Creative is the foundation of modern marketing

How creative (once again) became the driving force in marketing—a brief history of “digital” marketing.

1. Metrics ruled the early days

When platforms like Google Ads and Facebook Ads first launched, they rewrote the marketing playbook. For the first time, marketers could track campaigns in real-time, optimise performance, and measure success with precision—all through a self-serve platform with a near-zero cost of entry. Metrics like CTR, CPC, and ROAS became the new holy grail. It was such a revolution, the entire thing was dubbed “digital marketing”; heralding the ‘death’ of “traditional marketing”. We now know better, as the two estranged halves of modern marketing rejoin. 

But let’s be honest—this laser focus on numbers had a downside. Creative became formulaic, stripped down to basics like “Sign Up Now!” and “Limited Offer!” They worked… until they didn’t. Soon, everyone was singing the same tune, and audiences grew numb to the repetition. The race to efficiency came at a cost: campaigns lacked the emotional angle that sparks connection,  that makes people care.

2. The rise of ad fatigue

By the mid-2010s, ad fatigue was unavoidable. Audiences were drowning in marketing messages, bombarded by endless thousands of ads a day. The result? We’ve developed advertising filters so effective they  tune out even the most precisely targeted campaigns if the creative doesn’t truly stand out.

The data told a grim story: engagement rates fell off a cliff, CPCs shot up, and ad-blocking tools became a digital staple (who doesn’t have an ad blocker installed, or use a browser with in-built privacy tools?). It was a wake-up call for marketers—reaching the right audience was only half the battle. Uninspired, overly promotional creative didn’t just fall flat; it faded into oblivion. Brands had to step up and create memorable, emotionally compelling ads that audiences wanted to see. As we like to say at Dilate: if your creative doesn’t spark a reaction, it’s not doing its job.

3. Enter, an era of emotion

Today’s consumers don’t just want products or services—they want experiences, connections, and values that reflect their own. Creative has become the cornerstone of effective marketing because it delivers what data alone cannot: emotion.

Modern audiences respond to creative that feels personal, meaningful, and human:

• Tells stories: Qantas’ “Feels Like Home” campaign didn’t just show planes—it followed the emotional journeys of Australians returning home to their loved ones. With heartfelt narratives and sweeping visuals of homecomings, Qantas positioned itself as more than an airline; it became a symbol of belonging. By tying these emotions to its brand, Qantas earned lasting customer loyalty and preference.
  
• Evokes feelings: Vegemite’s “Tastes Like Australia” campaign leaned deeply into nostalgia, weaving the product into uniquely Aussie moments—childhood breakfasts, summer picnics, and the everyday rituals that define home. It celebrated the shared experiences of generations, evoking pride in a cultural staple that’s as Australian as the backyard barbecue. By anchoring itself in these collective memories, Vegemite didn’t just sell a spread—it became a symbol of tradition, identity, and national pride. This emotional resonance ensures that when Australians reach for Vegemite, they’re choosing more than a product; they’re reconnecting with their own story.
• Builds trust: The Royal Australian Mint’s “Donation Dollar” campaign introduced a world-first: a coin designed to be donated to those in need. By encouraging Australians to give, the Mint positioned itself as a force for good, reinforcing values of generosity and community. This trust and alignment with shared values make Australians more likely to engage with and support the Mint’s initiatives.

In the emotional era, creativity isn’t just about standing out—it’s about standing for something. When your creative reflects real values and human experiences, it doesn’t just build campaigns; it builds loyalty.

Look at many of the top ad agencies around the world at the moment. A short study will demonstrate most of their ads fall into one of two categories. The first, highly produced, engaging and connection-driven material that feels somewhere between a movie and a celebrity’s instagram story. Bacon and Eggs Media are one Wes Anderson-inspired powerhouse, and Ryan Reynolds’ (yes, from Deadpool) agency is another. 

