Control, knowledge and persuasive power in advertising creativity: an ethnographic practice theory approach

This article reports findings from an extended multimethod ethnographic study into the social practices of advertising creativity. The study was conducted in a major Iranian creative advertising agency that has many international clients and earns annual billings equivalent to more than USD $100 million. Findings focus on three sets of overlapping, aggregated social practices—labeled control power, knowledge power, and persuasive power—that serve to work around tensions over creative output to accomplish the dual goals of creating good, effective work and persuading the client to buy in to the creative strategy. We conclude with implications for future practice and research.