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Bachelor’s Thesis
Creativity in a changing advertising landscape.
For our bachelor’s thesis in Creative Marketing Communication, my project partner and I explored how creatives in leading Norwegian advertising agencies balance authenticity, social responsibility and commercial effectiveness when developing campaign ideas for Generation Z.
Through conversations with industry professionals, we gained insight into what happens to creative ideas when they meet client expectations, brand strategy and a changing society. The project resulted in a grade B, marking a strong conclusion to our bachelor’s degree.
Behind the research
The idea for our thesis came from a shared interest in advertising and creative development, and a curiosity about how creativity is shaped by the realities of the industry.
We wanted to explore what happens when creative ideas meet client expectations, commercial goals and societal expectations, particularly when communicating with Generation Z.
Research question
How do creatives in leading Norwegian advertising agencies balance authenticity and social responsibility with the demand for commercial effectiveness when developing campaign ideas for Generation Z?
From conversations to insights
We chose a qualitative and exploratory approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with six creatives from Norwegian advertising agencies and one industry expert with more than 30 years of experience.
The interviews gave us insight into how these considerations are handled in practice. We then used thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns and perspectives across the conversations.
7 interviews · 6 creatives · 1 industry expert
What we discovered
01 — Authenticity is contextual
Authenticity is shaped by the relationship between the brand, the message and the audience. What feels authentic therefore depends on both the recipient and the context.
02 — Creativity starts with freedom
The early idea stage allows for considerable creative freedom, but ideas are gradually shaped by client expectations, risk, responsibility and commercial feasibility.
03 — There is no perfect balance
Balancing creativity, responsibility and commercial goals is not a fixed formula. It is a continuous process of evaluation that changes depending on the campaign, audience and context.
More than a final assignment
Working on the thesis gave me a deeper understanding of what happens behind creative communication – and how ideas are influenced by strategy, responsibility, audience expectations and commercial objectives.
The process also gave me valuable experience with qualitative research, interviews, thematic analysis and academic writing, while teaching me the importance of structure, collaboration and working through a complex project from start to finish.
Creativity within boundaries
Our research showed that creative advertising is shaped by a continuous balance between originality, authenticity, responsibility and commercial effectiveness.
While these considerations can create boundaries around an idea, they do not necessarily limit creativity. Instead, they can help shape and sharpen ideas, making them more relevant and achievable.
Interested in reading the thesis?
If you’d like to take a closer look at the full thesis, I’d be happy to send you a copy.
Feel free to reach out through my contact form here.
Please note: The full thesis is written in Norwegian.