it
Key Jewelers Every kiss begins with Kay
Allstate You’re in good hands with Allstate
Company or Brand Campaign Theme
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Test Your Knowledge
Advertising campaign themes:
A. Are always tactical in nature and design
B. Set the tone or direction for all of the individual ads that make up the campaign
C. Are typically designed by the client and implemented by the agency
D. Are usually used for ads that run in only one type of media vehicle
E. Are described by all of the above
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The Creative Brief
Creative brief specifies the basic elements of the creative strategy. The brief may also be
called a creative platform, work plan, creative blueprint, or creative contract.
Textbook
Page 277 - 280 / Figure 8 - 3
Just as there are different names for the
creative brief, there are variations in the
outline and format used, and in the level of
detail included.
Many creative briefs also include supporting
information and requirements, such as brand
identifications and disclaimers that should
appear in all advertising messages.
The creative brief is usually developed by an
account representative or an account planner.
• Basic problem or issue the
advertising must address
• Advertising and communications
objectives
• Target audience
• Major selling idea or key benefits
to communicate
• Creative strategy statement
• Supporting information and
requirements
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Marketing Information Flow
This visual shows the major communication interfaces and decision points where
gatekeepers on both the agency and client side can impede the flow of information.
Textbook
Pages 277 - 280 / Figure 8 - 4
Knowledge of vital
Marketing information
Client gatekeepers
(Brand manager)
Internal client decision
to share information
with agency
Agency gatekeeper
(Account manager)
Agency gatekeeper decision
on sharing client
info with staff
Creative staff
Art is created
Client/agency
communication
Internal agency
communication
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Search for a Major Selling Idea
This visual shows various approaches that can be used to develop the major selling idea of an
advertising campaign.
Textbook
Pages 280 - 283
Finding the inherent drama
Use a Unique
Selling Position
Create a Brand ImagePositioning
Seeking the Major Idea
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The Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
The USP approach to developing the major selling idea:
Textbook
Page 284
Must be unique to
this brand or claim;
rivals can't or don't
offer it
Unique
Buy this
product/service and
you get this benefit
Benefit
Promise must be
strong enough to
move mass millions
Potent
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Colgate’s Unique Selling Proposition
Colgate Total’s unique selling proposition is that there is a connection between the health of
your mouth and the health of your body.
Textbook
Pages 284 / Exhibit 8 - 14
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Image Advertising
Creative strategies are used to sell products based on the development of a strong,
memorable identity for the brand through image advertising.
Textbook
Pages 284 - 285 / Exhibit 8 - 15
As shown here, bebe uses advertising to
build an image as a sexy and stylish
brand.
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Test Your Knowledge
Which of the following is most often the basis of a marketer's creative strategy when the
company has multiple brands competing in the same market?
A. Unique selling propositions
B. Brand image
C. Inherent drama
D. Transformational advertising
E. Positioning
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Inherent Drama
This visual illustrates the use of inherent drama as an approach to the development of a
major selling idea.
Textbook
Page 285
The inherent drama approach is used often used in advertising for
companies/brands such as McDonald’s, Maytag appliances, Kellogg
cereals, and Hallmark cards.
A good example of this approach is the new campaign for Hallmark
cards… “The biggest little thing you can do.” The ads emphasize the
gratitude and appreciation that can come from the small gesture of
sending a greeting card, and promotes the 99-cent line of greeting
cards that Hallmark has been selling for years.
A unique aspect of this campaign was giving consumers the ability
to go to a website, choose the card that is given to the person in the
ad, then watching the reaction of the person who receives it.
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Positioning
Positioning is an approach used to developing the major selling idea for an advertising
campaign.
Textbook
Pages 285 – 286 / Exhibit 8 - 17
Quaker State/Q uses a
performance positioning
strategy (shown here) and
targets the “Enthusiast”
segment that is involved in
maintaining their car, and
will most likely purchase
their own oil and install it
themselves.
Many of the top brands in
various product and service
categories have retained
their market leadership
because they have
established and maintained
a strong position or identity
in the minds of consumers.
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Contemporary Approaches to the Big Idea
Previously successful advertising approaches (USP, brand image, inherent drama, and
positioning) may not meet the advertising needs of today and tomorrow.
In describing today’s advertising leaders, Anthony Vagnoni of Advertising Age writes:
“They’ve endorsed no set of rules, professed no simple maxims. What’s replaced them
is a conscious desire to lift the intelligence level of advertising. Today’s leaders see
advertising as an uplifting social force, as a way to inspire and entertain.”
Goodby and Silverstein note:
“Advertising works best when it sneaks into people’s lives, when it doesn’t look or feel
like advertising. It’s about treating people at their best, as opposed to dealing with them
at their lowest common denominator.”
Most marketers and their agencies recognize that they must come up with big ideas that can
be used across a variety of media and can engage consumers. In a rapidly changing
advertising world, this is becoming harder and harder to do.
Textbook
Page 286 - 288
