Where Adland’s Leading Creatives Look for Creative Fuel That You Won’t Find on TikTok
In an industry driven by algorithms and trending content, it's easy to believe that the next big idea will come from scrolling through social media feeds. However, the leading creatives in advertising argue otherwise.
They reveal that true inspiration often emerges from stepping away from the screen and engaging with the world in more tactile, unexpected ways.
LBB’s Olivia Atkins speaks to a number of advertising creatives to understand where and how they seek out new ideas. Whether it’s embracing the analog world, immersing themselves in real-life experiences, or drawing insights from personal passions, these creative visionaries offer a fresh perspective on how to break free from the digital echo chamber and find meaningful, original inspiration.
Alex Bennett Grant – Founder of We Are Pi
I'm one of those overly enthusiastic people. I can get excited about anything. But let's face it, making advertising can be so fucking soul destroying. It can suck all the energy out of a perfectly nice room designated for a creative review.
When ‘Last Night’s Parties’ is a reference to a 2024 gen z campaign. When someone presents a brand manifesto inspired by ‘THE culture’ . When the infamous ‘bottom draw’ idea surfaces at the last minute as the lead pitch idea. When everything on the feed is more interesting than everything on the wall.
Sometimes the closer I get to the process of making ads, the worse I feel about it. Let’s face it, a bad case of creative claustrophobia is enough to stifle the best of us. Luckily my mum armed me with the tools to overcome this funk while I sat indoors moaning during looooong boooooooring school summer holidays. ‘Go play outside Alexander’ she would say.
Is it really just as simple as that? I would argue yes. I have my best ideas while out on a long run around the Amstel river in Amsterdam at 10pm, not during the eight hours behind my desk buzzing on overpriced iced Americanos and doom scrolling UK racist riots.
I fell back in love with the raw power of music to elevate our work while watching Black Thought and Questlove jam as The Roots brought the house down at Paradiso last week, not by clicking on the latest perfectly relevant but somehow hollow (sponsored) Spotify recommendation.
I'd go as far as saying that for my creative inspiration, one hour offline is worth 100 hours online. I recently put this theory to the test by starting a podcast called New References, talking to creative leaders about the cultural references that inspire them and keep them fresh. Unsurprisingly, getting off the feed was top of the list.
Damian Bradfield, co-founder of WeTransfer told me he gets inspiration by putting himself in awkward real life situations as often as possible. And DJ/producer Gilles Peterson told me, ‘Put your phone down, switch off, go out and build. Build as best as you can.’
And you know what? When I walked back into the room and looked on the wall I spotted a gem. I just needed fresh eyes to see it clearly. Thank you outside, you're such a creative place.
Daniel Foo – Creative director at We Are Social Singapore
Advertising insights are all based on relatable human truths, and some of the most universal human truths come through in how mundane they are. Being able to spin that sort of everyday-ness into something truly engaging or entertaining is the essence of what makes any piece of communication truly strike a chord.
‘That could be me!’ as a response from the viewer, I think, is the ultimate goal all creatives should strive for in their work.
For me, Larry David, Bob Odenkirk, David Cross and Nathan Fielder are some of the greatest explorers of the minutiae of everyday life. It’s this keen observation of human nature and societal norms, and a masterful exploitation of the absurdities of life that equates to the comedy gold that they seem to so effortlessly (and consistently) put out.
Short answer: comedy. This is a great source of creative inspiration for me, and a good joke never goes stale, so I find myself revisiting their work again and again.
Here are some of my favourite:
- Notable scenes from Larry David: When being polite goes from friendliness to animosity (Seinfeld)
- The stop and chat (Curb Your Enthusiasm)
- Nathan Fielder also had a great series where he came up with outlandish ideas for struggling businesses: The price-match plan (Nathan For You)
- Bob Odenkirk and David Cross had an amazing HBO series in the '90s called Mr Show: You're Fired! (Mr. Show)
Grant Hunter – Chief creative officer at Iris
F*ck the algo, go analogue. I’ve replaced the synthetic algorithm with one called Mike. During lockdown I missed the beautiful serendipity of browsing in a record store and then I stumbled across Wax and Stamp. They are the longest running vinyl subscription in the UK. For the last few years, every month, Mike and his team have sent me two hand-picked records via the mail. It might be any genre, new or obscure, you just don’t know what’s coming next and that’s part of the delight. What’s always guaranteed is a musical adventure to expand your horizons. From a re-pressed ‘95 garage classic to Bollywood-infused hip hop to Afro House, it’s always eclectic. And because it’s all delivered in a beautiful 12-inch format, the artwork is expansive too.
