Creativity only goes so far.
A bold claim from an agency that prides itself on its creative excellence, perhaps, but a true one. Creativity sparks interest. It builds desire. It’s the essential first step. But on its own, it stops short.
So what takes you further?
In a tough macro-economic climate and an increasingly fragmented market, brands simply can’t afford for great ideas to exist in isolation. The real opportunity is in connecting the dots – between systems, platforms, and data – so every interaction is part of a seamless, connected journey. Not just a clever one-off on a single platform, but an experience that carries people forward.
Because while creativity can light the spark, growth comes from what you build around it.
The creative feeling
The best ideas start with a truth you can feel in your gut. They tap into the plethora of small frustrations, shared joys, and moments of humour that make people lean in. That’s the truth to why certain campaigns stick in our heads.
Take Ziploc’s Cannes-winning Preserved Promos. The premise? Everyone knows the sting of pulling out a coupon, only to find it’s expired. The creative leap was simple and human: if Ziploc can preserve your food, why not preserve your coupon? It’s an idea that makes you smile instantly, the kind of spark creativity is built for.
Or OREO’s Name This OREO, born from a quirky internet theory about the biscuit’s name. They didn’t just tell fans about it; they invited them to play, inventing their own cookie names in a voice-activated game. The idea tapped into cultural curiosity and the joy of personalisation, pure emotional pull.
But here’s the deal: desire, left to itself, fades. A great ad can open the door, but unless something steps in to greet people, show them around, and invite them to stay, the moment is lost.
Technology and us
Amazingly, technology in marketing is still seen in many places as something separate – that cold, transactional side of the business – the thing that crunches numbers while creativity wins hearts. This is profoundly wrong, the best technical thinking should be integrated from the get go, almost invisible. It’s the enabling hand that guides us from desiring something to getting it, without friction or frustration.
In Preserved Promos, creativity was the hook – but it was the technology that made it real. Scanning and validating expired coupons, integrating with retailers’ checkout systems, applying instant discounts when a Ziploc was added to the cart – all of it happened in the background, turning a +5% sales lift, a +49% redemption rate, and a simple smile into a sale.
For Name This OREO, it was the mobile audio interface, the seamless connection between playful naming and reward redemption, the data link that turned a fun social moment into measurable store sales. The campaign’s reach was outstanding, across socials reaching an audience of around 350 million people.
In both cases, technical know-how and the ability to execute wasn’t the star – but without it, the magic wouldn’t have happened.
Bridging the gap – Creativity, technology and data in sync
When creative, technology and data teams work in silos, we get lopsided experiences: the gorgeous campaign that leads to a dead-end landing page, or the sophisticated platform with nothing inspiring to say. The sparknever reaches the tinder.
The answer is to start with the human moment you want to create, that feeling, the action you hope will be taken – and then design creativity and technology around it together.
In our work, that means bringing creative directors, data scientists, UX designers, and engineers into the same room from day one – so the OREO voice game launches directly into a personalised reward journey, or Ziploc’s coupon idea instantly translates into a retailer-ready commerce mechanic.
That’s the bridge: seamless, human-first experiences that don’t just happen to people, but for them.
Why this matters now
The current climate isn’t forgiving. Consumers are cautious, attention is splintered across countless platforms, and expectations for seamless experiences have never been higher. In this environment, connection is the scarce resource.
Yes, you can still buy attention – but genuine engagement is earned, and it’s earned through relevance, consistency, and trust. Human creativity alone can make a splash; technology alone can make a process efficient. But only together can they make the journey from first glance to lasting relationship feel effortless.
In the end, it’s about recognising the rhythm: creativity sparks desire, technology nurtures it into action, and data aligns that action into loyalty. When we combine the human trait of storytelling with the muscle of connected systems, we create not just moments, but movements.
The brands that will thrive are those that treat every touchpoint – from an Instagram Story to a loyalty app notification – as part of one connected, human experience.
This central connection, between human creativity and technological innovation, is the north star that should guide how agencies connect imagination and technology to drive growth.
Because creativity can only go so far. Creativity with technology, reaching across to consumers in ways that matter – and making sure that moment lasts – is where real value lives.
Ewen Sturgeon
Ewen Sturgeon is CEO EMEA at VML, responsible for steering the region’s growth while ensuring operational excellence and alignment across the global network. With more than 25 years of experience, he has built a reputation as a transformative leader at the intersection of commerce, creativity, data and technology. His career highlights include launching the first online retail platform for M&S and establishing AstraZeneca’s pioneering Digital Centre of Innovation, setting new benchmarks for how brands embrace digital.
