Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to examine how Japanese creative labours in the workplace pitch ideas during the process of brainstorming and discuss the content of television commercial message (CM) content.

Paper long abstract:

As Negus and Pickering (2004) have pointed out that" creativity is a social process", the process of creative production is always related to specific social and political circumstances. The study is based on ethnographic methodology with processing in-depth interview, and participation-observation fieldwork at a production company called IDEA Company in Tokyo, Japan from 2010 to 2012. This paper aims to examine how Japanese creative labours in the workplace pitch ideas during the process of brainstorming and discuss the content of Television Commercial Message (CM) content.

This paper illustrates how social changes affect the process of brainstorming and depicts how creative labours change their patterns of brainstorming based on products from their clients. For example, after Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, it is apparent to see how "electric power" became one of the very sensitive subjects to deal with when the creative labours in IDEA Company working with the products "electronic automobile" organized by automobile company and television drama production team. In the same time, how creative labours combine the concept of the electronic automobile and the drama which a well-known detective series with different social issues since 2000 together.

However, the automobile company doesn't want their products to being engaged in any controversial social issues so the creative labours need to change their original "brainstorming" accordingly. Further, the relationship with clients also is involved into the social process of creativity and brainstorming.