The OTB Way: Why Marketing needs a new way of thinking

Intro: A new era for Marketing

Marketing has always been about change, but never at the pace we’re seeing today. AI is transforming workflows, audiences are demanding authenticity, and brands are being forced to earn trust in new ways. In this environment, creativity alone isn’t enough. The real differentiator is how intelligently that creativity is applied, balancing insight, innovation, and emotion to create meaningful results.

At ThinkOTB, we call it The OTB Way – a philosophy built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. It’s our way of helping brands not just keep up, but stay ahead.

The Decline of ‘more of the same’

Marketers today face a paradox: more tools, more data, and more content, yet less cut-through. Audiences are savvier and attention spans shorter. They’re not looking for more content; they’re looking for more connection.

The truth is, marketing has become too reactive. Too often, we’re driven by trends and timelines rather than purpose and perspective. That’s why, we’ve spent over three decades refining a different way of thinking – one that makes creativity strategic, and strategy creative.

The rise of creative intelligence

The most powerful marketing today sits at the intersection of insight and imagination, what we call creative intelligence. It’s not about choosing between data and creativity, but using one to inform the other. A McKinsey study (2024) found that brands integrating creativity and data outperform competitors in market share growth by 1.8x.

At ThinkOTB, we’ve always believed that great ideas don’t start with the brief, they start with the why. We dive into behaviour, psychology, and context before a single concept is developed. Because when creativity is grounded in intelligence, it becomes unstoppable.

Creative intelligence is where data meets humanity and where marketing truly comes alive.

The human advantage in a machine-led world

While AI has changed what’s possible, it hasn’t changed what matters. The Edelman Trust Barometer (2025) found that 93% of senior marketers cite human connection as the most powerful driver of brand trust, above price, product, and convenience.

That’s why we design every piece of marketing around people – their motivations, needs, and experiences. Because behind every dataset is a decision-maker. Behind every click, a moment of trust. AI can make marketing faster, but only human creativity can make it meaningful.

In a world driven by technology, empathy has become a marketer’s most powerful tool.

Thinking differently by design: Our Flywheel methodology

To turn bold thinking into action, we developed our own methodology: The Flywheel – a five-stage approach that transforms creative potential into performance. It moves through deep exploration, insight generation, idea creation, practical implementation, and continuous momentum. This cyclical model means creativity never stops; it evolves with every campaign and every conversation.

As one of our clients recently put it: “ThinkOTB doesn’t just deliver campaigns; they create momentum.”

Because the OTB Way isn’t about doing more, it’s about doing what matters most.

The power of collaboration and curiosity

Creativity doesn’t happen in isolation, it thrives through collaboration. That’s why we see our clients as partners, not projects. We challenge, listen, and co-create, blending our expertise with theirs to uncover insights that lead to stronger ideas. This spirit of shared exploration keeps our work human, relevant, and alive.

As LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report notes, creativity is now the number one skill CMOs are prioritising – overtaking analytics for the first time since 2018. It’s not just about being different; it’s about being differently intelligent.

The future belongs to the curious

If the past few years have taught marketers anything, it’s that what worked yesterday won’t necessarily work tomorrow. Thinking differently isn’t a slogan, it’s a survival strategy.
The most successful brands of the next decade will be those that combine intelligence, creativity, and empathy in equal measure.

That’s The OTB Way… A human-first, insight-driven approach to creative marketing that helps ambitious brands move from ordinary to extraordinary.

The best marketing doesn’t just look good – it makes people think, feel, and act.
If you’re ready to reimagine what creativity can do for your brand, let’s talk.