DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY

Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration

Major in MARKETING

Module 2
in
Advertising

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module students are expected to:

1. Discuss the attributes of great creative

2. Describe how creative strategy is developed and used
3. Elaborate on ways that creativity enhances advertising
4. Explain the role that agency talent plays in the creative process

One of the most important components of an integrated marketing communication program is

the advertising message. While the fundamental role of an advertising message is to
communicate information, it does much more.
Creative strategy – determines what the advertising message will say or communicate.
Creative tactics – how the message strategy will be executed.

The Importance of Creativity in Advertising

For many students, as well as many advertising and marketing practitioners, the most
interesting aspect of advertising is the creative side. We have all at one time or another been
intrigued by an ad and admired the creative insights that went into it. Good creative strategy
and execution can often be central to determining the success of a product or service or
reversing the fortunes of a struggling brand. Conversely, an advertising campaign that is poorly
conceived or executed can be a liability.
Advertising creativity
What is Creativity?
Creativity is probably one of the most commonly used terms in advertising. Ads
are often called creative. The people who develop ads and commercials are known as
creative types.
Different Perspectives on Advertising Creativity
Perspectives on what constitutes creativity in advertising differ. At one
extreme are people who argue that advertising is creative only if it sells the product. An
advertising message’s or campaign’s impact on sales counts more than whether it is
innovative or wins awards. At the other end of the continuum are those who judge the
creativity of an ad in terms of its artistic or aesthetic value and originality. They contend
creative ads can break through the competitive clutter, grab the consumer’s attention,
and have some impact.
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

Determinants of Creativity
Advertising creativity - is the ability to generate fresh, unique, and appropriate or
relevant ideas that can be used as solutions to communication problems. Those who
study as well as work in advertising generally agree on these two central determinants of
creativity which are often viewed in terms of divergence and relevance.
Divergence refers to the extent to which an ad contains elements that are novel,
different, or unusual.
1. Originality- Ads that contain elements that are rare, surprising, or move
away from the obvious and commonplace.
2. Flexibility- Ads that contain different ideas or switch from one
perspective to another.
3. Elaboration- Ads that contain unexpected details or finish and extend
basic ideas so they become more intricate, complicated, or
sophisticated.
4. Synthesis- Ads that combine, connect, or blend normally unrelated
objects or ideas.
5. Artistic value- Ads that contain artistic verbal impressions or attractive
shapes and colors.
Relevance – second major determinant of creativity which reflects the degree to which
the various elements of the ad are meaningful, useful or valuable to the
consumer.
Smith [Link]. suggest that relevance can be achieved in two ways:
• Ad-to-consumer relevance refers to situations where the ad
contains execution elements that are meaningful to consumers.
• Brand-to-consumer relevance refers to situations where the
advertised brand of a product or service is of personal interest to
consumers.
Planning Creative Strategy

The Creative Challenge

Those who work on the creative side of advertising often face a real challenge.
They must take all the research, creative briefs, strategy statements, communications
objectives, and other input and transforms them into an advertising message. Their job
is to write copy, design layout and illustrations, or produce commercials that effectively
communicate the central theme on which the campaign is based. Rather than simply
stating the features or benefits of a product or service, they must put the advertising
message into a form that will engage the audience’s interest and make the ads
memorable.

The Creative Process

Some advertising people say creativity in advertising is best viewed as a process
and creative success is most likely when some organized approach is followed.
James Webb Young’s Model of the Creative Process
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.
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

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 in his classic book The Art of Thought.
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.

.
Inputs to the Creative Process: Preparation, Incubation, Illumination
Background Research – Only the most foolish creative person or team would approach
an assignment without first learning as much as possible about the
client’s product or service, the target market, the competition, and any
other relevant background information.
Product/Service-Specific Research - In addition to getting general background
research and preplanning input, creative people receive
product/service-specific preplanning input. This information is generally
comes in the form of specific studies conducted on the product or
service, the target audience, or a combination of the two.
Qualitative research Input
• In-depth Interview
• Focus Groups – are research method whereby consumers (usually 10-12
people) from the target market are led through a discussion regarding a
particular topic.
• Ethnographic research – which involves observing consumers in their
natural environment.
Storyboard – is a series of drawings used to present the visual plan or layout of a proposed
commercial.

Animatic – a videotape of the story board along with an audio soundtrack.

Advertising Campaigns
Advertising campaign- is a set of interrelated and coordinated marketing communication
activities that center on a single theme or idea that appears in different media across a specified
time period.
Campaign theme – the central message that will be communicated in all the advertising and
other promotional activities.
Slogan/Tagline –a brief statement or few words from the key idea.
The search for major selling idea
An important part of creative strategy is determining the central theme that will become the
major selling idea of the ad campaign. As A. Jerome Jeweler states in his book Creative
Strategy in Advertising:
 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

The major selling idea should emerge as the strongest

singular thing you can say about your product or service.
This should be the claim with the broadest and most
meaningful appeal to your target audience. Once you
determine this message, be certain you can live with it; be
sure it stands strong enough to remain the central issue in
every ad and commercial in the campaign.
The four best-known approaches in searching for a major selling idea
(1) Unique selling Proposition (USP) – developed by Rosser Reeves, former chair of the
Ted Bates agency, and is described in his influential book Reality in Advertising
Three Characteristics of USP
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 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.
(2) Creating a Brand Image - In many product and service categories, competing brands
are so similar that it is very difficult to find or create a unique attribute or benefit to use as
the major selling idea. The creative strategy used to sell these products is based on the
development of a strong, memorable identity for the brand through image advertising.
(3) Finding the Inherent drama – characteristic of the product that makes the consumer
purchase it.
(4) Positioning- The concept of positioning as a basis for advertising strategy was
introduced by Jack Trout and Al Ries in the early 1970s and has become a popular basis
of creative development.

