Creative advertising as a method for increasing the organisational competitive advantage in the sphere of online gaming

Abstract

The main topic of this dissertation is centred on creativity in the context of advertising and marketing mechanisms developed in order to promote the products and services in the efficient way. The concepts analysed in the study are taken from various sources and centuries in order to reveal the possible recipe for creative advertising. The main aim of this thesis is to link the concept of creative advertising with the organisational competitive advantage on the market of on-line gaming. The special attention is drawn to the methods of creative advertising used in this business field to facilitate sales and keep existing audience. Throughout the study concepts are being analysed and compared to identify the most constructive methods. Literature review focuses on the main methods of creative advertising and the basis of the competitive advantage including the works of Porter, Nussbaum and Leavy to organise the logical pattern for the research. The number of definitions for creativity is being analysed and the most suitable one being chosen to serve as a general definition for this thesis. The research is being based on a case study that involves the large international gaming company, one of the leaders in the field of online gaming. The chosen company has a great creative potential and was acknowledged by game reviewers and business analytics (Gerdes, 2012) to be one of the best game-developing and creative companies in the world, with more than 97 different awards, which include: Spike TV Video Game Awards (2011), "Gamer God" awards (2010, 2011), Ranked second Best Role-Playing game of All Time, Gamecenter (2009), most creative game design in "on-line game review" (2007). Creativity is being overviewed as an essential part of the business success and as the unique resource that increases the organisational competitive advantage. This idea is extrapolated on the products of the chosen company and the experimental approach is used to link the creative advertising with the competitive advantage. Findings of the data collection exercise, including literature review, questioners, interviews and financial data together with the conducted experiments provide the study with the probable co-relation between the creative advertising and sales of the company over the period of marketing campaign. This co-relation can serve as a joining point for the creative advertising as the method of increasing the organisational competitive advantage and lead to the future research and the creation of the creative business developing strategy. Conclusions of this dissertation suggest the unique influence of creativity on the business in general and particularly on the marketing aspects of product development that result in the better sales, creation of unique qualities of the product and therefore create the competitive advantage of the company.