Beyond implicit theory: An investigation of the creative process of advertising students enrolled in creative programs

This study investigated how students enrolled in advertising creative programs generate ideas. Proposed benefits of this research included using the findings to improve teaching methods in this area and augmenting the existing literature on creative process in a variety of other disciplines. In-depth interviews were conducted with forty-four graduate students enrolled in creative programs at the University of Texas at Austin and Virginia Commonwealth University. The students offered detailed descriptions of the process they used to produce an ad from one of three creative briefs provided to them. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted after a total of 62 initial and follow-up interviews were completed.; Results of the study indicate that students enter creative programs with a strong professional orientation, conceptualizing the creative process as the steps leading to the finished advertisement. Over the course of training, this professional orientation is replaced by a more holistic perspective that shifts focus away from advertising and celebrates ideation. Although it is clear that creativity is a highly intuitive experience for every individual, both beginner and advanced students described three key dimensions to their creative processes: (a) interpretation, deciding how to address the problem presented; (b) mindscribing, extensive writing as a method for managing thoughts; and (c) heuristics, cognitive tools used to translate initial thoughts into potentially viable ideas. Two models of advertising students' creativity are proposed, characterizing the important similarities and differences in creative process between beginner and advanced students. The Performance Model of Advertising Students' Creative Process recognizes beginner students as more self-aware; focusing on solving problems as presented and taking fewer creative risks. The Mastery Model of Advertising Students' Creative Process cites advanced students' penchant for self-reference; preferring to engage in problem-finding and relying heavily on instinct.; The students' accounts also provide valuable insights regarding teaching methods that they find most helpful in developing their abilities and assessments of their creative strengths and weaknesses. Supplemented by direct quotes from the respondents, the study provides a detailed examination of how these students think about their work and the effects of training on the creative process.