Everyone is now a creator
Suddenly, the intern can make a campaign video. The CEO designs her own LinkedIn carousel. The account manager prompts a visual that looks way too good, right?
The threshold is gone. Poof. Gone. And so has the craftsmanship of the one creative...
And that also has something beautiful, democratisation, empowerment, speed. But it also has something uncomfortable. Because if anyone can create content, what makes your content worthwhile?
The bar for distinctiveness has not been lowered. On the contrary. It is higher than ever!
And then comes the key question: what value do we actually place on ‘real’ anymore?
Because if we can no longer tell the difference between what is man-made and what is machine-made, what matters? And more importantly, what will still feel?
That holiday photo of the setting sun, is it real? And what if it's not real? What does that do to you?
You see it happening around you. Campaigns by National Postcode Lottery goes back to making human craft visible.
MacDonalds under fire over (Christmas) AI commercial
KPN is fully engaging with human behaviour in the current form of communication, taking over a role from Sire ☺ It has meaning, it brings emotion. But do they achieve what they want to achieve?
AI tools make it easy to make something, but not to make something memorable?
From perfection to meaning, the value of real
We used to be impressed by perfection. Of those slick campaigns with modelling agency people in well-captured light. Of brochures where every pixel was right. Of videos where three men had spent a week on colour grading.
Now? Do you make that in an afternoon or in an hour, or in 10 minutes if you know what prompt to give,
Pretty is no longer enough. Neither is slick. Not much at all.
The value shifted.
From perfection to meaning.
From slick to sincere.
From ‘a lot’ to ‘damn well chosen’.
And you know what's funny? The less perfect, the more successful. Just look at the content that does stick: the iPhone videos, the unvarnished LinkedIn posts, the stories where someone dares to show themselves - including the messy background and the ‘uhhh’ mid-sentence.
Because that feels real. And real has become scarce.
Content has become liquid
If perfection becomes “cheap” and content infinite, then everything changes. Then the value of content changes. Then what we value changes. Then our whole definition of what is ‘real’ shifts.
Content flows, it adapts, it morphs and it is liquid.
And in that liquidity, brands, teams and people need to find a fixed form. A signature, a recognition. But wasn't that always the case? Now we want a why.
Not: how do we make it or what do we make?
But: why does it matter?
Creativity has become strategic
For years, creativity was a craft. Now it is a strategic skill. It is no longer about whether you can make it, but about whether you make something that sticks, that connects, that touches or surprises or makes people pause.
The question is no longer, “Do you have a good designer?”
The question is: “Do you have a story that rings true?”
At Savvy Lab and Speakers Club, I see it every day. The brands that make a difference are not the biggest or the richest. They are the fastest. The most distinctive ones. The ones who dare to choose a creative signature even if it doesn't work for everyone.
Because polarising? That's not risk anymore. That's strategy.
The new (AI) creative toolkit
For teams that want to stay relevant, this means a complete reset of the toolkit:
Embracing technology - AI, generative tools, real-time content production. Not as a threat, but as an accelerator and enhancer.
Being able to switch quickly - Iterate in days, not months but perhaps hours: test, learn, adapt. Repeat.
Experience as a starting point - every contact moment should feel like an experience. Be it a campaign, a presentation or a LinkedIn post. Of course, with a story, an emotion, the feeling of real!
And the latter is crucial. Because marketing is not (anymore) about sending.
It's about connecting.
From slides to experience
This does not only apply to campaigns, by the way. It applies equally well to internal communications, to sales and therefore to leadership.
How many PowerPoints have you seen that no one remembers? How many presentations where people sit with their phones scrolling while someone reads out bullet points in front? Really? Surely you can't do that anymore.
Stop transmitting. Start connecting.
Meaning:
Stop bullets and start Visual storytelling
Using presence and personality as a strategic weapon.
A creative culture in which new tools and formats have a place - without fear, but with intention.
An invitation...
Communication and therefore creativity is shifting but that is not a threat, that is an opportunity!
The question is: will you shift with it?
Those who innovate in creativity today (or rather yesterday) build the brands and stories of tomorrow. And yes, that may sound big. But it starts small: with one choice to create, communicate the story that is different, of significance.
Because in the end, that's what it's all about.
Not because of what AI can do.
But to what you do with it.
Hasn't that always been the case?
I am Mandy Schild - creative entrepreneur, trainer, speaker and owner of Savvy Lab, Speakers Club and the Neherlab Auditorium. With my concept Make it Memorable, I help teams, leaders and brands connect presence, creativity and technology for maximum impact.
