Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Advertising: Science Or Art?


                 


                    Advertising: Science Or Art?
Before deciding on this philosophical issue that pops up occasionally, you must understand the difference between a science and an art. And how they apply to advertising.

A science requires two basic qualities to be considered a science: repeatability and predictability. One scientist or engineer using a procedure should get the same result as another scientist or engineer using the same procedure, each time. Because they employ the same formulas and tested materials. When an engineer builds a bridge, he knows the load-bearing qualities of reinforced concrete and the tensile strength of I-beams and steel cables. He’s relying on scientific information.

That works in science. But formulas and repeatability doesn’t work to foster creativity or interest in advertising. The human mind is not intrigued by the familiar. It hungers for something new, novel and excitingly different, to fascinate the imagination and interest. (Once you see a movie with a surprise ending or hear the punch line of a joke, you don’t find the repeating of them that interesting). That’s what makes persuasion so challenging in advertising. There are no formulas to follow. No “safe” way to be creative. That’s why advertising is an art.

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