Managing Creativity in Advertising and IBP

Marketing 3344

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.

Do you think this ad would break through ad clutter?

Do you think this ad would break through ad clutter?

Ad in Context Example

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?

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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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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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How would you rate this ad from a creative standpoint?

How would you rate this ad from a creative standpoint?

Ad in Context Example

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How would you rate the creativity of this ad?

How would you rate the creativity of this ad?

Ad in Context Example

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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1. Build off each other2. Fear drives out creativity3. Prime individuals before and after

group sessions4. Make it happen5. It’s a skill6. Embrace creative abrasion7. Listen and learn8. Follow the rules or you are not

brainstorming

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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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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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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.