Creativity still matters—even in an increasingly derivative ad industry

When it comes to our industry’s health, the state of creativity is our canary in the coal mine, an early indicator of whether we’re thriving or just getting by. So it might be a good idea to climb out of the mines, get some fresh air and take a good look around. Not that creativity isn’t alive and well (for starters, check out the 2024 Ad Age Creativity Awards), but the nature of our creative output has begun to change dramatically—a worrisome trend that extends far beyond agencies, clients and brands. At its best, advertising has always been a close cousin to the entertainment industry, an amalgamation of creativity, media and technology. And just as movie studios want guaranteed box office hits, holding companies demand that agencies deliver predictable quarterly results. For Hollywood, that means sequels, remakes and franchises. Original scripts are considered a gamble, so conventional wisdom says it’s better to rinse and repeat than break new ground. For big agencies invested in process, data and technology, most CEOs and CFOs have realized they make more money from Adobe partnerships than they do on advertising, and bulk buying of media provides steady cash flow rarely found on the creative side of the house. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs In other words, creativity has become a rounding error on the spreadsheet versus a primary source of revenue. If you want to predict the future of a business, first you have to understand how it makes money. As network agencies scale, their business starts to resemble Accenture or Deloitte more than a traditional agency model, which might explain why so much talent responsible for generating ideas and crafting the work has been cut loose. True creativity, whether in Hollywood or the ad business, depends on investing in the right balance of emerging and iconoclastic talent to keep things fresh. It’s a chaotic, messy business. But if fresh isn’t what you’re selling, why not resort to your old bag of tricks? Creativity still exists, but originality has become all too rare. Whenever accountants and artists share a cab, it’s sure to be a bumpy ride, but it seems we’ve arrived at an inflection point. Which way we turn may decide if agencies continue to sell ideas or whether creativity becomes a commodity offered gratis by networks delivering content at scale. This explains the explosion of new agencies launched by senior talent, a model gaining traction with clients desperate for original ideas. These creative “studios” are competing with each other in the business of ideas because they can’t compete with the big networks in the business of operational efficiency. Big brands in need of a marketing machine will always hire big agencies to deploy content in all the right places at all the right moments, most of it good enough, not necessarily great—tactical messaging arrayed across a carefully choreographed customer journey. Now savvy clients have the best of both worlds, hiring boutiques to create their next Super Bowl ad while retaining agency networks to spread their brand message across every media platform. Two distinct business models selling completely different things. For talent, this is a constant source of tension. Do you accept a bigger title at a large agency and grab a sizable salary while you can, or do you roll the dice at a small shop and swing for the fences creatively, secretly hoping for a bodacious buyout from a holding company? Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here You’re probably thinking the two models aren’t mutually exclusive, but a bifurcation of our business is happening. Size matters when things get complicated—like the current media landscape—and there is already a visible disregard for creativity at the corporate level. Let’s go to the movies for our first exhibit, a side trip to a once-great empire called Disney. As everyone knows, Disney has struggled with many films and TV shows over the past couple of years, delivering more bombs than blockbusters. But according to the most recent earnings call, there’s no need to worry, because CEO Bob Iger reassured everyone that “the IP that we are mining, including all the sequels that we’re doing, is second to none.” The Magic Kingdom is now a mining operation. Anyone up for live-action “Moana” or “Frozen 3”? Original is risky, but derivative is easy money in the bank. That’s how things look in the boardroom today. Nobody’s buying it at the box office, but the calculus is compelling when you’re staring at a spreadsheet hoping to find a sure thing. In the marketing industry, this pattern of behavior goes far beyond an emu looking like a disappointing derivative of our favorite gecko ads. Consider the hullabaloo surrounding Apple’s tone-deaf commercial “Crush.” The callous crushing of artists’ tools seems like an honest mistake until you recall the much-derided greenwashing of the Apple “Mother Earth” film. A brand once famous for championing artists, the company that celebrated those who “think different,” is starting to seem cynical, a giant corporation engineering our codependent relationships with our devices. Apple ads are as beautiful as they’ve ever been, but the soul seems to have fled the body. This spiritual dilemma echoes the existential threat posed by our industry’s latest obsession: AI. There is no doubt artificial intelligence is a powerful means to visualize ideas or get a draft fast, but its very nature is derivative because generative AI draws on preexisting content to make something “new.” Original tales can be told, but the fabric of those stories comes from remnants of things past. An amazing tool for innovative people, but also a slippery slope. For clients buying content in bulk, AI is a dream. For consumers hoping for something fresh, an overuse of AI may lead to annoyance and apathy. Big brands that believe their only goal is reaching the audience are going to be sorely disappointed. People buy with their hearts, not their heads, so if something isn’t both original and emotional, it won’t grab their attention or compel them to act. This battle between “new versus known” will continue to reshape our industry, and from a client perspective, both sides have much to offer. But from a creative standpoint, it’s going to be harder than ever to sell an original idea, so take this as a rallying cry to never stop trying. Otherwise, we might all get crushed.

Creativity still matters—even in an increasingly derivative ad industry

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