Where has creativity gone?

When I started my first business almost 20 years ago, the internet was a newborn and computer programs were cluncky at best. I had no idea how to go about marketing and advertising with a non-existent budget so I looked around for a comparible solution. Since I could not afford graphic design help, I went down to the phone company in Manhattan and filled the backseat of a cab with phone books. After many trips up 3 flights of stairs I proceeded to cut out individual words and images to create my first flyer. What took me 2 days of work can now be done in a matter of minutes - but I was proud of my creative approach to the problem.

But why is it that more new business ventures don't use the same creative thinking? Has the internet and all of its godly powers corrupted us into thinking that by dragging images into a template we can create an effective marketing campaign? What about those tried and true methods of marketing like billboards and flyers? Or the truly original magazine ad?

When will we learn that there must always be a balance between our efforts if we want our businesses to not only survive but be propelled into the next stratosphere.