I’m not sure where to begin…

There’s something I want to say. But I’m not sure how to say it.

Not yet, anyway.

That’s why I think. That’s why I read. That’s why I write. (Why I’m rambling to myself right now—rambling to you, I guess.)

I take the long way round.

Because I care enough to figure it out for myself.

Who cares about craft?

What I want to talk about is craft.

And efficiency.

There’s a reason a handmade Gibson Les Paul guitar sounds richer and thicker than the mass produced version. (A reason for the price difference, too.)

Just like there’s a reason your favourite band, artist, or writer became your favourite in the first place.

Robert Frost said it best: “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No excitement in the writer, no excitement in the reader.”

When someone cares deeply about their craft, when they don’t rush their work, you can tell. You feel it on the other end—the effort and attention, the emotional and physical toil, the passion.

That’s the value of craft: it resonates.

Thing is, craft takes time.

“Ain’t nobody got time for that”

Craft in creative work is no different. Specifically, craft in marketing and advertising and brand messaging.

That shit takes time.

And who has a minute to spare?

Deadlines breath down your neck with both mouths of a xenomorph (the monsters in Alien fyi).

Expectations are higher than Snoop Dogg on 420, with breakthrough ideas and deliverables demanded for faster than you can puff, puff, pass.

And budgets are skinnier than me—I can pretty much hide behind a fence post if I turn sideways.

Guess what gets sacrificed?

“Good enough is good enough.” 

If you’ve worked in the industry for any amount of time, you’ve heard that before. You may have said it yourself. 

Well, the bar keeps dropping, thanks to (de)generative AI and the shortcuts promised:

• “10x your output.”
• “Automate and systemize everything.”
• “Date a robot, trust billionaires (plus one trillionaire), and maximize your inability to think and create for yourself.”

Or something like that.

Point is, mediocrity is fine-and-fucking-dandy as long as it’s efficient.

Whatever saves time and work, amirite?

More effort, more equity

Before I sat down to work this out, I read an article on LinkedIn: Where Do CMOs Go After the Year Creative Got Cheap?  

The author bangs on about craft, but in a different way.

He references Cannes Lions ‘26 (our industry’s version of a pat on the back) and how everyone left talking about “mediocrity at scale.”

He also quotes the CEO of Google’s DeepMind, who said by democratizing creativity with AI, brands are producing “a lot more things that maybe are not very creatively valuable.”

But the drum I heard loudest was the bit about brand equity.

The author shares data from Kantar BrandZ about visibility to AI. The insight is brands who spend time deepening their meaning with consumers are better off than brands that don’t. (Duh!)

The examples used are skincare brands La Roche-Posay and CeraVe—the most visible of their type to large language models. But not because they’re producing more content faster and cheaper, cutting inefficiencies or taking shortcuts.

No. These brands are the most visible because they invested years carving out a clear position and crafting resonate messaging.

They’re synonymous with healthy skin because of quality, effort, and patience.

And that’s the story AI is trained on.

The speed of culture

So, on one side, you have generative AI and the temptation of efficiency. On the other side, you have craft and the proof of proficiency.

One urges, “You gotta go at the speed of culture. Move with the market.” 

One sighs, “Culture doesn’t really move that fast. Trends do.” 

What do I say?

“Shortcuts cost quality. Craft builds business.”

I believe the creative process should be respected, not rushed. It should be treated like the craft that it is. 

I also think AI is a crutch. It’s helpful, yes, but it leads to creative atrophy and apathy. The more you rely on it, the less you ideate for yourself and the less attached you are to the work. 

That’s why I wrote this myself. Why I spewed out a draft, cleaned it up, walked away for a day, and finished it the next morning.

Why I took the long way round to figure out what I wanted to say.

The hare that hurries

Morals and ethics aside—data centres are destroying our planet, literally, while AI companies pillage our intellectual property and art—technology intertwines with marketing and advertising.

Technology intertwines with creativity itself.

Meaning, AI isn’t going anywhere. And I’ll admit it does have its benefits.

But when you turn your back on craft just to go fast, the risk is mediocrity.

Who’s in a hurry for that?

~

Hey, I’m Cory, Chief Smartass at Cory B.D. Copy & Consulting. I offer strategic thinking and messaging for businesses who put craft first.

Want words that keep peepers peeled and pockets open? Or a messaging strategy that you can actually use?

My calendar is now open. Shoot me a message if you want to chat.