What is creativity in advertising?
‘Advertising with creativity goes beyond traditional norms, exceeding people’s expectations, engaging them on a deeper and more emotional level, and making it more memorable.’
Currently, there is no universal definition of creativity. Personally, creative advertising delivers a message by going beyond conventional norms, disrupting people’s expectations, and engaging them in novel and compelling ways.
To further elaborate, we need to understand what conventional norms are in the context of advertising. Traditionally, we all know that advertisements are primarily about promoting the brand’s products by presenting information about the benefits, giving consumers discounts and coupons, etc.
In other words, consumers can somehow predict what an advert is about before watching it. On the other hand, brands that apply creativity in advertising will aim to surprise their audience by violating their prediction.
It can be from the visual cues they use to depict the story in the adverts, or it can be a theme, a song that evokes a strong emotional resonance with the audience.
In general terms, we apply creativity in advertising to astonish our customers, engage them emotionally, and create a more memorable experience.
Some extensive research on our memory demonstrates that we are more likely to remember an occurrence if it is emotionally impactful or personally relevant, which is synonymous with what creative advertising is trying to achieve.
Read my first blog about Marketing vs. Advertising at: Marketing Is Not Advertising! Here’s why
How to apply creativity in advertising?
1. Emotional Appeals
Using emotional appeals in advertising has been a common practice by global corporations for decades. The reason behind this is that consumers make buying decisions primarily based on feelings and irrational factors.
A research by Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman shows that 95% of our buying decisions rely on the subconscious mind, which means that we don’t often use our cognitive thinking and buy a product simply because it is practically beneficial.
In this blog, I am going to introduce you to the most commonly used emotional appeals in advertising.
a. Positive emotions: pride, affection, inspiration, happiness, love
It is believed that using positive emotions in advertising resonates more strongly with audiences, and fosters deeper engagement with the ad content, compared to negative ones.
This stems from a theory that when people are uplifted or excited by the advert, they are more likely to decode and remember the message better. According to The World Count, happiness and excitement create dopamine and serotonin, which improve our memory, as well as the brain’s ability to learn and process information.
5 commonly used emotions in creative advertising include pride, affection, inspiration, happiness, and love (see details below).
- Pride: this appeal is commonly practised by premium and luxury brands to give their audience a sense of accomplishment, satisfaction, or confidence (e.g. Louis Vuitton’s ‘Spirit of Travel’).
- Affection: can be warmth, fondness, etc, which are effective in creating meaningful connections, building relationships, or moments of intimacy between the brand’s message and its target customers (e.g. Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’).
- Inspiration: featuring stories of resilience, determination, or triumph over adversity, aiming to inspire viewers to pursue their dreams, overcome obstacles, or make positive changes in their lives (e.g. Nike’s ‘Find your greatness’).
- Happiness: happiness can be elicited by portraying scenes of laughter, celebration, or enjoyment, aiming to create a positive and uplifting mood that resonates with viewers (e.g. Cadbury’s ‘Joyville’).
- Love: like affection, love creates a deep emotional connection by depicting kindness, romance, or compassion (e.g. Tiffany & Co.’s ‘Will You?’).
b. Negative emotions: fear, guilt, sadness and anger
An advert with negative emotions can grab the viewer’s attention and draw them into the story, setting the stage for the brand’s message to resonate more deeply.
A study discovers that negative emotions play a crucial role in advertising by adding depth and tension to the narrative.
In other words, negatively emotional adverts give the audience a sense of anticipation and intrigue, compelling them to stay tuned to see how the situation takes place later on.
Surprisingly, it is easier for creative adverts with negative appeals to draw people’s attention than positive ones as our brains are structured to pay more attention to negative stimuli as a survival trait.
We all know that failure to notice negative signals from the environment can be more dangerous than ignoring positive ones.
