Creatives complain that marketers do not trust them and it’s hindering creativity and effectiveness, according to a State of Creativity study by Cannes Lions. Creative directors are finding it increasingly difficult to work with brand-side marketers and nearly half have blamed a breakdown in agency-client relationship for producing sub-standard work. A State of Creativity report by the organisers of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity revealed a tension in the agency-client relationship with 45 per cent of creatives and 37 per cent of marketers describing their relationship as “hard”. Only 26 per cent of creatives and 32 per cent of marketers said their partnership is easy, while the rest labelled it as neutral. An Australian marketing executive told the study: “Our biggest challenge is convincing leadership that greater risk leads to greater reward.