Audiovisual Narrative Genres as a Tool for Advertising Research

Advertising creativity has been scarcely operationalized and, considering the irregular lists of formats drawn up to date, few are the studies that have addressed the classification of the formulas or sources that help to create advertising messages. The aim of this study is to make a contribution in this respect by positing audiovisual narrative genres as useful and prolific sources for gaining strategic insights and establishing creative concepts. To this end, a content analysis was performed on a sample of 411 ads picking up awards or shortlisted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (2009-2018). Besides the audiovisual genre, positioning and product categories are also examined. The results indicate the importance of genres, especially comedy and drama, in advertising, while providing several practical pointers as regards their strategic and creative implications.