Models for the Creative Production Process

The creative process consists of a series of identifiable stages, documented in models such as the 5-step model (Wallas - 1926), 7-step models (Rossman - 1931; Osborn - 1953), 3-step model (Creative Problem Solving or CPS; Osborn - 1979), 6-step model (revised CPS model; Isaksen/Treffinger - 1985), and the “Model for Creative Strategic Planning” (Bandrowski - 1985), the latter aimed at achieving a better balance between the creative and analytical aspects of the afore mentioned models.
The existence of many more models – like the Basadur Simplex Process, for example – has been confirmed through desk research, however, none of these appear to contain significant new insights into the processes as described in the mentioned models; they generally either recombine steps from one or more of these, add intermediate steps, or are a combination of process and method, as is the case of TRIZ (Teoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch), for example.

The following models are universally recognized by experts and educators as either the most relevant or easiest applicable theories on the subject.
As their names aptly suggest, all consider a series of sequential processes or steps, some of which coincide, while others not.

3-Step model (original CPS model - Osborn):
• Fact-Finding
• Idea-Finding
• Solution-Finding

5-Step model (Wallas):
• Preparation (definition of issue, observation, and study)
• Incubation (laying the issue aside for a time)
• Intimation (the sensation that a solution is emerging)
• Illumination (the moment when a new idea arrives)
• Verification (reviewing and qualifying the solution)

6-Step model (CPS revised; Isaksen/Treffinger):
• Objective-finding
• Fact-finding
• Problem-finding
• Idea finding
• Solution finding
• Acceptance finding

7-Step model (Osborn):
• Orientation (problem definition)
• Preparation (data gathering)
• Analysis (review of the relevance of gathered data)
• Ideation (generation of ideas)
• Incubation (laying the problem aside)
• Synthesis (stripping ideas down to their essence, recombining ideas)
• Evaluation (selection of the most valuable ideas)

7-Step model (Rossman):
• Observation of a need or difficulty
• Analysis of the need
• Survey of all available information
• Formulation of all objective solutions
• Critical analysis of possible solutions for advantages and disadvantages
• Invention – the birth of the new idea(s)
• Experimentation – find/select most promising solution(s), perfection of their final form

Model for Creative Strategic Planning (Bandrowski):
• Analysis
– standard planning
– insight development
• Creativity
– creative leaps
– strategic connections
• Judgment
– concept building
– critical judgment
• Planning
– action planning
– creative contingency planning
• Action
– flexible implementation
– monitoring results

The Advertising Agency: Strategic Planning and Creative Production.
As you may have realized, these models are – without exception – flow-models of the processes to take place. Notwithstanding, they do not provide any practical tools for applied creative thinking, nor assign responsibilities to specific areas of knowledge or expertise.

Contrarily, observed standard advertising agency practice divides the strategic-creative production process into specific knowledge areas, such as Account Planning, Creative, Client Services, Media and Production, in all of which different levels of applied creative thinking (are supposed to) take place.
Yet, the two areas in which the most mission critical creative thinking processes of any advertising agency take place are the Strategic/Account Planning & Creative departments.

7-Step model for Integrated Creative Planning & Production (ICPP):
The “typical” advertising agency creative production process is in practice probably closest to the Bandrowski model, with 2 additional steps (1 - Orientation and 8 - Presentation):
1 – Orientation (client briefing/problem definition)
2 – Analysis & Preparation  (strategic planning)
---- Orientation analysis
---- Prospective (data-gathering and research)
---- Intelligence (inventive data processing)
3 – Input Analysis (data- strategy- and creative briefing review)
4 – Ideation (creative production)
---- Idea generation
---- Incubation (laying the problem aside)
---- Illumination (the aha moment)
5 – Evaluation & Discrimination 1 and 2 (internal reviews)
6 – Presentation (client review)
7 – Implementation (execution, production & publication)
---- Follow-up and Feedback

1 – Orientation. In many cases, the client briefing goes well beyond the “Problem Definition” as described in the Osborn 7-step model. The agency briefing may include a wide range of other data, such as target groups, consumer research, competition analysis, marketing strategy, and so forth.