The second major type of content you’ll find is the pseudo-UGC (user-generated content) ad. It’s an ad masquerading as a piece of regular, organic content likely to be made by an influencer or regular reviewer. Brands utilise this format because it doesn’t look like an ad, and even once viewers realise it is, the format is easy to trust and relate to. For that reason, entire agencies specialise in it as a way to drive results for customers.

Why creative is critical in 2025

In a world where ads compete for attention in every corner of the digital space, creativity isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the factor that sets apart the remarkable from the forgettable. As algorithms evolve and platforms grow increasingly crowded, the ability to capture and hold attention is more challenging than ever.

Here’s why creative remains the linchpin of marketing in 2025:

1. Algorithms favour engagement

In 2025, platforms like TikTok, Meta, and Google Ads are prioritising creative that sparks genuine engagement—whether it’s comments, shares, or longer watch times. The algorithms are paying attention, and the right creative doesn’t just connect with audiences; it gets noticed and pushed further.

Take Ryanair on TikTok, for example. With its cheeky humour, trending audios, and self-aware captions, the brand has mastered the art of relatability. Their posts consistently rack up thousands of comments, with people debating, joking, and sharing their own experiences in real time. This direct feedback from their target audience not only drives engagement but keeps their creative strategy on point.

Ryanair’s approach proves a key point: relatability and relevance will always beat overproduced, out-of-touch campaigns.

Takeaway: Creative that drives engagement isn’t just rewarded by algorithms—it becomes a key driver of ROI. Without it, even the most well-targeted campaign risks underperforming.

2. It’s your competitive edge

When everyone has access to the same targeting tools and data, creative is what sets you apart. Take Burger King’s “Moldy Whopper”—an ad that showed their signature product decaying to highlight the removal of preservatives. It wasn’t pretty, but it sparked conversations, dominated headlines, and positioned the brand as forward-thinking. More than that, it was a sharp commentary on the urban myth that McDonald’s burgers don’t mould, tapping into the cultural zeitgeist around fast food and additives.

In a sea of sameness, bold creative is the lighthouse that makes your brand impossible to miss.

Result: The campaign garnered widespread media coverage, millions of organic impressions, and positioned Burger King as a forward-thinking, transparent brand.

Takeaway: In a sea of sameness, creative is your weapon to grab attention, stand out, and stay relevant.

3. Emotional connections build loyalty

Let’s face it: nobody remembers the “Buy Now” banner from five years ago. But Cadbury’s “Gorilla Drumming” campaign? That’s unforgettable. By focusing on joy, surprise, and indulgence, Cadbury turned Dairy Milk into a cultural moment. 

The lesson? Emotional creative doesn’t just sell products—it turns customers into advocates who are proud to share your message.

At a time when most ads were focused on directly promoting products, the Gorilla Drumming ad was a breath of fresh air. There were no product shots, no “Buy Now” messaging, and no descriptions of Cadbury’s chocolate. Instead, the focus was entirely on creating a feeling—pure, unfiltered joy.

Result: While the ad was playful, the impact on Cadbury’s bottom line was no joke. Following the launch, Dairy Milk sales increased by 9%, and the brand reclaimed its position as a category leader. This campaign proved that emotionally driven creative wasn’t just good for brand awareness—it could drive measurable business outcomes.

Global brands doing it right

1. The iconic “Share a Coke” campaign

Coca-Cola took a bold and personal approach by replacing its iconic logo with popular names. The campaign encouraged people to find bottles with their own or their friends' names and share them on social media.

Imagine walking into a shop and seeing a bottle with your name on it or a loved one’s name. Suddenly, Coca-Cola wasn’t just a drink; it was personal. Customers flooded social media with photos of their customised bottles, amplifying the campaign organically.

Result: A 7% increase in US sales and global rollout in over 80 countries. It wasn’t just a campaign—it became a cultural moment.

Why the creative worked:

• It made a mass-market product feel uniquely personal.
• It turned customers into advocates, driving organic sharing and engagement.

2. Redefining beauty standards

Dove’s Real Beauty campaign shattered traditional beauty advertising by featuring real women of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities. In a world saturated with photoshopped perfection, Dove’s ads stood out for their authenticity.

