Creativity is the lifeblood of unforgettable advertising. Yet, is the industry truly nurturing an environment where creativity thrives? The reality is, probably not. Consequently, brands are losing their unique edge, agencies are stifled by risk aversion and audiences are tuning out.
To tackle this issue head-on, Campaign, in collaboration with Oliver, convened a panel of experts to explore how clients and agencies can better align to reignite creativity in advertising.
Where’s the creativity gone?
Creativity. It transforms a mundane advert into compelling content, capturing attention on an emotional level and leaving a lasting impression on its audience. So, why can it feel like creative isn’t as important as it should be?
David Kolbusz, chief creative officer at Orchard Creative, believes fear has gripped the industry. “People have been moaning about the lack of creativity, but there’s also been a profound lack of ambition born of fear,” he says. “Clients are still very hungry for good creative but agencies are terrified of pushing clients because revenue is important to keeping their business alive. Fear means you don’t take those big swings.”
While the panel agreed that access to data has benefitted decision-making, it has also homogenised creative when insights are interpreted smartly. “Marketers are more data trained than ever,” says Rod Sobral, global chief creative officer at Oliver.“When you learn which levers you need to pull, what you’ve got to do to grow a brand, it’s safe and easy to stick to the book.” And that's not always a good thing.
Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director, 4Creative at Channel 4, agreed: “A lot of stuff looks the same… The challenge is to make things look different and fresh. We encourage our teams to look outside of our world and outside of a phone. Look at real things. For me, it’s less about ‘Is this well crafted’ and more about ‘Is this visually told in a way I’ve not seen before?’”
Building effective relationships
The panel agreed that creative can only thrive when there is a harmonious relationship between client and agency.
For Michelle Spillane, marketing director at Paddy Power, it’s all about building relationships that last. “Our partnerships are very immersive and our partners understand our business,” she says. “We collectively share an ambition of where we’re trying to get to, and that prevents moments where the agency is well off with their creative. Longevity builds trust, success builds trust, doing things together builds trust.”
Atkin’s team is an in-house agency at Channel 4, and she says their relationship is a blueprint for how agencies should work with clients. “Informality is important,” she says. “Having a shorthand, almost a secret language, is really crucial. When you have that, by osmosis you will get to know the DNA of the brand.”
Oliver designs, builds, and runs in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems to sit inside brands, which gives Sobral unique insight into the brand-agency relationship: “The power really comes when there’s no concept of agency and client, it’s just one team. When you are aligned on the business challenges, you can be so much more effective.”
Spillane says collaboration can broaden horizons and “lead to great things”. She continues: “You can’t exist in an echo chamber about your own brand, so collaborations are crucial. For example, go out and spend a day with scriptwriters. We’ve written a book, we’ve launched an album, we’ve launched an airline... All of these things come from collaborations that open up your brand to new experiences, new creativity, new ways of standing out to your customers and engaging them.”
The panel agreed creating long-term relationships was becoming harder in a culture of short-term briefs and fewer retained accounts. “Part of our job as marketers is to be an ambassador for what leads to sustained effectiveness and business performance and how marketing can get you there,” says Spillane. “And that’s done by investing in long-term relationships.
“I do think we have an amazing creative industry, we just need to support it.”
Key takeaways
We asked each panelist for one thing marketers and agencies can do to drive creative together.
Rod Sobral: Entertain. If you entertain you win.
Michelle Spillane: Take a risk. Do something different and don’t stay in your lane.
David Kolbusz: Take more chances with your clients and open them up to your problems; ask for permission to fail.
Lynsey Atkin: Be in service to the creative you want to make rather than worrying what a particular person is going to say about it. Have the courage of your convictions and hold your nerve.
The panel
Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director, 4Creative, Channel 4
David Kolbusz, chief creative officer, Orchard
Rod Sobral, global chief creative officer, Oliver
Michelle Spillane, marketing director, marketing, Paddy Power
Maisie McCabe, UK editor, Campaign