- Fear: an intense, unpleasant emotion triggered by the perception of a threat or danger. In advertising, fear is mostly used to demonstrate consequences associated with not using a product or service, motivating viewers to take action to avoid negative outcomes (fear of social disapproval when not using deodorant, fear of serious accidents when texting while driving, etc).
- Guilt: a feeling of remorse when failing to meet a certain standard. In advertising, guilt can be evoked by highlighting societal expectations or moral obligations (e.g. UNICEF’s ‘Tap Project’).
- Sadness: a feeling of sorrow or unhappiness, often triggered by loss, disappointment, or adversity (e.g. animal welfare in the dairy industry, mental health concerns, etc)
- Anger/ Annoyance: this refers to a feeling of anger or annoyance, which is commonly employed to present societal issues or common frustrations, sparking a desire for change or empowerment among viewers (e.g. Environmental Activism campaigns).
2. Dimensions of creativity in advertising
In this section, I am going to suggest a more academic way to interpret what constitutes creativity in advertising by delving into a table suggested by Fill and Turnbull in their book ‘Marketing Communications’.
a. The originality of the advert
The first technique refers to the uniqueness and novelty of an idea or concept. Technically, it means we need to go beyond traditional thinking and come up with fresh ideas or solutions.
In other words, a brand that pursues this dimension of creativity in advertising is likely to be the first player in a new product category. Brands use originality to find blue ocean, and stand out in the ‘advertising clutter’.
Example: Old Spice’s ‘The Man Your Man Could Smell Like’
The Old Spice’s campaign is widely recognised for its originality. Unlike typical grooming product ads that often focus on product features at the time, the campaign features a series of humorous and over-the-top commercials starring actor Isaiah Mustafa as he effortlessly transitions between different scenes and scenarios in a single take. The campaign’s unconventional approach to advertising, along with its memorable catchphrase, “I’m on a horse,” set it apart from traditional men’s grooming advertisements.
b. Flexible creativity
Flexibility involves the ability to adapt and modify ideas or concepts to fit different contexts, audiences, and platforms. Typically, advertisers employ this creative technique when their adverts aim to cater to diverse consumer preferences and demographics.
Example: Dove Real Beauty Sketches | You’re more beautiful than you think (3mins)
Even though I’m not a female and not Dove’s target audience, Dove Real Beauty Sketches touches me in my heart. Initially, the advert aims to challenge conventional beauty standards and promote self-esteem among women. In the video, an FBI-trained forensic artist sketches women based on their descriptions of themselves and then sketches them again based on descriptions provided by strangers. The key message in the video revolves around the fact that women often perceive themselves as less beautiful than they actually are. Besides that, Dove also adapted its messaging to address a sensitive and prevalent issue—women’s self-esteem and body image. As a non-consumer, Dove’s commercial encourages me to embrace my unique qualities, albeit imperfections and become more confident and proud of my appearance.
c. Elaboration
Elaboration refers to the depth and complexity of a familiar idea or concept in advertising. While advertisements that feature elaboration tend to commence with straightforward ideas and a familiar theme, they gradually add more layers of detail, and refinement to enrich the overall message and engage the audience on a deeper level.
Example: Coca-Cola India’s ‘Share a Coke’: Celebrating relationships!
The iconic campaign of Coca-Cola exemplifies perfectly the use of elaboration in creative advertising by extending the simple idea of drinking Coke with others. In the advert, Coca-Cola replaces its usual logo on the bottle with Indian words like “Bhai” (brother), “Didi” (sister), “Ma” (mother), “Papa” (father), and other familiar terms commonly used in Indian families. By making small changes, Coke has reinforced its primary message in the campaign and strengthened its emotional connection with target consumers.
d. Creative synthesis
The synthesis dimension of creativity combines disparate elements or ideas to create a cohesive and integrated message. These elements are irrelevant to each other in common sense but are brilliantly unified by the advertisers due to their specific characteristics such as visuals, storytelling, etc.
