Creativity in crisis: Subjectivity and poor feedback stifle advertising

The development of creative ideas in the ad industry is hampered by subjective opinions and a lack of constructive feedback, according to a study in partnership with the IPA.

The research, which canvassed the views of 1034 agency, marketer and in-house professionals across 54 countries including the UK, US and Australia, found just 30% of agencies and 27% of marketers shared that they were well-trained in evaluating ideas.

The BetterIdeas Project found just 30% of agencies and half of marketers (52%) agreed they provided clear and constructive feedback.The study also revealed that in Asia-Pacific, where creativity is often seen as a crucial differentiator in highly competitive markets, 75% of creative professionals felt that work failed to stand out, aligning with global concerns about stagnation in creative quality.

Nine in 10 agencies (89%) and 84% of marketers, meanwhile, agreed that personal opinion has a big impact on decision-making. The issue is particularly pronounced in Asia, where structures and cultural nuances can influence the approval process, making constructive feedback even more challenging to implement effectively.

Researchers also found it typically took five rounds of creative development to get to a signed-off idea, compared with the three rounds recorded in IPA research in the UK from 2007.

The study calls for:

• Training on how to evaluate ideas and deliver better feedback. 
   
• Streamlining the approval process, including ensuring only the necessary people are included in decision-making. A fifth of agencies (23%) and 56% of marketers agreed that the current approval process works well, describing it as “inconsistent, slow, subjective and painful." 
   
• Ensuring the creative idea is evaluated against the brief and key criteria. Less than a fifth of agencies (23%) and 15% of marketers agreed that briefs are always used to evaluate ideas.
   
• Empowering agencies. Less than a third of agencies (29%) believe marketers inspired them to do their best work and 70% of agencies don’t trust the creative judgment of marketers they work with.

Laurence Green, director of effectiveness at the IPA, said: “This timely report is something of a wake-up call for our industry, but one which also alerts us to quick wins in efficiency and effectiveness, because good briefs and good briefings achieve both. The IPA is delighted to endorse this publication as a stimulus for new, improved processes and better training.

"As the great DDB/Avis creative contract taught us: conviction, not compromise, must carry the day. This work lights the touchpaper for a re-commitment to shared goals, to briefs as lodestars, to less subjective and – above all – less plural feedback. After all: search all the parks in all the cities, and you’ll find no statues of committees.”

Matt Davies and Pieter-Paul von Weiler, co-founders of BetterBriefs, said: “Creativity is a powerful tool that enhances advertising effectiveness. While many ideas are generated, only a few are approved and brought to fruition. 

“The BetterIdeas Project shows that evaluating ideas is crucial for our industry. If briefs serve as a guide for agency thinking, then ideas are the vehicle that propels effectiveness in the advertising world.”

Stephan Loerke, chief executive of the World Federation of Advertisers, added: “Creativity is the lifeblood of our industry and a core driver of growth. Sadly, there’s often a suboptimal creative process that delivers sub-par results. 

"Advertisers and their agencies must invest time, effort and greater faith in fit-for-purpose briefing, evaluation and approval processes that foster collaboration and trust in order to generate bold ideas. Getting this right is the only way to truly harness the power of creativity and enhance the perception of marketing as a key driver of growth.”

This article has been updated to reflect Asia-Pacific specific insights.