Ep 52: Andrew Tindall on defining creativity and why emotion matters for effectiveness

Advertising is getting pricier, yet the results many marketers care about most are shrinking. Brand effects like awareness, trust and differentiation are dropping across award-winning case studies, even as budgets climb, and that should worry anyone responsible for growth. David talks with Andrew Tindall from System1 about what sits underneath that decline and how to fix it without hiding behind vanity metrics.Andrew unpacks why emotional response is not a “nice to have”, but one of the most dependable predictors of effectiveness we have, especially when paired with clear brand recognition. From there we dig into the Creative Dividend, a model that blends global Effie Awards effectiveness data with System1’s large-scale creative testing to show something many teams miss: creativity and media only make sense together. A strong ad with no reach is wasted. Heavy reach behind a weak ad is inefficient.You will also hear a practical planning idea you can take back to your next budget meeting: Excess Share of Creativity (ESOC). Alongside Excess Share of Voice, it reframes the job as building genuine creative advantage and then backing it with the right weight of quality reach. We cover the four outputs that make creativity accessible in plain language, the real cost of dull campaigns, and why chasing lower CPM can push teams into low-attention media that drags ROI down.If you want clearer creative reviews, smarter media planning and stronger marketing effectiveness, subscribe, listen and share this with a colleague.Subscribe to the WFA #BetterMarketing podcast on your preferred platform: https://bit.ly/41ZwqkF.