Every generation believes it is living through the biggest transformation in advertising. Today, that conversation centres on AI. The debate is about automation, efficiency, creativity, AI slop and what technology will replace.
Could we perhaps be asking the wrong question?
What if the biggest challenge advertising and marketing have isn’t AI? What if it’s our growing inability to create work that genuinely resonates with people?
That’s the conversation in the latest episode of The Lead Creative with Alistair King, co-founder of former King James, creative at large and Vice-Chairperson of the Philipstown Wirecar Foundation. Widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most influential and transformative creative leaders, Alistair has spent almost four decades building brands, agencies and ideas that shifted the advertising industry.
Listen to the full conversation below:
Rather than blaming technology, Alistair argues that the industry’s biggest challenge existed long before AI arrived.
“Advertising has always been largely rubbish. Ninety percent of what gets produced is wallpaper.”
AI hasn’t created sameness; it has simply made it easier to produce. The real competitive advantage remains exactly what it has always been: original thinking.
That philosophy shaped some of King James’ most celebrated work. Campaigns for Allan Gray and Bell’s ignored the conventions of their categories in favour of emotionally rich storytelling. They trusted audiences to connect with ideas instead of formulas.
As Alistair puts it:
“The brands that ignore the rules of the category are usually the ones that break through, because if everyone is following the same formula, every ad starts looking the same.”
We also spend time discussing the Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix, a remarkable documentary film, which is streaming on Amazon Prime and receiving deserved international acclaim. Its greatest achievement, in our view, isn’t the awards or recognition; it’s the way it celebrates a community in ways that the people of Philipstown are proud of.
For many South Africans, particularly those who grew up in townships and rural communities, wire cars weren’t simply toys. They represented imagination, craftsmanship and possibility. They arguably still do.
The film captures that spirit with remarkable honesty, reminding us that some of our most remarkable stories are waiting to be noticed.
The episode also explores the resurgence of independent agencies, why clients still need brave creative partners, and how protecting time to think may be advertising’s greatest competitive advantage.
Five ideas to listen out for
- Why AI isn’t advertising’s biggest challenge.
- How brands became “echo chambers” instead of building distinctive identities.
- Why Allan Gray and Bell’s succeeded by rejecting category conventions.
- What the Philipstown Wirecar Grand Prix teaches us about revealing culture rather than manufacturing it.
- Why this may be one of the best moments in years to build an independent agency.
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