Is Marketing less creative?

Have marketers lost their creative confidence? Or just lost sight of what creativity really is?

A recent piece in Raconteur | B Corp™ by Ophelia Taylor-Brennan got me thinking. Back in the day, insight training was the bread and butter of any good graduate scheme or brand team. We were trained to find human truth. and then brief against it. Creativity was encouraged, yes; but often delegated to the agency, not owned by the marketer. We were bastions of the brief and judging creative against it.

Fast forward to 2025, and the world of marketing looks very different. Social media, speed, and performance pressure have shifted creativity firmly into the hands of the marketing team.

But have we actually become more creative or just more reactive?

There’s a big difference between being culturally agile and simply chasing trends. The recent explosion of AI-generated Barbiecore or “Action Doll” content is a perfect case in point. Just because you can jump on something trending doesn’t mean you should; especially if it’s not grounded in any genuine brand truth or audience insight. (For the record: we did post a version as a leaving post for Rich)

Creativity has definitely evolved. It’s been democratised across the marketing mix; from UGC and social to packaging and partnerships. And I’m all for it. But the real power still lies in connecting creativity back to meaningful insight and cultural relevance. Some brands are doing this brilliantly and creating work that resonates because it’s rooted in something real.

If we want to reclaim our creative confidence, maybe we start by going back to basics: invest in insight, encourage strategic risk-taking, and ask not just “will it get views?” but “does it matter and is it relevant to the consumer?”

I would love to know what you think. Are we more creative now or just more distracted?