Mark W. Stuhlfaut

The creative code An organisational influence on the creative process in advertising

A study investigated the phenomenon, called the creative code, which is a collection of implicit theories about an advertising agency’s creative product that are held by people within a creative department. A foundation was built upon organisation-culture theory. Evidence in literature supported the conceptualisation of the construct. Personal interviews with creative personnel at a midwestern US advertising agency found evidence for a creative code and its components, sources, conditionality and consequences. The study implies that a creative code should be considered as an independent or dependent variable in research about advertising creativity. Client and agency managers and creative employees also may benefit from being more cognisant of the creative code that exists within agency organisations.

Measuring the organisational impact on creativity

A creative code of perceived qualities about acceptable creativity within advertising agencies has been shown to affect creative practitioners’ boundaries of creative expression. This multi stage, qualitative and quantitative study developed a tool to measure the intensity of this creative code. After development of a model based on qualitative research, expert evaluations and exploratory factor analysis, three dimensions - predictability, agency creative identity and social influence - were supported through confirmatory factor analysis. The ability to measure the intensity of the creative code offers researchers a way to study its effects on other variables in the creative process within advertising agencies.

Creativity is …: A metaphoric model of the creative thought process

This study applied a three-part metaphoric model of thinking to illuminate the creative thought process in developing marketing communications. The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique was used to categorize metaphorical statements about the creative process. Analysis found that these statements fit the models tripartite structure of perception, movement, and object manipulation. These results suggest alternative paths for developing creative concepts, and also suggest a framework for understanding how best to use various techniques at different stages of the creative process.

Confined Creativity: The Influence of Creative Code Intensity on Risk Taking in Advertising Agencies

Risk is inherent in the creative process of advertising. The research reported in this article examined how employee risk taking was influenced by creative code intensity, which consists of strongly shared values about what represents great creative work. Interviews with creative practitioners provided insight into the role of risk in advertising. A survey of U.S. agency creatives revealed that agencies with an intense creative code, or strongly shared values, also were likely to have strong risk-taking tendencies. Results suggest agency managers wishing to foster a risk-taking environment can benefit from an articulated creative identity and clear communication about the type of creative work the agency strives to produce.

The Creative Code: A moderator of divergent thinking in the development of marketing communications

Divergent thinking (DT) is the driver of the creative process. This study examined how DT was affected by the intensity level of the Creative Code, which consists of shared values held by people in creative departments of marketing communication agencies, about what represents excellence in advertising. A preliminary set of interviews with art directors, copywriters, and creative directors established a context and understanding of the importance of divergence, its role in the creative process, and methods that promote it. A national cross-sectional survey found a significant relationship between the Creative Code and divergence, which implied that divergent ideas could be fostered by more open communication among peers and with creative directors.

The Teaching of Advertising Management: Essential, Elective, or Extraneous

The practice of advertising takes creative, media, and other skills, but management is the determining discipline for developing advertising campaigns. This study investigated the teaching of advertising management at U.S. colleges/universities, by examining school Web sites, analyzing course syllabi, and surveying educators. More than half of advertising or IMC programs studied do not have a management course. The diversity of course names, goals, and texts indicates a loose understanding of the essential elements. The place of a management course within the curriculum is discussed, including coordination in teaching the subject with other departments.

Altered states: The effects of media and technology on the creative process in advertising agencies

Abstract The media environment has changed dramatically due to the explosion of new channels and technological innovations, which has had important ramifications not only for advertising, but also for advertising agencies and their creative processes. Using a series of interviews with agency creative directors and digital strategists, this study investigated how agencies have addressed these challenges and taken advantage of the opportunities. Its two key contributions are an updated model of the creative process and the identification of four alternative structures agencies use to create the core concept. The study also found a paradigm shift from framing technology in terms of its production value, to framing technology in terms of its strategic and creative value, as technology specialists have become involved in the strategic and creative stages of campaign development.

Teaching Creativity: Experimental Evidence of Three Strategies for Teaching Industry Standards for Creative Excellence

Creativity is a system of relationships between individual creators, culture and a field of gatekeepers who select and validate ideas. Within the cultural community of advertising, practitioners operate using informal and implicit rules, called creative codes, about what represents creative excellence as expressed through outputs, shared norms, language and awards. Students of advertising could benefit by recognizing and internalizing broader industry standards of creative excellence to build better portfolios, to be better prepared for interviews and to be more effective in their first jobs. This study evaluated three different communication techniques that educators can use to teach students about creative standards: explicitly communicating creative values, showcasing top campaigns, and comparing and contrasting advertising that has and has not won creative awards. The findings support the importance of these tools for educators.