When I start out on a new brief, I don't know what I want. I have a vague idea what the solution might be… But I like to pop down a rabbit hole.

I like to open up to stimuli. I love flipping through books, award annuals, even going out for a walk and people watching. I’m searching for the spark. That little magic moment.

Finding something relevant within the chaos of living.

That’s just my process. The process gets me there. And having spent 30 years doing this… I trust it. The idea will come. It always does.

But is it an idea?

I spent the last couple of decades as a CD. And The amount of times I’ve seen talented creative people present executions or a tagline or a mood board. While within their scamps and the doodles there is often an overlooked gem. A stand-out thought. An insight.

It takes experience to recognise an idea. And Ideas can change the world.

And speaking of changing the world. AI. What now?

Yes, it’s impressive. And the pace at which it’s improving is quite simply a phenomenon.

My social feed is choked with headlines like “This 14 year old wrote, directed and scored this sci-fi movie in two days.”

Is advertising cooked?

Well, we would be except for one thing.

This... The consumer doesn’t care. They have something much more important to think about. Life. Real life. Imperfect, messy, inefficient, wonderful life.

They don't care about your brand. In a survey consumers have said that they wouldn’t care if *74% of brands disappeared tomorrow.

They care about what’s actually happening around them. This global ‘permacrisis’, Their communities. Injustice. The planet we live on.

Here’s my view.

AI is a tool. An amazing tool. And sure you can use it to make ads. Yes. A lot of people will be losing out. The standard way of making films will change for sure. And some industry trades will disappear.

Brands will see AI as a cheap way to engage with creativity. To “do it better’.

It’ll all  look perfect of course. (It’ll learn how to count fingers etc.) AI is good at that.

I just know it’ll be more fake sludge in a congested market of short term thinking. It will all feel and look the same. Cosmetic and homogenised. Ad perfect

But...

I believe that consumers will see this too. And it will be as easy to ignore as ever.

We live in an imperfect, chaotic world. The brands that embrace humanity, empathy and quality of life, brands that take action with real ideas that can change the way we live for the better… They will be the real future.

But that takes experience. And a messy inefficient process. It’ll take imagination.

*Havas Meaning Brands report 2024

Brendan O'Flaherty - Creative Director - Just Ordinary Folk