Creative Cognition in Advertising

Creativity lies at the heart of effective advertising, pervading all aspects of the advertising process, including the planning, design and evaluation of advertisements right through to their execution as well as subsequent campaigning and communication. Most studies of creativity in advertising have assessed the stages through which creativity arises during the development of advertisements. A limited number of studies have also investigated the influence of creativity on advertising effectiveness in terms of the levels of attention capture and memorability that arise when an audience views an advertisement. In this chapter, we examine both the dynamic processes that arise during the creation of advertisements, from the initial stage of advertising planning to the final stage of marketing communication, as well as the efficacy of creative advertisements, particularly as assessed through an audience’s understanding of them.