So where else to look for inspiration? Another analogue format and another guy – this one called Ed. I’m a long-time advocate of Ed Sayer’s creation – Straight 8. Ed started with a challenge to his fellow filmmaker pals. They each took a roll of 8mm, then shot a film in sequence without any post or editing. They created an original soundtrack then sent the films to be processed. They hired out a cinema and pressed play on the projector and on the audio track. Then, they each prayed that their films were focused, exposed correctly and (most importantly) that their track was in sync. That’s how Straight 8 was born and it’s now an annual competition that premieres the best films each year at the Cannes Film Festival. The sense of jeopardy in the Straight 8 process is unique. There’s no other film competition where you see your film for the first time on the big screen in a packed auditorium. The best Straight 8 films have been added to the BFI Archive, so I’d whole-heartedly recommend diving down a 8mm rabbit hole for a few hours on their Vimeo channel. And talking of the BFI, their Film Festival hits in October – it’s an inspiration gold mine with films from around the world. Last year I loved the documentary 'Super Eagles ’96s' about the 1996 Nigerian football team. It expertly contrasts their success on the international stage with the political instability at home.
In our hyper-connected digital world, unplug, go analogue, embrace the serendipity and get truly immersed.
Guy Bradbury – Creative partner at M&C Saatchi
These days, we live in echo chambers, with algorithms designed to keep us scrolling and serving more of the same content they think we like.
We’ve all lost hours and days to doom-scrolling. And whilst there are brilliant content creators on these platforms, we need to escape the vortex every-once-in-a-while and look up from our screens for inspiration.
Steve Jobs said it best when he said, ‘Creativity is just connecting things.’ And some of the best ideas ever created are just that. Collisions of seemingly unrelated things that when they are brought together create something distinctive and fresh.
To be at the top of your game and stay there you have to have a rich diet of inspiration. Constantly feeding your brain with new fresh source material. For it to make connections later.
That could be from a new exhibition, like the Barbie exhibition at the Design Museum or a new piece of music. I’m currently working through amazing tribal music from A Tribe Called Red. I also try to keep up with cultural trends to help create ideas at the speed of culture or just to keep up with my 21- and 19-year-old daughters.
My advice to anyone trying to be at the top of their game and stay there? Try giving yourself one fresh input a day. Totally unrelated to what you are working on.”
Ben Knight – ECD at Havas CX Helia
Doom scrolling through TikTok may seem like an unlikely place for inspiration, but have you ever experienced happy accidents whilst doing so? How each clip can weirdly, almost feel connected. And the dialogue seems to always work too. The first time it happened, it reminded me of the 2013 Bob Dylan interactive music video, where each TV channel you turned to had someone singing the next lyric in ‘Like a Rolling Stone.' Check it out if you’ve never seen it.
But the question is where do I look for inspiration? To be honest, everywhere. There’s no secret recipe for making new and influential work. Like a seemingly unconnected stream of social content, you can stumble across new and wonderful answers anywhere and at any time. The trick, if there is one, is to retain what you’ve read, seen, observed, witnessed, listened to, overheard, watched, and taken part in over your life and bring these seemingly disconnected experiences together to create new and potentially influential answers to client problems. Just like an eleven-year-old music video connecting with a random run of social content to give me an idea to create new stories for my kid’s generation who live every day in short, sharp bursts of entertainment. Always keep your eyes and ears open. You might just find the next big thing.
Sariah Dorbin – EVP, Executive creative director at Quigley-Simpson
I’m inspired by humans – that’s the beginning and end for me – with all kinds of other cultural ingestion in between. But people drive most of my curiosity. What are they thinking about, dreaming of, and searching for? What are they reading and watching, listening to, and laughing at? What are they mad at, tired of, and obsessed with? People are the font of human truths, obviously, which is where all great ideas are born, in my humble opinion. All the rest is just execution. And execution is hugely important! But in terms of the fire inside an idea – that comes 100% from inside people.
Rafael Ziggy – Chief creative officer at SOKO (part of Droga5 São Paulo)
In my creative process, I like to deep dive into the problem that needs to be solved by thoroughly researching it. It's common for me to conduct proactive research on a particular topic to understand what people are saying about it and what news and information might help generate insights for ideas. This involves searching Twitter, Google, and even having some exchanges with ChatGPT to connect all the information.
To stay informed about what's happening in marketing and advertising, I follow industry leaders on LinkedIn, advertising sites, and creativity websites like LBB to understand the latest cases in the market. The "Love the Work" platform from Cannes Lions is also a great resource.
