How to Assess an Ad’s Creativity

Most measures of creativity are based on the work of psychologist Joy Paul Guilford (1897-1987), who defined creativity as the ability to think differently along a number of clearly defined dimensions. Building on Guilford’s work, psychologist Ellis Paul Torrance (1915-2003), probably the international leader in creativity research, developed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking(TTCT), which are used in the business world and in education to assess individuals’ capacities for creativity. Here’s how we defined and assessed the five dimensions:

Originality

Flexibility

Elaboration

Synthesis

Artistic Value 

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This article can serve as a nice guideline for companies to focus on the proper (two) creativity dimensions in their campaigns. However, I am wondering whether the results are valid across different product categories (beyond those FMCG categories analysed here). Would it hold for durables or services as well? Does elaboration and originality represent the strongest combination in all those categories?

Further, we should keep in mind that an ad can only be as creative as the people who design it. How can a company make sure to hire only the most creative minds in the first place and to subsequently activate and develop their creative potential even further?