The makers, the builders, the ghosts behind every campaign

By Elvis Nana Yaw YEBOAH

Every billboard, every ad, every scroll-stopping post you see in Ghana hides a workforce of unsung heroes. They are the creatives: the copywriters who craft the lines you remember, the designers who turn ideas into visuals that sing, the animators who breathe motion into stillness, and the illustrators who give personality to the intangible. But the title “creative” does not begin to capture their full weight.

They are the architects of culture, the magicians of messaging, and the invisible force shaping the brands that dominate Ghanaian lives. And yet, despite being the lifeblood of every agency, they are rarely treated like the thinkers they are.

Being a good creative in Ghana, or anywhere in the world, is not about flair alone. It is about rigour, insight, and resilience. The standout ones are those who understand the brand as deeply as a client does. They can balance ambition with constraint, see the human truth behind every brief, and craft work that resonates at both emotional and functional levels. Rory Sutherland once said, “Creativity is not about making things look nice; it’s about solving problems in ways people remember.”

In our industry, this is often easier said than done. Creatives battle systemic challenges: unclear briefs, feedback driven by subjectivity or boardroom politics, and timelines that make overnight work the norm rather than the exception. Every rejected idea, every contradictory revision and every panic-induced change chips away at the creative spark long before a campaign reaches the public eye.

The cost of this approach is tangible. Ghanaian agencies churn out campaigns that often look polished but fail to leave a mark. Tight budgets, impossible deadlines, and decision-making driven by fear or personal taste result in work that is safe, forgettable, and unremarkable. Les Binet and Peter Field have repeatedly shown that the most effective campaigns are those that balance short-term activation with long-term brand building, but underfunded and undervalued creatives cannot execute this balance.

The consequence is not just low distinctiveness; it is talent burnout. The best minds in our creative corridors are either exhausted or quietly migrating to markets where their craft is respected and rewarded. The irony is clear: everyone says “creatives are the heart of the industry,” yet the systems they work in treat them as vendors, not visionary innovators.

But the future does not have to be grim. The next generation of creatives will need more than talent; they will need mastery of new tools and new thinking. AI is no longer a distant threat; it is already part of the creative ecosystem. Prompt engineering, data-informed storytelling, and content-driven social strategy are reshaping what it means to be a creative.

The question is not whether AI will replace creatives, but whether creatives will harness AI to extend their genius. A copywriter who can blend cultural insight with data-driven prompts, a designer who merges animation with predictive engagement, modelling these are the hybrid professionals who will define Ghana’s next advertising renaissance. Yet the industry is slow to recognise this shift. If Ghanaian brands do not evolve their understanding of creativity, they risk losing the very talent that makes campaigns effective on a global stage.

The story of creativity in Ghana is also a story of invisible labour and heroic persistence. Consider the campaigns that break through: MTN’s “Everywhere You Go,” which speaks to local mobility and identity; Guinness’s “Made of Black,” which married global brand positioning with local authenticity; and Vodafone’s ‘Akwantuo’ stories, which build emotional relevance through lived experiences of migration and connection.

Behind these successes are nights spent storyboarding, lines rewritten dozens of times, and concepts argued into existence. Few ever see the hours, the tension, the negotiation between insight and execution. And yet, without these “ghosts,” even the biggest budgets and most clear-cut strategies would falter.

There is also a profound lesson here for brands and the industry alike. Great creative work is never accidental. It cannot thrive on misaligned briefs, minimal budgets, or timid approvals. David Droga puts it simply: “The best work happens when clients are brave.” If clients in Ghana want breakthrough campaigns, they must see creatives as strategic partners, not service providers. Clear briefs, constructive feedback, and realistic investment unlock the full potential of the creative workforce. When these conditions are met, the invisible becomes visible, and the ghosts behind campaigns are finally recognised for the impact they deliver.

Yet the urgency cannot be overstated. Ghana’s creatives sit on a cultural goldmine: a young, digitally connected audience, traditions that run deep and urban stories that are evolving daily. The world is watching, and the smartest creatives are seizing this moment to elevate craft to global standards.

Those who remain must not only survive but innovate, blending craft with technology, storytelling with insight and ambition with discipline. They must shape stories grounded in both data and cultural truth. The future creative in Ghana thinks like a strategist and works like an artist. They use technology with confidence and shape meaning with clarity. They read culture, decode people, and turn those insights into work that moves markets.

So here is the wake-up call. The next breakthrough campaign in Ghana will not only start with a boardroom meeting or a flashy pitch deck. It will be forged in the minds of the creatives, the copywriters, designers, animators, and illustrators who wrestle with ideas long after the offices are dark. It will rise from their insight, their persistence, and their refusal to settle. The true power of advertising lies not in approvals or budgets, but in the hands of those who make, build, and haunt every campaign, turning unseen labour into unforgettable work.

If you are an industry leader, aspiring creative, or brand manager reading this, ask yourself: Are you giving your creatives the clarity, resources, and trust they need to work at their best? Are you empowering the makers instead of micromanaging them? Because the difference between campaigns that simply exist and campaigns that transform markets often lies in what happens behind the scenes in the minds, hearts, and late nights of those you rarely see, but who make everything possible.

The magic is not optional, and neither is the logic. If the system does not evolve to treat creatives as both thinkers and makers, that magic will fade, and the industry will pay the price.

The ghosts behind every campaign deserve more than recognition; they deserve the conditions to create the work that defines the next era of advertising. The question is whether Ghana give them that chance, or will we continue to celebrate the visible while ignoring the indispensable?

Elvis is the Lead Strategist at Black Excellence House. A marketing and advertising agency that sets the pace and forces the conversation.

 

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