Creativity has changed the world. Creative ideas have transformed the global economy, education, healthcare and just about everything else that matters. Creativity has enabled the 21st century. Humanity surely owes trillions of dollars to the creatives who made all this possible. So why aren’t the ‘torchbearers’ of creativity – the advertising agencies – at the top of the world? Why are they struggling with shrinking profit margins and high employee turnover, while decidedly non-creative organisations like concrete makers are rolling in money? And why do these non-creative organisations end up becoming the masters of our creative torchbearers?

To unravel this conundrum, we must start by defining what creativity is. Creativity is “the use of imagination or original ideas to create something new with world-changing potential.” New and world-changing are the operative words. Is this what ad agencies are dedicating their energies towards, or have they lowered the bar of their craft? Let’s consider the factors keeping them away from their promised land.

The first ‘catchy jingle’ must have been transformational. It must have been tremendously valuable for the brand it served, and even more so for its creator. However, do ‘jingle-based approaches’ to business problems work as effectively in their ten thousandth iteration?

Creativity has a ‘generation loss’ problem. Ideas and approaches lose a bit of their original zest with every new iteration, becoming less and less creative until they become completely commoditised. So why do agencies fall into this ‘generation loss’ trap? Well, for the same reason Hollywood produces sequels and prequels for their hit movies.

Because the tried and tested is safe to invest in. If we go by Hollywood standards, most franchises ‘burn out’ by the time they reach their third generation. So is it wise for Pakistani advertising agencies to run their ‘blockbuster of yesterday’ approach into their ten thousandth generation just because it served them well in the past?

Generation loss is accompanied by value loss. The first-generation jingles would have mandated the very best agencies with the very best talent and the reward of a substantial fee. The second iteration would be offered at a discount; the task is now manageable by the apprentices. The ten thousandth iteration would be worth peanuts, as the jingles could easily be crafted by a freelancer or by the clients.

Real creatives fashion themselves as artists of the highest calibre and it is only natural for them to strive for the highest forms of their creativity. But who is their creativity for? Is it for the most deserving connoisseur, the kind that frequents Sotheby’s in search of the world’s most exclusive art? Or is it for the utility that thousands, perhaps millions, can benefit from? It is natural for creatives to gravitate towards the fewer (and wealthier) connoisseurs who are worthy of judging their craft. After all, Michelangelo had the Medicis as his benefactors. Modern artists working in advertising agencies have their agencies as their benefactors and the judges at Cannes as the connoisseurs to delight.

However, when creative expression becomes the end, rather than a means to an end, we arrive at the ‘artisan complex’. Imagine if Karl Benz, the inventor of the automobile, was an artist for the sake of art. Instead, he may have created the perfect horse saddle for the worthiest (and wealthiest) connoisseur of the time. A worthy masterpiece to transform the life of one instead of the automobile that changed the world for millions of people. Steve Jobs could have created the most stylish ‘feature phone’ instead of the iPhone. That is the difference between art and true creativity. Creativity without a strong sense of external purpose is a beautiful but limiting proposition. Art has intense appeal only for the few, rather than being transformational for the many. Hence the need for true creatives to grasp whether the world needs more saddles, cars or spaceships. Creativity needs a deep-rooted sense of strategic purpose to realise its world-changing potential.

I am sure many readers are wondering why I am referring to Benz and Jobs as creatives. They never attended art school, nor did they work in ad agencies. Yet, I regard them as some of the most prolific, creative people to walk the Earth. How similar they were to the ‘anointed’ creatives in ad agencies who wear their hair long, consume interesting substances and arrive fashionably late to meetings. Agencies do themselves a disservice by limiting their pool of ‘creative people’ to traditional art and copy people while ignoring the ‘broader’ talent available to them. All designers are creatives, but not all creatives are designers. It would serve agencies well to broaden their definition of creative people to include ‘natural-born creatives’ from different fields. They should also diversify their application of creativity to solve some of the big problems the world is facing today, with a very handsome reward at the end of the rainbow.

Design comes naturally to creatives working in agencies. They create things out of thoughts. If they are good at translating a client’s brief into powerful visuals, why restrict the output? ‘Design thinking’ is probably the most valuable skill in a 21st century economy, but surprisingly, we find advertising agencies lagging in this. Design thinking is an approach to problem-solving, anchored around human-centred design. Put simply, it is the way to solve problems using creative (read innovative) approaches. Benz and Jobs may not have been Cannes award-winning advertising creatives, but they were some of the finest design thinkers in the world. However, before ad agencies can ‘lean into’ design thinking, they need to understand the pain points of the brands they work with. Creativity with a design thinking approach begins with a solid understanding of the problem and deep subject matter expertise. Agencies can get a lot better at this.

In the end, the path towards prosperity through creativity is like a trek through the Sahara. It is a conscious path away from the comfort of the tried and tested (to avoid generational loss). Leading the best creative talent away from vanity, towards solving the most pressing issues of today (avoiding the artisan complex), recognising what the creativity is needed for, while truly adopting a strong transformative approach (design thinking).

Afzal Hussain is COO, M&C Saatchi World Services Pakistan. afzal.hussain@mcsaatchi.com