DPDK’s creativity series part 1: the slow death of creativity
Welcome to the first article in DPDK’s creativity series: a collection of articles exploring the need for creativity in achieving digital success. Today, we’re discussing why creativity is disappearing and how important it is to bring it back to the heart of the customer experience (CX).
Can you imagine a world without creativity? I personally can’t.
Creativity plays an integral role in almost every aspect of our lives. It’s how we distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary and stand out from the crowd - whether that’s with the clothes we wear, the way we speak, or the brands we market.
In the words of advertising guru John Hegarty, “Creativity invents, perfects, and defines our world. And its impact is only getting stronger as time goes on. It’s not surprising then that we’re always being told that the future is creative!”
It goes without saying that creativity is crucial to brand success, especially in today’s crowded and always-on marketplace. Forrester and McKinsey can attest to this: reports by both have revealed that creative brands deliver better business results and have above-average revenue growth.
Yet when I look around I see brands actually becoming less and less creative. How can that be when the digital world is an almost limitless source of inspiration?
The downward spiral of creativity
If the future is creative, then riddle me this: when I’m ordering dinner on one of my food delivery apps, why do they all look and feel the same? The same applies when I’m booking flights online or a hotel room. Digital sameness has taken hold and the lack of creativity is making it harder for customers to differentiate brands.
This downward spiral of creativity isn’t unwarranted. Fear of failing to keep up has led to an overreliance on technology and a consequent disregard for creativity. On top of that, our digital activities are growing, from new product launches and marketing campaigns to app releases and customer support - there’s always something in the works. This also means that designers, developers, and marketers are being pulled in all kinds of directions.
Teams are spending a significant proportion of their time on mundane and repetitive tasks. Instead of flexing their creative muscles, they’re focusing on low-value work that doesn’t require creative intelligence.
Count busy work schedules and a constant stream of incoming information on top, and you’ve got yourself signed up for a slow and painful death of creativity.
Creativity wins the day
Whether you like it or not, you can’t differentiate your brand and inspire customers without being creative. In an increasingly competitive market with growing customer expectations and shorter attention spans, creativity is essential to engaging customers and leaving a memorable impression.
Brands need to get creative on every account. True creative environments foster creativity in all layers and processes of the organization. This starts with forging a creative culture where each and every employee is equipped with the tools and conditions needed to let their creativity flourish.
At DPDK, creativity is at the heart of everything we do - whether we’re presenting a proposal, designing a website, or building a campaign. We even inject creativity into our code. Our work with Oxfam Novib, Rosco Vision, and Firstleaf are just a few examples of our devotion to creativity.
There’s no denying it - creativity holds the ticket to a better tomorrow and is key to the success you’ll have as a brand. It’s time to fuel our team’s creative spirit and let them flex their creative muscles again.
If you don’t create the conditions that enable creativity to thrive, who else will?
