Adman Lecture 7

Advertising ManagementLecture 7: Creative Strategy

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Outline

Creative Thinking Techniques Creative Strategy Planning and

Development The Importance of Creativity in Advertising Advertising Creativity The Creative Process Creative Strategy Development

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Creative Thinking Techniques

From Robert Harris of Virtual Salt Brainstorming Blocking and Block Busting What-Iffing Attribute Analysis

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From Robert Harris of Virtual Salt Morphological Analysis Reversal Analogy and Metaphor Trigger Concept

Video

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Brainstorming: useful for attacking specific (rather than general) problems and where a collection of good, fresh, new ideas (rather than judgment or decision analysis) are needed. Guidelines:

Suspend judgment Think freely Tag on or build on ideas of others Quantity of ideas is important

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Brainstorming Methodology:

Choose a recorder Organize the chaos Keep the session relaxed and playful Limit the session Make copies Add and evaluate ideas

Ideas of immediate usefulness Areas for further exploration New approaches to the problem

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Brainstorming Variations:

Stop and Go Sequencing

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Block Busting Many people complain of not being creative when in

fact their creativity has merely been blocked. Functional fixation arises when someone is unable to see beyond the historical or accepted use for an item, often identified by its name or label. For example, a screwdriver is a tool for tightening or

loosening screws. A person suffering from functional fixation would be unable to see any other uses for the item. But, of course, a screwdriver can also be used as a paint can opener, an ice pick, a plumb bob, a paper weight, and so on.

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Block Busting Techniques:

Uses for… Improvements to...(objects, places, institutions, things

and ideas)

What-Iffing a tool for releasing the mind, for delivering us from

being blocked by reality. In its simplest form, what-iffing involves describing

an imagined action or solution and then examining the probable associated facts, consequences, or events.

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Attribute Analysis process of breaking down a problem, idea,

or thing into attributes or component parts and then thinking about the attributes rather than the thing itself.

Morphological Analysis builds upon attribute analysis by generating

alternatives for each attribute, thereby producing new possibilities.

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Morphological Analysis Rules:

List the attributes of the problem, object, or situation as you would in a standard attribute analysis.

Under each attribute, list all the alternatives you can think of.

Choose an alternative from each column at random and assemble the choices into a possibility for a new idea. Repeat the choosing and assembly many times.

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Reversal Method The reversal method for examining a problem or

generating new ideas takes a situation as it is and turns it around, inside out, backwards, or upside down. A given situation can be "reversed" in several ways; there is no one formulaic way.

The value of reversal is its "provocative rearrangement of information" (de Bono's term). Looking at a familiar problem or situation in a fresh way can suggest new solutions or approaches. It doesn't matter whether the reversal makes sense or not.

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Analogy and Metaphor Analogy: to find a familiar thing or process

that seems somewhat like the idea or problem to be clarified.

Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things, in which one thing is identified with the other.

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Trigger Concepts A trigger concept (or idea seed or random

seed) is an idea creating technique operated by bringing an unrelated idea into the problem and forcing connections or similarities between the two.

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The Importance of Creativity in Advertising

Good creative strategy and execution can often be central to determining the success of a product or service or reversing the fortunes of a struggling brand.

Just because an ad or commercial is creative or popular does not mean it will increase sales or revive a declining brand.

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Advertising Creativity

the ability to generate fresh, unique, and appropriate ideas that can be used as solutions to communications problems. To be appropriate and effective, a creative

idea must be relevant to the target audience

Advertising creativity is not the exclusive domain of those who work on the creative side of advertising. Absolut Vodka case

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Absolut Vodka

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Creative Process

Young’s Model1. Immersion. Gathering raw material and

information through background research and immersing yourself in the problem.

2. Digestion. Taking the information, working it over, and wrestling with it in the mind.

3. Incubation. Putting the problems out of your conscious mind and turning the information over to the subconscious to do the work.

4. Illumination. The birth of an idea—the “Eureka! I have it!” phenomenon.

5. Reality or verification. Studying the idea to see if it still looks

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Creative Process

Graham Wallas’1. Preparation. Gathering background

information needed to solve the problem through research and study.

2. Incubation. Getting away and letting ideas develop.

3. Illumination. Seeing the light or solution.

4. Verification. Refining and polishing the idea and seeing if it is an appropriate solution.

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Creative Process

Account planning plays an important role during creative strategy development by driving the process from the customers’ point of view.

Planners will work with the client as well as other agency personnel, such as the creative team and media specialists, to discuss how the knowledge and information they have gathered can be used in the development of the creative strategy as well as other aspects of the advertising campaign.

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Inputs to the Creative Process

Background Research client’s product or service, the target

market, the competition, and any other relevant background information

General trends, conditions, and developments in the marketplace, as well as research on specific advertising approaches or techniques that might be effective.

