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Advertising Creativity
7 Advertising Creativity Roger Stotesbury
Learning outcomes After reading this chapter you will: ● ● ● ●
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Understand how an agency creative department works. Be able to discuss some of the key drivers of advertising creativity. Appreciate the importance of a creative idea to the advertising process. Discover how advertisements are typically developed using a four-stage process. Have a checklist for judging advertising and key ideas to help you sell-in creative work. Know better whether you are creative enough to work in advertising.
This chapter is not just for those who personally wish to win creative awards. Everyone from clients to agency account managers has a key role to play in the search for strong advertising solutions, so it is for all those who care passionately about the creative work they and their agency will produce.
7.1 What is it? Arthur Koestler said ‘creativity is the defeat of habit by originality’. Artists, sculptors, potters and clothes’ designers are all creative, and creativity is the life blood of advertising. It is what makes working in this business exciting, unpredictable and rewarding, as well as frustrating and very demanding. So what is special about advertising creativity? It is about communicating the key thought or message your client wants to communicate. So do not seek to work in this world if you want to articulate your own agenda, whim or cause. You would be better off as a sculptor, potter or clothes’ designer instead. Advertising is part of the business agenda, and it is about triggering a desire, want or action. ‘When I write an advertisement’, said David Ogilvy, a famous advertising guru, ‘I don’t want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.’ Yet advertising that is different and
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somehow out of the ordinary (in other words, that is creative) will break through the competitive clutter and grab the consumer’s attention. Jazz musician Charlie Mingus said: ‘Creativity is more than just being different. Anyone can play weird, that’s easy. What’s hard is to be simple as Bach. Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.’ One of the realities about advertising is that everyone believes that they are able to comment on it. If you are new to this industry it is, therefore, valuable to remember a few simple home truths about creativity: ● ● ●
There are great pressures to come up with new ideas. Everyone in an agency process can help the creative process, or hinder it. A clear, focused brief, with a strong consumer insight, is the best start.
7.2 The creative department The creative department of an advertising agency exists to develop advertising campaigns aimed at specific audiences, designed to achieved specific objectives, and to do so within certain budget constraints. Read ‘e’ by Matt Beaumont and you will have a pretty clear idea of what goes on within a creative department. Matt has worked in agencies as a copywriter and has based his book on real agencies, real creative people and real events – though you should take the whole thing with a sackload of salt. What is true to life, however, are the people, the pressures and the ‘playful’ atmosphere. Agencies in general, and creative departments in particular, are staffed by men and women from hugely diverse backgrounds. As well as Oxbridge graduates there will be ex-motorbike despatch riders. An ex-journalist could be working alongside an ex-schoolteacher or an ex-construction worker. Increasingly in creative departments there are people who have gone straight from a vocational advertising art or writing course into an agency job, but there are still plenty of ‘ex-anything’ to be found there. What moulds them together is the pressure under which they work, continually having to create new advertising ideas, often under tight time constraints. The result, as well as many brilliant ideas, is a determination to enjoy themselves in the process. So, the only type of person you probably will not find in a creative department is the nine to five, suit and tie, conventional conformist. The key roles in the department are as follows. 7.2.1 The creative director Sometimes known as the Creative Head and likely to be one of the agency’s most senior and highly respected people. The creative director is in charge of all
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creative output and is responsible for delivering the right creative environment through inspiration, cajoling and team leadership. Perhaps the greatest quality needed in a creative director is the ability to set high standards. They need to be good teachers and recruiters and have sound judgement. They need to know what to sign off and what to send back for further work without crushing the enthusiasm of the people who have put their heart and soul into it, and now have to go back and do it all again. And they must have the ability to spot a true pearl of an idea among a pile of polished pebbles. Creative directors often come with a monster ego and sometimes a monstrous temper, but it simply is no role for a shrinking violet. 7.2.2 The creative team There are two types of creative people in an agency: art directors and copywriters, often simply known as ‘the creatives’. They usually work in pairs on a brief provided by account managers and assigned by the creative director. It was Bill Bernbach, the founder of Doyle Dane Bernbach, who first put art directors and copywriters together in teams. As they work together to create a strong advertising idea, the images versus words split increasingly becomes blurred, and the art director is as likely to think of a headline as the copywriter is to suggest a visual idea. On some high-profile projects the decision will be taken to assign more than one creative team to the task, to add more energy and produce more options. There is nothing like competition to motivate. 7.2.3 Freelancers Certainly one result of the recent downswing in the business is greater reliance on ‘freelance’ creative teams. For creative directors this offers flexibility when allocating briefs. Agency creativity has become a bit like a Champions League football team. A place for the agency on the £2m pitch shortlist is the equivalent to a place in the last 16, and stars are bought-in to make up a winning team for the Final. 7.2.4 Creative services Of course, advertisements are not just created by copywriters and art directors working with ideas and sketches (or ‘roughs’ as they are usually known). Depending on the scale and culture of the agency the selected ideas (‘concepts’ for press and posters, or ‘scripts’ and ‘storyboards’ for TV commercials), once approved by the client, are crafted into finished advertisements by artworkers,
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film directors and photographers, under the supervision of the creative team and traffic (workflow) managers. Many of these roles are sub-contracted out, though some are managed in-house. Co-ordination of the whole process is carried out by a production manager.
7.3 Drivers of advertising creativity 7.3.1 Diverse agency styles What sets one agency apart from another is not so much the creative people – who come and go – as the mindset of the agency. Every agency has its own culture, values and beliefs and it is this that catalyses their creativity. One agency might have a reputation for edgy work, another a showreel full of solid, worthy films. It is this diversity that feeds the UK’s reputation for strong advertising creativity.
