Honorable Mention: The Creative Code
Mark Stuhlfaut, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of
Communication at the University of Kentucky, and Kasey Windels,
Ph.D., assistant professor of advertising in the Manship School of
Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, explored the
influences on creativity in "The Creative Code." The paper and the research
it's based on is the product of more than four years of
investigation and five studies. Qualitative personal interviews
were conducted with more than 100 creative directors, copywriters
and art directors at 12 U.S. agencies, ranging from large
international multi-office firms to regional, consumer,
business-to-business (B2B) and multicultural specialists. National
surveys captured opinions from 557 creatives at an additional 200
U.S. agencies of all sizes.
Creativity drives the advertising business. But on the way to
producing eye-popping, jaw-dropping campaigns, agencies typically
are unaware of a powerful hidden influence: the social forces
within their organization that affect their perceptions and
judgments about creative products.
The Creative Code refers to the values that people have inside
an agency for what represents creative excellence. Understanding an
agency's Creative Code can lead to understanding how efficiently a
creative group works together, what work gets approved, how
consistent the quality of the work is, what new ideas get heard and
how the group approaches risk taking. This resourceful guide to ad
agency management includes practical implications for copywriters,
art directors, creative directors and top management.
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