Creative Risk Taking Is On The Wane - That Could Cost Brands Dear

“Taking creative risks is always a mix of art and science. When the creative idea begins with a consumer insight or cultural trend, is rooted in our brand ethos and drives a craving for our fresh, famous food, it’s a no-brainer,” so says Wendy’s chief marketing officer Lindsay Radkoski.

According to this year’s Cannes Lions State of Creativity report, confidence in creativity is on the wane. Only 13 per cent of this year’s respondents to the report see their companies as ‘risk-friendly’, while almost a third of brands (29 per cent) admitted to being ‘highly risk-averse’. 

Perhaps after the last five tumultuous years, society has yet to recover its confidence from the pandemic, while both culture and actual wars rage, prohibiting much of any feeling that things will all be okay. No wonder marketers don’t feel that they can take any gambles with what they put out into the world. The potential of creating a negative response to saying something bold is higher than putting out something particularly vanilla, even when it's largely ignored. But then, they must ask themselves, why bother doing anything at all? Is it just to be seen to be doing something?

If being at the cutting edge of culture is what creates breakthroughs for brands, then it’s proving a struggle for many. The same report also finds that over half (57 per cent) of brands struggle to react quickly to cultural moments, with only 12 per cent rating their ability to do so as ‘excellent’. 

Why is this? Well, they say the reasons are varied – from dealing with too many layers in the approval process, having limited resources and investment, and finding difficulty aligning brand insights with cultural trends.

“Most brands are built for campaigns, not culture. They’ve optimised for delivery, not discovery. So, when a cultural moment hits, they’re flat-footed – not because they don’t care, but because their systems aren’t designed to see or respond in time. Cultural relevance requires more than speed – it requires us to collapse the distance between insight, creative and execution,” outlines Rebecca Bezzina, marketing practice lead for the UK, Ireland, and Africa at Accenture Song.

And with budgets being rolled back in recent months, there is now also a lack of insights being generated to help mitigate creative risk (the most recent IPA Bellwether Report also found that research budgets were cut by 10.5 per cent of brands in the first quarter of this year.)

But by playing it safe, brands are less likely to grow, with Deloitte claiming that those who embrace creative risk are 33 per cent more likely to see long-term revenue growth.

Bill Scott, CEO of Droga5 London, believes that while brands say their insights are too weak to develop bold creativity, it’s not for a lack of data but rather “an interpretation gap” that now exists.

He adds: “The best insights aren’t the most complicated; they’re the most human. If we want to create bold, resonant work, we must invest more time in unearthing truths that go beyond the obvious. The strongest insights act as a creative springboard: they make bold ideas feel not just exciting, but inevitable.”

But if no one is talking about your brand whatsoever, then how likely is it that people will even think about it when they have a need? Relying on SEO and a quick Google search in an hour of need isn’t going to cut it.

Further explaining, Jeff Bowerman, executive creative director for DEPT, highlights the increasing level of scrutiny marketing spend is under, be it across agency hours, media budgets or production costs. In short, the fears and pressures largely come down to money.

But a focus on spend may not be entirely prudent in this regard either. According to the ‘Cost of Dull’ project, in partnership with consultancy eatbigfish and effectiveness expert Peter Field, UK brands investing in ‘dull’ advertising need to spend a combined £13bn more in in media costs (£10m per campaign) – to achieve the same impact as more emotional, creatively engaging ads. So, lacking bravery is a more expensive route to take.

“Whilst countless studies have shown the importance of creativity, distinctiveness and the impact of differentiation and standing out in the market vs the sea of sameness, these findings underscore the risk aversion rampant in the industry and the role of us agencies needed to help make it feel less risky,” continues Bowerman, highlighting the potential for building trust over long-term relationships.

“But that only goes so far when we need to help our clients themselves sell up the chain and to other internal stakeholders who are focusing on the bottom line and perhaps would prefer to just do ‘what we’ve done before',” he continues.

Bowerman also believes that agencies are always working to help clients overcome risk, and that the riskiest thing they can do, it to do nothing at all.

This decline in creative confidence is a distinctive opportunity for the brands and marketers who feel emboldened to take chances and create waves. They might choose to cover controversy or they may surf the wave of surrealism to stand out from their bland competitors – but whatever they do, by choosing not to be bland, they will capture attention. And, perhaps, consumers' cash as well.