7.3.2 Different types of strategy The type of creative approach adopted will often be determined by the positioning of the product or service within its marketplace. Charles F. Frazer, in his paper ‘Creative Strategy: A Management Perspective’ (Journal of Advertising 12 No. 4, 1983) summarises relatively distinct creative strategies that are responses to different marketing environments: Characteristic of product/service and market
Creative strategy
Extreme dominance in sector
Generic: straight product or benefit claim Pre-emptive: general claim with assertion of authority Unique selling proposition (USP): a superiority based on unique feature or benefit Brand image: based on psychological differentiation
Growing or awakening market When point of difference cannot be matched by competitors Homogeneous markets where physical differences are difficult to establish or easy to match Product/service attacking a market leader Discretionary items
Positioning: attempt to build specific niche Emotional: using humour and fun without strong selling emphasis
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7.3.3 Emotional versus rational emphasis It is sometimes useful to review where a creative solution falls on an emotional versus informational matrix (Figure 7.1). Strong fmcg (fast moving consumer goods) brands are created and nurtured by emotion. Carlsberg, Coca Cola and Walkers are all quadrant 3, but Dell, easyJet and Argos are always found in quadrant 2. Personally I would like to see more ideas that can work in quadrant 4. 7.3.4 Media synergy Creative thinking also requires thinking about the media. Will the ideas work best as two sequentially placed ads on different spreads? Should the TV commercial use a mix of 10-second teasers as well as longer time lengths? Does the creative idea justify the extra cost of running colour in the regional press? If media planners and the creative team work together to resolve these questions early in the process (even if they work for separate agencies), both the creative work and the media strategy can often be made more effective. 7.3.5 Integration Reaching today’s fragmented audiences often requires an integrated approach, combining different channels and techniques such as advertising, direct marketing, SMS and on-line. There is increasing potency in advertising ideas that can work across different channels in a synergistic way (making 1 ⫹ 1 ⫽ 3) and this should be one criterion for judging advertising ideas. 7.3.6 Increased interactivity
emotion
New technology is offering exciting creative possibilities for engaging in a two-way ‘conversation’ with consumers. Digital TV advertisements can be direct response at a click. The interplay between press advertising and micro websites is another area to be more fully exploited by switched-on creative
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Figure 7.1
Emotion versus information matrix
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teams. And there is growing use of text messaging as part of integrated campaigns. Creativity is increasingly tapping into these possibilities.
7.4 Creating the creative idea Behind most good advertising is a strong creative idea which is dramatic, memorable and often emotional. Think of Kit Kat’s ‘Have a break’ or Carlsberg’s ‘Probably’. These campaigns have at their core a simple thought that is the foundation for humour, charm and entertainment. Their many different TV advertising executions over many years all have the same core thought, which has now become inextricably linked to the chocolate bar or the beer. Great ideas like these are the result of a structured process that starts with a client’s requirements and leads sequentially to the finished advertisement. The steps will vary from agency to agency but a typical four-step process (Figure 7.2), which places a focus on the search for a creative idea, might be: Stage 1 – the creative brief and key message Written by the account manager, with the support of the planner, and signed off by the client, this is a one or two page document that sets out what the advertising is to achieve and how it will be judged. It will usually summarise: – why are we advertising? – what are we selling? – who are we talking to? – what must we say? (known as the key message) – why should the consumer believe it? – what are the values of the brand? It is intended to inspire advertising creative people, not only by giving them scope for their imaginations, but also by focusing their thinking and clarifying the dos and don’ts. Stage 2 – the creative proposition This is the start of the creative journey. It is a simple, maybe unexpected expression of the key message, which the agency believes will connect with the target audience. Developed by the planner and account director
1 Key message
Figure 7.2
2 Proposition
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Creative idea
Execution(s)
The four stages of the creative process
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Roger Stotesbury or manager, and agreed on by the creative team, it provides a powerful launch pad for creative thinking although (or perhaps because) it can sometimes be distilled to just a single word.
Early in my career I was taken through the creative process by looking at Kellogg’s All Bran. The agency translated the key message of ‘All Bran is still the most effective palatable way to clear constipation’, into the simple proposition of ‘All Bran is powerful’. This led to advertising featuring snowploughs and icebreakers as powerful visual metaphors.
Stage 3 – the creative idea With an agreed brief and direction in the form of the proposition, the agency creative team is now able to brainstorm and develop alternative creative ideas. At this stage we are not interested in finished scripts or detailed visuals, but in the basic thinking behind what can be developed. For this reason the ideas are best reviewed by the agency team, and presented to the client, as quickly produced concept boards (usually simple line drawings or scamps with quickly scribbled headlines). Showing the idea to the client in this way helps to involve them in the process and lets them use their own imagination.
An account director from Saatchi & Saatchi turned up to an important client presentation with apparently no work to show. After the usual pleasantries, he began the formal meeting by saying: ‘Well, I suppose you want to see the work’, and producing from out of his suit jacket a single folded sheet of paper. It did not matter that the scamp (simple illustrative line-drawing) it contained could have been done in the pub the night before. It was a simple, relevant and great idea, and 4 weeks later rolled out nationwide on 500 poster sites.
Stage 4 – the execution Once an idea is accepted by the client, it is developed into the actual finished advertisement, also known as the execution. This is the stage where the numerous crafts of advertising – copywriting, art direction, photography, typography, film production and so on – come into play; co-ordinated by the agency production manager. For every creative brief, there are numerous possible propositions. For every proposition there are numerous creative ideas. For every creative idea there are numerous executions. It is the job of everyone involved with the creative process to ensure that the final execution, or series of executions, selected is the best possible creative response to the original client objective (Figure 7.3).
