words Alexa Wang

As we approach 2020 and beyond, the face of the corporate world is undergoing a rapid metamorphosis, nay facelift, from a purely profit-driven culture dominated by deal-making execs into an open market of creatives – writers, designers, marketers, artists, strategists, etc. – who offer an ever-growing array of services that focus solely on satisfying the end user.

Paying employees for their creativity is nothing new, but as online marketing has reshaped every aspect of business promotion, creatives have quickly gained majority leverage in an environment that seems urgent to replace such human innovation with artificial intelligence.

Fortunately, it seems we’re at least a decade or more away from encountering a general AI cog that can crank out unique ideas and effective copy, and there’s no guarantee that such a programme will ever exist. In the meantime, here are 10 ways creatives are leveraging their talent in today’s flexible job market.

Applying Creativity to the Job Search Process

Being that most work done in the creative realm consists of tasks related to design, art, development, and conceptualisation, it makes sense that they’re well-equipped to devise a creative approach to job searching as job market statistics show. For example, many are reaching out to recruitment agencies en masse by employing CV distribution services with the help of networked providers like Job Nexus.

Ushering in the Exodus of Mediocrity

Do you remember how generic advertising and commercials used to be? Sadly, many people are still stagnating in the 90’s with predictable copy and fluffed up content that practically begs to be forgotten. Creatives are actively propelling us away from those unappetizing forms of promotion that often consist of little more than unbearably re-hashed corporate flattery. Translation: creatives aren’t boring or predictable.

Playing Pivotal Corporate Roles

Even in companies that have harnessed the miracle of AI, creatives are a class of employees that are absolutely indispensable. Although they may only take up a small fraction of a company’s workforce, they’re responsible for the creation of everything you read and watch online, and that’s powerful.

Competitive Necessity

The logic behind this one is simple – “other companies have innovative people on their team, therefore we need them too”. That’s the mindset that has opened the door for so many talented professionals because companies are essentially forced into hiring creatives in order to avoid obsolescence.

Facilitating the Future

The corporate structure is a lot like an ant colony – the higher ups wouldn’t be able to function without the worker ants and vice versa. But what kind of ants are the creatives? Soldier ants? Fire ants? The answer is: they’re not ants at all, they’re bees, using their imagination to fly above and beyond the ant hill and envision broader horizons.

Putting Substance Behind the Promises of Pen Pushers

Let’s face it, agency executives and sales specialists can make some heavy promises when they’re trying to close a deal with a new client. “Yes, sir. Of course, we can deliver 500 fully developed websites by 6 AM Monday” – said the overzealous salesmen on Friday afternoon.  If they ever had to actually do the hard work that backs up those promises, it would be depressing, yet also amusing, to watch them scurrying in panic. But why would they do that when they could just hire some creatives?

Driving Innovation Forward

The cloak of the corporate ladder keeps the general public from ever knowing about the individuals who really started the trend, developed the product, or created that stunning video ad that wound up getting millions of views. Unfortunately, creatives don’t get paid to take credit, they get paid to generate results, which brings us to our next point.

Talent Translates to Results

When you break down what business is, it’s really just a glorified creative process. It’s a big game and the best players are those who can adapt and adjust to everchanging markets and consumer demands, a.k.a … creatives.

Effectively Replacing Retirees and Previous Employees

When a millennial marketing mastermind comes in and steals the show at a Fortune 500 company by launching a campaign that boosts sales by a few hundred percent, you can be sure that hiring execs are taking notice and wanting more of that kind of input.

Doing the Jobs that No One Else Will Do, Properly

Let’s face it, the guy in the suit doesn’t want to be the one doing the creative work, and you can’t exactly hire someone who isn’t creative to do work that requires creativity. Thus, there’s really no getting around it – in order to get in on the kind of exponential success that modern marketers are capable of achieving, creatives are not only necessary, they’re the key component in the entire operation.

If You Can’t Beat Them, Hire Them

With all of the above factors taken into consideration, it’s also worth noting that it wouldn’t be wise for established businesses to compete with upcoming creatives for market share. Under that logic, it makes more sense to hire them than to wait until they’ve launched competitive businesses of their own.