Example: Google’s ‘Year in Search’
Even though this campaign is not an advert, it takes full advantage of creative synthesis to engage with people (over 350 million views on YouTube just in 2 months). Specifically, Google’s ‘Year in Search’ synthesises disparate elements, such as data, storytelling, special events, and iconic moments to create a unified narrative that reflects the collective experiences of a particular year. The video offers a broader perspective on global events, trends, and cultural moments that resonate with people on a deeper level and position the search engine as a reflection of human curiosity, connection, and consciousness.
e. Using artistic values in advertising
Finally, some brands, especially luxury ones, would prefer to employ aesthetic appeal and artistic expressions in their advertisements to trigger a feeling of mystery, romance, or extravagance. This dimension encompasses elements such as visual design, cinematography, music, and creative direction, which contribute to the overall artistic merit of the advertisement.
Example: Dior SAUVAGE – Live A Journey Inside Sauvage Elixir
The 30-second commercial by Dior has resonated deeply with the brand’s audience by simply incorporating different artistic visuals to create a sense of magic and power. The commercial is narrated by the iconic actor Johnny Depp, with his evocative storytelling guiding the audience to explore the untamed wilderness. The visuals are carefully crafted, with sweeping shots of the desert scenery, close-ups of Depp’s enigmatic expressions, and atmospheric lighting that enhances the overall aesthetic appeal.
The important role of creativity in advertising
1. To stand out among the ‘advertising clutter’
Creativity in advertising is becoming more important nowadays because of the common belief that creativity is the only effective way to get people to pay attention to an advert. In today’s highly saturated media environment, consumers are bombarded with an overwhelming amount of advertisements and marketing messages daily. Statistically, the average amount of adverts that a person encounters has increased from around 4000 in 2007 to approx. 10.0000 today, which is extremely hard to believe. Yes, I’m referring to the ‘advertising clutter’ that we are facing these days.
So it will be impossible for your advert to stand out unless it is creative enough to catch people’s attention. By adopting innovative ideas, engaging storytelling, eccentric visuals, and unexpected approaches, creative advertising sets your brand apart from others, capturing the audience’s attention and leaving a lasting impression. Whether it is through humour, emotion, shock, or novelty, creative ads resonate with consumers on a deeper and more emotional level, making them more memorable and impactful.
2. To maximise the effectiveness of your advertising campaign
By drawing more attention from the audience, creativity plays a central role in driving advertising effectiveness. Adverts with a high level of attention show the potential to generate higher levels of brand recall, and engagement, and ultimately, drive desired business outcomes such as increased sales, brand loyalty, and positive brand perception.
A study by Ad Council Australia, Amplified Intelligence and System1 in 2023 has proven the importance of getting attention to the ad before anything else. Without grabbing attention, ads will be easily overlooked or ignored by consumers. This indicator shows that the audience will only pay attention once we engage with them emotionally by applying creative cues to our adverts. For marketers, this idea underscores the importance of crafting advertising campaigns that strike the balance between attention-grabbing elements and emotionally compelling storytelling. And this is what creative advertising is all about!
Academic Sources for this blog:
Fill, C., and Turnbull, S. (2023) Marketing Communications. 9th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education, Limited.
Gunjan, B., Rajendra Kumar, J., Nidhi, J. (2012) IMPACT OF NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ON ADVERTISEMENT EFFECTIVENESS. International Journal of Management Research and Reviews. 2(2), pp.221-227.
WARC (2024) What we know about using emotion. WARC. [online]. Available at: https://www.warc.com/content/article/bestprac/what-we-know-about-using-emotion/107654#:~:text=Emotion%20is%20also%20proven%20to,and%20more%20rational%20motivating%20messages.
Sy Chu
As an analytical and creative marketing enthusiast skilled in customer analysis, content research and brand management, my passion is help businesses gain insights into their brand and marketing strategies to drive impactful outcome to their success.