What makes for Great Creative?

What are your favourite ads of all time? The ads we love we refer to as “great”. But what
do we mean when we say an ad is great?
If we look at some of the classic ads in history, we may get a clue: Volkswagen’s
famous “Think small” ad; DeBeers’ “A diamond is forever” line; Clairol’s “Does she or
doesn’t she”; Burger King’s “Have it your way”; the Army’s “Be all you can be”; and
Coca-cola’s The real thing, “What makes these campaigns great?
This is a very important question, since research indicates that “ad liking” helps
predict “ad success” No wonder, then, that agencies want to create ads that people like.
But is liking all that required for an ad to be great?
Whether it’s a billboard, print ad, a TV or radio spot, or a Web site, great ads do
have certain commonalities. We can group most of these characteristics into two
dimensions: audience impact and strategic relevance.
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

Effectively managing brand communication amidst

COVID-19 pandemic
With most organizations already dealing with a slowdown, if not a
complete shutdown, marketing during this period will need a lot of
creativity and tact to ensure that the message of the brand is
effectively communicated...

By Khushboo Jain

With most activities shut down and people now practicing social distancing in order to
prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), this is probably the most testing time for
most brands to connect with their audience. Building a connection with new customers
and maintaining your pre-existing ones will be now more difficult, than it has been in the
recent past. With most organizations already dealing with a slowdown, if not a complete
shutdown, marketing during this period will need a lot of creativity and tact to ensure that
the message of the brand is effectively communicated.

1. Social Media will play an important role

During this period, social media will be the one channel of communication that will
probably not experience a slowdown. In fact, with most of the public now at home
practicing social distancing, their activity online would have only increased, as social media
would probably become the primary means of communication with others. With easy
internet access, a number of different social media platforms, and an estimated
375million+ social media users in India, it would be well advised to use social media to
increase your brand visibility through organic means. With each platform having a different
style of content and catering to a different type of consumer, creativity will be required in
creating content specific to the target platform.
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

2. Remote customer service in times of lockdown

Certain services that require a face-to-face interaction at some point, will probably require a
lot of changes in their methods of operation. Use your social media accounts to help spread
information about the change in operations, and use mediums of communications that you
have with established customers, like emails and apps to do the same. With almost the entire
workforce now operating remotely, help your service team adjust to now dealing with clients
and customers online, and help your customers have a good experience dealing with your
brand.

3. Take a pause from business-as-usual marketing

If you have a product that could sell a lot during this time period, reassess the communication
as the message could come off as insensitive and over-opportunistic. With people already
under a lot of stress due to COVID-19, some messages could come off as a tactic to increase
sales, if not executed in a tasteful manner.

4. Educate your audience

Instead, use these times to create awareness about preventive measures. By

educating the public, you will build and retain trust with your audience, which should
be your goal. While most brands may not have huge resources, they could all help
spread awareness. Simple and informative pieces of content will be appreciated by the
audience.

5. Communication needs to be empathetic

At this time, while people are uncertain about what is happening, and what to expect, being
empathetic to their needs and fears will let you be more understanding as to what type of
messages will be appreciated. If there is an act of kindness that you could do during this
period, don’t hesitate. It can help build trust and goodwill with the public and show that you
care for them.

During these times, every action you take could be good or detrimental to your brand.
However, by using empathy to craft an informative social media campaign, you could reach
your audience organically. Your focus right now should be more on sharing factual information
and educating your audience. This is an opportunity for your brand to show that it genuinely
cares about its customers.

The author is the co-founder and COO of [Link].

 DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

Activity:

1. As a student, how digitalization and connectivity help you in your studies?

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2. Can you identify at least five (5) products that can be customized?
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3. Why is it important to have an attractive website as part of communication strategy of a
company?
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4. What do you think is the importance of Customer Relationship Management during this
time of pandemic?
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References:

References:

Kotler, P. (2011). Marketing Management. Prentice Hall: USA

Lamb, C., Hair, J., & McDaniel C. (2012). Principles of Marketing. CENGAGE Learning:
Philippines
Boone, L.,& David, K. (2015). Principles of Marketing. CENGAGE Learning: Philippines
[Link]
DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY
Cabambangan, Villa de Bacolor 2001, Pampanga, Philippines
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
ISO 9001: 2015 Sto. Tomas Satellite Campus
Tel. No. (6345) 458 0021; Fax (6345) 458 0021 Local 211 QMS-Certified Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, Philippines
URL: [Link] FB Page:

Prepared and
Submitted by:

Faculty : MYLENE T. CANTA, MBA

Email Address : my_tubera@[Link]; mhyetubera@[Link]
Contact Number : +639229057057
Consultation Hours : Day and Time (specific if online) TBA