Course Code: MS 214 Semester: MBA IV (M+E) (A+B)

Faculty: Dr.Divya Chowdhry E-Mail ID: dr.divya@rdias.ac.in

EXTRA STUDY MATERIAL –UNIT I

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

A number of advertising people have argued that creativity in advertising is best viewed as a process and that creative success is most likely when some organized approach is followed. While most advertising people reject and/or resist attempts to standardize creativity or develop rules or guidelines to follow, most creative people do follow some type of process when approaching the task of developing an advertisement. There are several models or approaches to the creative process including those of James Webb Young, a former creative vice president at the J. Walter Thompson agency, which is similar to the approach of English sociologist Graham Wallas.

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

1. Immersion

2. Digestion

3. Incubation

4. Illumination

5. Reality or verification

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

B. Inputs to the Creative Process: Preparation/Incubation/Illumination—Thes… models of the creative process offer an organized way of approaching an advertising problem. Both models stress the need for preparation or gathering of background information that is relevant to the problem as the first step in the creative process. Various types of research and information can provide input to the creative process of advertising at each stage. There are numerous ways the creative specialist can acquire background information that is relevant to the advertising problem. Some of those discussed in the text include:

1. Background research—informal fact-finding techniques and general preplanning input. Various ways of gathering background information might be discussed.

2. Product/service specific research—this involves different types of studies such as attitude, market structure and positioning, perceptual mapping and psychographic studies.

3. Qualitative research input—techniques such as in-depth interview or focus groups with customers or ethnographic studies. IMC Perspective 8-3 discusses how many large advertising agencies conduct branding research and have developed proprietary models to identify how consumers connect to their clients’ brands.

C. Verification/Revision—The purpose of the verification/revision stage of the creative process is to evaluate ideas that come from the illumination stage, reject any that may be inappropriate, and refine those that remain and help give them final expression. Some of the techniques used at this stage include:

Steps in creative process:-

Preparation

During the preparation step of the creative process model, an individual becomes curious after encountering a problem. Examples of problems can include an artistic challenge or an assignment to write a paper. During this stage, she may perform research, creates goals, organize thoughts and brainstorm as different ideas formulate. For example, a marketing professional may prepare for a marketing campaign by conducting market research and formulating different advertisement ideas.

Incubation

While the individual begins to process her ideas, she begins to synthesize them using her imagination and begins to construct a creation. Gabora states that during this step, the individual does not actively try a find a solution, but continues to mull over the idea in the back of her head.

Illumination

As ideas begin to mature, the individual has an epiphany regarding how to piece her thoughts together in a manner that makes sense. The moment of illumination can happen unexpectedly. For example, an individual with the task of putting together an office party may have an idea for a theme while driving home from work.

Evaluation

After a solution reveals itself in an epiphany, the individual then evaluates whether the insight is worth the pursuit. He may make changes to his solution so it is clearer. He may consult with peers or supervisors regarding his insights during this step before pursuing it further. If he works with clients, he may seek a client's input and approval before moving on to the next step.

Implementation

The implementation of an idea or solution in the creative process model is when an individual begins the process

of transforming her thoughts into a final product. For example, during this step, a painter may begin outlining

shapes on a canvas with charcoal before applying oil paints to the medium. According to Gabora, an individual

may begin this step more than once in order to reach the desired outcome. For example, a graphic designer may

open a new digital canvas if he did not have the scale calculated correctly on a previous work, and he will continue

to implement his ideas and make adjustments until he reaches a pleasing final product