When Creativity is a Must: Professional ‘Applied Creative’ Services

Abstract

The paper argues for greater recognition of the business‐to‐business service process through which much applied creativity is generated. Such services are described as highly intangible, high‐risk professional services, whose core is applied creativity. Advertising creative services and architectural design services are proposed as exemplars. Empirical survey evidence is presented that business consumers recognize applied creative services as being qualitatively different from other types of professional service. Through an analysis of client personal interviews and published practitioner descriptions, these exemplar services are found to exhibit great similarity in terms of delivery process. This raises a number of issues concerning the management of these services.