Advertising Creativity
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Figure 7.3
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Proposition
Creative idea
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The numerous routes that can emerge from one key message
There are three advantages to the 4 stage process we have just explored: ●
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It is kicked-off by the creative brief. With good agencies it is the creative brief that is ‘king’, and it is only moved away from for very strong reasons. Throughout the four stages there are points of review and decision to determine the best way to go forward from the brief to the actual execution. These reviews facilitate team working between agency colleagues, and partnership with the client. Stage 3 provides a focus on the idea, allowing it to be judged without the embellishment of executional details. In advertising it is customer insight that sells, and it is ideas that lead to some of the best remembered and most successful ads.
7.5 How do creative teams create? Too many in the industry underestimate the challenge of the empty layout pad. While not as mysterious as some would like to suggest, the process by which creative people search for their ideas is an activity difficult to describe. Perhaps the key verb is ‘to search’. The best ideas do not originate in isolation. Creative people need to interact with one another, and they need to immerse themselves into the world of the brief: the product or service, the audience, the triggers that will make people want to buy or use it and so on. Creativity at this stage is primarily all about investigating, asking questions and listening. The seed for an
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idea can come from anywhere: from talking to an assembly mechanic on the production line (as in a BMW ad), from reading internal office memos (as in the French Connection FCUK campaign) or from listening to focus group tapes (as in my agency’s ads for Argos). Even creatives themselves do not know where ideas come from. One copywriter once described his creative process as ‘moving around the office on my chair until I’m under the bit of ceiling where the ideas drop from the sky.’ An old agency joke also highlights the way many creatives seem to work: ‘Q. Why shouldn’t a creative team stare out of the window all morning? A. Because they’d have nothing to do in the afternoon.’ And despite their way with words, copywriters often find it hard to describe how they do what they do. Once, when the Duke of Edinburgh was being shown around an agency, he looked in on a creative team who were sitting, feet – and blank sheets of paper – on desks. ‘What’s your job, then?’ asked the Duke. ‘Thinking what to put’, replied the copywriter. All creative teams work in different ways as they ‘think what to put’, but inevitably they need space and time to develop their thinking. Creative people flourish in an environment that is open, not closed, and energetic, not judgemental. Typically, layout pads will be filled with doodles and isolated words, random observations and thoughts, as the first stages of brainstorming get under way. The saying that ‘you cannot discover new oceans until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore’ is as good a description of the creative thinking process as any. The best creative teams not only generate many, many ideas but are also selfcritical and will narrow their work down to only those that really hit the mark. With perhaps three to six sound ideas, it is time to show them to their creative director for feedback and development. Good creative directors will be looking for the opportunity to build on this first thinking, and to turn a sound idea into a great one. At our agency, infocus, we have established a ‘Challenge Wall’ where ideas are pinned up for open discussion and debate. It is a simple way of involving the whole agency team, of bringing to life the best thinking and of setting a standard for the agency. Many other creatively led agencies practise similar improvements on the old-fashioned nervous line-up outside the creative director’s office. 7.5.1 Six tips on how to think creatively All creatives work in different ways but a few thinking techniques seem to be used by many: 1
Lateral thinking: A common technique used to extend the imagination, by making, often subconscious, links to alternative thoughts on a different plain.
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Pushing boundaries: Come up with one idea, then brainstorm it to see where it takes you. Do not be satisfied with one idea: carry on until you have 10. The last idea may be the best, or may prove that the first one was. Think like a child: Often children see things in a new, exciting way that cuts through conventional barriers. Swapping shoes: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would Gandhi, Beethoven or Noel Gallagher interpret the brief? Out and about: A word overheard, a moment from a movie or a sentence from a focus group can all be the stimulus for a creative idea. Edward De Bono’s Six Coloured Thinking hats: A system for getting people into doing one sort of thinking at a time; for instance, emotional, rational, judgmental.
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7.6 Ten tips on how to judge creativity Judging creativity is at the heart of the creative process. But how to judge and what are the rules? The judgement criterion for the creative team, led by the creative director, is how the creative idea will work. For the account team it is whether the idea truly meets the brief and the client’s expectations. Given the importance of judging creativity, and indeed its subjective nature, it is sound practice to establish a yardstick for how to judge a creative idea. Here is one possibility: 1
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Does it have impact? In the increasing clutter of TV, print and radio, the criterion of impact is of key importance. Without arresting the viewer’s, reader’s or listener’s attention, no advertising can meet its basic objective of communication. Does it have an idea? As discussed above, the benefit is best conveyed not just by a product message or a series of messages, but by one clear idea: a key thought, exclusive to the brand and attractive to the consumer. This idea should be arresting, original, unexpected, stimulating. Is it involving? The consumer is not particularly interested in your message. The onus is on the advertising to arouse attention and desire. And if it is relevant, the advertising will involve the target consumer. Is it on brand? How many times have you seen a great ad, but cannot remember what it was selling? The advertising must be about the brand, not a story to which the brand is merely an unimportant addition. Does it show simplicity? One interesting thought about the brand – simply, attractively and single-mindedly expressed – is the essence of great advertising. Too many messages will confuse, and lose the consumer’s attention. Does it demonstrate credibility? The fundamental brand benefit must always be believable and obtainable, although the manner in which this benefit is expressed may involve exaggeration, fantasy or humour.
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Roger Stotesbury Does it offer a distinctive promise? A brand is ‘a promise to deliver’. Advertising is, nowadays, a key way of creating ‘uniqueness’. Thus, whether the benefit is unique or not, its expression must be. Is it brand building? Each advertisement affects the consumer’s perception of the brand. If any one advertisement conflicts with that perception it will cause at best a neutral, at worst a negative, feeling. Is it campaignable? The idea should be capable of development – not just into a single advertisement but into a campaign across different media, and not just into one campaign but into a series of campaigns. This requires more than simple repetition or variations on a theme. Is it capable of media adaptability? The effectiveness of a communication can often be strengthened by translating a good idea created for one medium into another. This is rarely achieved by mere transfer but often by intelligent adaptation. Wise clients will ask to see early mock-ups of executions across all the planned media.
