When Everyone Is Creative, What Does Creativity Even Mean Anymore?

Today is the age of digital and Gen AI—and with every technological shift, the definition of creativity is once again being questioned. From the arrival of television decades ago to today’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence to fine-tune campaigns, the creative landscape has continuously evolved.

Beyond AI, performance metrics, platforms and the rise of creators are reshaping not just how ideas are executed, but also who gets to define what creativity truly means. This raises a larger, more fundamental question: what does India now call ‘creative’?

AI: Tool, Not Talent

Neville Shah, chief creative officer at FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX India, believes one of the biggest misconceptions around AI is that it automatically makes creativity cheaper or easier. As marketing budgets tighten, AI is often seen as a shortcut to efficiency.

“That assumption isn’t entirely correct,” Shah says. AI, he explains, is heavily subsidised, environmentally demanding and, at its core, an execution tool. “It can speed up image creation or handle repetitive tasks, but it cannot decide what should be created. That decision still requires clarity of thought.”

According to Shah, the real risk lies in mistaking AI for an ideation engine. “Its strength lies in reducing friction, not replacing thinking,” he says. More importantly, AI lacks empathy. “Communication is driven by an understanding of human fears, needs and desires. That emotional intelligence cannot be automated.”

He also points to a familiar industry tendency in India—following rather than leading. “Very few agencies innovate. Most imitate. Over the next decade, the agencies that use AI intelligently—not blindly—will stand out. We’ll begin seeing early signs of that shift very soon.”

The Definition That Never Changed

For Arvind Krishnan, founder and chief creative officer at MANJA, the essence of creativity has remained remarkably stable. He cites a definition often attributed to Hungarian author and journalist Arthur Koestler and creative icon George Lois: creativity is “defeating habit through originality.”

“That idea still holds,” Krishnan says. “Whether it’s storytelling, action or format, creativity is about changing behaviour or perception. What has changed are the units—platforms, formats and expressions—not the core intent.”

KV Sridhar, global chief creative officer at Nihilent Limited and Hypercollective, traces this shift through the industry’s own evolution. “When I started, advertising had just two creative roles—copywriter and art director. Creativity largely meant strong English writing or classical design training.”

Today, that structure has dissolved. “People now come from UI/UX, gaming, photography, 3D, film and digital backgrounds. Writing is no longer about language alone; it’s about scripting for video. You can write in Hindi, Tamil or any language—as long as you understand the medium.”

When Everyone Is Creative

Sridhar argues that the word “creativity” itself has become diluted. “Much like the word ‘love’, it’s lost precision. Everyone claims to be creative today,” he says.

Creativity, he insists, is not exclusive to advertising. “Engineers, scientists, architects—anyone who solves a problem by connecting unconnected ideas is creative.” In advertising, however, creativity must serve a clear purpose. “A reel is content. A good morning message is content. A S.S. Rajamouli film is content. But not all content is creativity.”

What distinguishes advertising creativity, according to Sridhar, is its ability to resolve conflict—cultural, emotional or functional. He cites Hamara Bajaj as an example of a campaign that bridged tradition and modernity. “That’s when advertising truly works—when it stands for something.”

Agencies, Algorithms or Creators?

Power dynamics within the ecosystem have also shifted. Krishnan points out that creators today sit at the intersection of creativity, media and audience. “Creators already own an audience. Agencies don’t. Agencies create ideas that are then distributed elsewhere.”

Creators, he adds, primarily focus on building communities, with advertising often serving as a monetisation layer. “Agencies are solving marketing problems. It’s a fundamentally different role.”

Sridhar is unequivocal about the role of algorithms. “Algorithms don’t create. They recognise patterns and distribute content. They are traffic managers, not thinkers,” he says. While performance metrics increasingly influence creative decisions, the idea itself still originates with humans. “Algorithms decide who sees the message—not what the message should be.”

Is Eccentric Humour Really New?

Recent campaigns from brands like CRED have reignited debates around eccentric humour as a ‘new’ creative language. Shah disagrees. “Absurd humour has been part of advertising for decades—from Fevicol’s iconic campaigns and 5 Star’s Ramesh–Suresh to classic Thai commercials and Skittles’ global work.”

What has changed, he says, is scale and speed. “Digital platforms make these ideas travel faster and wider. That’s why they feel more dominant today. The creative approach itself isn’t new.”

Krishnan echoes this view, pointing to Super Bowl advertising over the past two decades. “High-stakes, exaggerated storytelling has existed globally for years. Agencies like Mother and Wieden+Kennedy have built reputations on this style for a long time.”

Sridhar, however, offers a note of caution. “Many disruptive campaigns make people remember the ad, not the brand. Being memorable isn’t enough. The real question is—remembered for what?”

Short-Term Noise vs Long-Term Brands

That concern is shared by Kushager Tuli, president–creative at Tilt Brand Solutions. He believes celebrity-led, joke-first advertising has become formulaic. “You remember the celebrity and the gag, not the brand. Show ten such ads and people struggle to identify which brand was which.”

Tuli also highlights structural pressures. “Agencies are forced to think campaign to campaign. Marketers’ tenures are shorter. Targets are quarterly. Long-term brand thinking gets sacrificed for short-term spikes.”

For Myntra, Tuli says the response was to step away from gimmicks. “We went back to slice-of-life storytelling—real insights, real people. In a cluttered, content-first environment, strong storytelling actually stands out.”

The Future of ‘Creative’

Looking ahead, Shah believes the confusion stems from conflating execution and distribution with ideas. “If creativity is defined purely as execution, it will keep changing. But if it’s defined as ideas, nothing has changed. A strong idea can live across films, influencers, print or activations.”

Tuli agrees that the traditional film–print–radio mindset is over. “Creativity’s spectrum has expanded too much. Agencies must adapt faster. Those clinging to old ways won’t survive.”