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Why Do We Hate Creative Ideas?

By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

From the world of science to the world of advertising, there is increasing pressure to provide creative ideas. Yet, when everything comes together, and campaigns and ads need approval, we all see the same old stuff. Why? From researchers at Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, and University of North Carolina, the reason we reject creative ideas is mostly due to uncertainty. We are unable to pair up "practicality" with our new ideas.

The folks from Freakonomics point out that the authors reveal how people associate practical ideas with a higher value because they've been done before, and creative and new ideas involve the unknown. With our society being so afraid of being wrong, this stigma is a tough one for creative ideas to overcome and be accepted.

As we see creative ideas in advertising get shot down in favor of the old and proven, can we not see this theme ring true? Agencies, corporate marketers, and even small businesses all harp about wanting more creativity, but then we see everything else but something new.

There is a silver lining, though. This means that there is a possibility that new ideas are out there, but the gatekeepers are keeping them back. So the argument that "there's no talent in the advertising industry" can go away, and the new argument, "Let the new creative ideas in the marketplace and stop being so afraid," can take its place.

How can we assist our agencies, clients, and partners to look at creative ideas less as a risk, but more as an opportunity? Businesses are so worried about the immediate impact on their bottom line, or outrageous ROI turnaround, that it makes creative campaigns difficult to propose.

Either the uncertainty goes or creativity. Something has to give.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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