Why Creatives Need To Thrive On Past Learnings Like AI Does
AI wins by training on what worked before. Creatives should do the same.
If you skip the fundamentals, you blend in with everyone shouting "I'm creative." That's the sweet spot where automated systems eat your lunch.
As Sir John Hegarty put it: "Technology is a delivery system-you just have to make sure what you're delivering is memorable and motivating." Tools don't make work great. Judgment does.
Creativity that learns beats tools that deliver
The human edge isn't raw emotion or quirky execution. It's a practiced way of thinking that ties truth to brand, brand to audience, and audience to action.
That discipline is learned-studying great work, being mentored, and putting in reps until your taste gets sharp. Without it, you're just more noise on the feed.
The classic creative tenets that still win
- Reveal a truth. Start with something the audience already feels but hasn't heard said well.
- Stay close to the product. Big ideas anchored to what the brand actually delivers beat gimmicks every time.
- Make production serve the idea. Craft should amplify the concept, not distract from it.
- Say it simply. If they don't get it fast, they won't get it at all.
- Add a memorable surprise tied to benefits. Delight that drives recall for the right reason.
- Be smart, not silly. Wit persuades; random jokes waste attention.
- Create for the medium. The same idea shaped differently for OOH, :06, :15, :30, display, email, or long-form.
Content ≠ advertising
Yes, TikTok demos can be slick. Instagram reels can be engaging. YouTube can feel relatable.
But without strategy, they're just posts. Great ads turn brand truths into ideas that move people-and move product.
Your moat is judgment
One trap in our industry: if anyone can make something, then everything counts. That's how you normalize mediocrity.
Credit everything and you dilute what makes you special. Taste is built by saying "no" more often than "yes."
The threat: fully automated performance
We've all heard the pitch: "Tell us your objective, connect your bank account, skip creative, we'll do the rest." That's the future some platforms are selling.
In that world, creativity gets sidelined. And yet, "good" ads consistently beat "dull" ads on business outcomes.
Proof: creative moves the needle
Analysis of hundreds of campaigns found that creative contributed nearly half of sales impact, while targeting was in the single digits. If you starve the idea, you starve results.
Spend matters. Placement matters. But creative quality multiplies both.
Build your personal training loop
- Study the canon weekly. Pick a classic ad per day. Write the headline by hand. Explain the strategy in one sentence.
- Reverse-engineer winners. For every great piece, ask: truth, tension, twist, proof, close. Fill those in.
- Mentor up, critique down. Find someone who's shipped great work and ask for ruthless feedback. Offer the same to juniors.
- Write for one medium at a time. Take a single idea and execute it for OOH, then :06, then email. Learn the constraints.
- Ship short cycles. Weekly concepts, monthly campaigns. Less theory, more finish.
- Use AI as an intern, not a director. Ideation, research, variants-yes. Final judgment-yours.
How to apply the tenets fast
Brief check
- What's the one truth we're revealing?
- How does the idea sit close to product benefits?
- Where is the simple line everyone will remember?
Concept check
- Is production elevating the idea or hiding it?
- What's the single memorable surprise tied to the benefit?
- Is the tone smart or just loud?
Medium check
- How does this change at :06, :15, :30?
- What's the billboard version? The pre-roll version? The email subject line?
Bottom line
AI delivers. You make it matter. Feed your brain with proven principles, train your taste, and ship work that's simple, smart, and tied to the product.
If you're adding AI skills to your toolkit without losing the craft, explore practical course paths by role here: Complete AI Training - Courses by Job.
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