One campaign ad featured a forensic artist drawing two portraits: one based on how a woman described herself and the other based on how a stranger described her. The stark contrast between the two drawings highlighted the gap between perception and reality, moving viewers emotionally.

Result: Over $1 billion in incremental sales and strengthened brand loyalty among women globally.

Why the creative worked:

• It resonated on a deeply emotional level, challenging societal norms.
• It aligned perfectly with Dove’s brand purpose of empowering women.

3. Turning content into campaigns

Netflix’s Stranger Things marketing redefined creative campaigns by immersing audiences in the show’s universe. Collaborations with brands like Coca-Cola (reviving its 1985 New Coke) and Baskin-Robbins (introducing Scoops Ahoy ice cream) blurred the lines between fiction and reality.

The Wednesday Dance Challenge is another perfect example. A scene from the show went viral on TikTok, with millions of users recreating Wednesday Addams’ quirky dance moves.

Result: Stranger Things became a cultural phenomenon, and Wednesday reached 1 billion hours of watch time in its first month.

Why the creative worked:

• It extended the show’s narrative beyond the screen, making fans part of the story.
• It leveraged TikTok trends to amplify engagement organically.

4. Pivoting a crisis with wit

When KFC ran out of chicken in the UK, it could have been a PR disaster. Instead, the brand launched an ad featuring an empty bucket with its logo rearranged to read “FCK.”

The cheeky apology diffused anger and turned a crisis into a brand-building moment. It was bold, self-aware, and perfectly on-brand.

Result: The campaign won awards and reinforced KFC’s position as a relatable, customer-focused brand.

Why the creative worked:

• It showed humility and humour, which resonated with audiences.
• It turned a negative situation into a positive PR opportunity.

5. Telling stories by building imagination

LEGO’s “Rebuild the World” campaign celebrated the limitless possibilities of creativity. Through whimsical, cinematic storytelling, the campaign followed characters in a playful, imaginative world created entirely with LEGO bricks.

By showcasing the power of building, the campaign positioned LEGO as more than a toy—it became a gateway to storytelling and self-expression for people of all ages.

Result: The campaign resonated globally, solidifying LEGO’s reputation as a brand that empowers creativity. It reinvigorated interest in LEGO among both children and adults, driving significant sales growth and brand engagement.

Why the creative worked:

• It tapped into universal themes of creativity and imagination.
• The whimsical narrative invited audiences to see LEGO as a tool for limitless self-expression.
• It appealed to multiple generations, ensuring broad market appeal.

Why these creative campaigns matter

Each of these campaigns demonstrates that creative isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about outcomes.

They inspire action. From sharing a Coke bottle on Instagram to recreating a TikTok dance, these campaigns drive real engagement.

They build trust and loyalty. Creative that connects emotionally creates lasting bonds with audiences.

They differentiate. In crowded markets, bold creative is often the only way to stand out.

How to build creative that delivers

1. Focus on audience insights

Great creative doesn’t start with guesswork—it starts with knowing your audience inside out. It’s not enough to know their age or location; you need to get under their skin. What drives them? What keeps them scrolling at midnight? By analysing how audiences interact with your content—whether it’s engagement patterns on social media or how they move through your website—you can uncover what truly resonates. Surveys and focus groups add depth to the data, giving you direct insight into their challenges, desires, and expectations. Pair that with social listening to tap into the broader conversations happening about your brand, industry, or competitors, and you’ve got the full picture.

Spotify’s Wrapped campaign is a gold standard for turning insights into impact. By digging into individual listening habits, Spotify created personalised year-end summaries that turned data into art. Users didn’t just see numbers; they saw their story—favourite songs, top genres, and even mood-based playlists. Why does this work? Because it taps into a universal emotional driver: identity. People feel seen and valued when their unique preferences are reflected back at them. Even better, Spotify encouraged users to share their Wrapped results, turning a personal experience into a viral moment. Every share became a mini-endorsement, showing that deeply personalised creative doesn’t just engage—it sparks advocacy.

