Reflections and resolutions: The top lessons adland is taking into 2024

To kick off the new year, we asked a selection of adland insiders to share five key things they learnt last year and what reflections and resolutions they’ll be taking with them as we begin the next 12 months.

From embracing the robots behind AI to ditching greenwashing and truly understanding what makes Gen Z rick, marketers certainly have a lot to mull over as we enter 2024…

Havas London strategy partner and deputy head of strategy Clare Phayer will be focusing on soft skill superpowers while keeping one eye on the long term:

1. We need to double down on our ‘soft skill’ superpowers. Tech and AI can’t replicate the beautiful human observation that turns into a powerful insight, or the realisation that maybe doing the complete opposite of what our competitors (and chat GPT) are telling us to do is what will unlock huge growth opportunities.
2. Be agile while thinking long term. Unpredictable times require brands to be able to flex to how their audience is feeling, but please please please, don’t think that means you should toss aside your long-term brand building vision.
3. Trend reports don’t replace talking to your audience. It’s tempting to reference a few ‘Who are GenZ really?’ articles and think you know enough about them. Take time to talk, dig and unveil the truth.Don’t talk BS.
4. On the flipside, get your work out there. When budgets are being cut and stakes are raised, it can be tempting to live in research and strategy, but get your work out there, learn from it and build. The worst thing you can be is quiet.
5. What’s really worth doing? Don’t do things because you’ve always done them. What is it actually delivering? And if the answer is ‘not much’, then get rid!

Dude London ECD Curro Piqueras weighs up fake OOH and questions the point of awards:

1. Simple ads are not a trend. Those days of cramming hundreds of transitions and dozens of locations into a 30-second ad are over. Simple concepts with simple executions are here to stay.
2. We are here for the LOLs. Sentences like “We are here to entertain, not to save the world” might be repeated more and more among peers. If we are going to steal a few seconds of people’s time, let’s try to bring out a smile.
3. Best practices are worst practices. There was a time when someone from Meta or Google used to go around agencies and clients preaching on how to do more effective advertising. This year, we’ve seen very effective long content that proves best practices wrong again and again. The Uber One launch and Apple’s Modern Nature commercials are great examples.
4. A fake OOH is not fake. This one keeps surprising me, and the trend is getting bigger and bigger. Is that OOH I saw on Instagram fake? Also, Do I care? I guess Clear Channel does, but I don’t know if the audience even thinks about it.
5. Awards are finally losing their relevance. Aside from the parties and networking, advertising awards matter mostly to boomers and early millennials. Part of me is pleased as many times, the only ones who win in an award competition are those who organise it.

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Lucky Generals CEO Cressida Holmes-Smith notes the importance of a good life and keeping abreast of advertising fundamentals:

1. The fundamentals still apply. Even in the face of new technologies, as proven by Yorkshire Tea’s Grand Effie for consistently ‘doing things proper’
2. Purpose works. Provided it’s purposeful and not a marketing ploy, as proven by Co-op whose support of Members and their communities isn’t just for this Christmas
3. Internal audiences are more important than ever. Virgin Atlantic proved this, with job applications doubling after the launch of the ‘See the world differently’ campaign and changes to their gendered uniform policy.
4. Even in difficult times, people enjoy a laugh. Shout out to Yorkshire Tea’s ‘Pack yer Bags’ here.
5. Creativity will affect change. When facing complexity and unpredictability, we need creativity and approaches we’ve never seen before to affect change, as proven by Oblivia Coalmine for Make My Money Matter.

Good-Loop senior marketing manager Charna Walfall says adland insiders need to stick to their guns, pay attention and embrace omnichannel:

1. Stand by your values. Consumers will see right through the ‘fluff’ if you don’t. And will feel no way about calling you out!
2. Omnichannel reigns supreme. Meeting your consumers where they are at, across all of your touch points. Think Barbie takeover but on your own budget.
3. The industry is risk-averse. If you pay attention and actually listen to your consumers, then exploring new channels, products and opportunities shouldn’t be scary. Take risks based on feedback, comments and insights, and follow your consumers – they’ll steer you in the right direction.
4. AI is here to stay. Love it or hate it, just embrace it. It will only come for your job if you let it.
5. Attention spans are diminishing. Make sure that your messages are succinct, meaningful and impacting.

Hijinks co-founder and CEO Alicia Iveson raises hybrid working and uncertainty in her insights:

1. How to wrangle uncertainty. Working in a world of change and uncertainty has certainly been a challenge this year.
2. The robots are here to stay. AI is here, it’s moving fast and it’s set to change the work and also the way that we all work.
3. How to move fast without breaking things. Uncertainty makes planning ahead hard. This year has made working at pace essential. There are consequences to this speedy way of working to be cautious of.
4. Spend your money where it counts. Being smarter with budgets certainly seems to have been a lesson for many this year.
5. Hybrid working isn’t going anywhere. It’s proven to work. The people want it. Let’s at least take something positive out of Covid.

The News Movement CMO Lotte Jones

1. To reach Gen Z, you have to go to the places they love. With many legacy media institutions, from Yahoo to the BBC, shutting down their Gen Z-focused brands, the focus is increasingly on social platforms and creator-led content rather than ads.
2. AI as an enabler. Marketers have had a year of playing with ChatGPT and other generative AI tools and have been quick to start leveraging them to speed up copy generation and campaign setup.
3. AI as a risk. At the same time, the past year has shown us the power of AI in speeding up the generation of misinformation, which is already rife on social platforms, making it harder for consumers, especially the younger generation, to identify trustworthy content.
4. Authenticity rules. Merriam-Webster chose authentic as its word of the year, and that’s not unfounded – from AI to brand campaigns, authenticity has come under scrutiny in the past year. Brands must be careful in how they engage with consumers, especially Gen Z, to ensure they pass the authenticity test.
5. The time for greenwashing and hushing is over. Consumers are increasingly looking for transparency and expect brands to back up their sustainability claims. This is reflected in their shopping behaviour, with 91% of Gen Z willing to pay more for brands that support causes they care about. But it goes the other way too; 20% would switch brands if they didn’t share their values.”