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Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
8. Creative Strategy:
Planning and Development
creativity that often does result in effective advertising. Global Perspective 8-1 discusses
how the emphasis on creative awards has shifted to the international arena with
awards like the Cannes Lions.
As we saw in Chapter 7, the success of an ad campaign cannot always be judged in
terms of sales. However, many advertising and marketing personnel, particularly those
on the client side, believe advertising must ultimately lead the consumer to purchase
the product or service. Finding a balance between creative advertising and effective
advertising is difficult. To better understand this dilemma, we turn to the issue of creativity
and its role in advertising.
What Is Creativity?
Creativity is probably one of the most commonly used terms in
advertising. Ads are often called creative. The people who develop
ads and commercials are known as creative types. And advertising agencies develop
reputations for their creativity. Perhaps so much attention is focused on the concept of
creativity because many people view the specific challenge given to those who
develop an advertising message as being creative. It is their job to turn all of the information
regarding product features and benefits, marketing plans, consumer research,
and communication objectives into a creative concept that will bring the advertising
message to life. This begs the question: What is meant by creativity in advertising?
Different Perspectives on Advertising Creativity
Perspectives on what constitutes creativity in advertising differ. At one extreme are
people who argue that advertising is creative only if it sells the product. An advertising
message’s or campaign’s impact on sales counts more than whether it is innovative or
wins awards. At the other end of the continuum are those who judge the creativity of
an ad in terms of its artistic or aesthetic value and originality. They contend creative
ads can break through the competitive clutter, grab the consumer’s attention, and have
some impact.
As you might expect, perspectives on advertising creativity often depend on one’s
role. A study by Elizabeth Hirschman examined the perceptions of various individuals
involved in the creation and production of TV commercials, including management
types (brand managers and account executives) and creatives (art director, copywriter,
commercial director, and producer). 7 She found that product managers and account
executives view ads as promotional tools whose primary purpose is to communicate
favorable impressions to the marketplace. They believe a commercial should be evaluated
in terms of whether it fulfills the client’s marketing and communicative objectives.
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Exhibit 8-2 In Nissan’s
new ads, the cars are once
again the stars
Advertising Creativity
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Chapter Eight Creative Strategy: Planning and Development