The takeaway is simple but powerful: if you reflect what matters most to your audience, you’ll do more than capture attention—you’ll earn their trust and loyalty.

2. Prioritise quality over quantity

It’s tempting to crank out content at breakneck speed, but let’s face it—volume doesn’t equal value. Focusing on fewer, high-quality assets ensures your creative doesn’t just make an impression—it makes the right one. Strong creative grabs attention, builds credibility, and delivers better engagement, ultimately stretching your budget further by reducing wasted ad spend. The secret? Invest in top-notch designers, writers, and videographers who can turn great ideas into flawless execution. Give your concepts the time they deserve to mature, and channel your resources into flagship campaigns rather than diluting impact across smaller, forgettable projects.

Take John Lewis’s annual Christmas adverts, for example. These aren’t ads—they’re cultural events. Each campaign is crafted with meticulous care, from the heartfelt storytelling to the stunning visuals and carefully chosen soundtracks. “The Man on the Moon” (2015) is a standout, telling the story of a young girl who sends a gift to an elderly man living alone on the moon. It’s a masterclass in emotional storytelling, reminding audiences that the holidays are about thoughtfulness and connection. Why does this work so well? Because John Lewis doesn’t just sell products—it sells a feeling.

The result? These adverts consistently dominate media coverage, rack up millions of views, and drive significant spikes in holiday sales. John Lewis proves that when you invest in quality over quantity, your creative becomes more than just marketing—it becomes something people cherish and remember.

3. Leverage data to refine creative

Data isn’t just for ad targeting—it’s the secret sauce for making your creative better. By testing and analysing performance, you can fine-tune your visuals, messaging, and formats to resonate on a deeper level. A/B testing, for example, lets you pit variations against each other to see what grabs your audience. Heatmaps and behaviour analytics show you where people linger—or where they drop off—giving you insights into how to improve your design. And metrics like engagement rates, conversions, and bounce rates tell you exactly how well your creative is working.

Netflix is a master at using data to optimise creative. Take their thumbnails: they don’t just slap any image onto a show or movie. They test multiple variations, analyse which ones get the most clicks, and refine until they have a winner. Maybe it’s a subtle change in composition, or swapping a character’s expression to evoke curiosity—it’s these small tweaks that can make a big difference. The beauty of this approach is its precision. By letting data guide their choices, Netflix ensures that every visual works harder to engage viewers.

Here’s the lesson: even minor adjustments, when guided by data, can deliver major improvements. Refining your creative isn’t about reinventing the wheel—it’s about making sure every spoke is perfectly aligned for maximum impact.

4. Be consistent across channels

Your audience doesn’t see your brand in silos—they experience it across platforms, whether that’s Instagram, email, or your website. If your creative is inconsistent, it’s like telling a story with missing chapters—it doesn’t add up. Consistency, on the other hand, reinforces your identity, builds trust, and makes your brand instantly recognisable. When your visuals, messaging, and tone align across channels, it creates a cohesive narrative that audiences can follow and connect with.

Achieving this level of consistency takes discipline. A well-defined brand style guide is your creative bible, laying out clear rules for typography, colour schemes, imagery, and tone of voice. Centralising creative production helps too, ensuring everything passes through the same lens of quality and coherence. But consistency doesn’t mean being rigid—it’s about tailoring for platforms while staying true to your core message. For instance, a long-form video can be reimagined as shorter, snappier clips for TikTok or Instagram Stories without losing its essence.

IKEA is the poster child for consistent creative. Every touchpoint, from their Instagram posts to their catalogues and store layouts, feels like part of the same world. Their Instagram features aspirational home setups with actionable tips, while their catalogues provide in-depth details about the same products. Walk into an IKEA store, and it all clicks into place—the aspirational setups you saw online are right there, ready to inspire your next project. This unified approach makes IKEA more than a brand; it makes them a trusted companion in turning houses into homes.

