Asier Carazo.
The recent buzz on LinkedIn around the Jaguar rebrand got me thinking about the dynamics of our industry. No, this isn’t another article about Jaguar but, rather, about the broader culture of opinion-sharing within advertising and what it means for the future of creativity within media.
As an industry, we’ve built a comfortable home within the LinkedIn bubble. It’s a fantastic platform for sharing ideas, debating campaigns, and showcasing our work. But let’s face it – it’s also an echo chamber. The moment a new campaign, rebrand or product launch hits the market, the floodgates of commentary swing open. Opinions, analyses and hot takes abound. While this can be energising, it begs the question: what does this culture within the bubble mean for creativity, particularly for the silent majority of marketers who may be quietly observing rather than actively participating?
The Risk of Playing It Safe
Could our constant scrutiny be making marketers more hesitant to embrace bold ideas? Are we, as insiders, so hyper-focused on crafting campaigns that resonate with our peers that we forget the ultimate audience: the average Australian consumer? Are we just too scared of being “the next Jaguar”?
Having spent seven years in Australia, I’ve observed something unique about this market: Australians are an incredibly forgiving population. Take, for example, the nation’s flag carrier, which sold tickets for flights that were already cancelled. Despite being sanctioned by the government and attracting lots of negative media coverage, people (me included) continue to fly with them. Their share price is up significantly year-on-year. Similarly, major grocery retailers like Coles have been accused of price gouging during a cost-of-living crisis and they’ve pissed off a lot of people, yet their stores are still full.
These examples demonstrate that even significant missteps often don’t cause lasting damage to big businesses. If price gouging, data breaches and dubious practices haven’t sunk iconic Australian brands, can a bold advertising campaign really ruin everything? I’d argue no. Advertising, for all its power, rarely holds the capacity to utterly destroy a business, but it does hold the power to elevate one.
Why Bland Advertising Won’t Cut It
Too many brands in Australia are settling for safe, predictable advertising. This trend towards “blandness” may keep the lights on, but it won’t deliver the turbocharged growth that we’re all after. If we truly want to stand out, we must embrace bolder, braver ideas, particularly around how brands show up in media. This doesn’t mean taking reckless risks, but it does mean stepping out of the comfort zone. It means pushing media owners to create new ways to integrate brands in their channels and not always buying media placements “off the shelf”.
International markets provide a useful benchmark. Brazil and Argentina shone brightly at Cannes Lions this year, especially in the media category. When I talk about brilliant media, I talk about brands being brave and going ahead with media ideas that seemed risky at first. For example, a logo-less football sponsorship that got everyone talking, a pharmacy brand challenging YouTube to do the right thing and a fast-food brand getting very creative at preventing people from deleting their app.
Meanwhile, Australia’s presence at Cannes was subdued. Many people have claimed that creativity in Australian media is at an all-time low. Why? Perhaps it’s easier to be daring when there’s less to lose, particularly in markets where brands are fighting to survive rather than attract new customers or simply dealing with 200% inflation. Do we need to be deep in a recession to start making bolder choices? It’s no secret that desperation often leads to creativity but let’s not hit that point – that’s probably what Jaguar did based on the steep decline of their sales globally over the years. They were fighting for relevance when it was already a bit too late… but again, I won’t make this article about Jaguar.
Let’s have more fun in 2025
As we look to the next year, my hope is that in 2025 we will strive to recapture the industry’s creative spark. Let’s push for campaigns that provoke, inspire, and truly connect – not just with our peers on LinkedIn but with the people who matter most: our audiences.
To be clear, this isn’t about being reckless. It’s about being bold, about recognising that a slightly risky idea is unlikely to bring down a brand but could very well catapult it into the cultural spotlight. Let’s take inspiration from markets that are thriving creatively.
Because, in the end, what’s the worst that can happen? If Australians can forgive cancelled flights and inflated grocery bills, they will surely forgive a bold ad campaign that dared to make them feel something.
Asier Carazo, Chief Strategy Officer, Atomic 212°