The Non-Linear Creative Journey

Once upon a time, advertising was built like a straight line. A brand told a story, pushed it through TV, print, or radio, and hoped people followed the path from awareness to purchase. That era is over. Today’s creative journey is non-linear, fragmented, and infinite—because audiences don’t follow a single story anymore, they dip into different storylines on different platforms at different times.

McCann’s new integrated model is proving this in practice. Instead of treating campaigns like one big narrative, it builds ecosystems of smaller narratives, all layered around a single brand truth.

“What everybody has to do on social is create storylines. Lots of different stories that layer into that one truth. Because it can be different things to different types of people.”

Platform-Perfect Creativity

The shift isn’t just about more content—it’s about platform-perfect content. A brand may need ideas for six or more platforms at once: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, X, Facebook, and even WhatsApp. Each comes with its own codes of behavior, creators, and algorithms. Miss the nuances, and the algorithm kicks you out. Nail them, and you get native relevance.

• TikTok thrives on raw creator-led storytelling. Example: Duolingo doesn’t repurpose ads; it leans on its green owl mascot to act unhinged in the TikTok-native language of memes and trends.

• Instagram needs visual worlds. Nike doesn’t just upload product shots; it builds photo essays of communities, athletes, and moods.

• YouTube Shorts rewards snackable but serial storytelling. Red Bull breaks its extreme sports clips into micro-thrillers that work as standalones yet feed into the brand’s bigger energy myth.

Each piece may feel different, but together they stack into one ecosystem: different entry points into the same core truth.

The New Creative Craft

The non-linear journey requires a different kind of creative craft—less “campaign making” and more “world building.” Instead of obsessing over one perfect ad, brands must orchestrate a living system of stories, ensuring they’re connected but never cloned.

And here’s the paradox: while the journey feels fragmented, the impact is cumulative. Every micro-story builds depth, every platform expression reinforces the truth, and every algorithmic push puts the brand closer to its audience’s daily life.

In short: linear ads build awareness; non-linear worlds build culture.