January 23, 2026 - 4 Min Read Are we becoming less creative?

Between efficiency and true innovation

Looking back, the 20th century feels like a succession of creative breakthroughs whose impact still shapes us today. Art, music, literature, and film evolved in leaps and defined entire generations.
From Surrealism to jazz and punk, one new idea followed the next and captured people’s imagination.

By contrast, the present often feels more controlled. There are fewer real surprises or disruptions, and instead a steady stream of refinements and incremental improvements to what already exists.
So what is behind this shift?

Were people simply more creative in the past?

In fact, the conditions for creativity have never been better. Digital tools unlock entirely new possibilities, and global connectivity enables collaboration across borders. Knowledge is available anytime, and ideas can be brought to life faster than ever before.
And yet, truly radical shifts seem to occur less often.

The Culture Industry

Economic pressure increasingly shapes culture. Music, film, fashion, and design are no longer driven purely by artistic impulse, but operate within the logic of platforms, algorithms, and audience data.
If you want to be seen, you have to perform. Algorithms reward familiarity and recognizability rather than radical difference. As a result, many formats lean toward what feels safe: proven storytelling patterns, familiar sounds, and established aesthetics.

That makes sense, but it also sets limits. Genuine innovation only happens when existing ways of thinking are consciously left behind and when there is room for friction and uncertainty.
Creativity needs the freedom to fail. It needs narratives that are not required to perform immediately. And it needs leadership that goes beyond managing and instead inspires.

From our perspective, this is one of the key challenges for B2B marketing leaders today.

Anyone aiming to build real visibility and create meaningful relevance cannot rely solely on incremental optimization and fine-tuning. Even if data becomes more precise and processes more efficient, the result is often communication that feels interchangeable and lacks personality.

Distinctive brands only emerge when companies are willing to take a clear stance and have the courage to not just improve what already exists, but to deliberately explore entirely new directions.

This requires the ability to hold tension:

• between the demand for measurable results and the need for real attention

• between what is easy to explain internally and what truly resonates externally

• between what feels safe and what can actually create impact

Especially in B2B, we often see these tensions being resolved too early. Communication tends to align with benchmarks, competitors, and what has worked in the past.
Yet B2B markets are not less open to new ideas. If anything, they are often more receptive to differentiation, precisely because so much content sounds alike, looks alike, and follows the same line of argument.