Exam 9: Managing Creativity in Advertising and Ibp

Scenario 9-1 The Xcellent Agency specializes in developing advertising campaigns for smaller retail clients.Xcellent was hired by Shadowleaf Shoes, a small regional chain of six shoe stores, to develop a slogan and specific ads to be used in a three-month newspaper campaign.Shadowleaf's marketing director, Manuel Margolis, was adamant while meeting with Xcellent's account executive, Kia Chin, that the campaign must be catchy and modern to appeal to a target audience that has an active lifestyle and is between the ages of 18 and 35.More importantly, Margolis wanted the slogan to be memorable and unique. Kia Chin, representing Xcellent, developed a campaign and presented it to Margolis, based on the slogan, "Do What You Do in a Shadowleaf Shoe." Visuals included men's legs-different sizes, skin colors, etc.-walking, jogging, dancing, and otherwise moving in every type of Shadowleaf shoes.She felt that this campaign would target young male consumers, but would also get the attention of others regarding its comfortable shoes and would raise awareness of the Shadowleaf brand.After running the ads, the Xcellent Agency won an advertising effectiveness award.It seemed that the surprising and appealing visuals gave the slogan unexpectedly positive social meaning for people of all ages, not just men aged 18 to 35. -(Scenario 9-1) Which individual at the Xcellent agency will be responsible for maintaining a good relationship with Margolis and the Shadowleaf organization?

Explain the importance of collaboration-creating teams and encouraging teamwork-in the creative advertising environment.Give three or four reasons why teams foster creativity in the real-life workplace of contemporary advertising.Consider ideas from The Wisdom of Teams by Katzenbach and Smith.

The creative brief sets up the goal for any advertising effort in a way that gets everyone moving in the same direction.

What concept refers to the unique preference that each person has for thinking and solving problems?

According to Gardner, creative people have much less interest in playing by the rules, acting nice, and being socially acceptable than more ordinary people.

With the help of concrete examples, describe the tensions that are routinely found between creatives and managers within agencies.Discuss why these are so commonly found in the world of advertising.

Which of the following best defines brainstorming?

Scenario 9-2 The Optima Bike Company manufactures broad-tire, three-wheeled, and two-wheeled bicycles mostly for the retirement market.Its primary market is seniors, usually those who live in retirement communities where there are clearly designated and safe bike paths.Seniors-and especially the younger baby boomers-like these recreational vehicles because they are easy and safe to ride.The company has had some early successes in Florida, Arizona, and California, where such communities began.Optima now wants to expand to other retirement enclaves.It has learned from two well-conducted consumer research studies that the main way that male retirees buy the Optima line is through the urging of wives who want to exercise in some way other than playing golf. Optima decides to engage an ad agency to capitalize on this consumer insight and promote its bikes to newer golf communities.It asks two agencies to pitch for its business and gives each a meeting in which it conveys the information above. Alpha Agency is based in Miami and insists that its creative team is best suited to promote Optima.Its managers tell the prospective client that this team is well versed in advanced animation techniques and can dramatize the features of Optima's two­ and three­wheeled bikes in a dynamic way.They'll focus on how fast they can go and how they can "transform the ride" into an adventure-this has worked in other ads, and this will appeal to the male consumers who need to be lured away from the golf course.Following this initial display of product prowess, they suggest a campaign that demonstrates how the bikes can be customized to be more "comfortable and attractive for the ladies," including pink seat options.They finish by asking whether the brand name can be changed to "something more exciting." Beta Agency is based in Los Angeles and promises to serve as Optima's branding partner.It asserts that its creative philosophy is centered on long-term brand building.Its managers propose that they will develop the right message by applying the research-based consumer insight that women want to use the bikes to entice their husbands to leave the golf course once in a while.They suggest that their successful work in building regional appreciation for brands, such as Sea-Doo water vehicles and Ski-Doo snowmobiles, indicates their prowess in branding similar but not directly competitive brands.They emphasize the difference that Optima offers in the recreational-ride category, and the consumer targets that differ from other brands.They close by complimenting this prospective client on how appropriate the brand name is, given its customer base and likely target consumer. -(Scenario 9-2) As often happens in new client-agency relationships, Beta Agency and Optima Bike Company conduct a joint brainstorming session prior to finalizing the IBP campaign strategy.Sam Spokes, head engineer and designer for Optima, interrupts the session frequently, refuting agency staffers' spontaneous suggestions that women love bikes, a bike is like a golf club, and the bike will sell itself.He also labels them as uninformed about various technical aspects of the bicycle mechanisms.How has the behavior of Spokes influenced the brainstorming session?

Great brands don't just get the attention of consumers, they make emotional connections with consumers.

Howard Gardner's selection of seven of the greatest creative minds of the 20th century listed individuals from a variety of advertising and promotional fields.

Various personnel view ads in different ways.People in the creative department tend to see an advertisement as a way to:

Interpersonal abrasion is beneficial to creativity, while creative abrasion is not.

In the world of advertising, science is never allowed to judge art.

Psychologist Robert Sternberg, an expert on creativity and intelligence, advises that if you want to be more creative, you should:

is the ability to consider and hold together seemingly inconsistent elements and forces, making a new connection.

Creatives and account managers in ad agencies typically share the same goals for a particular advertisement or campaign.

There is a right way and a wrong way to brainstorm.

Account executives are the liaison between the agency and the client.

If you have a "creative" job, that means you are "creative."

Creativity in ads is required in order to break through ad clutter.