ISSUE 110/

A BULLETIN FOR
BIG IDEAS AND
BETTER BUSINESS.

OPINION / Creativity

The Great Escapism.

💬 From the former Head of Social at Ryanair and Co-Owner of Slice: it’s time to trade "authenticity" for performative escapism…

My ramblings are more Lightning McQueen than Steve McQueen, but two muses for the case for escapism nonetheless.

I keep hearing AUTHENTIC being batted around (again) for 2026 as a creative solution for brands - in particular my wheelhouse of social media - BUT less as a rule to be relatable (whatever that means), and more as an antidote to AI, where imperfections, mistakes, and scrappy creations will be an edge to standing out.

And I get there’s truth to it, the ‘real’ side of creativity: the imperfections in design, copy, or showing the creative process. BUT you really need to convince me how a brand can be authentic, and that the word isn't just being used as a hot take, or as social media marketing experts’ reasons why brands have not cracked social media, with the solution normally said to be: lo-fi + unhinged = authentic.

To me, the success of lo-fi and unhinged (Gonzo for the OGs) as a direction served more as an unexpected behaviour of normally curated, bland brands rather than the desire to be authentic. It won attention, and it worked, to an extent - until now. Low-fi and unhinged is saturated.

Outside of the recent AI case for Authenticity, I question whether it was ever possible for any brand to be Authentic. VERY, VERY few, I think, can.

One thought: can a brand REALLY be authentic? Founder-led, perhaps. But IMO all content & creative is performative, even those who share ‘warts and all’ moments. When ‘shit hits the fan’ content is shared, it’s a glimpse into their real world, BUT remember when that moment happened - the human or brand had to turn on their camera or plan when to capture that 'authentic' moment of performative 'vulnerability.'

Imagine: "Bollix, I'm having a MENTY B... WAIT, I need to record it and post it online for authenticity, and defo not for attention and help sell stuff."

EVERYTHING you post and publish, as a founder and brand, is PERFORMATIVE. You have an agenda to win attention and convert people. You are choosing when to do this to capitalise. That's NOT authentic; that's performative. That’s ok. That's the game.

A second thought, based on the world right now: being real and reacting to news cycle culture is risky as hell. The world and the internet are a cesspool of crap right now, so would you even want to try to be authentic for fear of landing on one side of a polarised world when one feeds off the other, striving to use anything as sensationalism? That’s what you are appearing between - well, that and pictures of your weird cousins, motivational quotes, or clips from Diary of a CEO.

Humans want to get away from reality, and there's still that need. As much as they want to see real/authentic content, leave authentic to the everyday human, and brands, how about focusing on Escapism & Entertainment instead?

Those who creatively play and give humans a moment of escape from the chaos on their binge on social media might win more attention and, more importantly, be more memorable. Play with fantasy & fiction too as a way to exaggerate and escape from reality. Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see - thanks, Freddie.

AI ain't that bad for this; it can enable it too, once the idea slaps and not slops.

So: less authentic bullshit buzzwords, more performative & escapism in creative ways where you have a system or cues that help people remember you, after you ENTERTAIN them first.

Entertainment is not bound solely to humour, but it does help.

OK BYE!!!

We asked Michael a couple of questions on how he personally relates to creativity, here’s what he had to say…

TBOC: What is your creative North Star?

MC: My ride or die are Entertainment and Escapism. If you are not evoking emotion, creating tensions, making people feel something, it’s not creative enough.

TBOC: What has inspired you lately?

MC: In a recent piece of strategic work with Slice, we’ve been exploring sampling in the music industry as the creative scaffolding for a legacy brand - using creative classics of the past and remixing them to make them contemporary for new humans, while using cues to re-engage people collectively so all creative can continue to build a brand.

Last week in Creativity:

1. BrewDog’s Story Starts to Crack - The brand built its reputation on rebellion and anti-corporate punk energy. But criticism around culture and leadership is eroding that narrative. A reminder that brand isn’t what you say, it’s the story people believe about you.

2. Quentin Blake for Refugee Week - The legendary illustrator has created this year’s Simple Acts campaign, marking the 75th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. A simple, powerful example of how creativity can make complex issues feel human.

3. Lenovo Makes AI More Human - At Mobile World Congress, Lenovo unveiled Workmate, an AI desk companion with expressive puppy-dog eyes. A small design choice that shows how interaction design shapes whether people engage with technology.

4. Creativity Is Driving Growth - New figures show the UK’s creative industries are growing four times faster than the overall economy (4.6% vs 1%). Proof that creativity isn’t just cultural, it’s a driver of growth.

Head to Instagram for more detail - and what this means for creativity…

Unlock your creativity.

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