Top-Level Agency Creatives Look at Advertising Creativity Then and Now

Abstract

Influential writings suggest that today's advertising is not as creative as it used to be. To explore this suggestion, the authors asked top-level agency creatives whether they believe creativity has improved, declined, or remained unchanged since they entered the advertising business. Respondents' opinions then were grouped and compared by agreement / disagreement ratings on a series of statements associated with factors previously identified as responsible for advertising's presumed creative decline. From the perspective of the top-level agency creatives, creativity in today's advertising has not declined—in fact, the overwhelming majority view is that advertising is now more creative than it was when they entered the business, or at least as good. In their eyes, certain aspects of advertising creativity have changed, though not always in the direction predicted in previous writings. With one exception, agency creatives' opinions about advertising creativity then and now were unvarying, regardless of respondent age, years of advertising experience, or agency position / title.