We need to be brave, break rules and stop fear ruling over creativity.

There is only one rule: there are no rules.

Advertising has proved throughout its history that breaking rules brings success. Volkswagen proved it in the 60s when it broke the rule of ‘always show a sexy car shot’, and in the process self-deprecated its way into our hearts. Marmite broke the rule of ‘always show a positive’ when it introduced ‘hate’ into the mix back in the 90s. Cadbury’s broke the rule of ‘always react to and obey research’ by releasing the drumming gorilla in the 00s, regardless of what the groups said. And more recently Burger King broke the rule of ‘always show food in a delicious way’ by showing theirs in the most unappetising way possible.

And yet, there seem to be so many rules right now. Restrictive brand guidelines, and even more research before, during and after the ad is made. Social media companies are creating more rules: it must be under 20 seconds; sometimes even 5 seconds; it must have the logo at the beginning in case people skip. Then there’s the ‘marketing experts’ saying you must always show people; it mustn’t be dark; it must have a pneumonic; it mustn’t show a negative... it must do this, it must not do that. Rules, rules, rules.

Why? Fear. It’s ruled over creative for a while now. Cancel culture, job security, the economy - they all play their part. Advertising has to deliver tangible results to guarantee safety. Research has to be listened to and followed to make tough decisions easier and eradicate blame for failure. Everyone’s too scared to stick their neck out or to stand out. If you do, you risk getting the chop and your mortgage not getting paid. 

But there are some out there who are saying ‘fuck that’. Smart brands continue to disobey the rules. Apple continues to make epic over two-minute-long films, unafraid of the dreaded ‘skip’ button. Love it or hate it, Jaguar has gone against the grain of safe European car advertising and relaunched without even showing a car. And KFC continues to show a real, live chicken before the slaughter, which is brave in this hyper-sensitive world.

So, as we move into 2025 maybe it’s time to reset our mindsets. Put fear in the back seat and let bravery take the wheel. Have the confidence to try new things, think a bit differently and go for it. Because at the end of the day, that’s why we love this job. Advertising isn’t a safe job. It’s ruthless, exciting, impulsive, reactionary, forward-thinking and progressive. It’s about standing out and winning. Not becoming forgotten and sinking. 

Now, don’t get us wrong, we understand the importance of branding, research and guidelines, but we don’t think they should become a wall against great creativity and the job at hand: to sell our product in the most interesting way possible.

Creating interesting solutions to problems is what we do best. But sometimes it feels as though creatives are like caged animals at the zoo, pacing up and down in a restrictive small space, desperate to be let out to run wild and maul the average punter on the street. If only we could leave the cage door open occasionally. 

If we create environments where creatives can fly without their wings being clipped, that would be a start. It’s going to take brave clients and brave bosses to make that happen. But under the theme of ‘reset’ this seems like the best time to say it. Agencies need to believe in their ability to make groundbreaking and rule-breaking work, while clients and brands need to be open to letting that happen. Yes, budgets are going to be tight, time will be short, opinions will differ, and tough decisions will have to be made, but it’s worth the struggle: just to do something that’s memorable, that’s effective, that makes people sit up and take notice and to do more than just the ordinary.

The thing is, we’re not really saying anything new here. Many people have made this observation before and there are so many stories of rule breakers proving the world wrong that it baffles us why we don’t do it more often. So maybe this serves more as a reminder than a revelation. That’s why we say all this more in hope than as a prediction. Things might - and probably will - continue as they are, considering the state of the world. Fear and anxiety are probably at an all-time high, but if we can keep trying to push for the ‘never seen that before’ and throw the rule book out, we’re sure 2025 will be one of the most satisfyingly creative years for a long time.

Oh, and apparently, this article MUST be 800 words long.

It’s now eight hundred and…. one.