In the dynamic world of 360-degree advertising, where storytelling meets strategy and emotion dances with execution, internal tensions are not only inevitable but often necessary. Among the most intriguing and productive of these is the ongoing creative tug of war between the Creative, Media, and Digital departments. While it may appear as a clash of agendas on the surface, in reality, it is this very friction that often leads to better outcomes for the client.
At ONE Advertising, one of the leading full-service agencies based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, we experience this productive tension every day. Catering to a diverse mix of local, national, and international brands, we understand that this tug of war is not a breakdown of communication — it’s a breakthrough of collaboration.
David Ogilvy once said, “If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.” This quote underlines the inherent tension between creative brilliance and measurable impact, and in today’s agency landscape, this tension is more relevant than ever.
Let’s dive into the heart of this creative tension, explore where and why it occurs, and understand how it ultimately shapes life at ONE, a culture that delivers value, creativity, and impact.
1. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝘀. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
The Creative Department at ONE thrives on big ideas, emotional resonance, and long-lasting brand stories. They think in terms of legacy, aesthetic appeal, and originality. Their benchmark is often brand recall, shareability, or even awards.
The Media and Digital Teams are wired for performance. Their KPIs are impressions, CTRs, conversions, ROI, and engagement metrics. They favour content that can be A/B tested, optimised, and measured.
The Tug of War:
· Creative might propose a 90-second, beautifully crafted brand film.
· Media argues that audiences on Instagram and YouTube drop off after the first 5 seconds, and the platform rewards shorter content.
𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 15-𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 3 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 optimised.
This compromise allows the campaign to build emotional equity while still speaking the language of modern platforms.
2. 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘃𝘀. 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼-𝗧𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
Our creatives lean into consistency and coherence of message and tonality across all touchpoints. They craft a master narrative that emotionally connects.
Meanwhile, our Digital and Media teams build audience matrices — segmenting users by age, gender, geography, behaviour, and intent. One message doesn’t fit all.
The Tug of War:
· Creative wants a singular, powerful brand story.
· Digital demands multiple copies customised for each audience segment.
𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘: 𝗔 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱.
As Seth Godin puts it, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but about the stories you tell.” Micro-targeting simply helps tell that story more personally.
3. 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘃𝘀. 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
Our creative team often builds grand narratives — envisioning flagship TVCs, cinematic productions, or influencer-led storytelling.
But our media strategists know the ground realities of media spending and audience behaviour. They know what’s working, where it’s working, and why it matters.
The Tug of War:
· Creative proposes a concept suited for a 360° campaign with expensive production.
· Media counters that the concept won’t work on mute autoplay stories or smaller screens.
𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯-𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁. 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱.
Bill Bernbach once said, “Adapt your techniques to an idea, not an idea to your techniques.” That’s exactly what happens at ONE — creativity doesn’t get compromised; it gets optimised.
4. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
At ONE, we believe every great campaign starts with emotional storytelling. Human decisions are largely emotional, and our creatives aim to forge that deeper connection.
But we also understand the digital imperative — to optimise for action. Our performance marketers are constantly thinking in terms of conversions.
The Tug of War:
· Creative pitches an evocative narrative-led campaign.
· Digital insists on clear CTAs, lead magnets, and conversion funnels.
𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘: 𝗪𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗧𝗔 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲. 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗼𝗱 — 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
The brand doesn’t just connect emotionally — it converts functionally.
Why This Tug of War Is Good
𝗔𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘, 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
This internal friction:
· Sparks innovation
· Forces sharper, more refined thinking
· Prevents complacency
· Ensures every idea is battle-tested across logic, data, emotion, and impact
For our clients, this results in:
· Campaigns that look great and work brilliantly
· Messaging that is on-brand and hyper-relevant
· Faster go-to-market with better creative agility
· Data-backed creative decisions
Howard Gossage, known as the “Socrates of San Francisco”, once said, “The real fact of the matter is that nobody reads ads. People read what interests them, and sometimes it’s an ad.” At ONE, our goal is to ensure every message we put out is that ad — meaningful, timely, and impactful.
Closing Thoughts: Building the Future of Collaboration
As the lines between content, commerce, media, and technology blur, the traditional silos that once defined agencies are crumbling. What remains is a need for fluid collaboration — a constant creative tension that acts as the crucible for game-changing ideas.
𝗔𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘, 𝘄𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗷𝗮𝘇𝘇 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 — 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
Creative must understand data. The media must understand storytelling. Digital must understand emotion. And leadership must nurture this interplay.
The role of leadership is no longer about merely managing departments. It’s about orchestrating synergy, ensuring that creative excellence, data precision, and digital agility are in sync, not at odds.
Ultimately, this tug of war is not a war at all. It’s a dance — sometimes chaotic, sometimes messy, but always in pursuit of something greater than the sum of its parts.
𝗔𝘁 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲.
In this tug of war, it is always the brand that wins. And more importantly, so does the audience.