On 13th May, OWB hosted our own chapter of the D&AD Dead or Alive series at our Dean Street digs, where thirty senior marketers came to help us answer one question that’s been making the creative industry collectively nervous: is creativity dead or alive?
What followed was not your average afternoon.
The case for the prosecution
Tommy Joe Moore, our Head of Creative, made the case for creativity’s demise with impressive commitment and a truly, truly AWFUL shirt. The room listened. They also silently judged.
The case for the defence
Lydia Chenhall, copywriter, kicked off the debate with a question. When was the last time an ad genuinely impressed you, and why was it the 118 advert from all those years ago? Very valid. Can’t get that jingle out of our heads now. Thanks a lot.
Besides demonstrating the power of getting weird, her argument wasn’t anti-AI, but rather it was pro-craft (which feels a bit scandalous coming from a copywriter!). Consumers have clocked the lifeless quality of generated content and they’re disengaging, even with big brands that have spent YEARS building brand loyalty. What they really want is storytelling.
Bloom & Wild’s Mother’s Day campaign is the proof. Poignant and impossible to replicate, it stood out because it demonstrated the raw, beautiful, chaotic story of motherhood bonds that the robots just can’t replicate, even if we do spend a ridiculous amount of time being forced to mother them on a daily basis (booooooo).
Then Rachel Darby, Studio Lead, backed it up with the raw honesty of Macmillan’s advertising and OWB’s own Grace Kelly campaign, where children’s doodles became the foundation for a childhood cancer awareness campaign that reached over a million people.
Mitch Perry and Dickie Stagg, our strategy duo, made the case for insight. One of their key examples being that Burger King didn’t need to be first in the real world if they were first in the game world. Through the power of FIFA, one sharp observation turned into one of the smartest pieces of marketing in recent memory.
After that, our final duo Geraldine Claremont, Senior writer and director, and Laura Walker, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, took the stage. They worked hard to show what happens when brands stop broadcasting and start participating. ASICS sold trainers without mentioning trainers. Vaseline turned TikTok hacks into a verified campaign and a surprise appearance from a banana. Duolingo killed their mascot and let the internet grieve. And everyone at Dead or Alive had free Chupa Chups thrown at them, which is always great.
Building the monster
Following the debate, it was back over to our guests. The room were tasked to get into groups and map what the industry needs to do to keep creativity alive across four body parts: Insight, EQ, Craft and Future. Frankenstein’s monster was built piece by piece, as representatives from each group presented back with some pretty impressive insights and ideas.
The big finale
You have indeed heard right through the grape vine. Andy DID emerge from beneath an autopsy sheet for the grand finale. He had the time of his life. Full of whimsy, some might say. We just enjoyed the five minutes of peace…
The verdict
So… the verdict. We put the vote to the people, and we’re happy to announce that, to them at least, creativity isn’t dead. It’s thriving in the right hands. The brands cutting through right now are bringing the sharpest human insight and the courage to do something that couldn’t have come from a prompt.
Thank goodness our jobs are safe for another day!
