Why Creatives Need to Thrive on Past Learnings Like AI Does
AI gets strong by training on what worked before. Creatives should, too. Not to imitate, but to internalize what makes work land. Technology is a delivery system - the job is to deliver something memorable and motivating.
The real advantage: learned judgment
Ideas are everywhere. Judgment is rare. The difference between forgettable content and brand-building work is a set of learned principles, applied with taste and restraint.
Skip that, and you end up creating what everyone else creates. In that space, AI and algorithms will beat you on volume and speed. Your edge is learned discipline.
The creative tenets worth relearning
- Reveal a truth. Find the human tension your audience already feels. Say the quiet part out loud.
- Stay close to the product. Make the idea grow from what the brand actually delivers. No product, no premise.
- Production serves the idea. Craft and effects should amplify, not distract. If the idea dies without the polish, it wasn't strong enough.
- Say it simply. If you can't explain it in one breath, it's not ready.
- Add a memorable surprise. A left turn that locks the benefit in memory.
- Be smart, not silly. Wit beats randomness. Purpose over antics.
- Create for the medium. Different platforms, different behaviors. Write and design specifically for where it runs.
Why this still matters
"Good" ads outperform "dull" ads. That's not just taste; it moves numbers. In one analysis of 500 campaigns, creative quality accounted for nearly half of sales impact, while targeting contributed less than 10%.
If you offload everything to platforms - "give us your objective and card, we'll handle the rest" - you're optimizing delivery while starving the idea. Brand saliency drops when creativity is treated as optional.
Source: Nielsen: Five Keys to Advertising Effectiveness
The trap: anything goes
There's no shortage of creative people. TikTok demos, Instagram reels, YouTube skits - lots of skill on display. But without a strategy and these tenets, it's entertainment, not effective advertising.
When everything gets applause, standards slip. Fund enough mediocrity and you forget what "great" feels like. That's the slow fade.
How to sharpen your edge (this week)
- Build a swipe file of classics. 50 ads that still work. Reverse-engineer the truth, the benefit, the twist, and the medium fit.
- Write 10 headlines per brief. Force clarity. If the core line doesn't hit, the execution won't save it.
- Prototype low-fidelity first. Script, storyboard, key frame. If it's not compelling in black and white, hold production.
- Score your work 1-5 on the seven tenets. Weakest score gets fixed before anything ships.
- Practice medium specificity. Rewrite the same concept for 6s, 15s, static, carousel, pre-roll, OOH. Keep the idea intact; change the delivery.
- Stress-test the product link. If the logo swaps and the ad still works, you're too generic.
- Plan the surprise. Identify the beat where attention drops, then earn it back with an unexpected turn tied to the benefit.
Use AI like a junior, not a crutch
AI can broaden your exploration: more angles, faster iterations, quick comps. Your job is direction and taste. Feed it constraints, kill the noise, keep the idea tight.
If you want structured upskilling so AI actually improves your creative process, explore curated training for your role here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
Keep the standard high
Great advertising still comes from the same place: a sharp truth, a specific benefit, a simple line, and a memorable twist - delivered in the right medium with craft that supports the idea.
Learn it. Teach it. Protect it. That's how you stay valuable in an AI-heavy market and keep making work that people actually remember.
Your membership also unlocks:
