9
Managing Creativity in
Advertising and Integrated
Brand Promotion
Strategy Creativity Execution
1. Strategic Creativity
1. What is creativity?
2. Creative concept: A “big idea,” “the creative
leap”
3. Twin masters: creativity and strategy
4. Leo Burnett’s Inherent Drama
Something to understand…
Strategy statement
 The Objective
 Target Audience
 Unique Selling
Proposition
 Headline
Creative Brief
 The Objective
 Target Audience
 Message Theme
 Support
 Constraints
We’ll discuss this later in detail
Different perspective but the same
results
What makes an ad great?
Strategy
•
•
•
driven by specific
objectives
target audience
message offers a
relevant benefit
(selling
proposition)
Creativity
Execution





the big idea
(unifying)
original
link to
strategy!!!

craftsmanship
the right
execution
effective media
Remember
• What makes an ad great?
– Strategy-Creativity-Execution
– They should be consistent
– Therefore the analysis of the final ad should bring
us to the same conclusion independent of the
perspective
I. What is creativity (in advertising)?
1. Creative Concept: A “big idea” that
is original and dramatizes the
selling point
–
–
–
–
The big idea (original thinking)
Unifies
Dramatizes the selling point
The process: “the creative leap,” that flash of
insight that unites the campaign (Otto Kleppner)
2. Twin masters: Creativity and Strategy
Advertising is “an art and a disciplined solution
to a communications problem”
– Strategy: Springboard for the creative leap
A creative idea is both original (different, novel, unexpected) and right for the
product and target audience
– David Ogilvy (greatest copywriters ever)
“I doubt if more than one campaign in a hundred contains a big idea. I am
supposed to be one of the more fertile inventors of big ideas, but in my long
career I have not had more than 20 if that”
Perspectives of Great Ad Men on the
Major Selling Idea
STRATEGY:
David Ogilvy
CREATIVITY:
Leo Burnett
Brand image or personality
is particularly important
when brands are similar
Find the inherent drama or
characteristic of the
product that makes
consumers buy it
“Every ad must contribute
to the complex symbol
that is the brand image.”
“(Inherent drama) is often
hard to find but it is always
there, and once found it is
the most interesting and
believable of all
advertising appeals.”
8
Absolut’s Advertising Represents Synergy
Between Creative and Media
Strategy
Twin Masters
&
Positioning
Use a Unique
the
Brand
Selling
Position
Creativity
Create
Use a Unique
a Brand
Selling
Image
Position
Seeking the
Major Idea
Positioning
Find
Create
thethe
Inherent
Brand
Drama
Image
BMW’s Slogan Has Helped Build Its Brand Image
+
campaign theme for Miller Lite beer
USP
Unique Selling
Proposition
Benefit
Unique
Potent
Buy this product
and you'll
benefit this way
or enjoy this
reward
Must be unique
to this brand or
claim; something
rivals can't or
don't offer
The promise
must be strong
enough or
attractive
enough to move
people
A Big Idea Resulting From The Creative Leap
Another Big Idea From The Creative Leap
Creating a Brand Image
Used when competing brands are so
similar it is difficult to find or create a
unique attribute
The creativity sales strategy is based on a
strong, memorable brand identity through
image advertising
Often used for products such as soft
drinks, perfume, liquor, clothing, airlines
Approaches to the Major Selling Idea:
Positioning
Positioning
Establish a particular place in
the customer’s mind for the
product or service
Based on product attributes/
benefits, price/quality, use or
application, type of user,
problem solved
This Ad Positions 3M as Highly Innovative
+
3. Leo Burnett’s
Inherent Drama
A. The concept
– “Creativity call for an intuitive ability to identify the
inherent drama that resided within a product through the
conscious use of "earthy vernacular" imagery.
– Inherent drama: Characteristic of the product that makes
consumers buy it.
– The inherent drama “is often hard to find but it is always
there, and once found it is the most interesting and
believable of all advertising appeals.”
