“Everything must change… ”

…goes a song that is every bit as sad, as it is hopeful. It illustrates the exact nature of change. Because change is the most certain uncertain thing in the world. Beginning with a tiny step, most dare not to make, but all do-follow.

When I started working in advertising, the creative industry was tightly in the grasp of the chosen few talented creatives and visionaries ready to change the brave new world. Today, the brave new world is a brand-new world. Technology has become an integral part of creativity and change has shifted to the hands of the tinkerers, the techies, gamers and influencers, online providers, social platforms, and tech giants. And most of all, ordinary people who have become creators of change themselves. It is a beautiful thing. Creativity has finally become an open playground, a free for all. And now more than ever, as an industry, we have to embrace this change. Not as a challenge, but as an opportunity. And what an opportunity it is! To tell truly meaningful stories that change the way people think, feel and act in ways that could not have been imaginable just a few years ago. Since the very beginning of advertising, we have been trying to influence the world; now we can finally shape it as well.

That is why I love the idea of “Creativity 4 change”. I don’t see it as a slogan, but a rallying cry from the brave to the brave. For advertising, to take a step beyond advertising.

To stop riding waves of change, and truly start creating them.

Ivan Westerveen, Creative Director, Saatchi&Saatchi Belgrade, Serbia