Technology Changes, Humans Don’t
Ask the Author: Martechvibe speaks to Kevin Chesters about why humans tend to resist new things on a biological level, and why creative thinking is the key to commercially successful marketing.
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When Kevin Chesters co-authored the book The Creative Nudge: Simple Steps to Help You Think Differently, he had a 30-year career in advertising under his belt, spanning BT, Saatchi & Saatchi, Wieden+Kennedy, dentsumcgarrybowen and Ogilvy.
Along with co-author Mick Mahoney, a highly awarded advertising writer, creative director, and a Cannes Grand Prix winner, Kevin writes about using ‘nudge theory’ to unleash one’s innate originality.
A new behavioural science that reveals how small actions can have big impacts on our thinking, and how to retrain the brain to live a more creative and rewarding life.
We spoke to Kevin Chesters about his years in advertising, how storytelling stands the test of time, and how it can be hard to unlearn some old habits.
Full interview;
What made you want to look at evidence-based behavioural science to help nurture creative thinking?
Regardless of what you do or who you do it for, your customers or colleagues have one thing in common. They are all human beings. Therefore, they will have the same six primary emotions and the same two drivers for all their behaviour (threat or reward). It’s that simple.
Every task that involves trying to change someone’s attitude or behaviour starts with understanding the motivation(s) of the person you are trying to influence. Technology changes, humans don’t.
We’ve been the same for 50,000 years at a basic psychological level.
Understanding humans is the start point to beginning to understand how to do anything in business, not just advertising or communications. The first question you should ask yourself, regardless of the task, is Who am I talking to?
You say advertising gatekeeps the term “creative”. Why?
Any word that is open to interpretation is open to either wilful or accidental misinterpretation. Creative is one of those words. It has come to mean a department or a job title when the dictionary definition of the word simply means ‘new, different or original thinking’.
All jobs are creative because all people are creative, with the ability of new or better ways to do things. Creative does not mean ‘advertising’ – creative is the pursuit of the new. You can bring creative thinking to any job you have or any business.
In fact, if you aren’t thinking creatively about the challenges facing your job or business in 2026, then pretty soon you won’t have a job or a business.
This is not a book for marketers alone. Who can benefit from rewiring their thinking?
Everyone. Literally. Creativity is the key to happiness, health and wealth in life as well as business. The WEF identified creativity as one of the core business skills to succeed in the future.
UNICEF identified it as one of the core skills all children need in life. Creativity enables humans to endure the unendurable, adapt to the unthinkable or overcome the insurmountable.
Honestly, Creativity is the key. You can’t solve an extraordinary challenge with an ordinary answer. Just like you won’t find a new world with an old map. ‘Best practice’ is usually just a lazy existing answer.
Why is it so difficult to go against conventional thinking or perhaps, come out of auto-pilot?
Because you are fighting a twin battle with sociology and biology. Back in the day, everything ‘new’ was highly likely to hurt you, so your evolutionary brain tells you to run from the new (creative).
Then society wants you to fit in, to go with the flow, to do what everyone else does. So, you are fighting against all your natural programming. It’s why you need some help or some ‘nudges’!
The marketing and advertising landscape today is defined by data-driven decision-making and ROI on ideas. How does creativity find a place here and now?
Data is the windpipe of creativity. Insight is the oxygen. Good data is the fuel for creative thinking. And ROI? It has been proven that creative thinking is the key to commercially successful marketing.
The most expensive and inefficient way to do marketing is to do what everyone else is doing. Performance marketing works best if people know who you are and like you. The bravest (and by brave I mean suicidally stupid) thing you can do in the world of business in 2026 is blend into the background.
The key to success? Being seen as meaningfully different. Is there a word in the dictionary that means different? Oh, I wonder. Oh yes, ‘creative’.
Kevin Chesters is the keynote speaker at the Vibe Marketing Tech Fest scheduled to take place on April 22-23, 2026, in Dubai. Register here for passes.