Approaches to the Major Selling Idea:
Inherent Drama
Inherent
Drama
“When you care enough
to send the very best”
Messages generally presented
in a warm, emotional way,
way for
Hallmark, Hallmark
example,
Maytag, Kellog
Focus on consumer benefits
with an emphasis on the
dramatic element in expressing
them
B. It is the foundation of consumer benefits (why
produced, why bought)
Ad: We should be able to identify the “reason” why
a manufacturer made a product and why the
consumer purchased it.
C. Warm and believable without tricks
(McDonald’s, Maytag appliances, Kellogg’s cereals,
and Hallmark cards)
D. The dramatic element (product-consumer interaction)
Structural analysis
• How does the story line bring the claim to life?
– Ideally, the story and the claim are so seemless (consistent) that it is
hard to tell whether the impact derives from the power of the
creative story or the strength of the product claim.
• Definition: Structural analysis
– Developed by Leo Burnett Agency
– It first looks at the power of the narrative or story line and
then evaluates the strength of the product claim.
– Integration is important: how the storyline brings the
claim to life
– If done improperly:
• Narrative level (STORY) is so high that it overpowers the claim
• The CLAIM is strong but there is no memorable story
Unique Selling Proposition vs. Inherent drama
USP
 Strategic perspective
 The promise must
be strong to move
people
ID
 Creative
perspective
 Characteristic of
the product that
makes consumers
buy it
Before Creative Work Begins
• Advertising Strategy Must Define
– Target Audience
– Product Concept
– Communications Media
– Advertising Message (message strategy)
– Account management group responsible for
developing the advertising strategy
The Creative Brief
(Copy Platform)
• Creative team’s guide for writing and
producing the ad
•
•
•
•
•
Who?
Why? -- Rational vs Emotional
What? - product features
Where and When?
What? - tone, style, approach
Message Strategy (Rationale)
• Description of the ad campaign’s overall
creative approach
– Verbal
– Nonverbal
– Technical (mandatories)
• The “BIG IDEA”
Creating ideas
• Four-stage creativity model:A Kick In The Seat Of
the Pants by Roger von Oech.
– Explorer – Accumulate a lot of ideas, focusing
on quantity not quality.
– Artist – Rearrange old ideas, combining and
changing them to come up with new ones.
– Judge – Evaluate the ideas (Explorer & Artist).
– Warrior – Develop an action plan and
implement.
The Creative Process
Explorer
Insight
Objective
Brainstorm
Formulating Strategy:
Writing the Creative Brief
Issues to Consider
Elements of the Brief
Who?
Objective
Statement
Why?
What?
Where?
When?
How?
Support
Statement
Tone or
Brand Character
Statement
The Creative Brief
A creative brief is a document that
provides the guidelines for creating
brand messages.
Know the 5 components of a creative
brief!
The Creative Brief (Explorer Stage)
•
•
•
•
•
The objective.
The target audience.
The message theme
The support.
The constraints.
The Objective
An advertisement for Bic designed to enhance the
brand’s image.
The Target
Market
The target market
for this ad is
females, 13-30,
who enjoy sports
and have an
active life style.
The Message
Theme
The message theme of this
milk advertisement was
that milk will provide
calcium. The calcium will
provide the customer with
benefit of strong bones.
The Support
The support claims
highlighted in this
advertisement is that
MicroThins are:
• 30% thinner
• 40% lighter
• 4 times more scratch resistant
• 10 times more impact resistant
• 99.9% UV protection
• anti-reflective.
In Class
exercise:
Del Monte
Advertisement
Put together a
creative brief
for this
advertisement
(ex post)
ANSWER: Creative Brief
Del Monte
• The Objective – Increase awareness of the
smaller-size cans with pull-top lid.
• Target Audience – senior citizens, especially
those that live alone and suffer from arthritis.
• Message Theme – The new cans not only contain
a smaller portion but are easier to open.
• Support – 30 cent introductory coupon to
encourage usage.
• Constraints – copyright logo, toll free number,
website address, legal requirements of a coupon
and what is meant by a small serve.