Advertising and Creativity
MDIA5021
Seminar 1
Term 1, 2025
STUDENT 1 – MINDSET & BEHAVIOUR STUDENT 2 – MINDSET & BEHAVIOUR
I have a fixed mindset and rely on my talent to succeed I have a growth mindset and apply effort to improve
I focus on the outcome of what I create I focus on learning the process of how to think creatively
I’m not interested in feedback - I’m the best judge of my
own work
I’m open to feedback, knowing it’s the best way to learn
and grow
I see my lecturer/tutor as an all-knowing expert that
should never be questioned
I see my lecturer/tutor as a fellow ‘student of creativity’
with lots of experience to tap into
I don’t speak up, share opinions or ask questions for fear
of being judged
I feel safe to speak up, share my opinions and ask
questions knowing my classroom has zero judgement
I’m happy with my first idea or two. There’s no need to
extend myself
I’m prepared to take creative risks, to explore different
ideas and keep pushing and refining
I have minimal life experience and my perspective is not
relevant
I have a unique perspective on the world that I’m excited
to share
WHICH STUDENT DO YOU CHOOSE TO BE TODAY?
THE SECRET TO SUCCESS FOR ‘Creativity in Advertising’ Course
Find your creative partner for this term
Introductions
– Your name
– Your aspirations for this course/your degree/your career
– Why do you like/hate your chosen ad?
– Can you spot an unusual/unfamiliar idea about the product or service or the
way it’s used or the people who might use it, in the ad (defamiliarization)?
– Are there any source/target analogues in use here to intrigue and involve the
audience?
Introductions and ad sharing
This course is
all about…
This course is
all about….
What makes this tire ad unusual?
What makes this milk ad unusual?
What makes this nail polish ambient ad unusual?
What makes this moisturizer ad unusual?
This course will provide you with….
The ability to think conceptually.
Your educational experiences so far have
taught you to believe there is always just one
answer to a problem. It’s not true!
Being a conceptual problem-solver will give you
an advantage over your colleagues, no matter
what career you follow.
Why might people take a holiday to Europe?
An unusual way of telling people why the
state of Oregon (USA) might be a place to
holiday
https://youtu.be/KIC-XmyEfhI
An unusual way of telling people why a trip
to Australia might be better than
somewhere else…
https://youtu.be/B31noMrnxwM
And how this sort of idea might translate to
print ads…
• Five creative briefs over the Term
• You will work in pairs to develop initial ideas
• You will work individually to develop these initial ideas
• The final 4 ads you submit will your individual
developments of the “team” ad ideas you may have
developed earlier
• Visuals/drawing capability secondary to the concept/idea
• Use clinics for continuous feedback/improvement
• This course is what you make of it
Ad clinic details
How clinics will run
• Each week you will receive a brief
• We will spend a little time in class brainstorming initial ideas
• You then develop initial creative concept(s) outside of class with your
creative partner
• The following week, bring your ads to class – ideally on A3 paper but at
least on paper that the class can see
• You will show your ad initially to a small group (about 4 students
including you) and identify a strength and a weakness of the ad
• Some teams will present their ad to the class, including the strength
and weakness they’ve already identified in their smaller groups
• I will provide my feedback on your work and draw connections to the
course theory
• The 4 concepts you believe to be strongest will go into your portfolio
for marking
What you will need
• Paper
• Pencil
• Passion
• An open mind!!
Please don’t worry if you can’t draw– it’s the ideas that count!!
What you’ll produce
This
Not this…
Sub-headline
Body
copy
Headline
Image
Logo
Tag line
Anatomy of an ad
This is not easy!!
Simplicity seems simple by definition but it is hard
to achieve.
No one is inherently creative enough that they
get it first go – if you want it you will have to work:
• First thoughts on paper within a day or two of getting the brief –
time to think and reflect and improve over the week
• Refine and develop your concepts
• Don’t wait until the end of Term to refine your concepts – you will
struggle and increase your chance of failing!
A warning!!!!:
THE CREATIVE BRIEF
Introducing
A creative brief
• What’s the brand / service / problem?
• Problem/objective/why are we doing this/what
outcome?
• Who’s the target audience
• Target audience insights particularly relevant here
• Proposition
• Support
• Tone of voice
• Media
• Requirements and mandatories
A creative brief
6. What’s the brand / service / product?
3. Problem/objective/why are we doing this/what outcome?
4. Who’s the target audience
5. Target audience insights particularly relevant
here
1. Proposition
2. Support (these are “creative hooks” to get started)
7. Tone of voice
8. Media
9. Requirements and mandatories
A TOURISM TASK
The first brief
A close-up of the brief
Answering the brief
What ideas come to mind?
Which are obvious ideas and which are novel and intriguing
ideas?
What here is simply information and how can you avoid simply
communicating information?
Answering the brief
• We will critique your answer to the brief next week.
• Come next week with your ad and 1 identified strength and 1
weakness.
• Remember to keep working on each concept right up until
portfolio presentation!!

学霸联盟