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Senior vice-president of Unilever Simon Rothon and WPP chairman Martin Sorrell last week referred to how creativity in advertising is beginning to originate from emerging markets such as Brazil and India, rather than from established markets like Europe and the US. Is there a similar shift in design, and if so, how should the UK respond?

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We ignore this at our peril. Established markets have the training, disciplines and processes that are actively sought out by emerging markets. Design solutions must be founded in the inspiration derived from working with our clients to embrace the rich diversity, dynamism and social and cultural individualism of these emerging powerhouses. The trick is to deliver the best of both worlds.
Lucy Unger, Managing partner, Fitch EMEA

 

Well, if it’s true, then great! It’s about time we looked to new places and countries for some inspiration. Maybe here in the branding industry we’re a bit too influenced by the weather (grey) and our island mentality (introverted). We can’t help that, I suppose, and it has certainly helped produce some great creativity in the past. So looking to these hot and lively cultures I guess we should start to Bollywood our creative ideas up a little bit. After all, curry is our nation’s dish of choice, so bring out the chilli and start to turn up the heat.
Franco Bonadio, Chief executive, Identica

Global change is gathering pace. Design and advertising are global languages that with increasing quality of education and opportunity in emerging markets are fostering an explosion of creativity. The scary thing is the cost base that this is taking place within and the challenges that will present in established markets. We need to be part of this revolution by building bridges and embracing co-operation and collaboration.
Mike Curtis, Managing director and founder, Start Creative

 

I have never believed that any one country has ever ‘owned’ creativity. There have always been shifts between regions and countries, primarily between Europe and the US. However, our own arrogance that we create the best work will always be our undoing in the end. Creativity rests with the individual, not with a country. We probably have more mediocre designers here in the UK than anywhere else. It is the responsibility of every designer to question whether their work is good enough and to respect great work no matter where it originates from.
Domenic Lippa, Partner, Pentagram

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