The creative industry stands at a crucial turning point. The recent sale of digital agency Huge by IPG to the private equity firm AEA Investors, coupled with the anticipated management buyout of giant R/GA, signifies a profound restructuring of the agency landscape.

 

These transactions reflect a broader industry trend, where traditional creative agencies are increasingly under pressure from investors and holding companies prioritizing returns over creative craftsmanship. Combined with the strategic realignment of major holding companies (e.g., the Omnicom-IPG merger) and the ever-growing demand for measurable business results, a fundamental reassessment is imperative. Creative agencies face an existential question: how do we prove our added value in a world where optimization, technology, and data have become the dominant forces?

 

Creativity Devalued

Let's be honest: in recent years, creativity has been significantly devalued. The profession has devolved into a margin game, where economies of scale and cost reduction seem to outweigh the original core: building brands, creating meaningful experiences, and pushing the boundaries of creative possibility. Where once groundbreaking creative concepts made the difference, agencies are now expected to conform to an economic model where creativity is merely an execution function. Enterprise procurement departments have seized complete control, treating the procurement of creativity like the procurement of an energy contract—a killing and inappropriate approach. This erosion has been ongoing for a decade, yet no one draws a line. Moreover, the lack of truly effective pitch consultants plays a significant role. They take over the entire process for new agency selection but have never truly reinvented pitch consulting as an instrument. We are still waiting for that innovative (inter)national pitch consultant who will arrive with a groundbreaking approach, helping to formulate brand objectives through in-depth market analysis and a clear vision of the desired business strategy for the years ahead.

 

Creativity as Business Strategy, Not a Commodity

But giving up is not an option. Over the past twenty years, we've demonstrated sufficient transformative power as a creative industry. The crux lies in positioning creativity within business strategy. We must move away from the idea that creativity is merely an add-on to a broader commercial approach. Instead, we must reinstate creativity as a strategic lever for value creation. This means we no longer accept creativity being reduced to a commodity in procurement-driven pitch processes, where the lowest price and highest efficiency are the decisive factors.

Nor should we be distracted by consultants who sell strategic frameworks and process optimization but often fall short in bringing creative ideas to life and providing superficial elaborations. Or the tech companies that offer automation and scalability but struggle with distinctive creative capability and developing an emotional connection with customers. In recent years, creative agencies have increasingly operated in the shadow of these two players. Undeservedly.

The challenge, therefore, lies in redefining our role. We must position ourselves more strongly as the indispensable link between data, technology, and human imagination. And this is a formidable challenge that requires broad collaboration among the world's major creative agencies, given that they have the greatest visible impact on the industry and the client-side.

 

From Service Provision to Collective Creative Power

To remain relevant, we must realize a fundamental shift in thinking: from service providers to partners in value creation. This means we genuinely influence our clients' business strategy. We must sell creativity not as a separate service but as a transformative force that drives innovation, growth, and customer loyalty. We must collectively adjust our thinking in three key areas.

First, creativity has value only when it delivers results. For too long, creative impact has been measured through awards and aesthetic recognition, while the real question is: what does it deliver? Creativity must be measurable—not with vague KPIs but with hard numbers on growth, customer value, and market dominance. If an idea does not contribute to business success, it is not a good idea.

Second, technology is not the enemy of creativity, but neither is it the solution. AI and data are tools—powerful, but worthless without vision. The art is not to follow technology but to use it intelligently to enhance human creativity and build unique customer and brand experiences. The real winners are those who use technology to create radically better, distinctive customer experiences.

Third, the relationship between brands and agencies is broken. The classic model of one-off creative projects and pitches treats creativity as a disposable commodity. That doesn't work. Real impact comes from strategic partnerships where agencies are not "suppliers" but long-term value co-builders. A prime example is the Hertog Jan case (disclaimer: we have been the brand's strategic agency for thirteen years). Thanks to the continued trust of ABInBev's marketers in the agency, the Hertog Jan beer brand has become the largest beer brand in Dutch retail in twelve years, growing from number five to market leader. The agency-client relationship made the difference because, thanks to sustained trust over all those years, the agency, together with the marketers, could consistently build the "For the Love of Beer" brand strategy into the winning strategy in the beer market with corresponding positive business results. And yes, we worked results-driven with meticulous KPIs. Unhindered by pitch consultants or buyers, all creative forces were deployed to create unique brand and customer experiences that beer lovers had been waiting for all those years. The result: sustainable brand growth, value creation, and many awards. Such a creative partnership takes time and trust. Too few FMCG brands give that trust. This really has to stop now.

 

Call for Renewed Creative Ambition

This momentum is the perfect time for us as an industry to jointly set a new standard and recalibrate the position of creativity. This requires courage, open collaboration, and breaking down outdated models. We must demand that creativity is recognized as the driving force behind innovation and sustainable growth, not merely as an execution function. Take the KPN case, a shining example: the strategic and creative collaboration between KPN and Dentsu has propelled the brand to great heights. Not only did this result in the very first Dutch Grand European Effie Award, but also in an impressive display at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where Marieke Snoep and Boris Niehaus made a powerful call for a better and safer internet, seamlessly interwoven with KPN's brand strategy. This is creativity at a level that creates social impact and helps us demonstrate the true value of strategic creativity from an agency perspective. Such cases, alongside Hertog Jan, prove that with the right collaboration and prerequisites, creativity is an indispensable engine for success and growth. So, it's time for a renewed creative ambition together