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Abstract
Drawing on an ethnography of a middle-scale advertising agency in Hong Kong, I show that although the advertising creatives in this agency do not suffer from the precariousness common to many creative workers, their job security locks them into a position where the four aspects of the evolving economies and industrial landscape – the diminishing romantic myth of a creative, the tightening of production times, the marginalization of Hong Kong’s advertising industry, and the loss of respect from regional clients – erode their creative identity. At the same time, their job security also allows these creatives to renew their creative identity through dressing in fashionable ways and making jokes at work. In this light, the advertising creatives are facing an ambivalent space where their creative identity is constantly eroded yet renewed. This study called for understanding creative workers from their perspective and a reconceptualization of creativity.
Acknowledgements
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. Data for this research were collected when the author was a student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. An earlier version of the paper was presented in the annual conference of International Communication Association 2015.
Notes
1. The Hong Kong government classifies the cultural and creative industries into 11 industries: art, antiques and crafts; cultural education and library, archive and museum services; performing arts; film, video and music; television and radio; publishing; software, computer games and interactive media; design; architecture; advertising; and amusement services (Census and Statistics Department, HKSAR Citation2015).
2. If creativity means acting out of the box, it may appear to be a paradox because my informants can claim a creative identity only by performing various norms – dressing in fashionable ways and being playful at work. I thank the reviewer for making this point.
3. Established in 1957, HK4As is an association formed by Hong Kong’s advertising agencies. It aims to promote quality business practices among its members and to encourage creative production by organizing annual creative awards. It consists of internationally renowned agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett (The Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong Citation2015).