The uncreative truth: A world of creative clones.
Inspired by a great podcast by Blair Enns, Leah Power and John Gleason - 8 Things Every Agency Says - I decided to do a little digging with my friend, Google Bard.
And shock horror, it turns out advertising agencies are all making claims that are virtually impossible to differentiate.
I (Bard) analysed the positioning statements of 50 agencies, from global giants to smaller firms and I found myself drowning in a sea of "creativity," "innovation," and "award-winning."
In reading all of the statements, my overriding feeling was one of feeling totally uninspired. Over half the agencies I looked at claimed to be creative!
“We use creativity to craft…”
“We’re creative problem solvers”
“We’re creative marketers”
Has a brand ever asked for an uncreative agency?
What struck me as even more surprising was the scarcity of agencies actually stating who they help or what problems they solve. It's all me, me, me.
In the UK alone, there are thousands upon thousands of agencies, and I can only imagine the bewilderment brands face in choosing an agency when everyone is singing the same tune.
The top 10 words used by the 50 agencies in their -
Creative - 52%
Award Winning - 34%
Global - 26%
Independent - 26%
Strategic 23%
Digital - 22%
Innovative - 17%
Full-Service - 16%
Best - 16%
Unique - 16%
And there’s a lot of agencies out there breathing life into brands and making them come alive.
“We make brands come alive”
“We craft brands that people buy into”
“We breathe new life into brands”
“We give brands the freedom to speak louder”
“...helping brands to stand out and shout louder”
And finally, I asked my AI companion to come up with some positioning statements for an imaginary advertising agency that I was starting up.
We are the independent creative agency that disrupts the ordinary.
Our award-winning creativity is the fuel that propels brands to new heights of success.
We are the independent, global, creative agency that ignites possibilities.
We are the global creative agency that makes brands matter.
It all sounds very familiar, generic and bland.