Chasing the White Rabbit: seeking clarity and understanding in advertising creativity

Creativity plays a central role in advertising. From the execution of advertising material to the strategy that drives it and the media used to disseminate it, creativity permeates every phase of the advertising process.

However, the literature regarding advertising creativity is messy and somewhat fractured. As such, Phase 1 of this dissertation will be a scoping review, designed to bring the clarity and insight afforded by a “high altitude” exploration the topic.

Additionally, advertising—in both construction and delivery—has evolved significantly over the last decade as new technologies and new methods for reaching consumers have become available, but relatively few researchers are examining the way advertising creativity is being taught. As such Phase 2 is a qualitative exploration of creative advertising education in 9 top-ranked advertising schools and portfolio programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with creative faculty in these programs and were analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings and major themes are discussed, as well as limitations of the dissertation and suggestions for future research.