Creativity. It’s the word that fuels every marketing brief, every campaign pitch, and every late-night brainstorming session. It’s the magic ingredient that sets great brands apart, the driving force behind award-winning ads, and, sometimes, the very thing that sends a project into endless rounds of revision.
But what is creativity, really? Is it just an eye-catching design? A witty tagline? A slick, cinematic advertisement that gets people talking? Or is it something bigger—a way of thinking, a way of solving problems, a way of breaking through the noise and making people feel something?
At Spinifex, we believe that creativity is the hook. It’s what grabs attention, stops the scroll, sparks curiosity, and starts conversations. But not all creativity is equal, and not all creativity makes it out into the world.
And that brings us to the age-old question: Who decides what’s creative?
Who gets to decide what’s “Creative”?
Ah, the bane of creative directors everywhere.
Creativity, for all its brilliance, is wildly subjective. What one person sees as groundbreaking, another dismisses as ridiculous. What one marketing team deems a stroke of genius, the client shoots down in five seconds.
The battle over “what’s creative” plays out every single day in marketing agencies, film production houses, and brand boardrooms. It’s the tension between artistic vision and business reality, between risk and comfort, between making a statement and making a sale.
Back in the ’90s, I was working on a public health television commercial about the dangers of passive smoking. It was controversial, designed to cut through. The creative concept? A child in a gas chamber.
The kid was in pyjamas, holding a teddy bear. The idea was clear: passive smoking was deadly, and children were the victims.
The ad never made it to air.
But I’ll never forget the debate in the room about whether the child should be in pyjamas.
I suggested—tactfully—that perhaps we should keep the teddy but lose the PJs. After all, passive smoking wasn’t just a “home” issue, and parents shouldn’t feel personally attacked. The creative, breathing in with the righteous energy of an artist defending their masterpiece, declared:
“No jammies, no teddy.”
The implication? The creative integrity of the piece was tied to these two elements. Change them, and the whole thing fell apart.
In the end, neither the jammies nor the teddy mattered, because the ad got shelved. But that moment stayed with me because it summed up a fundamental truth about creativity in marketing:
Creativity isn’t just about the idea. It’s about how far you can push an idea before it gets shut down.
Creativity is a problem-solving tool, not just an aesthetic choice
The best creative work doesn’t just look good—it works.
A clever ad that wins awards but doesn’t drive sales? That’s not creative; that’s just art for art’s sake. A stunning piece of video content that no one watches? That’s a missed opportunity.
Real creativity is about approaching a problem from a new angle—finding a way in, a way through, or a way around the barriers standing in your audience’s way.
It’s not always about being edgy or provocative. Sometimes, it’s about being useful, being relevant, or being just different enough to stand out.
Take the best tourism ads—they don’t just show pretty beaches. They sell an experience, an emotion, a reason to go.
Take memorable product launches—they don’t just list features. They tell a story, connect with people, and make them feel like they’re part of something bigger.
That’s what we do at Spinifex. We don’t just create—we deliver.
We take big ideas and make sure they work in the real world.
Creativity that actually makes an impact
Some of the best creative ideas never see the light of day.
The most groundbreaking, disruptive, emotionally charged concepts often get watered down, reshaped, or rejected outright before they ever reach the audience.
Why?
- Fear. (“Will this alienate customers?”)
- Overthinking. (“What if we tweak it just one more time?”)
- Approval layers. (“We need everyone to sign off before this moves forward.”)
The best brands understand that creativity isn’t about playing it safe—it’s about pushing just far enough to make an impact.
The question is: How much are you willing to push?
A little about Spinifex
Big Ideas—Delivered
At Spinifex, we believe that creativity should do more than just look good on a mood board. It should: solve a real problem, create a lasting impression, get people talking, thinking, feeling, and taking action.
Some brands play it safe and blend into the background. Others embrace creativity as a tool to stand out, start conversations, and connect with their audience in a way that actually matters.
So, what does creativity mean for you?
Is it just about a slick ad? Or is it the key to solving problems, breaking through the noise, and making an impact?
Because for us, it’s never just about the jammies and the teddy bear—it’s about making sure the big idea actually gets delivered.