2 – I have divided the Preparation step in tree separate processes, based on models for (military) prospective study, aiming at more precisely describing the processes that take place in an advertising agency’s so-called Strategic- or Account Planning Department.
2.1 – Orientation analysis is a process oriented to determining whether or not the briefing is complete (which it rarely is) to generate a list of questions for the problem owner (Client) and/or a list of "Need to Know" data that cannot be provided by the client and must be gathered through research.
2.2 – Prospective is oriented at gathering relevant data about (possible) objective markets, target groups, competition, and (hidden) customer preferences or -needs, amongst others.
Data gathering is further enhanced by ad-hoc and/or permanent market monitoring, desk research, consumer studies, and so forth.
2.3 – Intelligence is a data analysis process oriented at uncovering unique, unsatisfied needs of customers, so-called “Insights” – part of the Bandrowski Analysis stage – at the creation of added-value- and/or positioning proposals, as well as analyzing markets, competition, opportunities and so forth.

The Intelligence process provides quality input for strategic- and creative decision making, resumed in a “Strategic Plan” which – in turn – leads to a so-called creative briefing or simply: “Briefing”.
Most large, international agencies use proprietary models to structure the briefing itself, requiring the delivery of specific answers to predefined topics, such as target group, competition, product promise, supporting evidence, etc..

Brand Key

The “Brand-Key” model – originally created for Unilever’s brand-planning – but now universally used in academic practice, is an excellent example of one such a model.

3 – Input Analysis is a process oriented at the review of the creative briefing, to identify possible lagoons in information and deciding whether or not the proposed strategic orientation is in line with the client briefing and conductive to creative development.

4 – Creative Production is a process oriented at the generation of large amounts of applicable ideas. It is cyclical and alternates between idea generation (divergent thinking) and idea selection (convergent thinking).
4.1 – Ideation is oriented at the generation of initial ideas, and a ongoing process. Ideation sessions are typically interrupted or paused when they loose momentum, to allow for an attention shift (see: Discontinuity Principle) and/or to make room for incubation.
4.2 – Idea selection and generation is an integrated part of the overall process and takes selected existing ideas to either generate new ideas or “growing” them through modification, expansion, combination, fusion, etc.
This is mostly done after the solver(s) have taken their mind off of the problem (a pause), have given some time to incubation, or because a member comes up with a new idea that's worth discussing.
4.3 – Incubation is a psychological process that takes place on both a conscientious and in-conscientious level. Trained, experienced creative people are capable of mentally processing large amounts of related and unrelated data, until the point of producing a number of qualifying, valuable ideas.
4.4 – Illumination is the “Eureka!” or “Aha Erlebnis” moment. The large majority of creative people know instinctively when they have a valuable, applicable idea, because it is virtually always accompanied by a sensation called “elevation” in Positive Psychology, a phenomenon best described as a near physical state of euphoria.

5 – Evaluation 1 and 2 are internal reviews, the first an ongoing process within a creative team (Art Director, Copywriter) and with creative department leadership, oriented at pre-selecting and/or growing the most valuable ideas.
The second is a more formal review which involves creative department heads, client services executives and – in some cases – agency top management. The objective of the latter is to determine if the ideas are as good as the creative team believes them to be and to check consistency with the client briefing and the outlined strategy.

Even though these steps are named one and two for practical purposes, there is no rule for the number of reviews that may take place during any given creative production process.
If the process goes smooth or a team member has a brilliant idea early-on, reviews may be limited to two or three.
However, it is no exception – especially when working on complex problems or large campaigns – that informal and formal reviews run into the dozens, involve different team members and address different related sub-topics, such as TV-, radio- or print campaigns, digital, specific creative pieces, artwork, and so on.

6 – Presentation or “Selling” is a review of one or more ideas with the client, in which creative proposals or “concepts” are – again – checked against the briefing and evaluated for their potential to generate “impact” with the target group and their ability to help achieving the outset marketing-communication objectives.

7 – Implementation is the execution or production of the client-approved idea(s), with the assistance of designers, film directors, audio producers, photographers, illustrators, etc., after which the Media Department publishes these materials in predetermined media such as television, radio, print media and the Internet, amongst others, according to a pre-established, client approved, so-called “Media Plan”.
7.1 – Follow-up and feedback. The large majority of agencies and client do regular research on campaign performance, top-of-mind, traffic generation etc., information which is fed back to either modify a campaign in execution or to be used as Orientation (step 1) input for a next campaign.

It is important to emphasize that the previously described model is not particular to any specific agency, but has – as far as my knowledge goes – been extensively, successfully used on a global scale and throughout the advertising industry for at least the last 50 years.