03 Sep Death of Creativity in the Creative Industry Is Worrying

The death of Professor Kole Omotoso, a Nigerian writer, intellectual, and actor who died on July 19, 2023, at the age of 80, inspired this article.

May his soul rest in peace.

Brief profile of Professor Kole Omotosso

Professore Omotoso was born in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, on April 21, 1943. He studied at King’s College, Lagos, the University of Ibadan, and the University of Edinburgh.

Omotoso was a prolific writer, and he published over 20 novels, short stories, and plays. His work often explored themes of race, identity, and politics. He was also a vocal critic of apartheid in South Africa.

The relevance of Professor Omotosso to the MAC industry

In the mid-1990s, Omotoso became known to South Africans as the “Yebo Gogo” man from Vodacom’s advertising campaign. The campaign featured Omotoso as a wise and grandfatherly figure who greeted people with the phrase “Yebo Gogo”. The campaign was very popular, and it helped to make Omotoso a household name in South Africa, and contributed significantly to Vodacom’s brand value.

Since the highly successful Yebo Gogo campaign, Vodacom has never been able to top it, despite the promising but fleeting success of the Meerkat campaign that followed.

Common trends in the movie industry? Let’s explore

In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the death of creativity in the film industry. This is due in part to the increasing reliance on sequels and remakes, which often lack the originality and freshness of the original works.

Two recent examples of this trend are the movies Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. Both of these films are sequels to popular franchises, but they have been met with mixed reviews.

About the Indiana Jones franchise

The original Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was released in 1981. Harrison Ford, the main actor, was 38 years old at the time. There have been four sequels to Raiders of the Lost Ark, released in 1984, 1989, 2008, and 2023, all featuring the same main actor. The fifth and final sequel, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, was released in June 2023, 15 years after the previous film.

Ford was 80 years old at the time of the release of the latest sequel.

About the Mission: Impossible franchise

The original Mission: Impossible movie was released in 1996. Tom Cruise, the main actor, was 34 years old at the time. There have been six sequels to the Mission: Impossible, released in 2000, 2006, 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023, all featuring the same main actor. The seventh sequel, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (note the last 2 words in the title), was released in July 2023, 5 years after the previous film.

Cruise was 61 years old at the time of the release of the latest sequel.

Google reviews of the latest sequels of both franchises

Here are summaries of Google reviews for both franchises so far:

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Clearly, viewers have enjoyed Mission: Impossible’s latest offering better than Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Box Office Performance

The original Indiana Jones movie was a huge box office success, grossing over $389 million worldwide. The sequels have been less successful, with the exception of the most recent film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which grossed over $700 million worldwide.

The original Mission: Impossible movie was also a box office success, grossing over $457 million worldwide. The sequels have been even more successful, with the exception of the most recent film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which has grossed over $300 million worldwide so far.

According to BoxOffice Mojo, the latest Mission: Impossible and Indiana Jones sequels are number 8 and 13 in Box Office gross revenue rankings at the time of publishing this article. Super Mario Bros, Barbie, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 are the top 3 grossing movies of 2023 thus far.

Which sequels performed better than the originals at the box office in the first weekend of release to date?

Only one sequel to either franchise has performed better than the original at the box office in the first weekend of release:

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) grossed $126 million in its first weekend, compared to $116 million for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

All other sequels to both franchises have grossed less than the originals in their first weekend of release.

This suggests that audiences are more likely to be interested in the original movies than the sequels, even when the sequels are released many years later. This is likely due to the fact that the original movies are often more creative and innovative than the sequels.

Implications?

This is a worrying trend, as it suggests that the creative industry is becoming increasingly risk-averse. Studios are more interested in making sequels and remakes that are guaranteed to make money, rather than taking risks on new ideas.

This is a dangerous trend, as it stifles creativity and innovation. If the creative industry continues to rely on sequels and remakes, it will eventually run out of ideas.

What’s most worrying about this is since studios are putting all their eggs in their blockbuster baskets, if things keep going bad, there may not be a safety net to save them from financial disaster. So what can be done to prevent this? The answer is simple; studios used to be kept financially viable through their lower to mid-budget films and now may be the time to return to that business model. – Movieweb

Suggestions for addressing the death of creativity in the movie industry

There are a number of things that can be done to address the death of creativity in the creative industry. Here are a few suggestions:

The lackluster performance of the sequels to Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible suggests that audiences are starting to tire of the same old formula. They are looking for something new and original, and they are not finding it in these sequels.

• Support independent filmmakers. Independent filmmakers are often more willing to take risks and try new things. By supporting independent films, we can help to encourage creativity and innovation in the film industry.
• Encourage studios to take risks. Studios need to be willing to take risks on new ideas, even if they are not guaranteed to be successful. This is the only way to ensure that the creative industry continues to produce innovative and original works.
• Educate audiences about the importance of creativity. Audiences need to be aware of the importance of creativity and innovation. They need to be willing to support new and original works, even if they are not familiar with the creators or the subject matter.
• Create a more supportive environment for creativity. The creative industry needs to be a place where people feel safe to take risks and try new things. This means creating an environment where people feel supported and encouraged, rather than criticized and judged.

These are just a few suggestions of how to address the death of creativity in the movie industry. It is important to remember that creativity is not something that can be easily manufactured. It takes time, effort, and a willingness to take risks. If we want to ensure that the creative industry continues to thrive, we need to create an environment that supports and encourages creativity.

Anything to be learned by the MAC Industry from the movie industry?

It is my distinct view that there are similarities between the MAC and movie industries, as exemplified by the Yebo Gogo campaign, and the two blockbuster franchise examples quoted in this article.

The answer is really simple. Brands can unlock creativity in the MAC industry by insisting on the diversity of ideas in this industry that continues to bear the scars of a racially divided nation due to the bedeviling history of apartheid.

Brands do not need to look any further for proof. The death of creativity in the MAC is evidenced by the share of economic spoils between Black-owned and White-owned and multinational agencies, where the former has only 3.5% of the share, calculated based on the total 2021 media spend of over R58 billion.

In township lingo, “ama-brands a fanele a fake imali kwi-Black-owned agencies. Azo bona“. Loosely translated, brands must actively drive the opening of the space by actively shifting their advertising spend to the currently marginalised Black-owned agencies, and be surprised by what this can do to their growth coming from new ideas.

How BANA can contribute to thriving creativity in the Marketing, Advertising Communication (MAC) industry

BANA, the official association of Black-owned agencies in South Africa, is the largest representative body in the MAC sector in the country.

The association represents a fair share of this marginalised talent.

All that brands need to do is reach out to BANA to jointly explore how fresh ideas from this suppressed constituency of the MAC industry can be unleashed.

This also applies to Vodacom.