All about the experiences
Natasha Zialor, vp, RanaVerse
With elections happening in the U.K. and the U.S. next year, many consumers will be looking for an escape from everyday life, so my bets are on experiences becoming even bigger, better and harder to ignore in 2024, whether it’s a PR stunt that becomes a meme or a 360 event for social and press exposure.
Katherine Schmidt, associate creative director, Hanson Dodge
2024 will bring an uptick in innovative OOH installations, both faux (a la Maybelline’s Sky High Mascara) and real (Ikea’s Oxford Street location). These types of activations generated a lot of social buzz but also sparked discussions around reality, augmented reality and the place that each will hold in the future of advertising.
Mindful purpose and culture
Raquel Bubar, managing director, T Brand Studio (New York Times)
Audiences are demanding authenticity in their messaging and are cringing at tone-deaf stories. Gone are the days when brands could get away with only talking about themselves, their products or their services. It will be key for advertisers to speak about what matters most to them and how they can improve people’s lives.
Ben Hennes, co-owner and CCO, Happylucky
We see young consumers identifying as queer at exponentially increasing rates, and nearly 60% of Gen Alpha say that gender is irrelevant. So, we hope brands will look to queer-led teams, partners and agencies to learn how to take queer storytelling beyond the “coming out story,” the “trans drama story” or the performative Pride moment. Brands must treat queer consumers as a vital, always-on, multifaceted humans.
Gary J. Nix, founder and chief strategist, the brandarchist
Cultural fluency is the best investment for your brand in and through 2024. While the approach I propose may be a case of “what’s old is new again,” perceiving culture as a network of values, conventions and social practices supports the basic principle of understanding your customer communities better.
Creators will continue to rise
Victoria Jordan, gm of branded content and creative, My Code
We will move into a new era of the creator economy, one in which creators have much more leverage when it comes to usage rights, IP ownership and pay—a world where creators are highly valued, not leveraged for the relationship they’ve built with their audiences, but invited to collaborate for their diverse perspectives, expertise and cultural lens.
Mike Girgis, co-founder, Dive Billboards
In 2024, digital advertising will continue to evolve toward authenticity, embracing user-generated content and fostering genuine connections between brands and audiences. Brands will prioritize micro-influencers and creators for relatability, encouraging organic engagement on digital platforms.
In the game
Andre Toledo, CCO, David NY
Storytelling will remain a powerful tool for engaging audiences, especially in immersive formats from AR and VR, ushering in new creative possibilities. The increasing integration of advertising within the gaming ecosystem is poised to become a significant trend. As gaming continues to capture a massive and diverse audience, brands will recognize the potential to engage consumers within virtual worlds.