7.7 Selling creativity However good it is, all creativity needs to be sold. The creative team needs to sell their ideas to their colleagues, to the account team and then to the client. If you are new to the industry, ask to sit in on as many sell-in sessions (usually known as presentations) as possible. In the meantime, here are six thoughts: ●
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Your presentation, particularly to the client, is going to be the highlight of their day. Learn the importance of creating an almost theatrical setting. Do your preparation so that you can relate to what your audience is looking for. Every client has a different definition of creativity. Before revealing the creative work, put it into context and explain what the thinking is that led up to it. Learn how much to say. When you show the work be silent and reverential. The work is the hero not you. Advertising is a hybrid of science and art, with creativity the least tangible of all the parts. So welcome reactions – after all, that is what all the work is there to provoke – but also have the passion to drive through the case. Never lose sight of the fact that it is the client who is paying the bill. But also never forget that the bill they are paying is for the agency’s specialist skills: they are buying your expertise and will be reluctant not to accept your advice and recommendations.
When new people join our agency and work on their first project, the first question they normally ask is ‘How many ideas are we going to show the client?’ This is a good question, and demonstrates that they are thinking through the options.
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One idea only can smack of preciousness and hardly fits within a spirit of client / agency partnership. Or, it can suggest real confidence in a brilliant idea, while presenting too many can make the agency appear indecisive and muddled. The real answer to the question is: never present poor ideas. Too many agencies seem content to pack an account manager off to see a client with one good idea and two they know to be half-hearted. It does not impress anyone and totally undermines the agency culture.
7.8 Discussion points 7.8.1 The importance of copy Today’s audiences are increasingly becoming visually rather than linguistically articulate. But the right words in the right advertisements still have an important role to play. You may not need to read 500 words before you buy a packet of breakfast cereal, but you will probably want something more than just a striking image before you invest in a pension plan. 7.8.2 The use of creative pitches Peer recommendations, smart credential presentations and the odd business lunch may get an agency onto a shortlist. But they are usually not enough to win the work. Nothing underlines the unique role of creativity within the advertising business so much as the creative pitch. Solicitors do not do some of their work prior to being appointed, so why is this virtually standard practice in advertising? There are perhaps three reasons: ●
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The creative route is central to what the client is buying, and with an increasing need for marketers to accelerate their returns, a pitch provides clients with maximum control. The advantages of one creative route over another will often result in a massive contribution to the bottom line. Clients (and let us be honest, agency people too) enjoy them. Pitches are the adrenalin-rush of an agency.
The creative pitch is the ultimate moment of theatre in a world full of drama. Key agency people take turns to present, explaining how keen the agency is to work with the client, how the agency interprets and shows great understanding of the task and how the budget might be allocated across different media. At some point, sometimes as the climax to the meeting but always as the high point, the creative director will reveal the creative thinking. The client will often see up to five pitches over a 2- or 3-day period, which might translate into between 5 and 10 campaigns. So, the agency that stands
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out – perhaps through strong personal chemistry, the use of a new and arresting strapline to run through the whole campaign or the single-minded use of a personality – will edge ahead. I recall when infocus pitched for Unisys’ European e-business account, we based everything around our line ‘re-thinking business’, with the ‘e’ highlighted in Unisys red. It was a simple idea that won the day. I have spoken about the role of scamping within the creative process. Sometimes at pitches it can work against you. After pitching to a client, an agency got a call: ‘Your thinking was good, but the work was too rough – we couldn’t see where it was going.’ The response? ‘We’ll present some finished concepts to you first thing in the morning’. The creative team worked late into the night, and the next day the pitch was won. Perhaps what this illustrates best is that there are no hard and fast rules for pitches, and maybe they are all down to luck after all. But as a famous golfer once said: ‘the more I practice, the luckier I get.’
7.8.3 A role for the client? Is there a role for the client in the creative process? The answer is a definite yes. The client’s knowledge of their product and audience should be fed into the process from the beginning, but there are four key moments when a good client is absolutely at the heart of things: ● ●
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In the preparation of the brief which kicks the process off. In supplying and facilitating awareness of the product or service and its audience (the swimwear manufacturer who briefed their agency in the Jacuzzi of the local pool understood the difference this makes). In giving the agency the right amount of time and space to come up with the solution. In signing off the creative work at both concept and execution stages.
7.8.4 The value of creativity Agencies were traditionally paid through a percentage on the media budget. So the more a campaign extended the more the agency could bill. Now, with the fragmentation of media buying, creative agencies are often paid specifically for their creative ideas and the associated production fees. This means creativity is now a direct revenue stream, and many agencies now agree on fees that include a performance-related element. The implications for agency people are a focus on the value of creativity in itself, but also a need to ensure its cost structure is aligned with the agency fee structure.
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7.8.5 Working in the creative world Whether or not you intend to be a creative yourself, an advertising agency is a creative world, and it is important to understand the creatives’ role and to cultivate the skills and sensitivities required to work with them, if you want to get the best out of them. You will only be a success in advertising (and a respected creative or colleague of the creatives) if you genuinely have a passion for advertising. If you are not continually fascinated by mailshots, TV commercials, posters and so on – think again. Account managers who do not get a buzz out of seeing their ads in the national press are too tired and should move on. Creatives who do not think of new approaches to an fmcg brief after walking around a shopping centre are probably never going to make a creative director. As already discussed, agencies have different cultures and values. Your particular approach and personal style may be better suited to some agencies than others. If you are a junior creative, find yourself an agency where you will feel part of the fabric – not where you are always battling against the ‘system’. If you are an account person who is keen to have their creative viewpoint listened to, check whether you are joining a culture that welcomes your comments.
