Social deserves better than “just get it out” on the feed

I just read through The Creative Dividend report by Effie Worldwide & System1 and honestly it's a huge validation on the work we deliver in social strategy for clients. Because for me it confirmed 3 things clearly...

1. Creativity is STILL undervalued

2. Marketers are measuring the wrong things

3. And social is being siloed as a “content engine” rather than a commercial growth tool

One stat that really stood out was that creative quality has a 12x impact on profitability. More than media. More than targeting. But still...there's no budget or headspace for actual creative thinking. No budget for the space where creativity lives...urm on social!

We're a team at School of Social who builds strategies that are meant to work across organic, paid, influencer, content, but I see the gap constantly. There’s pressure on social to “just get something out” or optimise for performance. But what about the ideas? The emotion? The stuff that actually makes people care or remember you a week later?I think we need to reframe how we talk about social strategy.

It’s not just platform planning or engagement rates, it’s about...

1. Creative that actually makes people stop and care, not just stuff you paid to shove in front of them

2. Can people tell it’s your brand even if they don’t see your logo?

3. Forget likes, are people actually remembering you? Coming back? Talking about it later?

Having the confidence to invest in things that feel risky but build long-term value.