Recently, I tried to revive my RSS reader (Feedly), which monitored various sites, but trying to keep up with the entire internet gave me a lot of FOMO. I’ve replaced these tools with a selection of newsletters on various topics that cover innovation and trends in art, fashion, pop culture, technology, and communication. Trusting the curatorship of those you follow or admire is the best way to find insights that can help in your daily work.
Bharat Kumar – SVP, Executive creative director at Momentum Worldwide
Of course, I try to stay up on trends, but it can’t be restricted to only what I see on social...because they are just that—trends. I also look to my family. I have a 7-month-old daughter, 2.5-year-old and (almost) 10-year-old nieces, and a 14-year-old nephew. How they see and feel their way – everything is touched – through the world and take in things is incredible. It’s painting, dancing, their choice of shows and music, books, games…wildly different and certainly younger than anything I do.
Then, there are board games. We play a lot of strategic and not-so-strategic ones, but it gives you a peek into how people process, think and approach things—a window into others’ minds. Also, since I met my wife, there's been a lot more cooking competitions and Bollywood in my life. She’s not as versed in ‘old’ entertainment (TV, movies and music), so getting her take on classics is always eye-opening and a nice reminder of what I like or am inspired by. I also like reading non-fiction and history, which is a good reminder of human behaviour/condition. And, when you put it all together, it has a really nice way of colouring everything in my life.
Gavin Lester – CCO and partner at Zambezi
In addition to my role as partner and CCO at Zambezi, I find creative inspiration in, and get my creative fuel from, my fine art practice. I've been a conceptual artist for as long as I've been creative; it helps me express my clearest thoughts through abstracting from modern-day communication and remaining an individual in an increasingly interconnected world. I take a lot of inspiration from iconography – which is what early humans used to communicate before we even had writing – architecture, other artists, and my own experiences. Having a creative pursuit outside of advertising maintains my work/life balance, clears my head, and lends me a new perspective on culture that I can then take back to my creative work with Zambezi.
Dominic Al-Samarraie – Executive creative director at VML New York
Creating something new is always a journey, and the right inspiration can take you somewhere no one else has been. Looking for that creative spark in the same places as everyone else usually means that journey will look familiar, or you end up at the same destination.
Like everything in life, diversity is one of the most important aspects of creative fuel. I purposefully avoid advertising or anything remotely close because it’s easy to get in a bubble very quickly.
For me, that means experiencing and consuming real things in real life, not just behind a screen. Being culturally curious about others is important, visiting random exhibitions, reading niche science journals or technology whitepapers, going deep in subreddits on subjects I know nothing about are some things I love to do. One of my biggest sources of inspiration is just walking the streets of NYC, or wherever I am, camera in my hand and watching the world go by. You learn a lot about people and culture that way.
I think looking inwards for inspiration is just as important as looking outwards. That means bringing your whole self to whatever it is you’re trying to solve, because you are your own biggest resource. Who you are, where you’re from, whatever you’re passionate about gives you a unique fountain of inspiration that literally no one else in the world has access to, so you want to make sure you use that. Maybe you’re really into anime or you love Greek mythology, look to those when you’re solving a brief because the chances are, no one else is thinking about how the Iliad can help solve a business problem, but maybe you might just go somewhere no one else has.
I accidentally stumbled into advertising after being a fashion designer with a product design engineering degree and I look to those fields as sources of inspiration constantly because they give me a unique set of references to solve problems differently.
Finally, when you’re trying to get an idea to a place no one else has before, it’s not just where you find inspiration that’s important, it’s how and when you look for it. For those times when you’ve been trying to solve something 24/7 and it’s just not flowing, take a break, go visit a random part of The Met and somehow, your brain will look at that renaissance painting and reveal a path to solve whatever your brief was.
Jordan Brady – Founder/filmmaker at True Gent
Riding my e-bike as the primary mode of transport in Los Angeles the last six years, I get inspiration from all directions. Much that I would not get in my social feed. Out Of Home ads, graffiti, hand-painted signs for a deli and t-shirts store, ingenious homeless encampments, and more. Sometimes a sandwich board summons me into a pop-up art shop... all because I'm not on the phone, nor in the car.
Aanya Nigam – Art director at Battery
- Live the Life You’re Creating For: There is no point in any habit, mantra, or “process” if you are not living the life the people you create for do. The best ideas are found while being human––play hooky, shirk your work (sometimes). I know all too well given the work-life balance at any agency doing good work that this might be the hardest advice to follow, but it is arguably the most essential.
