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Most business leaders view themselves primarily as “productive” rather than “creative.” Productivity is often associated with measurable outcomes, such as efficiency, consistency, and task completion. Creativity, by contrast, is frequently perceived as spontaneous, unpredictable, and elusive. Yet, productivity and creativity are not at odds. In fact, they reinforce each other powerfully. Leaders who successfully integrate productive habits with creative practices can unlock new levels of innovation, effectiveness, and personal fulfillment. A global Adobe survey found that 75% of professionals report growing pressure to be productive rather than creative at work, while only 25% believe theyre living up to their creative potential. This creativity gap reveals a systemic imbalance: leaders may be achieving efficiency, but theyre underperforming on innovation. Productivity Without Creativity Leads to Stagnation Many leaders find themselves trapped in cycles of productivity: checking off tasks, hitting deadlines, and running efficient meetings. However, overemphasizing productivity metrics at the expense of creativity can lead to stagnation, disengagement, and missed opportunities for innovation. According to Gallup, disengagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion annually. And disengaged leaders set the tone for disengaged teams. In our work with executives, we often hear the same lament: Im getting things done, but I dont feel like I am getting anywhere. The problem isnt a lack of effort. Its that productivity without creativity produces motion without momentum. Creativity Needs Discipline The myth of creativity is that it arrives in spontaneous bursts of inspiration. In reality, creativity flourishes when it rests on a foundation of discipline. Cliff knows this from his dual roles. As a songwriter, he leans on courage, openness, and uncertainty. As a recording engineer, he thrives on precision, technical structure, and predictable workflow. Each role strengthens the other. The order of the studio makes space for creative leaps in songwriting. The risks of songwriting push him to keep the studio at peak performance. Similarly, in my own work, Ive seen how structure creates room for insight. In leadership workshops, I utilize tools like the Illuminated Cubea reflective exercise that provides a framework for individuals to surface their hidden strengths. The structure isnt the end; its the container that makes creativity possible. As organizational psychologist Adam Grant points out, productivity isnt about more output; its about quality output. And quality often comes from pairing disciplined focus with creative risk-taking. In Grants view, a disciplined focus allows individuals to produce fewer, higher-quality ideas that have a greater overall impact. Disciplined practice also builds the resilience needed to navigate creative challenges and maintain consistency. Your Spaces Matter, Too Leaders often underestimate the impact of their environment. But organized spacesboth physical and mentalmake breakthroughs more likely. Cliffs recording studio is a model of meticulous organization. Everything is in its place, technically reliable, and ready to go. That structure frees him to explore ideas in songwriting, knowing the foundations wont fail. He also maintains a daily haiku practicea tiny ritual that trains his creative muscles consistently over time. Small practices like these work for leaders too: quick journaling, five-minute brainstorms, reflective pauses before meetings. These micro-habits signal to the brain: This is a space where creativity belongs. Kate ONeill, founder of KO Insights, employs similar strategies, using structured prompts and systematic reminders to maintain consistent creative output amidst demanding productivity schedules. This disciplined consistency allows ONeill to seamlessly integrate creativity into her everyday activities, resulting in more impactful and innovative work. Incorporating small, consistent creative rituals into daily routines can significantly improve leadership effectiveness. Activities like quick journaling, brief brainstorming sessions, or reflective writing help leaders systematically foster creativity, encouraging long-term innovation and adaptability. The Creative-Productive Zone The biggest shift is identity. Too many leaders see themselves as either productive or creative. But the most impactful leaders integrate both. For me, this came from reconciling two identities: The strategist and the artist. For years, I thought of them as separate worlds. However, when I began blending artistic practicessuch as visual thinking, storytelling, and pattern-makinginto my leadership development work, my impact expanded. Creativity didnt dilute my productivity; it deepened it. Cliffs path illustrates the same lesson. His creativity as a songwriter is inseparable from the technical precision of his engineering work. Together, they create a rhythm of freedom within structure. This integration is what