Consistency isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the glue that holds your brand together. When done right, it’s what turns casual encounters into long-term relationships.

The Dilate approach

At Dilate, we don’t just blend the science of performance with the art of creative—we fuse them to craft campaigns that don’t just work but leave a lasting impression. Our campaigns aren’t about chasing clicks or empty metrics; they’re about creating connections that stick. Guided by our core pillars of Clarity, Foundation, and Growth, every strategy we design is purposeful, cohesive, and adaptable to change—because great marketing is never one-size-fits-all.

1. Data-driven creativity

Let’s be honest: creative without strategy is just throwing darts in the dark. At Dilate, we don’t leave anything to chance. We start with data—real insights about your audience, their behaviours, and what gets them engaged. This isn’t just about crunching numbers; it’s about uncovering the human stories within the data. By aligning our creative with these insights, we make sure every campaign speaks directly to the people it’s meant to reach.

How we achieve data-driven clarity:

• Audience understanding: We analyse behaviour, preferences, and engagement patterns to identify what resonates.
• Performance insights: Every past campaign becomes a source of knowledge, helping us refine creative elements for better outcomes.
• Message alignment: By combining insights with intent, we design creative assets that address the audience’s needs at every stage of their journey.

This clarity ensures every visual, word, and concept is purposeful, making campaigns more impactful from the outset.

2. Multi-channel excellence

A campaign that only works on one platform is like a band playing one song on repeat—it’s fine at first, but you’ll lose the crowd pretty quickly. At Dilate, we design campaigns that hit all the right notes, connecting with audiences wherever they engage. From social media to email to landing pages, our approach ensures your messaging doesn’t just show up—it shows up right.

How we deliver multi-channel excellence:

It starts with unified storytelling. Whether it’s a cheeky Instagram ad, a landing page designed to convert, or an email sequence that feels personal, every piece of creative reinforces your core message. But consistency doesn’t mean sameness—we embrace platform-specific strategies, tailoring each asset to the unique behaviours and expectations of its audience. And we don’t stop there. With cross-platform tracking, we follow your audience’s journey across channels, ensuring every interaction builds familiarity and keeps them engaged.

This kind of consistency isn’t just about looking polished—it builds trust, strengthens recognition, and makes your brand the one they remember in a crowded market. At Dilate, we make sure your creative speaks the same language everywhere your audience listens.

3. Relentless optimisation

In marketing, success isn’t a one-and-done deal—it’s a process, not a finish line. At Dilate, we treat every campaign as a living, breathing project. Refining, testing, tweaking—optimisation is baked into everything we do. Why? Because standing still in marketing is the fastest way to fall behind.

How we ensure growth through optimisation:

It starts with testing and learning. From A/B testing headlines to diving into analytics, we leave no stone unturned in figuring out what’s working—and what’s not. Then comes real-time adjustments. We monitor performance like hawks, making quick changes to keep campaigns sharp, relevant, and effective. Finally, we lean into creative evolution. Markets shift, trends change, and audience preferences evolve. We’re not just along for the ride; we’re leading the charge, refreshing and updating creative assets to stay ahead of the curve.

This isn’t just about squeezing out a few extra clicks—it’s about building campaigns that deliver results today, tomorrow, and well into the future. At Dilate, we make sure your marketing doesn’t just work—it keeps working, no matter what.

Why the Dilate approach works

At Dilate, our clarity, foundation, and growth philosophy means nothing in your campaign is left to chance—it’s all deliberate, strategic, and laser-focused on delivering results.

• Clarity ensures your creative isn’t just pretty—it’s purposeful. Every ad, post, or email is targeted, intentional, and designed to connect with your audience in a way that actually matters.
• Foundation keeps your messaging rock-solid. Across every channel, your voice stays consistent, your visuals align, and your story hits home.
• Growth means your campaigns aren’t just good for now—they’re built to evolve. As your audience shifts, your creative adapts, ensuring you’re always one step ahead.
  

This approach isn’t just a framework—it’s how we make sure your campaigns don’t just work; they win.