Only one-third of marketers and one-quarter of agencies feel proud of their creative work, according to a recent study, and many of them feel its quality is not improving.
BetterBriefs and research agency Flood + Partners conducted the study, BetterIdeas Global Report, in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA).
Perhaps flying under the radar is the significant economic impact caused by creative challenges. Earlier research by BetterBriefs found one-third of advertising spending could be wasted due to misdirected work.
6 challenges impacting the creative development process
The challenges and inefficiencies cited in the report include:
Using briefs solely as a starting point
While good briefs are considered business-critical, the research found that they are often disregarded as a reference point for evaluation. This can lead to overestimation of the ability to evaluate ideas and highlights a lack of training in this area. Only 10% of all respondents agree that ideas are always evaluated against clearly defined criteria.
In the research, marketers report an average of 5.0 rounds, creative agencies 4.8 rounds and in-house departments 4.8 rounds — inefficiency that impacts effectiveness.
Idea evaluation remains a mystery
The research acknowledged that evaluating ideas is difficult for both marketers and agencies. Agencies highlighted the intangible and delicate nature of ideas, especially in their early stages, and the shared difficulty in evaluation between clients and agencies. Only 30% of marketers and 27% of agencies agree they are well-trained.
Inadequate feedback
The research found a significant discrepancy in perception, with only 23% of marketers agreeing that they provide clear and constructive feedback, compared to 56% of agencies.
Dysfunctional approval processes
Respondents to the survey said their current approval processes are not functioning well, describing them as inconsistent, slow, subjective and painful.
As many creatives can tell you, creativity can suffer in committee-based approvals, and trying to accommodate everyone’s preferences slows the process and leads to worse work.
Because the assessment and approval of creative work are not always linked back to the initial brief, and decisions can be led by the personal judgment of individuals not exposed to the brief. The right decision-makers are also not always involved, the report found, with 43% of marketers and 62% of agencies agreeing on this point.
Personal opinion weighs heavily on decisions
Personal opinion significantly influences decision-making, with 89% of marketers and 84% of agencies agreeing. While personal emotions can be relevant, especially for brands aiming for emotional engagement, they should be balanced with the criteria from the initial brief and consideration of the target audience’s reaction rather than solely based on personal judgment, according to the report.
Lack of trust between agencies and marketers
The report also identified a lack of trust between agencies and marketers regarding creative judgment, with 70% of creative agencies not trusting the creative judgment of the marketers they work with. This lack of partnership and understanding of each other’s roles is a significant hurdle in achieving better ideas. Agencies also report they don’t always feel inspired by their clients to do their best work.
For the report, The BetterIdeas Project surveyed 1,034 marketing professionals in 54 countries (including the U.S., U.K., and Australia), spanning all marketing sectors.
The post Does your team struggle to evaluate creative ideas? You’re not alone appeared first on MarTech.
**How Teams Commonly Struggle to Evaluate Creative Ideas—and What You Can Do About It**
In today’s fast-paced, innovation-driven world, organizations increasingly rely on teams to generate and evaluate creative ideas. Whether it’s brainstorming a new product, refining a marketing campaign, or solving a complex problem, teams are expected to sift through a variety of suggestions and identify the most promising ones. However, many teams struggle to evaluate creative ideas effectively. These struggles can lead to missed opportunities, wasted resources, and stagnation. Understanding why these challenges occur—and how to overcome them—is essential for any organization that wants to foster innovation.
### Common Struggles Teams Face When Evaluating Creative Ideas
1. **Bias Toward Feasibility Over Novelty**
One of the most common pitfalls is the tendency to favor ideas that seem immediately practical or feasible, even if they are less innovative. Teams often gravitate toward ideas that align with existing norms or are easier to implement, sidelining more novel concepts that may require more effort or risk.
*Why it happens:* This bias is rooted in risk aversion and a desire for quick wins. Teams may fear failure or lack the resources to pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas.
2. **Groupthink and Conformity Pressure**
When team members are too eager to reach consensus, they may suppress dissenting opinions or unconventional ideas. This groupthink can lead to the premature dismissal of creative suggestions that challenge the status quo.
*Why it happens:* Social dynamics, such as a dominant leader or a desire to avoid conflict, can discourage open debate and critical evaluation.
3. **Overreliance on Past Successes**
Teams often evaluate new ideas through the lens of what has worked before. While past experience is valuable, it can also create a cognitive bias that limits openness to new approaches.
*Why it happens:* Familiarity breeds comfort. Teams may unconsciously assume that past strategies are the safest bet, even in changing environments.
4. **Lack of Clear Evaluation Criteria**
Without a structured framework for assessing ideas, teams may rely on gut feelings or subjective preferences. This can lead to inconsistent or unfair evaluations, where some ideas are favored for arbitrary reasons.
*Why it happens:* In the absence of defined metrics, personal biases and internal politics can dominate the decision-making process.
5. **Difficulty Recognizing the Value of Incomplete Ideas**
Creative ideas often emerge in rough, unpolished forms. Teams may dismiss these early-stage ideas because they seem vague or underdeveloped, even though they have strong potential.
*Why it happens:* Teams may expect fully formed solutions and lack the patience or vision to nurture raw ideas into viable innovations.
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### What You Can Do About It: Strategies for Better Evaluation
1. **Establish Clear and Balanced Evaluation Criteria**
Develop a set of criteria that balances novelty, feasibility, and potential impact. Make sure all team members understand and agree on these benchmarks before evaluating ideas.
*Tip:* Use a scoring matrix that includes dimensions such as originality, alignment with goals, scalability, and resource requirements.
2. **Encourage Psychological Safety**
Create an environment where team members feel safe to express unconventional ideas without fear of ridicule or rejection. Encourage respectful debate and reward constructive dissent.
*Tip:* Leaders should model vulnerability and openness by acknowledging their own uncertainties and inviting diverse perspectives.
3. **Separate Idea Generation from Evaluation**
Divide the creative process into two distinct phases: idea generation and idea evaluation. This helps prevent premature judgment and allows more ideas to surface before narrowing down options.
*Tip:* Use brainstorming sessions for free-flowing creativity, followed by structured review meetings with clear evaluation criteria.
4. **Use Diverse Teams and Rotate Roles**
Diverse teams bring a wider range of perspectives, which can improve the evaluation process. Rotating roles (e.g., having different people lead discussions or play devil’s advocate) can also reduce the influence of dominant voices.
*Tip:* Include team members from different departments, backgrounds, and experience levels to enrich the evaluation process.
5. **Prototype and Test Early**
Instead of relying solely on discussion, build quick prototypes or run small experiments to test the viability of creative ideas. This allows teams to gather real-world feedback and reduce uncertainty.
*Tip:* Use low-cost mockups, pilot programs, or A/B testing to validate ideas before full-scale implementation.
6. **Train Teams in Creative Thinking and Evaluation**
Invest in training programs that help team members recognize and mitigate cognitive biases, improve critical thinking, and develop skills for evaluating innovation.
*Tip:* Workshops on design thinking, lateral thinking, or innovation management can equip teams with practical tools and mindsets.
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### Final Thoughts
Evaluating creative ideas is a nuanced and often challenging task for teams. The very nature of creativity—unpredictable, unconventional, and sometimes uncomfortable—can clash with the structured, consensus-driven dynamics of team decision-making. By recognizing common pitfalls and implementing thoughtful strategies, teams can become better equipped to identify and nurture
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