Advertising network DDB, in conjunction with investment and advisory firm Jarden, has launched the Creative Index, tracking the economic value of creativity in Australia, estimated at $584 billion.
The index aggregates Australia’s top creative companies using historical and live ASX share price data, from 2012 to now. The result: proof of the performance and power of creativity, as a total dollar figure.
Companies including SEEK, Cochlear, Medibank, and Treasury Wine Estates – plus media companies like Nine, Domain, REA Group, oOh!, and carsales.com.au – feature on the Creative Index, selected for prioritising creative thinking to drive their innovation and growth.
The wider campaign drives home creativity’s economic value, with billboards that read: “Coal. Commodities. Cartoon Dogs”, “Tin. Telcos. TikTokers”, and “Australia’s bull market is not in oil. It’s in ideas.”
DDB Group Australia chief creative officer Stephen de Wolf said: “We know the impact industries like mining, technology, manufacturing, and finance make on the stock market. But for too long, the value of our greatest resource – creativity – has been seen as cultural, not economic.
“The Creative Index changes that. It is tangible evidence that creativity has incredible commercial value. And it proves that creativity is the most powerful force in business, worth the investment.”
A spokesperson from Jarden outlined how companies were identified: “The Creative Index is composed of companies with creativity at their core. The Creative Index features ASX200 companies that meet one of two criteria, they must either fall within a specified listing of Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) sectors or invest significantly in Research and Development.”
SEEK marketing director AUNZ Maryanne Tsiatsias said: “Hiring creative thinkers and nurturing this talent is critical for organisations to succeed in the future. Creativity is not just restricted to explicitly ‘creative’ roles, but a skill critical to all roles in an organisation. At SEEK, some of our best innovations come from fostering an environment for diverse teams to creatively ideate and problem solve together.”
REA Group chief strategy officer and CEO REAx Henry Ruiz said: “Empathic, creative thinkers have underpinned REA Group’s growth and embody our purpose ‘changing the way the world experiences property’. Last year, we established an exciting new business unit to solely focus on innovative and transformational concepts that unlock new opportunities for our customers. Fostering a human-centred ideation approach in our day-to-day work, as well as in regular dedicated hackathons, our people are inspired to solve real world problems through true product innovation.”
Treasury Wine Estates, Penfolds CMO Kristy Keyte said: “Beyond the many brands within our portfolio are challenges with international tariffs, change in quality as the climate changes, and the introduction of automated processes to the traditional winemaking process – all of which require creative thinking, innovation, and ingenuity to overcome and propel TWE’s success.
“It’s a privilege to be recognised on the Creative Index, and we hope this gets more Australians thinking about how creativity works beyond our theatres, studios, and art schools.”
The Creative Index is featured at the National Gallery of Victoria’s Rigg Design Prize exhibition.
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