7.9 Summary In this chapter we have seen that: ●
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Creativity is what makes advertising so special; it is the output which everything else in advertising should be geared up to support. Creative advertising will make an impression, be empathetic, be involving and memorable, and be awesomely simple. Strong advertising is built on a strong creative idea and powerful executions. This should be the focus of any creative process. A strong creative idea is the framework for increasingly integrated advertising.
Further reading David, O. Ogilvy on Advertising, Prion, ISBN 1-85375-196-0. Terence, A. S. Advertising Promotion, Harcourt College Publishers, ISBN 0-03-021113-1. Arden, P. It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, Phaidon, ISBN 0-7148-4337-7. Sticky Wisdom? What If!, Capstone, ISBN 1-84112-021-9.
Learning outcomes After reading this chapter you will: ● ● ● ●
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Understand how an agency creative department works. Be able to discuss some of the key drivers of advertising creativity. Appreciate the importance of a creative idea to the advertising process. Discover how advertisements are typically developed using a four-stage process. Have a checklist for judging advertising and key ideas to help you sell-in creative work. Know better whether you are creative enough to work in advertising.
This chapter is not just for those who personally wish to win creative awards. Everyone from clients to agency account managers has a key role to play in the search for strong advertising solutions, so it is for all those who care passionately about the creative work they and their agency will produce.
7.1 What is it? Arthur Koestler said ‘creativity is the defeat of habit by originality’. Artists, sculptors, potters and clothes’ designers are all creative, and creativity is the life blood of advertising. It is what makes working in this business exciting, unpredictable and rewarding, as well as frustrating and very demanding. So what is special about advertising creativity? It is about communicating the key thought or message your client wants to communicate. So do not seek to work in this world if you want to articulate your own agenda, whim or cause. You would be better off as a sculptor, potter or clothes’ designer instead. Advertising is part of the business agenda, and it is about triggering a desire, want or action. ‘When I write an advertisement’, said David Ogilvy, a famous advertising guru, ‘I don’t want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting that you buy the product.’ Yet advertising that is different and
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somehow out of the ordinary (in other words, that is creative) will break through the competitive clutter and grab the consumer’s attention. Jazz musician Charlie Mingus said: ‘Creativity is more than just being different. Anyone can play weird, that’s easy. What’s hard is to be simple as Bach. Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.’ One of the realities about advertising is that everyone believes that they are able to comment on it. If you are new to this industry it is, therefore, valuable to remember a few simple home truths about creativity: ● ● ●
There are great pressures to come up with new ideas. Everyone in an agency process can help the creative process, or hinder it. A clear, focused brief, with a strong consumer insight, is the best start.
7.2 The creative department The creative department of an advertising agency exists to develop advertising campaigns aimed at specific audiences, designed to achieved specific objectives, and to do so within certain budget constraints. Read ‘e’ by Matt Beaumont and you will have a pretty clear idea of what goes on within a creative department. Matt has worked in agencies as a copywriter and has based his book on real agencies, real creative people and real events – though you should take the whole thing with a sackload of salt. What is true to life, however, are the people, the pressures and the ‘playful’ atmosphere. Agencies in general, and creative departments in particular, are staffed by men and women from hugely diverse backgrounds. As well as Oxbridge graduates there will be ex-motorbike despatch riders. An ex-journalist could be working alongside an ex-schoolteacher or an ex-construction worker. Increasingly in creative departments there are people who have gone straight from a vocational advertising art or writing course into an agency job, but there are still plenty of ‘ex-anything’ to be found there. What moulds them together is the pressure under which they work, continually having to create new advertising ideas, often under tight time constraints. The result, as well as many brilliant ideas, is a determination to enjoy themselves in the process. So, the only type of person you probably will not find in a creative department is the nine to five, suit and tie, conventional conformist. The key roles in the department are as follows. 7.2.1 The creative director Sometimes known as the Creative Head and likely to be one of the agency’s most senior and highly respected people. The creative director is in charge of all
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creative output and is responsible for delivering the right creative environment through inspiration, cajoling and team leadership. Perhaps the greatest quality needed in a creative director is the ability to set high standards. They need to be good teachers and recruiters and have sound judgement. They need to know what to sign off and what to send back for further work without crushing the enthusiasm of the people who have put their heart and soul into it, and now have to go back and do it all again. And they must have the ability to spot a true pearl of an idea among a pile of polished pebbles. Creative directors often come with a monster ego and sometimes a monstrous temper, but it simply is no role for a shrinking violet. 7.2.2 The creative team There are two types of creative people in an agency: art directors and copywriters, often simply known as ‘the creatives’. They usually work in pairs on a brief provided by account managers and assigned by the creative director. It was Bill Bernbach, the founder of Doyle Dane Bernbach, who first put art directors and copywriters together in teams. As they work together to create a strong advertising idea, the images versus words split increasingly becomes blurred, and the art director is as likely to think of a headline as the copywriter is to suggest a visual idea. On some high-profile projects the decision will be taken to assign more than one creative team to the task, to add more energy and produce more options. There is nothing like competition to motivate. 7.2.3 Freelancers Certainly one result of the recent downswing in the business is greater reliance on ‘freelance’ creative teams. For creative directors this offers flexibility when allocating briefs. Agency creativity has become a bit like a Champions League football team. A place for the agency on the £2m pitch shortlist is the equivalent to a place in the last 16, and stars are bought-in to make up a winning team for the Final. 7.2.4 Creative services Of course, advertisements are not just created by copywriters and art directors working with ideas and sketches (or ‘roughs’ as they are usually known). Depending on the scale and culture of the agency the selected ideas (‘concepts’ for press and posters, or ‘scripts’ and ‘storyboards’ for TV commercials), once approved by the client, are crafted into finished advertisements by artworkers,
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film directors and photographers, under the supervision of the creative team and traffic (workflow) managers. Many of these roles are sub-contracted out, though some are managed in-house. Co-ordination of the whole process is carried out by a production manager.