we call the creative-productive zone: a state where structure supports exploration and exploration fuels progress. How to Harness Productivity and Creativity Together Bringing productivity and creativity into balance doesnt happen by accident; it requires intention. The good news is that you dont need sweeping overhauls to start. Often, its the smallest shifts in routine and mindset that unlock the most significant breakthroughs. By making space for both discipline and imagination, leaders create the conditions where innovation feels less like a gamble and more like a habit. Here are four practical ways leaders can start today: 1. Build Creative Rituals into Routine. Add small, repeatable practicesa haiku, a sketch, a reflective questionthat keep your creative muscles strong. 2. Organize for Freedom. Create reliable structures (clear processes, tidy workspaces, predictable rhythms) so your mind is free to take risks. 3. Alternate Modes. Design your calendar with intentional blocks for both focused execution and open exploration. Dont try to do both at once. 4. Audit Your Balance. Ask: Am I measuring only outputs? Where am I creating space for ideas, not just tasks? The future of leadership isnt choosing between productivity and creativity. Its mastering both. When you create the structures that support your craft and the rituals that spark your imagination, you dont just get things done, you create things worth doing. The leaders who thrive will be those who can deliver results and inspire, who can hit deadlines and spark breakthroughs. In a world overflowing with efficiency, its the capacity to generate meaning and originality that sets you apart. Productivity makes you reliable; creativity makes you unforgettable. The challenge and the opportunity lie in embracing both with equal intention.
Category:
E-Commerce
Weve had branded entertainment since Procter & Gamble invented soap operas back in the 1930s. But today, brands are forced to diversify the ways in which they gain and hold our attention. Its no longer as viable or effective to depend on traditional paid media tools. Innovative marketers are increasingly investing in content and experiences that attract and engage audiences rather than interrupt and annoy them. And the shift is driving results. Brands of all stripes talk about brand entertainment, but its the exceptions that truly create actual entertainment. Ive spent a lot of time this past year writing and talking on the Brand New World podcast about the variety of ways different brands are doing this right. From WhatsApp working with Modern Arts on a Netflix doc about the Mercedes F1 team, to Dicks Sporting Goods formally establishing an internal entertainment studio that has already won Sports Emmys for We Could Be King in 2015 and The Turnaround in 2024, to the unprecedented deal struck between AB InBev and Netflix. The latter, signed in November, puts the global brewer’s major beer brands front and center in Netflixs push into live sports, as well as giving it early access to placement and integration in Netflix shows and movies. Obviously brands want the shine of legitimate Hollywood entertainment. But production costs and other financial pressures have made working with brands a much more attractive prospect for Hollywood too. So I wanted to check back in with the executives behind some of these projects to find out what they anticipate the biggest developments will be in 2026. The most significant drivers of these developments stem from the evolving platforms, fueled by audience preferences and behavior, as well as the economic realities driving brands and Hollywood into each others arms more often and in more varied ways. Marketersand audiences, for that matterare going to see some big changes coming to screens, both big and small. Read on for what to expect. Shifting platforms Meta announced on December 16 that it would begin testing its Instagram for TV app in the U.S. on Amazon Fire TV streaming devices. Zac Ryder, cofounder and co-chief creative officer of Modern Arts, says this feature is going to be a game-changer for brand entertainment. Brands as varied as UPS, Bud Light, and Sephora have been building audiences on Instagram Reels and Stories, while other brands are jumping into the micro-drama trend of serialized, bite-size soap operas in vertical video. Ryder says this shift means brand content on the platform will continue to look even more like entertainment, getting longer and more ambitious to better align with TV viewing behavior. Ultimately, this will further blur the lines between entertainment and social. Ryder says that as a result we’ll start to see more big swings featuring A-list storytellers and talent this year. This will be especially true for brands who are already very invested in IG and have spent years building their followers. And of course, if brands are going to start dropping more ambitious work on IG, theyll drop it on YouTube as well, he says. In order to compete for brand dollars, streamers will need to become even better partners to brands, all