Advertising agencies pride themselves in their ‘creativity.’ Without even taking the trouble to define ‘creativity’, most advertising agencies claim a creative capability their competitors don’t have. They claim to be more creative than each other – while boasting about their awards for creative brilliance. Reflecting on the industry view, Fortuna suggests ‘creativity is the soul of advertising […]

Advertising agencies pride themselves in their ‘creativity.’ Without even taking the trouble to define ‘creativity’, most advertising agencies claim a creative capability their competitors don’t have. They claim to be more creative than each other – while boasting about their awards for creative brilliance. Reflecting on the industry view, Fortuna suggests ‘creativity is the soul of advertising and branding. It gives life to messages about products and services that may otherwise be boring or insignificant in the hearts and minds of consumers.’ When advertising agencies talk about creativity, they are most often referring to the skill of packaging marketing messages in a way that ‘cuts through’, secures consumer attention, facilitates engagement, and maximises the perception of value. Advertising agencies pride themselves and indeed market themselves on the capacity of their creative staff to secure the attention and imagination of the consumer – taking complex information and distilling it in a way that…