senckađ
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Group745
Trends and Insight in association withSynapse Virtual Production
Group745

Can We Find a Better Way to Be in 2023?

16/12/2022
Publication
London, UK
261
Share
The world is changing and our response seems to be to rush about and appear busy, or engage in big talk and internecine competition - maybe there’s a different way to approach creativity. M&C Saatchi South Africa’s Neo Mashigo, Wunderman Thompson’s Emily Rule and BETC’s Sophie Roberts take a step back and suggest some alternative ways of being.

When we reached out asking people what they were hoping 2023 would bring, we found a yearning for a new way of working and, actually, existing. Frenzied, busywork, cold rationalism and ruthless competition are starting to feel like distractions from genuine creative thought. So let's have a more mindful New Year.


If Neo Mashigo, chief creative officer at M&C Saatchi Group South Africa, has one wish for 2023 for those who play in adland, it would be: Stop. Take a step back. Breathe. Slow down



Photo by Anwaar Ali on Unsplash


For many, 2022 was an opportunity to get business back on track. To make up for almost two years of interrupted operating, to focus again on the creative crafting that so many clients seek. Instead, it brought with it a war in Ukraine, a global energy crisis, out-of-control inflation rates across the globe, and here in South Africa, a flailing economy and the most hours without electricity that we have ever experienced. It’s no wonder we are spinning – as individuals, and as businesses across the board. We have become so scared of making a mistake, of taking a chance, that we end up doing more of the same because then we’ve met expectations without taking any risks.

In terms of creative output, the impact of this freneticism has resulted in processes taking precedence over people and volume trumping value. Efficiency is king, and time is money. And somewhere in the whirlwind we have forgotten the most important thing - giving complexity the time it needs to dissolve into simplicity. That transition can’t be forced. It is just not possible if we don’t make time to claim back creativity. 

So I would love it if we could all just stop. Take a step back. Breathe. Slow down. To put aside ratios, measures and bottom lines. Yes, these are important but they mean nothing if we haven’t first relied on the power of creativity to solve brilliantly. We have to find our voice again, and make space for great thinking and fresh ideas – for the time it takes, for the people it takes, for the partnerships it demands.


Emily Rule, head of strategy at Wunderman Thompson UK, proposes that the industry embraces femininity 



It’s time that we feminised creativity. No, this is not a proposal for the next chapter of #metoo. In fact, it has nothing to do with gender. It has everything to do with how we view, pursue, and measure the work we produce. Because the approach that we use today is too masculine in nature and is holding the industry back.
 
This masculine approach is overly structured, zero-sum, analytical, and reductive. It finds reasons not to act, more often than it motivates progress. It has resulted in an industry that is more concerned with competition than it is with imagination. And (for the most part) it has made us afraid of the very thing we were built to deliver: originality. 
 
If we are going to survive, and be a positive influence on the era of anti-consumerism, conscious consumption, and sustainable living, that is now upon us, we will need shift away from the masculine approach of domination (market share, growth, profit) and towards a more feminine ideal of experimentation (impact, evolution, prosperity).
 
And as we introduce our industry to this new feminine ideal, I hope that 2023 brings with it the death of pure domination, a new dawn of creative experimentation, and the resurrection of true originality.
 

Sophie Roberts, associate director at BETC, wants us to tone down the braggadocio in favour of a more meaningful, empathetic approach



Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash

What do I wish for adland in 2023?
Big question. And in less than 300 words? Big challenge.
Without further ado, here’s my three magic wishes for adland next year.
 
#1 – Less big talks, more small steps
Don’t get me wrong, adland needs to keep dreaming big to inspire positive change in the world. But it’s not enough to share the dream.
We need to work together with brands to pave the way for inclusivity, sustainability, social justice, new models. We need to help change behaviour through everything we do, one step at the time. Otherwise, the big dreams will remain great purpose-driven brand campaigns or impressive marketing cases. And it’s not enough.
 
#2 – A constant flow of fresh ideas
Ideas. Powerful, cool, new, funny, smart, unsettling, mind-blowing, inspiring, unexpected, exciting, weird, thought-provoking. They are the reason why adland is such a wonderful place to roam and a place where one never gets bored. Where you can leave two-hour long meetings with a twinkle in the eye. And I hope that 2023 continues to see hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of ideas and that the best of them find their way out of adland to work their magic in the real world.
 
#3 – More empathy
Towards our clients, the final customer and even within our agencies. We could all benefit from putting ourselves in other people’s shoes more often. After all, we are in the business of understanding and talking to people, right?
 
And because, unlike Aladdin, I don’t have to stop at three… I might also throw in a fourth sugar-coated wish: let’s try and leave our egos at the door for a minute. It has never made anyone weaker but it really could make things smoother… and isn’t it what we all need the most?
 
Bring it on, 2023!












Top image: Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

Credits
More News from LBB Editorial
Work of the Week
Work of the Week: 29/03/24
29/03/2024
179
0
ALL THEIR NEWS
Work from LBB Editorial
Window, not a Wall
Eastbay
21/02/2024
37
0
Unicorn Kingdom
GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland
15/02/2024
26
0
Accents
GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland
15/02/2024
55
0
ALL THEIR WORK