How creative is a creative agency?

Traditionally, advertising agencies had departments such Research, Client Servicing, Design, Production and Media. These departments commanded a varying degree of respect with the Creative ‘team’ being most respected. They were treated as the ‘heroes’ and ‘heroines’ of the agency – just as in the film industry. They could flout all rules, as long as they met deadlines. The creative director commanded respect – to the point of veneration.

Whereas, before the age of the internet, agencies relied on the ‘blackbook’ for inspiration and standards to emulate, today, the entire creative ‘blackbook’ is available for everyone. With the explosion of digital tools at the disposal of every creative person, the niche of the ‘creative team’ dropped a notch or two.

This prompted many ‘creative people’ to start their own agency, just to provide creative services like, copywriting, design artwork, music, animation, photography, videos, and today have extended it to digital world and included website, and social media platforms. These agencies, did not do market research (it was already outsourced to specialised market research firms), they did not do product testing, they did not produce the creative work, meaning, they did not print and deliver creatives, they did not release ads in mass media, etc. They specialised with their own core competency of being creative.

The creative agencies considered many traditional advertising agencies to be of a lower calibre as the advertising agencies mostly played the role as ‘brokerages’ to media houses. Where they only took instructions from the client, and the clients themselves did not consult the advertising agencies on the creative direction that would be best for them. Many accounts handled by the traditional agencies were huge corporates & conglomerates, releasing mostly tender ads and for whom, rarely an annual report was done. Millennials resented this role as most of the activities in these agencies involved no ‘creativity.’ I hastily add, the above traditional advertising agency role does not apply to very reputed Advertising agencies who have produced many timeless classics in Advertising.

While the ‘Creative Team’ moved on to form their ‘creative agencies’, they have also carried their aura with them, and the new age Creative Agencies still look down upon traditional advertising agencies.

I admire many works by these Creative Agencies. I am inspired everyday by their creativity. Thousands of designs and artworks have worked wonders in the market with a multitude of satisfied clients.

Without, denying the respect and admiration I have for these creative giants, I have strong objections to them appropriating the term ‘creative.’ If a creative agency just wants to be ‘creative’, go on, become an artist. Create Art, Music, Films, and express yourself. But if you are employing creative talents for a client, hell, call yourself a Branding Agency, or a Design Agency.

My objections

Firstly, creativity is not the sole domain of artists. Everybody is creative. At the least, everybody is born creative. As Sir Ken Robinson says in his TED talk, ‘Everybody is born creative, but we are Educated out of it.”

Secondly, I do not also believe that Creativity is limited to people with ‘inborn’ talents. I believe, Creativity is a skill, that everyone can learn. Just like the famous words of Gusteau, “Anyone can Cook” (from the movie Ratatouille), I strongly believe ‘Anyone can be creative’.

Coming to the main question, how creative are creative agencies? I would say, they are damn creative. Heck, I wish, I could be only that creative. However, let me say that, just like the famous quote, “There three types of Mathematicians, those who can count and those who cannot”, in the world of Branding, “There are two types of creative agencies, those who know marketing and branding, and those who do not.”