The Creative Knife: Does Interference Dull the Edge of Creativity Effectiveness?

It is no secret that creativity is an important component of advertising. It can enhance attention, facilitate recall, and drive emotional responses. However, there is continued opportunity to explore the boundary conditions regarding creativity’s ability to break though clutter. This article looks at whether two types of interference—external interference and competitive interference—limit creativity’s ability to enhance recall. We test this across three studies investigating the effects of these types of interference on individuals’ ability to recall creative ads and brands. The first experiment tested external interference using digitally manipulated print ads and three external music conditions. The second experiment tested competitive interference through TV ads. A third study extended the second study by holding creativity constant within the interference conditions. Results indicate that creativity does indeed facilitate recall under limited interference. However, this effect is lost under conditions of high interference, implying that creativity can be dulled and lost in the noise. We find these effects under both immediate and one-week-delay recall conditions. These findings are important for researchers and managers as the positive impact of creativity may not be realized under conditions of high interference but may certainly be fully realized in conditions of low or moderate interference.