Chapter 8 - Summary - Belch and Belch

One of the most important components of an integrated marketing communications program is the advertising message. Advertising creativity is 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. Many ad agencies recognize the importance of developing advertising that is creative and different yet communicates relevant information to the target audience.

The Creative Process

Young’s model of the creative process contains five steps:

1. 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 good or solves the problem; then shaping the idea to practical usefulness.

Young’s process of creativity is similar to a four-step approach outlined much earlier by English sociologist 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.

To facilitate the creative process, many agencies now use account planning, which is a process that involves conducting research and gathering all relevant information about a client’s product or service, brand, and consumers in the target audience. 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. They 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. Account planners are usually responsible for all the research (both qualitative and quantitative) conducted during the creative strategy development process. In the following section we examine how various types of research and information can provide input to the creative process of advertising. This information can be gathered by account planners or others whose job it is to provide input to the process.

Inputs to the Creative Process: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination

Background Research

·         Reading anything related to the product or market—books, trade publications, general interest articles, research reports, and the like.

·         Asking everyone involved with the product for information—designers, engineers, salespeople, and consumers.

·         Listening to what people are talking about. Visits to stores, malls, restaurants, and even the agency cafeteria can be informative. Listening to the client can be particularly valuable, since he or she often knows the product and market best.

·         Using the product or service and becoming familiar with it. The more you use a product, the more you know and can say about it.

·         Working in and learning about the client’s business to understand better the people you’re trying to reach.

Product/Service-Specific Research

Problem Detection research technique involves 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. The consumers rate these problems in order of importance and evaluate various brands in terms of their association with each problem. A problem detection study can provide valuable input for product improvements, reformulations, or new products.

Qualitative Research Input

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. Focus groups give insight as to why and how consumers use a product or service, what is important to them in choosing a particular brand, what they like and don’t like about various products or services, and any special needs they might have that aren’t being satisfied.

A focus group session might also include a discussion of types of ad appeals to use or evaluate the advertising of various companies. Focus group interviews bring the creative people and others involved in creative strategy development into contact with the customers.

Inputs to the Creative Process: Verification, Revision

The creative team can gain insight into how a TV commercial might communicate its message by having members of the target market evaluate the ad in storyboard form. A storyboard is a series of drawings used to present the visual plan or layout of a proposed commercial. It contains a series of sketches of key frames or scenes along with the copy or audio portion for each scene.

At this stage of the process, the creative team is attempting to find the best creative approach or execution style before moving ahead with the campaign themes and going into actual production of the ad. The verification/revision process may include more formal, extensive pretesting of the ad before a final decision is made.

Copy Platform

The written copy platform specifies the basic elements of the creative strategy. Different agencies may call this document a creative platform or work plan, creative brief, creative blueprint, or creative contract. The account representative or manager assigned to the account usually prepares the copy platform.

1. 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 requirements.

Unique Selling Proposition

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.

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