7.3 Drivers of advertising creativity 7.3.1 Diverse agency styles What sets one agency apart from another is not so much the creative people – who come and go – as the mindset of the agency. Every agency has its own culture, values and beliefs and it is this that catalyses their creativity. One agency might have a reputation for edgy work, another a showreel full of solid, worthy films. It is this diversity that feeds the UK’s reputation for strong advertising creativity.
7.3.2 Different types of strategy The type of creative approach adopted will often be determined by the positioning of the product or service within its marketplace. Charles F. Frazer, in his paper ‘Creative Strategy: A Management Perspective’ (Journal of Advertising 12 No. 4, 1983) summarises relatively distinct creative strategies that are responses to different marketing environments: Characteristic of product/service and market
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Generic: straight product or benefit claim Pre-emptive: general claim with assertion of authority Unique selling proposition (USP): a superiority based on unique feature or benefit Brand image: based on psychological differentiation
Growing or awakening market When point of difference cannot be matched by competitors Homogeneous markets where physical differences are difficult to establish or easy to match Product/service attacking a market leader Discretionary items
Positioning: attempt to build specific niche Emotional: using humour and fun without strong selling emphasis
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7.3.3 Emotional versus rational emphasis It is sometimes useful to review where a creative solution falls on an emotional versus informational matrix (Figure 7.1). Strong fmcg (fast moving consumer goods) brands are created and nurtured by emotion. Carlsberg, Coca Cola and Walkers are all quadrant 3, but Dell, easyJet and Argos are always found in quadrant 2. Personally I would like to see more ideas that can work in quadrant 4. 7.3.4 Media synergy Creative thinking also requires thinking about the media. Will the ideas work best as two sequentially placed ads on different spreads? Should the TV commercial use a mix of 10-second teasers as well as longer time lengths? Does the creative idea justify the extra cost of running colour in the regional press? If media planners and the creative team work together to resolve these questions early in the process (even if they work for separate agencies), both the creative work and the media strategy can often be made more effective. 7.3.5 Integration Reaching today’s fragmented audiences often requires an integrated approach, combining different channels and techniques such as advertising, direct marketing, SMS and on-line. There is increasing potency in advertising ideas that can work across different channels in a synergistic way (making 1 ⫹ 1 ⫽ 3) and this should be one criterion for judging advertising ideas. 7.3.6 Increased interactivity
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New technology is offering exciting creative possibilities for engaging in a two-way ‘conversation’ with consumers. Digital TV advertisements can be direct response at a click. The interplay between press advertising and micro websites is another area to be more fully exploited by switched-on creative
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Emotion versus information matrix
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teams. And there is growing use of text messaging as part of integrated campaigns. Creativity is increasingly tapping into these possibilities.
7.4 Creating the creative idea Behind most good advertising is a strong creative idea which is dramatic, memorable and often emotional. Think of Kit Kat’s ‘Have a break’ or Carlsberg’s ‘Probably’. These campaigns have at their core a simple thought that is the foundation for humour, charm and entertainment. Their many different TV advertising executions over many years all have the same core thought, which has now become inextricably linked to the chocolate bar or the beer. Great ideas like these are the result of a structured process that starts with a client’s requirements and leads sequentially to the finished advertisement. The steps will vary from agency to agency but a typical four-step process (Figure 7.2), which places a focus on the search for a creative idea, might be: Stage 1 – the creative brief and key message Written by the account manager, with the support of the planner, and signed off by the client, this is a one or two page document that sets out what the advertising is to achieve and how it will be judged. It will usually summarise: – why are we advertising? – what are we selling? – who are we talking to? – what must we say? (known as the key message) – why should the consumer believe it? – what are the values of the brand? It is intended to inspire advertising creative people, not only by giving them scope for their imaginations, but also by focusing their thinking and clarifying the dos and don’ts. Stage 2 – the creative proposition This is the start of the creative journey. It is a simple, maybe unexpected expression of the key message, which the agency believes will connect with the target audience. Developed by the planner and account director
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Early in my career I was taken through the creative process by looking at Kellogg’s All Bran. The agency translated the key message of ‘All Bran is still the most effective palatable way to clear constipation’, into the simple proposition of ‘All Bran is powerful’. This led to advertising featuring snowploughs and icebreakers as powerful visual metaphors.
Stage 3 – the creative idea With an agreed brief and direction in the form of the proposition, the agency creative team is now able to brainstorm and develop alternative creative ideas. At this stage we are not interested in finished scripts or detailed visuals, but in the basic thinking behind what can be developed. For this reason the ideas are best reviewed by the agency team, and presented to the client, as quickly produced concept boards (usually simple line drawings or scamps with quickly scribbled headlines). Showing the idea to the client in this way helps to involve them in the process and lets them use their own imagination.
An account director from Saatchi & Saatchi turned up to an important client presentation with apparently no work to show. After the usual pleasantries, he began the formal meeting by saying: ‘Well, I suppose you want to see the work’, and producing from out of his suit jacket a single folded sheet of paper. It did not matter that the scamp (simple illustrative line-drawing) it contained could have been done in the pub the night before. It was a simple, relevant and great idea, and 4 weeks later rolled out nationwide on 500 poster sites.
Stage 4 – the execution Once an idea is accepted by the client, it is developed into the actual finished advertisement, also known as the execution. This is the stage where the numerous crafts of advertising – copywriting, art direction, photography, typography, film production and so on – come into play; co-ordinated by the agency production manager. For every creative brief, there are numerous possible propositions. For every proposition there are numerous creative ideas. For every creative idea there are numerous executions. It is the job of everyone involved with the creative process to ensure that the final execution, or series of executions, selected is the best possible creative response to the original client objective (Figure 7.3).
