Why do great creative ideas get rejected? The effect of creative ideation processes on external judges’ assessments

One of the most contentious issues in advertising is the evaluation and selection of creative ideas. This selection process is central to the success of agencies and clients, yet it appears difficult for external observers to see the merits of highly creative ideas. To understand this issue, the authors compared self-reports of creative ideas from industry professionals with those of external judges. Results suggest that the difficulty in the external evaluation of creative ideas is not recognizing originality but recognizing appropriateness when the idea is also highly original. Creative ideas do not speak for themselves; presentation is crucial.