Ad creativity in a negative context: How a thanking message frame enhances purchase intention in times of crisis

Traditionally, advertising relies on creativity to increase its effectiveness. However, little is known about the use of creativity in negatively-valenced situations. For instance, in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, how should retailers engage in advertising? Should they strive to deliver creative advertising, or not? We investigate the role of ad creativity during times of crisis, based on 43,459 consumer responses to 49 retail and service brand ads. To do so, we investigate the separate effects of the two dimensions of ad creativity: originality and appropriateness. Results indicate that creativity works differently in a crisis context, with originality and appropriateness having different effects on consumers. Further, we find that originality and appropriateness trigger emotions in opposite ways. However, ads that engage thanking -be it of employees, customers, or frontline emergency workers -strengthen these effects.