1. Chapter 10 Creative Strategy and the Creative Process
William F. Arens Michael F. Weigold Christian Arens
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Chapter Overview
How IMC strategies are translated into creative briefs and message strategies that guide creativity

3. Chapter Objectives Discuss the attributes of creativity
Describe how creative strategy is developed and used
Elaborate on ways that creativity enhances advertising
Explain the role that agency talent plays in the creative process

4. The Creatives The Creative Team Creative Director Copywriter
Art Director
Verbal message
Nonverbal ad design

5. What Makes for Great Creative?
Audience Impact
“BOOM”
Gets your attention… now!
Informational
Problem relief
Transformational
Positive reinforcement to offer a reward
Often lack big idea or fail in execution

6. What Makes for Great Creative?
Strategic Relevance
An ad may be entertaining but if it isn’t relevant to the advertising strategy, it WILL
fail.

7. Q. 1. What are the two dimensions on which advertisements are measured?

8. Dimensions
Resonance
Relevance

9. Q. 2. What are the components of an advertising strategy?

10. Elements of Advertising Strategy
Target Audience
Advertising Message
Product Concept
Communications Media

11. Elements of Advertising Strategy as Interpreted by Target
Target Audience
Value conscious adults, 25-49, families
18-25 key influencials
Product Concept
“Cheap chic”
IMC Message
Communications Media
TV and newspapers
Some outdoor, radio, digital media
10-11

12. Writing the Creative Brief
Issues to Consider
Who?
Why?
What?
Where? When?
What Style? Approach? Tone?
What will the copy say?

13. Rational and Emotional Appeals

14. Writing the Creative Brief
Brief Elements
Objective statement
Support statement
Tone or brand
character statement

15. Q. 3. What are the three components of a message strategy?

16. Message Strategy
Verbal
Nonverbal
Technical
I’m late!

17. Message Strategy Verbal Nonverbal Technical I’m late! Looks at watch
Camera crew films

18. Message Strategy
Color and logo nonverbals make this Target ad instantly recognizable

19. Creativity
Creativity—combining two or more previously unconnected objects or ideas into something new
10-19

20. Q. 4. How does creativity help advertising?

21. Creativity’s Roles Fact-Based Thinking Value-Based Thinking Inform
Persuade
Remind
“Boom”
Fact-Based Thinking
Value-Based Thinking
vs.

22. Creativity’s Roles Creativity’s Roles vs. Fact-Based Thinking
Inform
Persuade
Remind
“Boom”
Fact-Based Thinking
Value-Based Thinking
vs.

23. Understanding Creative Thinking
Thinking Styles
Hard
Soft
Thinking Categories
based
Fact
Value based

24. Q. 5. What are the steps in the creative process?

25. The Creative Process Explorer Insight Outlook Know Objective
Brainstorm

26. The Creative Process “Big Idea” Artist Transform the concept Develop
Parody
Eliminate
Compare
Connect
Reverse
Imagine
Adapt

27. The Creative Pyramids

28. The Creative Process Judge Is this idea an ah! or an uh-oh?
What’s wrong and right with this idea?
What if it fails? Is it worth the risk?
What is my cultural bias?
What’s clouding my thinking?

29. The Creative Process Leo Burnett’s GPC Rating Scale Appalling 1
Destructive 2
Not competitive 3
Cliché 4
Innovative strategy 5
Fresh idea(s) 6
Excellence in craft 7
New standard in product category 8
New standard in advertising 9
World class 10

30. The Creative Process Warrior Strategic precision Savvy psychology
Polished presentation
Structural precision
Solve the problem