Two years after our first conversation, Dr Pepe Marais, Co-Founder and Group Chief Creative Officer of Joe Public, joined us again as part of our IMC Conference series to revisit a familiar problem — the quality of advertising.
“Bad advertising clearly works,” he says. “But how much more could we achieve if we filled those expensive media slots with work that truly connects with people?”
Pepe believes that both locally and globally, the industry has confused motion with progress. “We’re time-starved,” he adds. “We’ve got the talent, but we don’t have the time to think.” He argues that creating endless new content has replaced the deep, long-term thinking that builds memorable brands.
Recalling a client who cut campaigns from 142 to 79 and saw immediate growth, he illustrates that fewer, stronger ideas can make more commercial sense. Pepe also discusses how AI could help agencies reclaim time to focus on creativity instead of constant delivery.
Conversation highlights:
- 93% of advertising fails, Dr Pepe Marais explains why.
- Doing less but thinking more drives better business outcomes.
- Marketers need to escape short-termism to build strong brands.
- AI can free creative teams to focus on ideas, not execution.
- The industry must consciously shift from volume to value.
Watch the conversation below:
Created in collaboration with our production partners, Soweto Media.
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