of which will create even more energy in this space and raise the bar even higher. A growing number of people are watching YouTube (and soon, Instagram Reels) on their TVs. Meanwhile, streamers like Netflix and Disney+ are increasingly utilizing brand partnerships to keep subscriber prices competitive. Many of my sources believe these changing dynamics of how we watch and engage with entertainment will drive where brands can find the best opportunities. I suspect we’ll see more next-generation partnerships like those we’ve been involved with this past year, especially as the Warner Bros. thing sorts itself out, says Jae Goodman, cofounder and CEO of Superconnector Studios. I bet Skydance/Paramount, Disney, Amazon, Comcast/NBCU will all come to market with brands as true partners in surprising, innovative, mutually beneficial, and I bet very effective ways. A new strategy Goodman helped broker the Netflix-AB InBev deal and has also helped giants like Nike and LVMH set up their entertainment strategies. He says the long-standing trajectory of how brands and Hollywood do business has fundamentally changed. Typically, its TV networks and streamers selling ad space to media agencies, then creative agencies filling the order. Film studios and distributors sell partnerships to brands, then licensing and promotional agencies get creative with the intellectual property. Brands are now entering the market with real entertainment strategies, Goodman says. And brands are leading the conversation with entertainment entities by asking, What if we wanted to achieve XYZ and then figure out the structure and cost? We refer to it as idea flow before deal flow. This past year, the Martin Agency worked with Subway Takes creator Kareem Rahma on UPS Business Trips. Martins chief brand officer, Elizabeth Paul, believes branded entertainment is growing up and moving from bloated bandwagons with hundreds of brand sponsors (see: Wicked) to fewer projects with a more focused audience. UPS is a major brand that could easily jump on the blockbuster movie bandwagon or make a Super Bowl ad. Instead, “UPS Business Trips” was a relatively small, Subway Takes-inspired series in which Rahma and UPS drivers visit small-business customers. According to the agency, it had more than 100 million views across platforms, and generated 1,000% return on ad spend. For those who truly believe in the space, brand entertainment will stop being treated as a campaign format and start being managed as a portfolio, says Paul, who suggests that the best brands will start thinking like studios, not marketing departments. We’ve seen this most recently with Dick’s Sporting Goodss new in-house studio division, Cookie Jar & a Dream Studios. Dick’s CMO Emily Silver told me back in Septembr that this move will see the brand be more aggressive in the number of films and pieces of content it releases, as well as help the brand build more of a name for itself in the entertainment industry to attract different writers and projects. “It gives us the opportunity to put a little more structure and framework around what content we want to produce and where we want to lean in to help build for the long term,” she said at the time. New economics The most significant factor in the pace of brand entertainment’s evolution is the business imperative from both sides to make the economics work. North American box office revenue for 2025 was more than 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels. And in the first half of 2025, major streamers ordered 24% fewer first-run and renewed scripted titles than the same period in 2024. As production costs have skyrocketed, and the ability to get entertainment projects off the ground more difficult, Hollywoods typically cool condescension toward marketers has thawed to the point of giddy embrace. Cynically, even if Hollywood sees brands as logo-plastered ATMs, brands see an opportunity to exploit this need for cash to do cool things that are actual entertainment. Last year, economic pressure forced marketers to be really choiceful with their media plans, which forced intentionality, says Paul. As brands got more selective, the most successful collaborations meant fewer swings with clearer creative intent. The result wasnt louder brand entertainment, but more considered workprojects that respected fandom, embraced specificity, and trusted audiences to meet brands halfway. Paul cites the Martin Agency’s work on Bud Lights Armchair Quarterback last year, a Netflix partnership starring Peyton Manning that parodies the second season of the streamer’s show Quarterback. Armchair Quarterback attracted more than 100 million social impressions, thanks in no small part to tapping into the fandom of Quarterback by working with the show, its producersManning’s Omaha Productionsand Netflix. However, she reiterates that this can’t be a simple exchange of relevance for cash. This is about forging true strategic partnerships that delight fans and move markets. Talent magnet The relationship between Hollywood and brands has evolved