Where design meets purpose

Behind a Creatives mind

By: Camila Corral

You will notice significant changes if you compare today’s marketing strategies with those of a decade ago. It is common in social media these days to see a company promoting its content while doing everything around the company’s promotion.  Whether aiming for the latest viral sound clip on TikTok, it has morphed into a competition of who can take this idea and make it their own the quickest zero or marked. The goal is to look as original as possible while claiming to be. For brands, an influencer collaborating on a video that amasses millions of views is the dream. They may think, “Alright, let’s recreate this.” Sure, you can take and transform an approach, but was it yours in the first place?

Imagine you are given a canvas, but someone has already drawn half the picture. Now, what can you do? You can play with colors, add to them, and even tweak the drawn lines. But? The question remains: is the painting still considered your masterpiece? This is the reality marketers face at present. Although innovation might not be dead, it exists within stricter limits. Creation in the modern day is more about changing what already exists, eating something completely new.

That’s not a bad thing at all. Some of the best campaigns currently running are clever spins on established trends. However, inspiration and imitation are not too far apart; marketing always walks this thin line. The problem is trying to stand out from everyone, pulling from the same ideas. Real creativity in modern marketing is defined by familiarity, how well you know your audience, and how well you can cut through the noise and represent your brand. 

So yes, marketing is still creative, but that type of creativity is different. Instead of a blank canvas, it thrives in borrowed time and fragmented cultures. It raises a more critical question: “Did it make people feel something new?” Instead, the question shifts to “Is it original?”