The Definition of Insanity

Gareth Wright

November 16, 2025

There is a quote often attributed to Einstein that defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome. Whether or not he actually said it is almost irrelevant. The idea itself is painfully accurate in modern marketing.

Too many brands approach creative marketing with the same ingredients every time. The same formats. The same messaging structures. The same visual tropes. The same promises. Then they sit back and hope this time it will perform differently.

It rarely does

Familiar Inputs Create Predictable Outputs

In creative marketing, outcomes are shaped long before a campaign goes live. They are shaped at the point where decisions are made about what feels “safe”, “on brand”, or “what everyone else is doing”.

When brands reuse the same ingredients, they produce work that blends in. Not because the execution is poor, but because the thinking is familiar. Predictability may feel comfortable internally, but it is invisible externally.

Audiences do not wake up hoping to see a slightly improved version of what they saw yesterday.

Creativity Is Not Decoration

A common mistake is treating creativity as the final layer. A visual polish applied to a strategy that was never questioned in the first place. If the underlying idea is recycled, no amount of clever execution will change the outcome.

True creative marketing starts earlier. It questions the inputs, not just the outputs.

Why are we saying this? 
Why are we saying it this way? 
Why are we saying it at all?

Without those questions, creativity becomes surface level and results remain flat.

Different Outcomes Require Different Thinking

If a brand wants different results, it must be willing to change what goes into the mix. That does not mean abandoning strategy or ignoring data. It means challenging assumptions that have quietly become habits.

What if we removed an element instead of adding one?
What if we focused on clarity over cleverness?
What if we trusted originality more than precedent?

Small shifts in thinking can lead to disproportionate changes in impact.

Bravery Beats Repetition

The most effective creative marketing is rarely the most complex. It is often the simplest idea executed with conviction. But simplicity requires confidence, and confidence requires bravery.

Repeating what worked before feels rational. Trying something new feels risky. Yet growth has never come from repetition alone.

Brands that continue to rely on familiar ingredients should not be surprised when outcomes stay the same. The brands that stand out are the ones willing to question the recipe.

Because expecting different results from the same approach is not strategy.

It is simply creative insanity.

More News & Opinions