Global Advertising Leaders Unite to Benchmark AI’s Creative Instincts for the First Time

Advertising Industry Associations Launch First LLM Benchmark for Creativity

Springboards, an AI platform focused on boosting creativity in advertising, has teamed up with major advertising and marketing associations worldwide to introduce the first-ever Creativity Benchmark for large language models (LLMs). This initiative brings together groups like the 4As, ACA, APG, D&AD, IAA, IPA, and The One Club for Creativity to evaluate how well LLMs support creative instincts in advertising.

With AI tools becoming common in creative workflows, this benchmark addresses a key question: which LLMs best inspire fresh ideas, offer diverse variations, and solve creative challenges effectively throughout the advertising process?

Why This Benchmark Matters

Traditional AI benchmarks focus on accuracy, logic, and comprehension. But advertising demands originality, insight, and emotional impact — qualities not measured by existing tests. Pip Bingemann, CEO and cofounder of Springboards, highlights that this benchmark is the first to assess the true creative instincts valued by agencies and brands. It helps creatives understand which models actually support their work beyond just “right answers.”

Setting New Standards Together

A team of PhDs, AI engineers, and former Google researchers developed the system. It combines data analysis with human judgment to identify which LLMs perform best in different creative scenarios. Unlike typical AI evaluations, this approach focuses on uncoached, instinctive creativity rather than polished outputs.

• Human evaluation of insight, quality of ideas, and “wild” or unexpected concepts
• Measuring creative variance—how diverse versus repetitive model responses are
• Comparisons between AI and human judgments to ensure alignment with human taste
• Tests for creative problem-solving that require thinking beyond standard patterns

Participants worldwide will interact with LLM outputs through a “Tinder for Ideas” style platform, gaining personalized insights about their own creative preferences and which models suit them best.

Voices from the Industry

Jeremy Lockhorn, SVP of Creative Technologies & Innovation at 4As, notes the urgency for guidance as generative AI becomes part of many creative processes. “Our members want to know which platforms truly help create innovative and impactful work for clients,” he says.

Tom Roach, VP Brand Strategy at Jellyfish/Brandtech (APG), stresses the lack of insight on creativity-focused AI performance. “There’s plenty of info on AI solving math or coding tasks, but nothing on which models generate original creative ideas. This project helps the industry make informed decisions about AI tools to improve client outcomes.”

Zoe Scaman, Founder of Bodacious, points out the need for standards based on real creative instincts rather than just logic or grammar. She explains that AI is already part of workflows, but its creative contribution has gone unmeasured—this benchmark changes that, focusing on tools that genuinely expand creative thinking.

James Hurman, Founding Partner of Previously Unavailable, adds, “AI’s role in stimulating human creativity is exciting, especially when it offers unexpected and diverse ideas that spark new directions.”

Get Involved

The study is open for participation. Creatives interested in testing LLM outputs and discovering which models fit their style can join at CreativityBenchmark.ai.

About Springboards

Springboards is an AI platform built to inspire advertising creativity by helping teams explore more ideas without losing quality. Founded by industry veterans Pip Bingemann, Amy Tucker, and Kieran Browne, Springboards works with over 200 agencies worldwide and has raised $3.2 million USD in seed funding from Blackbird Ventures.

Learn more at Springboards.ai or reach out via hello@springboards.ai.