Creative advertising

Creative advertising must have:
1. Relevance - ideas have to mean something important to the audience
2. Originality - novel, fresh, unexpected, unusual, one of a kind
3. Impact - stopping power that comes from intriguing ideas - something not thought of before
4. Support the Marketing and Advertising Strategy

THE BIG IDEA/CREATIVE CONCEPT
An idea is a new combination of thoughts that comes from placing two previously unrelated concepts together.  It is original and involves looking at something in a different way

STRATEGIC CREATIVITY
The creative person must be able to identify with the target audience.  Creativity requires empathy, a keen awareness of how they think and feel, what they value, what makes them take notice.

Structural analysis
1. Evaluate the power of the narrative or story line
2. Evaluate the strength of the product claim
3. Consider how well the two aspects are integrated - that is, how the story line brings the claim to life.

CREATIVE THINKING
Free Association - creates the juxtaposition of two seemingly unrelated thoughts.  In free association you think of a word and then describe everything that comes into your mind when you imagine that word.
Divergent Thinking - Differs from rational, linear thinking used to arrive at the “right” conclusion. Divergent thinking, which is the heart of creative thinking, uses association and exploration (playfulness) to search for all possible alternatives.
Analogies and Metaphores - used to see new patterns or relationships.
Right-brain thinking - Intuitive, nonverbal, and emotional thinking (in contrast to left-brain thinking, which is logical and controls speech and writing. A right brain dominant person tends to deal in expressive visual images.

Creative Roles
Copywriters - write copy for print, video, interactive, broadcast
Art Directors - create the graphics for print, video/interactive. They determine the look of the message, whether to use photos or illustration, black and white or color.
Creative Director manages the creative process and makes sure the creative concept is strategically on target.

The Creative Person
They tend to be independent, risk takers, have a strong curiosity and are very observant, they reach conclusions through intuition rather than through logic.  They also tend to have a good sense of humor and mental playfulness that allows them to make novel associations. They have good visual imagination as well as good writing skills.  Open to new experiences.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Terms:
Ideation - a series of steps, immersion, ideation, brainfog, incubation, illumination.
Brainstorming - several people get together to come up with ideas.
Message - refers to what the ad says
Execution - refers to how it is said

Creative Strategies
1. Product Category Strategy - is a reflection of the product category
2. Heard and heart strategy - Hard sell is rational or informational message that is designed to touch the mind and create a response based on logic. Soft sell uses emotional image or message that tries to create a response based on feelings, mood, dreams, and emotions. Most advertising uses a combination of two literary techniques, lecture and drama.
3. Preemptive
4. Unique Selling Proposition
5. Brand image
6. Resonance
7. Anomalous/affective

Selling premise is the claim
Support is the proof the substantiation

The creative brief is given to the creative team

Message Formats
1. Straightforward - factual or informational message conveyed without gimmicks, emotions, special effects.
2. Demonstration - how to use a product
3. comparison - contrasts two or more products
4. Problem/solution/problem hero - product is the hero, the message begins as a problem and the product is the solution.
5. Slice of life - elaborate version of problem solution staged in the form of a drama
6. Spokesperson - celebrities we admire, characters, experts to speak on behalf of the product
7. Teasers  - mystery ads that don’t identify the product or don’t deliver enough information.  Create curiosity and appeal to the anti hard sell

Art - most of the power of an ad lies with the visual.
1. Visuals are generally better at getting attention
2. Pictures communicate faster than words
3. Visuals are easier to remember, although slogans are important
4. Seeing is believing - so visuals that demonstrate add credibility to the message
5. Reminder advertising or branding often puts more emphasis on visuals and the associations that spring from them
6. Visuals help distinguish undifferentiated products.

Copy - advertising copy is tight.  Every word counts because both space and time are expensive. Advertisers use words if:
1. The message is complicated
2. A high involvement product - purchase is deliberate and well considered
3. When the message tries to convey abstract qualities such as justice and quality.
4. As reminders/cues - slogans and key phrases are used

Copy must advoid - adese - cliches, puffery, superlatives, stock phrases and vague generalities.

Copy must be tested for recognition, recall, comprehension, persuasion and likability.