How To Manage A Small Advertising Agency In APA Format

800 1000 Words Apa Formatyou Manage A Small Advertising Agency That

You manage a small advertising agency that employs two illustrators, two copywriters, and two account executives. Business has been down lately because of the economy, and your employees have been a bit nervous about possible layoffs, citing that because there are two of each of them in these respective roles, it is possible the agency may have to reduce the staff by at least two specialists in the coming months. You have noticed stress in the office, including everything from office fighting, to stealing creative ideas from one another, to higher-than-usual absenteeism. At a recent campaign review with your premier client, CheapThings.com, you found out that the copy and graphics of several proposed ads needed to be recrafted. You found out that the client is unhappy with the campaign, noting that it is stale and uninteresting and does not represent what the company is doing online: selling all types of cheap things that people can buy at a discount. On second look, you understand what the client is saying. Interpersonal communication skills are essential in your client and staff relationships. Although you understand that advertising campaigns often need to be tweaked to deliver what the client wants and needs, you believe that the employee problem may be masquerading as a business problem. You start to see that stress in the office is starting to reveal itself in your agency's creative work. This is a huge problem because the agency cannot afford to lose a client or possible future projects. You decide to research some possible creative process theories for this situation to solve the business problem. State the business problem and why you believe it is the core problem. For example, are people creatively burned out? Is there a communication problem between the client and the account executive? Analyze 3 creative processes that could get the agency back on track with on-point client deliverables. For each, briefly explain what the process is and why it fits the stated business problem. Select what you believe to be the best creative process for this situation. Explain how you will implement your chosen creative process. Explain your prediction on how your chosen creative process can help start to solve some of the problems.

Paper For Above instruction

The core business problem faced by this small advertising agency revolves around deteriorating employee morale, strained team dynamics, and declining creative output, all exacerbated by economic downturns and the looming threat of layoffs. Specifically, the stress and dissatisfaction among staff have manifested as interpersonal conflicts, intellectual theft, and increased absenteeism, which threaten the quality of work delivered to clients. Compounding these issues is the client's dissatisfaction with recent campaigns, perceiving them as stale and misaligned with brand messaging, further highlighting the need for revitalized creative strategies. I believe these internal and external pressures are interconnected, with employee burnout and communication issues at the heart of the challenge. Addressing the creative process directly can help rejuvenate the team's productivity and innovation, ultimately restoring client satisfaction and securing future business opportunities.

To thoroughly analyze potential solutions, three creative process models are examined: Brainstorming, Design Thinking, and the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) model. Each offers unique mechanisms to stimulate innovation and address the agency's specific issues.

1. Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a widely-used creative process that emphasizes generating a large volume of ideas within a set period, encouraging participants to contribute freely without judgment. Its foundational principle is that quantity leads to quality, fostering an open environment where creative sparks can emerge from diverse inputs. This process is particularly advantageous in settings where teams need to overcome stagnation and generate fresh ideas quickly, making it suitable for revitalizing stale advertising campaigns. Given the current internal conflicts and creative drought, structured brainstorming sessions can help unblock creative flow and promote collaborative thinking, reducing feelings of resentment and competition among team members.

2. Design Thinking

Design Thinking is a user-centric, iterative process that emphasizes empathy, defining problems, ideation, prototyping, and testing. Its core focus is understanding the needs and motivations of the client and end-users, aligning creative solutions with real-world human behaviors and preferences. For this agency, employing Design Thinking can bridge the gap between client expectations and creative output by centering the process around deep customer insights and collaborative teamwork. This approach can distract from internal conflicts by redirecting focus towards solving genuine client challenges innovatively, thus making campaigns more relevant and engaging, as required by the client complaint about stale ads.

3. Creative Problem Solving (CPS)

The CPS model involves a structured sequence of clarifying the problem, generating ideas, developing solutions, and planning implementation. Its methodology encourages systematic thinking and critical analysis alongside creative ideation. CPS can be particularly effective in addressing complex organizational issues such as staff conflicts and declining productivity. By emphasizing problem identification and solution development, CPS promotes transparency and collaborative problem-solving, which can help reduce internal tensions and restore a sense of shared purpose. Applying CPS to refresh creative processes can help the team develop innovative campaigns aligned with client needs while reducing burnout through structured, goal-oriented activities.

Recommended Solution and Implementation

Among these models, Design Thinking appears most suitable for the current scenario due to its human-centered emphasis and iterative nature, which can effectively align creative outputs with client expectations while fostering internal collaboration. To implement Design Thinking, I would organize cross-functional workshops involving all team members to empathize with the client’s target audience, define the core issues with the campaign, and co-create innovative ideas. These sessions would involve creating user personas, journey maps, and rapid prototyping of ad concepts. These activities aim to reignite creative enthusiasm, enhance communication, and produce more engaging, relevant campaigns.

This process is expected to improve morale by involving team members directly in meaningful problem-solving, thereby reducing feelings of resentment or competition. It also fosters empathy and understanding among staff, which can diminish conflicts and theft of ideas, replacing them with collaborative ideation. As solutions are prototyped and tested in small iterations, the team can refine their campaigns faster and adapt more swiftly to client feedback, addressing the core concern of stale advertising and enhancing overall job satisfaction.

Anticipated Outcomes

Implementing Design Thinking is predicted to catalyze a shift towards more innovative and relevant advertising campaigns, directly improving client satisfaction and loyalty. Internally, the collaborative nature of the process will help mitigate office conflicts, reduce absenteeism, and foster a supportive work environment. Over time, as team members experience success in delivering fresh ideas, confidence and morale will improve, creating a positive feedback loop that enhances overall productivity. This integrated approach should attract new clients and secure ongoing projects, safeguarding the agency’s future in a challenging economic climate.

Conclusion

Addressing internal stress and creative stagnation requires a strategic approach that revitalizes the agency’s creative processes and employee interactions. The adoption of a human-centered, iterative process like Design Thinking offers a comprehensive solution by aligning team efforts with client needs, fostering collaboration, and stimulating innovation. When effectively implemented, this process can help the agency overcome current challenges, rebuild its creative capacity, and regain its competitive edge in the advertising industry.

References

• Change by Design: How Design Thinking Creates New Alternatives for Business and Society. HarperBusiness.
• The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm. Crown Business.
• The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Journal of Creativity and Innovation Management, 8(2), 99-112.
• Design Thinking: Understand – Improve – Apply. Springer.
• Harvard Business Review, 96(5), 72-79.
• The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Innovation Management — Innovation Management Process. International Organization for Standardization.
• The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think In Action. Basic Books.