As AI becomes a ubiquitous marketing tool, let’s not forget that humanity is a creative superpower — and an exercise we shouldn’t abandon.
Earlier this summer, legendary hip-hop producer and creative guru Rick Rubin observed, “The reason we go to the artists we go to, or the writers we go to, or the filmmakers we go to, is for their point of view. The AI doesn’t have a point of view.” Optimistic creatives point to AI as a useful tool for the creative process — something to augment our abilities rather than fully replace them, because of what Rubin described. True creativity requires human perspective.
It’s easy to be a cynical creative these days, but I found a flicker of hope in Rubin’s commentary. In my opinion, the idea of perspective — forming a creative point of view that connects, inspires or moves — comes with an important caveat: it requires participation in and awareness of the people and communities around you. It’s like a muscle. Without exercise, it will atrophy.
In a time of division and disconnection, the rise of AI and the great handwringing over cultural decline, there’s one tool that can spare us from the worst possible outcomes and save the quality of our creative outputs. Our humanity.
It’s obvious. It’s inherent. And still, it requires conscious action. Whether you’re a pessimistic marketing pro, a concerned creative or simply a conscientious human who’s feeling uneasy about the current trajectory of things, there’s something you can do: spend more time out in the world — and most importantly, with other people.
At Core, we make a point to stay connected and involved with culture, inside and outside our workplace. By keeping in touch with our human side — our coworkers, our clients (and their industries), and the community at large, we balance our use of AI tools by actively maintaining a perspective that only real people can achieve.
Whether it’s applied to advertising or other creative pursuits, a creative breakthrough — something truly original that grabs attention and inspires connection — depends on a distillation of different inputs.
These inputs come from the world you encounter every day. The smaller your world and the more you focus inward, rather than outward, the more you limit your sphere of inspiring stimuli. The more you will struggle to relate to and understand the experience of those around you. The more frustrated you will become when faced with the limits of your own capabilities.
This is what makes self-centered people so insufferable, and what makes lots of marketing very boring when it’s all chest-beating and a list of features. If your business isn’t reading the room, what you have to offer is going to be a tough sell for your audience.
When engaging in new experiences, particularly social ones, creative thinkers are uniquely mindful of observations and interactions; the different inputs we’re exposed to just by nature of meeting and connecting with others. We become change makers and innovators by finding pieces of the world that catch our eye and fitting them together in unexpected ways.
Many marketers come to us with a vision for their marketing and what it needs to say. While it’s important to have clear goals in mind, that’s only part of what guides our perspective. Creating breakthrough creative depends on understanding your audience. That’s why we’re big believers in thoughtful discovery that informs our human-centered approach.
Our discovery process is rooted in human curiosity. When we embark on a new project, we don’t just rely on secondary data and client briefs — we prefer to find our clients’ audiences, understand their goals, fears and priorities, learn the language they use and empathize with them.
Human-centered design is more than a buzzword here. Our team is trained in design thinking: a methodology that helps us make work that resonates. It’s the framework we use to uncover what really matters to the people we’re trying to reach, then craft creative that connects. Our goal isn’t just to be clever — it’s to make marketing that’s purposeful and impactful.
Connection isn’t just a part of our process — it’s been a goal of our team’s hybrid work model. While remote work offers flexibility for our team to achieve work/life balance (and create their best work), we know there’s a different kind of energy inherent to in-person collaboration, particularly for brainstorms and creative reviews. Giving feedback to each other’s faces makes for more effective communication and productive working relationships, to keep our ships rowing in the same direction: towards the best creative and best results.
The same goes for our client interactions, which we aim to have in person whenever possible. Face-to-face moments help build trust, strengthen relationships and ensure we’re truly aligned on goals and expectations. When we can sit at the same table and problem-solve together, it deepens our understanding, inspires new solutions, improves the work and generally makes the whole process more fun for everyone.
That’s why all-agency meetings and celebrations are an important part of our award-winning workplace culture. We share business updates with transparency, recognize standout contributions and have honest conversations about how we can do better. These events help us reconnect not just as colleagues but as people. They’re proof that culture doesn’t happen by accident — it’s built with intention.
Perhaps most importantly, we recognize the importance of showing up in ways that get us out of the workplace and involved with our community.
Every Core team member gets paid volunteer hours, either to pursue their own philanthropic passions or participate in one of our Core-organized events (some of our most popular ones include creative unforgettable experiences for teens at the Children’s Wisconsin prom and helping out at the Hunger Task Force Farm). These experiences remind us of how meaningful it is to stay hands-on about sharing our time and talents.
We also encourage our team to stay attuned to our industry and local community through in-person training opportunities, panel discussions, networking opportunities and other events. Many of us also speak at universities, sit on nonprofit boards and offer professional advice and portfolio reviews for the next generation of creatives and communications professionals. We’re not just working for brands — we’re participating in the cultures and communities that we want to understand, serve and elevate.
Lest we forget: human connection is the whole point of what we do. While today’s tools offer advantages for efficiency and expanding our technical capabilities, they fall short on the human perspective that helps us build stronger bridges. Only by leaning into our humanness can we hope to cultivate and understand new perspectives. It’s the heart of brilliant creative — and building a better world.
