A descriptive study on creativity in advertising from Bourdieu's perspective

Throughout human history, pivotal turning points in the shaping of social life have often brought about irreversible changes. As a result of these changes, new ways of life, new economic activities, and new governance systems—concepts and fields inherently rooted in 'innovation'—emerge. These innovations, of course, begin with creative thinking. Changing or improving the existing state begins with a critique of the status quo, driven by the intention to make it more functional, more aesthetic, and more meaningful. Accordingly, it necessitates a creative way of thinking. It is widely accepted that creativity is an essential element in achieving better conditions for societies. Upon reviewing the relevant literature, it is observed that there are indices in which countries are ranked in terms of creativity, and Turkey is positioned in the lower ranks of these creativity indices. Turkey's position in the lower ranks of creativity indices forms the basis of the problem statement of this thesis. Global creativity indices, which are created independently of sectoral categories, do not provide information on the areas in which countries' levels of creativity are either high or low. To identify these levels, separate studies need to be conducted for various fields. In this context, a qualitative study has been conducted in the field of advertising, where creativity is of utmost importance. This research aims to identify the current state of creativity in the advertising field in Turkey and to uncover factors that may be related to creativity. To achieve this goal, in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 8 advertising agency employees to understand the sector perspective on creativity. To understand the educational perspective on the topic, in-depth online interviews were conducted with 9 advertising academics. The research was concluded with a total of 17 interviews. The findings obtained from the research indicate some issues regarding creativity in advertising. Economic issues, self-censorship, and working conditions are some of these issues. Therefore, erosions in different areas that may seem independent from one another are causing the level of creativity in advertising to decline. While this research specifically focuses on the issues related to creativity in advertising and the factors that affect creativity, it also provides insights into situations that hinder creative thinking in a broader sense.