Experts debate creativity in online marketing

09/09/2008

Marketing experts have been debating the question of whether internet advertising - including search marketing - requires creativity to be successful.

A recent discussion organised by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) saw Philip Smith of Haymarket claim that while the online medium is "massively successful", it does not necessarily need creativity to continue this growth.

He went on to state that the most important factor to consider is results, something that was backed up by Henry Rowe of FaR Partners, who cited statistics suggesting that 90 per cent of online ads are "functional" rather than creative.

However, Microsoft Advertising's David Pugh-Jones countered this by explaining that it is vital to use technology in a creative way to ensure that business can continue to thrive - a concept that is at the heart of Microsoft's own operations.

According to IAB head of marketing Kieron Matthews, the key to creative success online lies in coming up with great ideas, collaborating to nurture concepts to campaign level, taking advantage of consumer insight and making ads as simple as possible.