significantly over the past year. Brand partnerships and content are not embarrassing for studios or streamers anymore, in part because of the aforementioned economics, but also because the quality is higher and the value is clear. WhatsApp’s film The Seat, for example, cost about as much as it would to make and buy ad time for a 60-second commercial. But it also was high enough quality to stand on its own on Netflix. This is a virtuous cycle: The better the quality, the higher caliber of talent is attracted to subsequent projects, which in turn should continue to boost the caliber of these projects. Ryder says a growing number of A-list showrunners, writers, directors, and creators have been reaching out to learn more about the brand world in hopes of finding a project to work on together. LVMH’s entertainment division, 22 Montaigne, for example, is developing projects with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, as well as Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment. When we started making these kinds of brand projects 10 years ago, everyone on the talent side was so suspicious, Ryder says. Many believed brand entertainment was just a glorified long commercial. That has changed as more high-quality films have dropped. Its a bit like a Michelin chef trying a killer food truck and realizing that could be a new outlet for their cooking, he says. There are just a lot more delicious food trucks out there now.
Category:
E-Commerce
From the moment Elon Musks artificial intelligence company, xAI, began rolling out its Grok chatbot to paid X subscribers in 2023, it pitched the tool as the bad boy of large language models. Grok would supposedly be authorized to say and do things that its politically correct competitorsprimarily ChatGPT, produced by Musks old nemeses at OpenAIwould not. In an announcement on X, the company touted Groks rebellious streak and teased its willingness to answer spicy questions with a bit of wit. Although xAI warned that Grok was a very early beta product, it assured users that with their help, Grok would improve rapidly with each passing week. At the time, xAI did not advertise that Grok would one day deliver nonconsensual pornography on an on-demand basis. But over the past few weeks, that is exactly what has happened, as X subscribers inundated the platform with requests to modify real images of women by removing their clothing, altering their bodies, spreading their legs, and so on. X users do not need to be premium subscribers to avail themselves of these services, which are accessible both on X and on Groks stand-alone app. Some images generated with Groks assistance depict topless or otherwise suggestive images of girls between ages 11 and 13, according to a U.K.-based child safety watchdog. One analysis of 20,000 images generated by Grok between December 25 and January 1 found that the chatbot had complied with user requests to depict children with sexual fluids on their bodies. On New Years Eve, an AI firm that offers image alteration detection services estimated that Grok was churning out sexualized images at a rate of about one per minute. Ive been sexually assaulted in the past, and it almost felt like a digital version of that, one woman told The Cut after Grok users transformed a picture of her posing next to a Christmas tree while wearing workout gear into a picture of her wearing a thong bikini. It is unfathomable to me that people are allowed to do this to women. On Thursday, journalist and Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins reported seeing Grok-generated images of Renee Nicole Good, the unarmed 37-year-old woman shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis, altered to depict her dead body in a bikini. As Higgins put it: Digital corpse desecration now available to the public. For all the potential use cases of AI chatbots that AI companies have touted in recent years, bespoke pornography was always the howlingly obvious one. (You dont need to be a behavioral scientist to understand what certain demographics immediately think to do when presented with a tool advertised as capable of magically producing photorealistic images of anything ones mind can dream up.) With varying degrees of success, platforms like ChatGPT and Googles Gemini have at least tried to get ahead of this eventuality, building guardrails that try to limit users ability to customize NSFW images to suit their tastes. A major difference between these companies and xAI, of course, is that xAI is helmed by Musk, whose ideological commitment to eradicating wokeness and censorship extends to offering amused, winking defenses of nonconsensual adult content published by his companys flagship product. On his X account, Musk has been firing off prompts treating what would be an existential crisis for any other company as a fun and funny meme. The fact that one of the victims was Ashley St. Clair, the mother of Musks 1-year-old son, did not dissuade Musk from declaring himself unable to stop laughing at an AI image of a bikini-clad toaster. Both X and