- Listen to Your Friends Complain + Revel: There is no focus group purer than a Friday night dinner table. Listen earnestly—to be a good advertiser friend, of course.
- Return to The Analog: In an era of ChatGPT and Google Answers, we’ve become used to grabbing the lowest hanging fruit — and it shows. Cracking a book, thumbing through magazines, watching old films, and going to art museums can lead you to concepts not as easily found.
- Keep Stock of the Things that Make You Stop + Think: Take photos of everything that holds your attention for longer than 2-3 seconds and take note of that stupid thought right before bed. There is no fury like a creative stuck in remembrance. There is no better idea than the one you just had.
VJ Anand – Executive creative director and global creative operations at VaynerMedia EMEA
I’ve always believed that while platforms and social media provide valuable signals on what’s trending, the best ideas come from stepping out into the world and immersing myself in everyday experiences. Observing people as they go about their lives, engaging in conversations with friends, or even chatting with strangers can provide a spark of inspiration that you won’t find on social media.
These interactions are rich with stories and insights, often more intriguing than the latest online trends. I find myself more creatively fuelled by the narratives that emerge from these experiences than what’s circulating on social platforms.
For me, creativity is about drawing from the raw, unfiltered experiences of real life. It’s about letting the culture around us – not just the one curated by algorithms – shape our ideas. While social media is great for keeping a pulse on what’s happening, the work I create is inspired by the authenticity of real life, not solely by the trends in the digital world.
David Smail – Group creative director at PPK
My issue with TikTok is that it’s only one-way consumption. There is no interaction. And nope, commenting doesn’t count. For me, getting inspired means being curious. Asking questions. And there is no better way to do that than going outside and interacting (yes, having actual conversations). With people. Enquiring as to why they feel a certain way about a particular product or brand. Going to where the beer you’re working on is being drunk, where the car is being serviced, or where heads are being shampooed. Careful on the last one. Sure, a lot of it may be anecdotal. And there have been a couple times where I’ve freaked some individuals out. But on most occasions, people tend to want to share when they see you’re truly interested in their thoughts. And it’s a lot more insightful than trying to wrap your head around a chart buried deep in a deck where respondents who had time on their hands choose between one to five to describe their brand journey in exchange for a $25 gift card. I’ve always left these random conversations with actual people feeling much more engaged and excited about the project I’m working on, and with a lot more thought starters. Or even a whole campaign. And can usually expense that beer too.
Andy Peel – Associate creative director at Southpaw
I’m one of those people who prefers Instagram, which basically means I see the ‘latest’ trend two months later than everyone who’s endlessly scrolling to find the next viral sensation. Like our Southpaw social team.
That’s not to say my screen time is any lower. But when the algorithms prioritise shares over likes and saves, it’ll always feel like you’re chasing the next big thing. So, I don’t try to keep up. And neither should you. The creative process isn’t a 9-5, and neither is finding creative fuel.
I find it hard to ‘watch’ a film now because I’m really just analysing everything. The writing, the lighting, the camera moves, the grade. I’ll read the news – even the same article twice on two different news sites just to get differing points of view. And then there’s the comments. They’re almost as insightful.
A walk down your local high street without your headphones on also does wonders. You won’t hear any trending sounds, but you might find some local independent shops to explore – in store and on their socials. When I popped into Waitrose to see what was cracking, I saw some nice packaging down a random aisle, then a few days later I found the design dupe in Aldi.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that everyday is my creative fuel. Just so long as I avoid a ‘routine’, there’s no algorithm in the world that can predict which bits of stimulus I’ll use for the next brief.
Terence Leong – Executive creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Southeast Asia
I get into trouble. A lot. I've gotten into all kinds of trouble since I was young. Some of them by accident, some intentionally. I was a kid who didn’t have a lot of money. Everything was expensive, but getting into trouble was free. It was very interesting to get in trouble.
When I was little, there was a park right across the street from where I lived. I made it a point to take a different way home each time. I’d get lost, freak out, but I’d discover a new shortcut, or a more scenic route home. I ended up knowing every single way home.
Answering a creative brief is like finding my way home. There is the shortcut, the safe way, the unexpected way, the path that leads you into some kind of trouble. Guess which one I’ll always end up taking? Yup, the one that will scare the living daylights out of me, the one that will make me feel insecure and lost, because that’s the one that will force me to connect the dots and find my way home. That is the path that ends up being the one that no one else, in the right mind, will take.
