Essential skills in current creative advertising: University vs. professional reality

The wide range of possibilities and content that is offered in new media to the user is a challenge for advertising creatives as they are forced to generate concepts that capture the attention of diverse target audiences. This reality gives rise to the need for professional profiles who can successfully respond to the challenges of high levels of demand and innovation. To be prepared, creatives need to develop new, more complex skills that allow them to understand the characteristics of the current market and leverage the resources they have at their fingertips in order to generate content that will entice their audiences. The objective of this study, therefore, is to understand new trends and professional needs within the creative sector of the advertising market in order to be considered within teaching-learning processes in universities. A qualitative methodology is proposed, which is supported by sixteen semi-structured interviews with creative pairs who work in, what according to professionals are, eight of the top ten creative agencies (Scopen, 2020). The results show that the creative profile in demand responds to that of a person who is willing, up-to-date and who has skills that are reflected in a portfolio and have been acquired through practical training that is not effectively offered by universities.