The Future of Professional Creativity

Allow us to help you visualize your future.

Imagine a world where creativity is one of the single greatest assets an employee can have. What would that future look like?

What skills would be in high demand, and why?

Imagine a world where top creatives get recruited like star athletes. A world where brands hold the same spotlight as celebrities. The creatives who market them get paid well for it.

Imagine a world where agencies are no longer bound by the four walls that make up their business. Innovative tools will have finally caught up with the future of business. Now, agencies work without the restraints of physical locations.

It’s a future where creative teams use innovative platforms for cross-disciplinary work. Creatives talk about innovative ideas as if they were in the same room but are countries apart.

Now, stop dreaming because that future is now.

Read on to discover why now is the best time in the history of the world to be a creative professional.

The Backdrop: How the World Is Changing

In the coming years, automation will replace millions of jobs. One skill automation won’t

replace though is creativity.

The World Economic Forum lists creativity as the third most desired skill in the world. And they’re not the only ones.

LinkedIn cites creativity as one of the most valuable skills in the world. It’s second only to cloud computing.

Companies are hungry for creative thinkers and problem-solvers. And that means you!

A report from Mckinsey indicates major worldwide growth for creative professionals. These projections represent pre-pandemic conditions. Think about that. There wasn’t any knowledge about the emergence of remote work in 2020.

If these numbers don’t impress you, consider the alternative. Here is a chart for one of the industries primed for automation.

The future of work is almost especially suited for creative professionals. It will be a world in need of digital marketing, design, and content.

Brands Become Like Celebrities

Creative professionals will use digital marketing skills to propel brands to celebrity status. They may come up with branding ideas for social media or write content that converts.

Creative professionals will arrive en masse.

Tiktok will become a major player in social media marketing. Influencers that can create established brands on many platforms will be successful. Brands will need creative professionals that can help reach consumers worldwide.

68% of companies prefer campaign-based influencer marketing. That’s where creatives will have a competitive edge in the industry.

According to TechCrunch, TikTok will have 1.2 billion monthly users by 2021. Not only that, TikTok has better engagement when compared to Instagram and Twitter.

With this kind of engagement, it’s no wonder TikTok is set to dominate influencer marketing in 2021. And if that wasn’t enough, TikTok lifetime user spending on the free app is set to cross half a billion dollars.

Creative professionals will be at the forefront of influencer marketing campaigns. Together, they will help propel brands to celebrity status.

The future of marketing will boil down to who can capture social media audiences. When you consider that influencer marketing trends expect growth to $13.8 billion in 2021.

That makes creative professionals a sought-after group.

The World of Future Work for Creative Professionals

The pandemic forced many to learn to work from remote locations. As a result, digital agencies became the beneficiaries of some major luck.

Innovation has surged to meet the demands of a remote working world. Some reports suggest in the coming years, up to 80% of employees may work from home.

What does this mean for creative professionals?

Companies Take a MultiDisciplinary Approach to Work

Creative professionals will work in multidisciplinary teams. Whether that is online or in the office remains a mystery.

One thing is certain. The old silos of you do this; I do that won’t apply anymore. Graphic designers will work alongside social media marketers, copywriters, and content strategists.

Companies will put together creative teams who can collaborate on marketing initiatives. Teams will also work with non-creative professionals to meet company initiatives and goals.

In the world of business, brainstorming sessions will need collective creativity. HR professionals will look for collaborative individuals who can solve complex problems.

The top ten most desirable skills for the future of work are:

Complex problem solving
Critical thinking
Creativity
People management
Coordinating with others
Emotional intelligence
Judgment and decision making
Service orientation
Negotiation
Cognitive flexibility

You can see aspects of creativity and collaboration on this list of desirable traits.

Remote Innovation Makes Work Environments More Flexible

With the rise of remote innovation software, teams will have greater flexibility. That means many companies will offer opportunities to work from anywhere. Coworking spaces will also become more popular as teams work together.

Remote possibilities allow digital agencies to recruit talent from all over the world. No longer bound by location, agencies can put together international creative super teams.

Creative professionals will finally have the upper hand when working for companies. With competition for the top creative professionals, companies will vie for your time.

Nothing is free, though, right? That means it may come with some risk factors.

Programmatic Advertising and Personalization

While companies may be vying for top creative talent, they want results. Data will be the key source of your worth.

If you (and your team) can produce stellar results, you’ll be very well compensated. With programmatic advertising, campaigns may look a bit different in the future.

One thing won’t change, though. The ability to reach different groups of people with images and text. The ability to be ahead of the curve and craft relatable material.

No amount of AI will change that. People want personalization.

The goal for teams will be to create compelling, personalized advertising campaigns. They also must be viral-worthy.

Consider the Bernie mittens meme. It went through thousands of incarnations and millions of shares. It became popular because it was relatable regardless of your political affiliation.

Bernie used the meme to raise $1.8 million for food-sensitive families in Vermont. Major brands would kill for this kind of traction for a marketing campaign.

While it was lightning in a bottle, most viral campaigns have the same trajectory. Your ability to repeat data-driven success will help you write your own ticket.

Consumers no longer want generic advertising. They want personalized ads that they can relate to and appreciate.

If you can do this, you’ve got a bright future ahead of you.