Having a creative day: Understanding entrepreneurs' daily idea generation through a recovery lens

Prior research has shown that trait creativity is important for becoming an entrepreneur and successful in business. We explore a new perspective by investigating how recovery from work stress influences entrepreneurs' daily idea generation, a key aspect of creativity. Physiological and mental recovery enables the cognitive processes of creative problem-solving. Moreover, differences in mental recovery processes help to explain age-related changes in entrepreneurs' creativity. Multilevel analyses based on 415 daily data from 62 entrepreneurs support our predictions. Our study introduces a new “state” perspective to understanding entrepreneurs' creativity, and highlights the critical role of recovery processes for idea generation.     

Creativity in marketing management—a unified approach

This paper sets out to identify how marketing management can provide the lead in adopting a more creative approach to innovation at the idea generation stage.

Both the proactive and reactive approaches to innovation strategy are discussed in the context of change factors and the sourcing of new ideas for innovation. Four loci of idea initiation are identified, which appear to vary in importance according to industry sector.

Although evidence is presented to suggest that heuristic techniques are being used increasingly to enhance creativity, their use is limited both by the perception of their function and the strategic mode adopted by the organisation. The concept of the marketing‐centred creative circle is introduced to counter these limiting factors. It is argued that the creative circle offers a bridging function in the generation of new ideas for innovation and in extending the existing stock. As well as performing this function, a more creative and entrepreneurial atmosphere will emerge as lateral relationships develop. With the development of successive marketing‐centred creative circles within the organisation, a unified approach to creative innovation will evolve as the traditional proactive and reactive strategies merge.     

Encouraged,motivated and learning oriented for working creatively and successfully: a case of Korean workers in marketing communications

This study investigated and assessed organizational and motivational determinants in creative and successful marketing communications campaigns by analysing a sample of Korean workers. The study revealed the relative importance of organizational and motivational factors for campaign creativity and performance in marketing communications in Korean workplaces. The findings provide evidence that managerial encouragement is essential to Korean workers' intrinsic motivation for planning, learning orientation and creativity. The intrinsic motivation for planning in turn generally had a strong effect on their creativity, learning orientation and performance. Related implications are discussed for managers in marketing communications, where creativity may fall into the realm of the required aspects of the workers. From the findings it is implied that deliberately designed organizational means for enhancing creativity must be sought.     

The Future of Creativity In Advertising

In the rapidly changing marketing environment, more attention is being placed on media than on message factors. Creativity, which has been shown to impact the success of a product seems to be receiving secondary attention from marketers. This research discusses the value of creative advertising, and why marketers may be less focused on message strategies. The study concludes that creativity is not dead, and will continue to remain an important factor in marketing communications into the future.     

The relative performance of different methods for selecting creative marketing personnel

Despite an increasing need for creativity in all corners of business, the spotlight of most recruitment and selection procedures has not shifted accordingly. Measures of creative ability that are to be used in practice should preferably be brief and operationally valid in the small and relatively homogenous pools of subjects that companies typically have to deal with. This article examines the performance of different assessment methods of creative ability in two small-scale hiring contexts, i.e., with prospective marketing employees (marketing students) and with current employees of a creative marketing agency. With prospective marketing employees, a combination of test ratings and student CV ratings of creative ability shows high operational validity. Supervisory ratings and self-ratings of creative ability are reasonable alternatives to test ratings for senior and long-time employees, but should be used with caution when junior employees and recent recruits are concerned.     

Targeting Young Voters in a Political Campaign: Empirical Insights into an Interactive Digital Marketing Campaign in the 2007 Finnish General Election

At general elections across Europe, turnout among young people tends to be significantly lower than among older voters. Therefore, this article examines a digital marketing campaign that was targeted at young voters in the 2007 Finnish general election. More specifically, this article aims to provide insights into the creative development process of a political marketing campaign and the nature of the client-agency relationship in political campaigns. The methodology adopted in this article consisted of in-depth interviews with key informants involved in the campaign planning and implementation. The results provide new empirical insights into the challenges that political campaigner may face when they target political marketing at young voters. In addition, the results suggest that there are differences between commercial and political marketing also in a digital marketing context. Finally, the results support the view that marketing professionals have a strong role in a creative development process of a political marketing campaign. The ideas put forth herein can certainly help advertising professionals to plan political marketing campaigns that engage young people in future elections and therefore aid candidates in their quest to achieve electoral success.     

You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to be entrepreneurial: The unique role of imaginativeness in new venture ideation

Bestsellers like The Lean Startup and Business Model Generation have suggested that ideation—the generation and selection of ideas—is important to new venture creation; yet, little empirical research on the topic has been conducted. Using a creative problem-solving approach, we developed and tested a new scale that found imaginativeness predicts new venture ideation over and above the effects of the usual suspects of attitude, knowledge, and evaluation. Imaginativeness is an ideational skill that combines task-relevant knowledge in three distinct domains—creative, social, and practical—with the latent ability of imagination. In this article, we explain why a new scale was needed, why imaginativeness appears to be especially useful to individuals who lack entrepreneurial experience, and how imaginativeness enables just about anyone to generate and select new venture ideas with the proficiency of a habitual entrepreneur.     