Musk have since issued statements reminding users that the X terms of service bar the creation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and pornography. X has also said that it removes CSAM and other illegal content, and permanently suspends accounts that create it. At the same time, it is sort of challenging for the company to position itself as taking a problem seriously when its owner, who is also the most-followed person on the platform, was logging on and treating the entire thing as one big joke. Normally, the existence of an online tool capable of generating one-click CSAM would prompt widespread outrage and rapid responses from law enforcement. Regulators in countries in Europe, Asia, and South America have promised to investigate, and this week the European Commission extended an order that requires X to retain all Grok-related documents and data while officials take a closer look. There are existing legal mechanisms in the U.S. for addressing the vile things Grok is doing, too. Less than a year ago, for example, Trump signed into law the TAKE IT DOWN Act, a bipartisan bill that requires websites to remove nonconsensual intimate imagery within 48 hours upon the victims request. And although a provision of federal law known as Section 230 generally protects websites and social media platforms from liability for content published by their users, here, Grok itself is doing the publishing by generating the images. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who helped write Section 230 three decades ago, weighed in on Bluesky, arguing that AI chatbot outputs are not protected under Section 230, and that it is not a close call. Along with two other Democratic senators, Wyden has also asked Apple and Google to remove Grox and X from their app stores for violations of the companies terms of service. This would be a significant step beyond what appears to be the only action taken by Apple thus far: raising its age rating of the Grok app from 12+ to 13+. All that said, Musk, who spent four whirlwind months hacking way at the administrative state as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has plenty of practical reasons not to be worried. Thanks to the political and financial support that Musk and his Silicon Valley peers provide to the Republican Party, the second Trump administration has been enthusiastic about integrating AI productsboth from xAI and from other companiesinto the workings of the federal government. The fact that Trump immediately designated David Sacks, a tech investor with significant AI and crypto interests (as well as close personal and professional ties to Musk), as his AI and crypto czar is a pretty good indication that meaningful regulation is not coming anytime soon. Since 2019, states with both Democratic- and Republican-controlled legislatures have responded to the absence of federal action by passing more than 140 state laws regulating AI, according to a Brennan Center analysis. But in December 2025, the White House made what is perhaps its most promising gesture yet to the AI industry: an executive order reiterating Trumps commitment to a building minimally burdensome national policy framework for AI that will sustain and enhance the United States global AI dominance. Among other things, the order directs executive agencies to identify state AI regulations that the administration deems inconsistent with its agenda, and encourages Attorney General Pam Bondi to form an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge the offending laws in court. Like most Trump executive orders, this one will not have the immediate impact that some breathless headlines suggest; as the order itself acknowledges, Congress would need to act in order for the substantive provisions to take effect. But for Musk, the message the White House is sending about its priorities is what really matters: Right now, the Trump administration is too preoccupied with starting illegal wars and executing unarmed protesters in the streets to worry about a few risqué images appearing on its social media platform of choice. When Musk left Washington last year, he did not do so quietly, lashing out at Trump for being insufficiently deferential to his preferences and insufficiently grateful for his support. But eight months later, the fact that the official response to Groks pornography and CSAM features is effectively a disinterested shrug demonstrates that the quarter-million dollars Musk donated to Trump and other Republicans in 2024 was a sound investment in his companys future. By January 3, while Grok was still spitting out these images upon request, Musk and Trump had reconciled enough to have dinner together at Mar-a-Lago. Afterward, Trump called Musk great and a good guy, and Musk predicted that 2026 would be amazing. Laws are only as strong as the willingness of the powers that be to enforce them. When you own the people who regulate you, there is no scandal too disgusting for you to laugh off.
Category:
E-Commerce
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