Advertising and Promotional Strategies

Week 6: Course Handout

Creative Advertising: The Concepts of Creativity, Creative

Idea/Concept and Creative Leap
STUDENT TASK FOR WEEK 6:
1. Read the handout provided below and watch IKEA Ad on YouTube (link
provided below)
2. Read Chapter 8: The Creative Side of the course book (starting on page
224). Focus on reading and understanding two key topics within the chapter
‘Creative Brief’ and ‘Creative Leap’ and take notes in your notebook/diary.

1. CREATIVE ADVERTISING
A ‘Creative Advertising’ is characterized by ROI (Relevance + Originality + Impact)

1.1. Relevance – Delivering the right message to the right person at the right time

1.2. Originality – The ad should be based on an idea never thought of before

(unexpected, unusual idea). Copycat Advertising is copying someone else’s ideas in
your own ad. According to a study about 50% of all ads around the world fall in this
category.

1.3. Impact – An ad that has the ‘stopping power’. That makes itself get noticed by
target audiences.

1.4. Understanding ROI:

Originality that is Relevant creates Impact

2. PRINCIPLE OF CREATIVITY OR CREATIVE THINKING

The principle of creativity is “establishing relationships between unrelated concepts
or things”

2.1. Example of IKEA Advertisement:

Please watch the IKEA Ad by clicking the link below;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RNkQaDcRAc

2.2. Explanation of Creativity in IKEA Ad:

The ad connects two unrelated things in a creative way. These are ‘Cooking’ and
‘Furnished Kitchens’. One of IKEA’s main products categories is “Kitchen &
Appliances” that the above-mentioned ad promotes using a creative idea. For further
information about IKEA products please visit;
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/products-products/

3. PRACTICING CREATIVITY
Try and establish a relationship between unrelated concepts or ideas given below;
 Eating and Flying
 Sleeping and Working
 Exam Preparation by a Student and Driving a Sports Car
 A Criminal in a Courtroom and Drinking Tea
 Using a Laptop and Sitting on a Tree
1
  Airline Lounge and Oasis in a Desert
 An Air conditioner and a Cool Sea Breeze

4. BUILDING BLOCKS OF CREATIVITY IN ADVERTISING

The following three are the building blocks of creativity in advertising;

4.1. Creative Concept (Creative Brief)

It is usually a one paragraph or one-page document prepared by the advertising
agency and expresses the overall idea of the ad for any brand of the client/sponsor.
This paragraph is based on the principle of creativity discussed above and also
shown in the IKEA Ad example.

4.2. Creative Leap

A creative concept is generated through the process of Creative Leap. Creative Leap
means jumping from the Advertising Strategy or Strategy Statement to a Creative
Idea that conveys the strategy in an interesting way.

4.3. Creative Roles

Within an Advertising Agency the following designations have creative roles or
responsibilities and work on developing and executing Creative Brief and Creative
Leap. These are;
 The Creative Director
 The Art Director
 The Copywriter

5. PROCESS OR TECHNIQUE FOR GENERATING CREATIVE IDEAS FOR ADS:

The following five steps help describe how advertising agencies prepare a creative
idea or creative concepts for an ad. We have explained this through the example of
creating a slogan for Nestle Apple Juice (one of Pakistan’s leading fruit juice brands).

1. Step 1 SELECT: Select the brand or product

(Nestle Apple Juice)

2. Step 2 FACTS: Write down a few facts (attributes or benefits) about the
product/brand
(Golden brown colour, cold, sweet, use of straw for taking sips)

3. Step 3 NEW NAMES: Create new but dissimilar names or write dissimilar
phrases or sentences (dissimilar means they should not relate to the product)
(Sunshine, Glow, Mist)

4. Step 4: RELATING UNRELATED THINGS: Look for relationship between the

product/brand and the new names mentioned in STEP 3.
(Apple juice is shiny and can glow in the light)

5. Step 5: NEW DEFINITIONS: Write down new definitions for product-related

nouns
(“Sipping the glow of gold” or “The Mist of Gold” or “The Sweet Sunshine”)