Can talented new minds fix a broken ad industry?

It astounds me sometimes how out of touch this industry is. Still working from a model created in the 1950s where the TV script is king, the internet is still a bit niche and AI is science fiction.

And from that somewhat retro viewpoint, in the past couple of weeks alone we’ve lurched even further backwards, with more companies mandating more time in the office leading to less flexibility and less happiness. 17,000 WPP staff certainly showed how happy they weren’t with the petition they created. 

The creator economy is booming and traditional ways of working are increasingly less relevant. 

People have busy lives, and the world of work has moved on. The creator economy is booming and traditional ways of working are increasingly less relevant. This means that a whole bunch of incredibly beautiful, talented minds choose to forge careers in areas of the creative economy that aren’t a grey desk in a building in the middle of a city.

Why would you come to advertising to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for a comparatively tiny salary when you could go to the fast-paced, sexy start-up down the road that is building something you believe in and giving you equity for rocking up? And because of this, the spark, the one that makes people fall in love with ideas, is fading. 

Innovation doesn’t come from people who think like us; it comes from people who don’t.

If we want to change that, we can’t keep doing things the same way. We can’t keep looking for creativity in the same places. And we can't keep making people bend to our ways of working. 

A few notable exceptions aside, the way we bring talent into the industry is past its sell by date and out of touch. The same people from the same pools learn the same things and end up bringing the same thinking. It’s not good. Look what happened when we fed cows to cows. 

Innovation doesn’t come from people who think like us; it comes from people who don’t. People who challenge us. People who have walked different paths, lived different lives, and seen the world in ways we never could. 

The best ideas don’t come from polished CVs or an old-school tie. They come from minds who’ve lived on the margins, walked unconventional paths, and fought to be heard. Sometimes you need to work with people who have hustled to have their voices heard, who see the world differently, and who dream bigger. And because we don't attract diverse talent, the industry is struggling to reach diverse audiences. Clients want to see creators and original thinking. Customers want to be spoken to in voices they can relate to.

But there are clients who are mavericks. There are clients who want cool who want more street and less slick, more visceral and less orchestrated - something more real.  

To attract different people, we need to think differently about how we attract them and how we keep them. First, you need to understand that you will need to change the way you work to fit their needs, not the other way around. Sorry if that goes against the return to the office rhetoric.

I f**king love this industry. I believe in its power to change the world. And I believe we can fix it. 

This seems obvious but so often gets lost – make sure that the new crew are learning from the best. Keep them around the most senior talent in the business so they can learn – but also teach. It goes both ways.

Yes. It's true that sometimes, from the creator economy, you might get something amazing (or not), but that isn't easily commercially available for clients. Filtering outsider ideas through ‘a-list’ mentors allows you to capture this swirling world of possibilities but create a strategic and creative landing strip to bring it on down on, so it is usable by clients.