The people dimension in modern international marketing: Neglected but crucial

International marketing has performed extremely well during the second half of the twentieth century. During this period, the role, skills, and performance of marketing professionals have changed. This article examines these dramatic changes. We examine the changing role of marketing professionals in four distinct periods: 1945–1964, 1965–1984, 1985–2004, and 2005 forward. These periods are labeled as ages of coincidence, confluence, commingling, and creative conflicted collaboration. The role, skills, and performances of marketing professionals are analyzed as they emerged and changed. The article posits that as globalization continues as an unstoppable movement, the roles of marketing professionals are likely to emerge as a changing strategic tool. We carefully analyze professionals as one of the critical “Ps” of the marketing mix and examine their role in ever‐successful international marketing and its relationship to globalization. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Creative leaders create ‘unsung heroes’: leader creativity and subordinate organizational citizenship behavior

As leader creativity is found to be effective at promoting outcomes for organizations, more and more organizations select creative individuals as leaders. However, the influence of leader creativity has not received enough attention. Thus, this research seeks to focus on the potential influences of leader creativity in organizations. Based on social cognitive theory, we explore the relationship between leader creativity and subordinate organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). We find that leader creativity is positively related to subordinate OCB, and perceived team creative efficacy mediates the relationship. Moreover, creative self-efficacy moderates the relationships between perceived team creative efficacy and subordinate OCB. We then discuss implications and limitations, and suggest directions for future research.     

Creativity in buyer–seller relationships: The role of governance

This research proposes a framework for relating governance mechanisms (power, contracts, and trust) to the generation of creative approaches to business activities in buyer–seller relationships. The framework is tested with a survey of 262 purchasing agents. The results indicate that trust and contract affect the three facilitators of inter-organizational creativity: (1) knowledge-sharing routines (resources), (2) learning orientation (motivation), and (3) managerial support and open-mindedness (managerial practices). Also, the effects of trust and contract on the creativity in buyer–seller relationships are fully mediated by the above three facilitators. In particular, trust plays a more influential role in stimulating creativity. While power is not significantly associated with any of the facilitators, its overall effect on creativity is negative.     

The influence of organizational rank and role on marketing professionals' ethical judgments

The author examines empirically the extent to which marketing professionals of different organizational ranks (lower versus upper) and roles (executive versus research) differ in ethical judgments. For organizational rank, the results indicate that marketing professionals of lower organizational rank do not differ from those of upper organizational rank in ethical judgments. For organizational role, the results suggest that marketing professionals of executive role differ in an overall sense from marketing professionals of research role in ethical judgments. In general, marketing professionals of executive role reflect higher ethical judgments than those of research role. Ishmael P. Akaah is Professor of Marketing at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Professor Akaah's articles have appeared in the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Health Care Marketing, Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Journal of Global Marketing, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Direct Marketing, and Proceedings of the American Marketing Association, and elsewhere. His current research interests include consumer decision processes, marketing ethics, and international marketing strategy.     

Testing interaction effects of the dimensions of market orientation on marketing program creativity

Despite the plethora of research on market orientation, our understanding of how different dimensions of market orientation interact with each other in generating new intelligence for marketing programs is limited. In this paper, we develop and test a model that examines the interaction effects of the three dimensions of market orientation—customer orientation, competitor orientation, and cross-functional integration—on generation of marketing program creativity, composed of novelty and meaningfulness dimensions. In empirically testing such effects, we illustrate how to use two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation. We find significant positive interaction effects between customer orientation and competitor orientation and between competitor orientation and cross-functional integration in predicting marketing program novelty. We also find that competitor orientation and cross-functional integration significantly and positively interact with each other in improving marketing program meaningfulness. Our empirical results provide implications and directions for market orientation research.     

Developing and assessing critical thinking skills in marketing students: The power of making explicit problem-solving processes

Applied research is a course that has been taught to develop and effectively assess critical thinking skills in marketing students. A modified version of the problem-solving model using explicit problem-solving processes is employed in the design of course material and delivery. Assessment data support students’ ability to critically think at both lower and higher levels. Assignments include creative and timely experiential exercises to reinforce important marketing concepts, encourage student interest, and develop critical thinking skills.     

Psychological antecedents of consumer trust in CRM campaigns and donation intentions: The moderating role of creativity

Cause-related marketing (CRM) refers to charitable donation contingent on consumer purchase of a product by supporting a specific cause that is linked to a non-profit organization (NPO). The present research examines the influence of consumer psychographic traits on trust in CRM campaign and its resulting impact on intention to donate money to NPO. The results indicate that collectivism and hedonism have positive effect on trust in CRM campaign, but individualism and utilitarianism have negative effect on trust in CRM campaign. Moreover, the result shows that trust in the CRM campaign had significant positive effect on donation intentions. We further have investigated the role of cognitive process and demonstrated the moderating effect of creativity on the impact of trust in CRM campaign and donation intentions, such that the higher level of creativity led to higher level of donation intentions, if consumers have trust in CRM campaign. This research offers marketers and advertising professionals’ practical insights to design effective CRM campaigns. Additionally, it assists NPO managers to understand the crucial role of trust and creativity in CRM campaigns and its positive impact on donation intentions. Academic and managerial implications of this research study along with future directions are discussed.     

