Sponsor (Apr-June 1959)

TV market ! JACKSON, MISS., now 229,900 TV homes The nation's leader in business gain by John E. McMillin Commercial commentary So it's creative— so who cares? Last fall, when George Gribbin, a "creative" man. was named head of Y&R and the ANA at its annual meeting was calling for more "creativeness' in advertising. I talked with a Colonel Blimp-type character who deeply and bitterly resented what he called. "All this twaddle about creativit\ ." "It's for the birds, he said harumphing loudly. "Modern advertising is a business. It is mass marketing, backed by careful, scientific research and shrewd, cost-conscious media buying. Creativity — bushwah!" I grinned when he said this and put him down as one of those embittered account, research, or marketing men (there are dozens in the agency business) who loathe the ground that copywriters walk on. Recently, however, I've been wondering whether I was right. There's been such an overwhelming gush of talk about creativity in the last year (this week the 4As is devoting an important section of its White Sulphur Convention to a creativity panel headed by George Reeves of JWT, Chicago I that I'm getting a little suspicious. How much of this infatuation is just plain lip service? Home, mother, the flag, ami ereativeness A few weeks ago, for instance, I read an impressive statement 1>\ Marion Harper of McCann to the effect that the production of creative ideas is the main business of advertising, and that today's creative man has better tools — from research and marketing — than he has ever had before. I have no reason to doubt that Marion was being wholl) sincere. But somehow I couldn't help snickering over his remarks. They sounded so dreadfullv statesmanlike. In 20th Century advertising circles it has become as important to take a strong public stand in favor of creativity as it is to be steadfasti) on the side of home, mother, tlie flag and the Audit Bureau of Circulations. But when men like Marion Harper, who have almost dedicated their business lives to the proposition that advertising is or can be practical, factual. COSt-oriented and ruthlessly scientific, begin talking about "creativity" I wonder what the) mean. And. for that matter what do the resl of u> mean when we prate so gliblv about the importance of advertising's '" reative functions? I submit thai "creative"' is the most bastardized \\>>nl in the advertising lexicon. \ml I think it's high lime we re-defined it. The individual and personal ingredient Let's begin l«\ admitting that the only possible reason for being concerned with advertising creativeness is a ver\ practical one. SI'ONSOK 25 kPWL 1959