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The numerous routes that can emerge from one key message
There are three advantages to the 4 stage process we have just explored: ●
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It is kicked-off by the creative brief. With good agencies it is the creative brief that is ‘king’, and it is only moved away from for very strong reasons. Throughout the four stages there are points of review and decision to determine the best way to go forward from the brief to the actual execution. These reviews facilitate team working between agency colleagues, and partnership with the client. Stage 3 provides a focus on the idea, allowing it to be judged without the embellishment of executional details. In advertising it is customer insight that sells, and it is ideas that lead to some of the best remembered and most successful ads.
7.5 How do creative teams create? Too many in the industry underestimate the challenge of the empty layout pad. While not as mysterious as some would like to suggest, the process by which creative people search for their ideas is an activity difficult to describe. Perhaps the key verb is ‘to search’. The best ideas do not originate in isolation. Creative people need to interact with one another, and they need to immerse themselves into the world of the brief: the product or service, the audience, the triggers that will make people want to buy or use it and so on. Creativity at this stage is primarily all about investigating, asking questions and listening. The seed for an
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idea can come from anywhere: from talking to an assembly mechanic on the production line (as in a BMW ad), from reading internal office memos (as in the French Connection FCUK campaign) or from listening to focus group tapes (as in my agency’s ads for Argos). Even creatives themselves do not know where ideas come from. One copywriter once described his creative process as ‘moving around the office on my chair until I’m under the bit of ceiling where the ideas drop from the sky.’ An old agency joke also highlights the way many creatives seem to work: ‘Q. Why shouldn’t a creative team stare out of the window all morning? A. Because they’d have nothing to do in the afternoon.’ And despite their way with words, copywriters often find it hard to describe how they do what they do. Once, when the Duke of Edinburgh was being shown around an agency, he looked in on a creative team who were sitting, feet – and blank sheets of paper – on desks. ‘What’s your job, then?’ asked the Duke. ‘Thinking what to put’, replied the copywriter. All creative teams work in different ways as they ‘think what to put’, but inevitably they need space and time to develop their thinking. Creative people flourish in an environment that is open, not closed, and energetic, not judgemental. Typically, layout pads will be filled with doodles and isolated words, random observations and thoughts, as the first stages of brainstorming get under way. The saying that ‘you cannot discover new oceans until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore’ is as good a description of the creative thinking process as any. The best creative teams not only generate many, many ideas but are also selfcritical and will narrow their work down to only those that really hit the mark. With perhaps three to six sound ideas, it is time to show them to their creative director for feedback and development. Good creative directors will be looking for the opportunity to build on this first thinking, and to turn a sound idea into a great one. At our agency, infocus, we have established a ‘Challenge Wall’ where ideas are pinned up for open discussion and debate. It is a simple way of involving the whole agency team, of bringing to life the best thinking and of setting a standard for the agency. Many other creatively led agencies practise similar improvements on the old-fashioned nervous line-up outside the creative director’s office. 7.5.1 Six tips on how to think creatively All creatives work in different ways but a few thinking techniques seem to be used by many: 1
Lateral thinking: A common technique used to extend the imagination, by making, often subconscious, links to alternative thoughts on a different plain.
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Pushing boundaries: Come up with one idea, then brainstorm it to see where it takes you. Do not be satisfied with one idea: carry on until you have 10. The last idea may be the best, or may prove that the first one was. Think like a child: Often children see things in a new, exciting way that cuts through conventional barriers. Swapping shoes: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would Gandhi, Beethoven or Noel Gallagher interpret the brief? Out and about: A word overheard, a moment from a movie or a sentence from a focus group can all be the stimulus for a creative idea. Edward De Bono’s Six Coloured Thinking hats: A system for getting people into doing one sort of thinking at a time; for instance, emotional, rational, judgmental.
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7.6 Ten tips on how to judge creativity Judging creativity is at the heart of the creative process. But how to judge and what are the rules? The judgement criterion for the creative team, led by the creative director, is how the creative idea will work. For the account team it is whether the idea truly meets the brief and the client’s expectations. Given the importance of judging creativity, and indeed its subjective nature, it is sound practice to establish a yardstick for how to judge a creative idea. Here is one possibility: 1
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Does it have impact? In the increasing clutter of TV, print and radio, the criterion of impact is of key importance. Without arresting the viewer’s, reader’s or listener’s attention, no advertising can meet its basic objective of communication. Does it have an idea? As discussed above, the benefit is best conveyed not just by a product message or a series of messages, but by one clear idea: a key thought, exclusive to the brand and attractive to the consumer. This idea should be arresting, original, unexpected, stimulating. Is it involving? The consumer is not particularly interested in your message. The onus is on the advertising to arouse attention and desire. And if it is relevant, the advertising will involve the target consumer. Is it on brand? How many times have you seen a great ad, but cannot remember what it was selling? The advertising must be about the brand, not a story to which the brand is merely an unimportant addition. Does it show simplicity? One interesting thought about the brand – simply, attractively and single-mindedly expressed – is the essence of great advertising. Too many messages will confuse, and lose the consumer’s attention. Does it demonstrate credibility? The fundamental brand benefit must always be believable and obtainable, although the manner in which this benefit is expressed may involve exaggeration, fantasy or humour.
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7.7 Selling creativity However good it is, all creativity needs to be sold. The creative team needs to sell their ideas to their colleagues, to the account team and then to the client. If you are new to the industry, ask to sit in on as many sell-in sessions (usually known as presentations) as possible. In the meantime, here are six thoughts: ●
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Your presentation, particularly to the client, is going to be the highlight of their day. Learn the importance of creating an almost theatrical setting. Do your preparation so that you can relate to what your audience is looking for. Every client has a different definition of creativity. Before revealing the creative work, put it into context and explain what the thinking is that led up to it. Learn how much to say. When you show the work be silent and reverential. The work is the hero not you. Advertising is a hybrid of science and art, with creativity the least tangible of all the parts. So welcome reactions – after all, that is what all the work is there to provoke – but also have the passion to drive through the case. Never lose sight of the fact that it is the client who is paying the bill. But also never forget that the bill they are paying is for the agency’s specialist skills: they are buying your expertise and will be reluctant not to accept your advice and recommendations.
