Andy Bargery, Client Director at Oystercatchers discusses the importance of investing in creativity and how a skilled agency partner can help in a brand’s quest to drive creative excellence.

Does creativity build business results for brands? You bet it does, and that’s no secret. But how do you go about delivering truly great creative? Creative that goes above and beyond, packs a punch, and stands the test of time? Often, it means finding a skilled agency partner who can help brands deliver on the transformative power of creativity, or it might also mean refining your processes to get the most out of an internal resource. Perhaps it’s a bit of both as you find opportunities to crank the creative machine up a gear.

Over the past few months, I’ve been delving deep into the business impact of great creative while working with brands seeking to enhance the quality of their marketing communications. A reoccurring theme on these projects- while not novel but one that frequently pops up in conversation – is justifying a brand’s investment in creativity.

Here are three compelling stats I’ve used to validate how investing in creativity can deliver brand impact:

  • Better sales uplift: Creatively awarded campaigns deliver an average sales uplift four times higher than that of non-awarded campaigns. (WARC, 2021)

  • A higher likelihood to succeed: Ads with above-average creativity are 70% more likely to be successful in the market. (IPA, 2020)

  • Enhanced recall: Ads that creatively stand out are 94% more likely to be remembered by viewers. (Nielsen, 2018)


These are from industry authorities WARC, The IPA and Neilsen, and underscore the undeniable advantages of creativity; it’s clear that as the marketing landscape constantly evolves, creativity will remain a catalyst for brand differentiation, salience and long-standing impact. Or to put it another way, business results.

So how do you drive creative excellence? It’s easy to underestimate the value of investing in an agency with the right level of creative expertise to expedite a brand’s creative endeavours, unlock resonance, and consumer engagement. However, we know a lot about how to match a brand with a creative agency to create these partnerships that deliver business impact.

Nurturing partnerships to maximise creativity and deliver brand growth is a theme we will be exploring at our next Oystercatchers Club Evening, exclusive to senior brand marketers and agency CEOs in the Oystercatchers Club. For more information or if you would like to attend, RSVP to nadia.atchia@theoystercatchers.com.

by Andy Bargery, Client Director, Oystercatchers