Managing Creativity in
Advertising and IBP
Marketing 3344
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.
Ad in Context Example
Do you think
this ad would
break
through ad
clutter?
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, Da Vinci, Keats, Ogilvy?
CREATIVITY ACROSS DOMAINS

Creatives are self confident, unconventional,
showing total commitment to their craft.

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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PPT 10-6
Ad in Context Example
How would you rate
this ad from a
creative standpoint?
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Ad in Context Example
How would you rate
the creativity of this
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 the 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.
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IGNITING CREATIVITY THROUGH
TEAMS
 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Build off each other
Fear drives out creativity
Prime individuals before and after group sessions
Make it happen
It’s a skill
Embrace creative abrasion
Listen and learn
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.
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HAVE YOU DECIDED TO
BECOME MORE CREATIVE?
 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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