When new people join our agency and work on their first project, the first question they normally ask is ‘How many ideas are we going to show the client?’ This is a good question, and demonstrates that they are thinking through the options.
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One idea only can smack of preciousness and hardly fits within a spirit of client / agency partnership. Or, it can suggest real confidence in a brilliant idea, while presenting too many can make the agency appear indecisive and muddled. The real answer to the question is: never present poor ideas. Too many agencies seem content to pack an account manager off to see a client with one good idea and two they know to be half-hearted. It does not impress anyone and totally undermines the agency culture.
7.8 Discussion points 7.8.1 The importance of copy Today’s audiences are increasingly becoming visually rather than linguistically articulate. But the right words in the right advertisements still have an important role to play. You may not need to read 500 words before you buy a packet of breakfast cereal, but you will probably want something more than just a striking image before you invest in a pension plan. 7.8.2 The use of creative pitches Peer recommendations, smart credential presentations and the odd business lunch may get an agency onto a shortlist. But they are usually not enough to win the work. Nothing underlines the unique role of creativity within the advertising business so much as the creative pitch. Solicitors do not do some of their work prior to being appointed, so why is this virtually standard practice in advertising? There are perhaps three reasons: ●
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The creative route is central to what the client is buying, and with an increasing need for marketers to accelerate their returns, a pitch provides clients with maximum control. The advantages of one creative route over another will often result in a massive contribution to the bottom line. Clients (and let us be honest, agency people too) enjoy them. Pitches are the adrenalin-rush of an agency.
The creative pitch is the ultimate moment of theatre in a world full of drama. Key agency people take turns to present, explaining how keen the agency is to work with the client, how the agency interprets and shows great understanding of the task and how the budget might be allocated across different media. At some point, sometimes as the climax to the meeting but always as the high point, the creative director will reveal the creative thinking. The client will often see up to five pitches over a 2- or 3-day period, which might translate into between 5 and 10 campaigns. So, the agency that stands
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out – perhaps through strong personal chemistry, the use of a new and arresting strapline to run through the whole campaign or the single-minded use of a personality – will edge ahead. I recall when infocus pitched for Unisys’ European e-business account, we based everything around our line ‘re-thinking business’, with the ‘e’ highlighted in Unisys red. It was a simple idea that won the day. I have spoken about the role of scamping within the creative process. Sometimes at pitches it can work against you. After pitching to a client, an agency got a call: ‘Your thinking was good, but the work was too rough – we couldn’t see where it was going.’ The response? ‘We’ll present some finished concepts to you first thing in the morning’. The creative team worked late into the night, and the next day the pitch was won. Perhaps what this illustrates best is that there are no hard and fast rules for pitches, and maybe they are all down to luck after all. But as a famous golfer once said: ‘the more I practice, the luckier I get.’
7.8.3 A role for the client? Is there a role for the client in the creative process? The answer is a definite yes. The client’s knowledge of their product and audience should be fed into the process from the beginning, but there are four key moments when a good client is absolutely at the heart of things: ● ●
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In the preparation of the brief which kicks the process off. In supplying and facilitating awareness of the product or service and its audience (the swimwear manufacturer who briefed their agency in the Jacuzzi of the local pool understood the difference this makes). In giving the agency the right amount of time and space to come up with the solution. In signing off the creative work at both concept and execution stages.
7.8.4 The value of creativity Agencies were traditionally paid through a percentage on the media budget. So the more a campaign extended the more the agency could bill. Now, with the fragmentation of media buying, creative agencies are often paid specifically for their creative ideas and the associated production fees. This means creativity is now a direct revenue stream, and many agencies now agree on fees that include a performance-related element. The implications for agency people are a focus on the value of creativity in itself, but also a need to ensure its cost structure is aligned with the agency fee structure.
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7.8.5 Working in the creative world Whether or not you intend to be a creative yourself, an advertising agency is a creative world, and it is important to understand the creatives’ role and to cultivate the skills and sensitivities required to work with them, if you want to get the best out of them. You will only be a success in advertising (and a respected creative or colleague of the creatives) if you genuinely have a passion for advertising. If you are not continually fascinated by mailshots, TV commercials, posters and so on – think again. Account managers who do not get a buzz out of seeing their ads in the national press are too tired and should move on. Creatives who do not think of new approaches to an fmcg brief after walking around a shopping centre are probably never going to make a creative director. As already discussed, agencies have different cultures and values. Your particular approach and personal style may be better suited to some agencies than others. If you are a junior creative, find yourself an agency where you will feel part of the fabric – not where you are always battling against the ‘system’. If you are an account person who is keen to have their creative viewpoint listened to, check whether you are joining a culture that welcomes your comments.
7.9 Summary In this chapter we have seen that: ●
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Creativity is what makes advertising so special; it is the output which everything else in advertising should be geared up to support. Creative advertising will make an impression, be empathetic, be involving and memorable, and be awesomely simple. Strong advertising is built on a strong creative idea and powerful executions. This should be the focus of any creative process. A strong creative idea is the framework for increasingly integrated advertising.
Further reading David, O. Ogilvy on Advertising, Prion, ISBN 1-85375-196-0. Terence, A. S. Advertising Promotion, Harcourt College Publishers, ISBN 0-03-021113-1. Arden, P. It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be, Phaidon, ISBN 0-7148-4337-7. Sticky Wisdom? What If!, Capstone, ISBN 1-84112-021-9.