It might scare the clients and most producers, but the ideas it produces usually surprise and delight the people on TikTok, because it’s something they haven’t seen before.
I never developed the habit of following trends but grew my appetite to look for more trouble. It’s my fuel.
Jones Krahl – US head of creative and creative fellow at Deloitte Digital
Poopa Doopa. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s the name of the hilarious group chat between my 10-year-old son and his friends. It’s connected to my account, so at times, I’ll get notifications in the middle of the workday that make me laugh with pure joy. Talk about true Gen Alpha research! One liners aside, the drawings they share and memes they create are also a constant source of uninhibited creativity. They’re my secret junior team.”
Yifei Chai – Executive creative director at UNIT9
Though culture pretty much originates from TikTok these days, the wormhole it opens up can quickly grow tiresome. To achieve long-lasting creative stimulation, we must become professionally curious.
Living in a world of recommendation algorithms makes us hyper-focus on the things we like. The echo chamber effect tricks us into believing the rest of the world thinks the same way we do. As a result, we grow further and further apart from collective experiences and instead fall into segmented niches.
Why is collective experience important? Collective experience = culture. Very likely Taylor Swift will be the last globally recognised music superstar, simply because she is the last collectively experienced musician from the age of radio. No matter if you like her or not, chances are you’ve heard of her tracks. While in the algorithm ‘tailored’ music age of today, if we all opened up our Spotify, we would each be listening to completely different artists, some of whom others haven’t even heard of before. Quantity over quality in cinema killed the era of the must-watch big-hit. Netflix’s binge-watch promise killed the water fountain discussion of the ‘just-dropped episode.’
We’re in danger of throwing away collective experience in exchange for individual convenience and choice and thus losing the power of collective culture. This is a brand’s opportunity to understand its audiences and create collective experiences and moments that are share-worthy and culture-making.
The key is to step out of our algorithm-created bubbles and be curious about what others care about – go out into the real world and meet real people. This is the key to effectively communicating with different audiences and creating collective connections. Simply put – the best creative inspiration in today’s world is to get out and touch grass.
Brendan Gillen – Creative director at Boomshot
For me, as a writer, there’s an easy answer and a not-so-easy answer. The easy answer is to read as much as possible. Whether it’s for the scripts and concepts I write for Boomshot or for the fiction I write (including my debut novel, Static, which came out last month), I think reading can help you absorb, via osmosis, elements of craft and story, rhythm and flow, word choice and syntax, etc.
On the other hand, I think one of the most important and underrated things you can do as a creative, regardless of discipline, is…take a break! The solution to a creative problem—a concept, a script, a line of copy – often comes to me when I make a concerted effort not to think about it. It’s not always easy. The instinct is to keep digging, keep staring at the page or the storyboards, waiting for the answer to manifest itself. Often, this has the opposite effect: by trying to force the creative flow, by squeezing it, you can sometimes close yourself off to new avenues and possibilities.
I think by stepping away, you’re giving your brain time and space to let the creative challenge marinate in your subconscious. Go for a walk, clean your house, put on a record, take a nap. Allow yourself to recharge. Trust your creative skillset and your gut enough to know that you will find your way.
Strangely, some of my best ideas come to me as I’m drifting off to sleep. Seemingly out of nowhere, an idea for a piece of fiction or a construct for a script or piece of content will pop into my brain, and I’ll have to snatch my phone off the nightstand and write it down before it evaporates. For better or worse, once the creative light turns on, it can be tough to shut it off, but I think it’s important to try to be open to these moments and capture them when they do arrive. It’s comforting in a way. Maybe it’s the creative side of your brain saying, ‘See? I got you.’
Zach Morrison – Senior art director at H/L
Go. Out. Side. Stepping away from the screen and touching grass is a more effective way to stay inspired. Seriously. Just get out and move. For me, I go outside for a walk or a hike and bring my camera with me, go rock climbing, or just stare out into the sunset. Listen to the world and conversations happening in real time around you. Take yourself on a solo coffee date. So much inspiration is just through living. Creatives need time to do nothing. A lot can happen when you’re not thinking about thinking.
For additional creative inspiration, I’ll do things like watch films, music videos, interviews, and listen to music – and I do mean records and cassettes because they’re tangible pieces full of design and sonic inspiration. I’ve been really into Cosmos. It’s basically a Pinterest alternative.
You can collect and curate source material from anywhere, and it has a great community. To create something new, creatives need to make connections between seemingly unrelated things. That’s why it’s important to broaden the scope of where we’re drawing inspiration from and think outside the feed.