Creativity in the opportunity identification process and the moderating effect of diversity of information

We employ two study designs for a more detailed examination of creativity in the opportunity identification process. We employ a correlational field study to test the hypothesis that divergent thinking affects venture growth through business idea generation. We use an experimental design to test the hypothesis that diversity of information moderates the effect of divergent thinking on business idea generation. Analyses based on 98 business owners across both study designs supported our hypotheses. Combining the findings from both designs points to boundary conditions of theories suggesting constraining information; this may weaken the indirect effect of divergent thinking on venture growth.     

Directing Advertising Copy Creativity through Benefit Segmentation

While much attention has been paid in the marketing and advertising literature to the more quantitative aspects of advertising such as the setting of advertising budgets, media selection, advertising scheduling and effectiveness measurement, relatively little attention has been paid to the generation of effective advertising copy and messages. This area of advertising decision-making, in many ways the most crucial element of any advertising campaign, is an essentially creative element. It is an area, however, where effective marketing research can guide the creative process more efficiently. This article describes the use of conjoint measurement techniques to conduct benefit segmentation which can, in turn, be used to direct advertising copy thinking. The approach is illustrated with reference to a small-scale study of the United Kingdom king-size cigarette market.     

Cause-Related Marketing: An Exploratory Study of Campaign Donation Structures Issues

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, cause-related marketing (CRM) has become a popular and unique promotional tool for brands. Academic research indicates outcomes of such campaigns are generally positive for all stakeholders. Consumers feel they are making a difference, firms benefit from improved public image and increased sales, and the cause or nonprofit organization receives increased publicity and funding. However, there are ethical issues involved when linking a firm with a nonprofit organization as well as potential negatives (Smith and Stodghill 1994; Andreasan 1996; Meyer 1999; Polonsky and Wood 2001). An exploratory research study was undertaken to understand the impact of the structural elements of cause-related marketing campaigns, including how the donation is quantified, the size of the donation relative to the price of the product, the presence of donation deadlines and caps, and the level of promotion used to publicize the campaign. Findings suggest that the structural elements of cause-related marketing campaigns do influence consumers' perceptions of the campaigns. Based on these results, implications for CRM campaign managers and future research ideas are provided. This information will help practitioners, including marketing managers, advertising managers and advertising creative professionals to design the most effective communication tactics for a cause-related marketing campaign.     

Core self-evaluation and workplace creativity

Drawing on the approach and avoidance framework in the core self-evaluation literature, this study proposes that core self-evaluation may not only prompt a person to acquire more job-related knowledge but may also inspire employees' intrinsic motivation for their jobs and indirectly help the person think of creative ideas at work. Surveying time-lagged data from workers in Taiwanese firms, this study finds support for the mediating effects of domain knowledge and intrinsic motivation. Although previous research has demonstrated the positive effect of core self-evaluation on overall work performance, scholars argue that creativity is a separate dimension of work performance and that factors conducive to overall work performance are not the same as factors that can stimulate creative ideas. Thus, findings from this study may expand scholarly knowledge about the consequences of core self-evaluation and complement the creativity literature by validating an individual-level antecedent to creativity yet unexamined in the creativity research.     

Fostering creative selling through ethics. An emotion-based approach

Research on salesperson creativity remains as one of the most under-researched topics in the sales literature despite the evidence that encouraging creativity in the sales domain is a source of competitive advantage. This paper aims to fill this research gap by exploring the influence of perceived ethical climate on salesperson creative performance, paying special attention to the role that emotions play in this process. Data provided by 176 supervisor–salesperson dyads confirm that the trust/responsibility dimension of an ethical climate is positively related to salesperson creative selling by increasing salespeople's organizational pride. Similarly, the perception of unethical selling practices negatively affects salesperson organizational pride, reducing the expression of creative behaviors. Moreover, the negative effect of unethical selling practices on creative performance is stronger (more negative) when salespeople's identification with an organization increases. Managerial implications and future research directions are also addressed.     

Blockchain technology for creative industries: Current state and research opportunities

Blockchain based NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and smart contracts provide creative industries with exciting opportunities. While they have created a great deal of frenzy in markets, in the frenzy there emerges real value for the industries. Traditionally, creators in the creative industries often need to rely on powerful intermediaries to distribute and profit from their creations. NFT and smart contracts provide creators much closer access to content consumers/buyers. Along this line of thought, this article provides marketing researchers with an overview of the unfolding adoption of NFTs and smart contracts in creative industries. We start by pointing out the market frictions and consequent “transaction costs” that creators face traditionally when distributing their creative content to consumers/buyers. Then, we present the basic ideas of smart contracts and NFTs, discussing how they can transform the market by reducing these transaction costs. Meanwhile, we point out limitations and challenges that creators, buyers, and marketplaces might face in the adoption of NFTs and smart contracts. Finally, we raise an abundance of unexplored research questions interesting to both marketing researchers and practitioners.