A Creative Director's Take: The Uncomfortable Truth Behind Dentsu's CMO Trends
As a creative director who's spent years in the trenches of design and brand storytelling, reading Dentsu's latest CMO trends report feels like watching executives discuss paint colors without ever having held a brush. While the report offers valuable macro insights, it misses crucial nuances about how creativity actually works in the real world.
The Omnipresent Creativity Paradox
The report champions "omnipresent creativity," with 82% of CMOs believing creativity has more potential than ever to unlock growth. But here's what they're missing: creativity isn't a faucet you can turn on everywhere simultaneously. Great creative work needs focus, depth, and most importantly, room to breathe.
When a brand tries to be everywhere, it often ends up being nowhere meaningful. Look at the data: The report indicates that only 41% invest in branded content, 37% in influencer partnerships, and 33% in user-generated content campaigns. These are precisely the formats that allow for deeper creative expression and meaningful brand storytelling.
The AI Enthusiasm Gap
The report shows that while 67% of CMOs doubted that AI could create content that moves us in 2023, the number has dropped to 49% in 2024. A majority of 77% would now be interested in training AI on their brand's look, feel and tone of voice. a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes brand voice authentic. A brand voice isn't just a set of parameters to be replicated; it's a living, breathing entity that evolves through human insight and creative intuition.
The Data-Creativity Disconnect
The report shows that 65% of CMOs are investing in data analytics and insights to inform creative work, while 59% are using AI and machine learning to predict changes in customer behaviors. As a creative professional, this heavy emphasis on data-driven decision making sets off alarm bells. Why? Because while data can tell you what worked yesterday, it's notoriously bad at predicting what will resonate tomorrow.
The most impactful creative work often defies data:
Nike's "Just Do It" would have failed focus groups
Apple's "Think Different" campaign broke every conventional rule
SK-II's "Marriage Market Takeover" campaign challenged deep-rooted cultural norms about marriage in China, despite market research suggesting consumers wouldn't respond to such controversial topics
The Cultural Integration Superficiality
The report states 88% of CMOs believe brand-culture integration is crucial, yet only 44% are engaging with fandoms as part of their audience targeting strategy. This disconnect reveals a shallow understanding of cultural integration.
Real cultural integration isn't about jumping on trending topics or hiring influencers. It's about creating work that becomes part of the cultural fabric. This requires deep cultural understanding, creative risk-taking, and most importantly, time - elements that seem absent from the report's metrics.
What the Report Gets Right (Sort Of)
The report reveals that 75% of marketers agree that every touchpoint can and must tell the brand story - from comms to commerce. However, the execution path it suggests feels mechanistic rather than organic. While 77% want to train AI on their brand voice, perhaps we should be investing in training humans to better understand and articulate brand values authentically.
The Creative Director's Reality Check
From where I sit, here's what CMOs should really be focusing on:
Quality Over Quantity
Instead of being omnipresent, be memorable. The report shows budgets spreading thinner across more channels, but creativity thrives on focus and depth.Human Insight Over AI
While 77% want to train AI on their brand voice, perhaps we should be investing in training humans to better understand and articulate brand values authentically.Creative Culture Over Creative Metrics
The obsession with measuring creativity (seen in the report's metrics-heavy approach) misses the point. Creative culture needs nurturing, not just measuring.Long-term Vision Over Short-term Trends
The low investment in longer-format content (27%) while pushing for quick-hit social media presence feels like prioritizing sugar rushes over nutrition.
The Creative Imperative
What if, instead of chasing omnipresence, we pursued resonance? What if, rather than trying to be everywhere, we focused on being meaningful somewhere? The data in the report could support this approach, but it would require a fundamental shift in how we view success metrics.
For creative professionals, the challenge isn't adapting to these trends – it's maintaining creative integrity while navigating them. Yes, we need to understand AI, data, and cultural integration. But we also need to champion what can't be quantified: intuition, originality, and human connection.
The Bottom Line
As a creative director, I read this report not as a roadmap but as a reflection of the tensions between business metrics and creative excellence. The real opportunity lies not in following these trends blindly, but in finding ways to bridge the gap between CMO aspirations and creative realities.
Perhaps the most telling statistic is buried in the report: 74% of CMOs are unsure how to connect brands to culture meaningfully. This uncertainty might be our greatest opportunity – a chance to remind decision-makers that meaningful connection comes not from checking trend boxes, but from brave, thoughtful, and well-crafted creative work.
The future of creativity in marketing isn't about being everywhere or leveraging every new tool. It's about being purposeful, authentic, and brave enough to stand for something meaningful – even if it doesn't fit neatly into next year's trend report.
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