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Product/Service-Specific Research specific studies conducted on the product or

service, the target audience, or a combination of the two

Quantitative and qualitative consumer research such as attitude studies, market structure and positioning studies such as perceptual mapping and lifestyle research, focus group interviews, and demographic and psychographic profiles of users of a particular product, service, or brand

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BBDO Problem Detection approach provide valuable input for product improvements,

reformulations, or new products give the creative people ideas regarding attributes or

features to emphasize and guidelines for positioning new or existing brands.

asking consumers familiar with a product (or service) to generate an exhaustive list of things that bother them or problems they encounter when using it.

consumers rate these problems in order of importance and evaluate various brands in terms of their association with each problem.

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Qualitative Research Input provide the creative team with valuable

insight at the early stages of the creative process.

Focus groups are a research method whereby consumers (usually 10 to 12 people) from the target market are led through a discussion regarding a particular topic.

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Qualitative Research Input ethnographic research, which involves

observing consumers in their natural environment. Some agencies send anthropologists or trained

researchers into the field to study and observe consumers in their homes, at work, or at play.

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Verification and Revision process evaluates ideas generated during the

illumination stage, rejects inappropriate ones, refines and polishes those that remain, and gives them final expression

Techniques used at this stage include directed focus groups to evaluate creative concepts, ideas, or themes; message communication studies; portfolio tests; and evaluation measures such as viewer reaction profiles.

Find the best creative approach or execution style before moving ahead with the campaign themes and going into actual production of the ad

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Creative Strategy Development

Advertising Campaign is a set of interrelated and coordinated

marketing communication activities that center on a single theme or idea that appears in different media across a specified time period

Campaign theme a strong idea, as it is the central message

that will be communicated in all the advertising and other promotional activities. AKA Big Idea

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The creative aspect of advertising and the development of the campaign theme is guided by specific goals and objectives.

A creative strategy that focuses on what must be communicated will guide the selection of the campaign theme and the development of all messages used in the ad campaign.

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The creative strategy is based on several factors: identification of the target audience the basic problem, issue, or opportunity the

advertising must address the major selling idea or key benefit the

message needs to communicate; and any supportive information that needs to be

included in the ad

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Advertising campaign plans are short-term in nature and, like marketing and IMC plans, are done on an annual basis.

campaign themes are usually developed with the intention of being used for a longer time period of time.

Many campaign themes last only a short time, usually because they are ineffective or market conditions and/or competitive developments in the marketplace change.

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While some marketers change their campaign themes often, a successful campaign theme may last for years. Philip Morris: Marlboro Country (40 years) BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine (1974)

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Top 10 Ad Slogans of the Century

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Copy platform (AKA creative platform or work plan, creative brief, creative blueprint, or creative contract) specifies the basic elements of the creative

strategy; usually prepared by the account manager

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Copy Platform Outline1. Basic problem or issue the advertising must address.

2. Advertising and communications objectives.

3. Target audience.

4. Major selling idea or key benefits to communicate.

5. Creative strategy statement (campaign theme, appeal, and execution technique to be used).

6. Supporting information and requirement

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The major selling idea should emerge as the strongest singular

thing you can say about your product or service. This should be the claim with the broadest and most meaningful appeal to your target audience. Once you determine this message, be certain you can live with it; be sure it stands strong enough to remain the central issue in every ad and commercial in the campaign. (Jeweler)

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The BIG IDEA “that flash of insight that synthesizes the

purpose of the strategy, joins the product benefit with consumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings the subject to life, and makes the reader or audience stop, look, and listen.” (O’Toole)

Tom Duncan Simple Has legs: can cater to difference audiences or

media or versions ROI: relevance, originality & impact

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best-known approaches in searching for a major selling idea and offer solutions for developing effective advertising: Using a unique selling proposition. Creating a brand image. Finding the inherent drama. Positioning.

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Unique Selling Proposition (USP)1. Each advertisement must make a proposition to

the consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: “Buy this product and you will get this benefit.”

2. The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or does not offer. It must be unique either in the brand or in the claim. (Sustainable competitive advantage)

3. The proposition must be strong enough to move the mass millions, that is, pull over new customers to your brand.

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Creating a Brand Image the development of a strong, memorable identity for

the brand through image advertising key to successful image advertising is developing an

image that will appeal to product users. Image advertising has become increasingly popular

and is used as the main selling idea for a variety of products and services, including soft drinks, liquor, cigarettes, cars, airlines, financial services, perfume/colognes, and clothing.

Pepsi

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Finding the Inherent Drama characteristic of the product that makes the

consumer purchase it. 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.” (Leo Burnett)

Burnett advocated a down-home type of advertising that presents the message in a warm and realistic way.

McDonald’s, Maytag appliances, Kellogg cereals, and Hallmark cards.

Nokia McDo

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Positioning that advertising is used to establish or “position” the

product or service in a particular place in the consumer’s mind

products can be positioned on the basis of product attributes, price/quality, usage or application, product users, or product class.

Since positioning can be done on the basis of a distinctive attribute, the positioning and unique selling proposition approaches can overlap.

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Positioning Positioning is often the basis of a firm’s

creative strategy when it has multiple brands competing in the same market.

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The EndNext lecture: Creative Strategy Implementation and Evaluation

Adman Lecture 7

Technology

qualitative

creative thinking

major selling

creative strategy

unique selling

creative strategy

creative team

background