According to the Dentsu Creative Trends 2024 report, the five key trends are ode to joy, the memes of production, here we are now, the magic in the machine, and me, myself and us. The report further breaks these trends into sub-categories, say, for the trend ‘Ode to joy’, the sub-trends are joyful resistance, self-care as subversion and unadulterated play.
The report further explains that more than half of respondents think the best way to deal with the stress of the world is to use dark humour to laugh about it. While 71% of the respondents say finding joy and happiness in everyday moments and opportunities to escape stress are important to live well.
Furthermore, Joyous surrealism seems the only possible response to a world in chaos, a world where Deloitte reports that 46% of Gen Z feel stressed or anxious all/almost all of the time. Fashion and beauty brands play with absurdity and challenge our perceptions of reality. Additionally, gen Z is investing in self-care as never before, while elaborate Korean-inspired beauty rituals take on an almost meditative quality.
David Beckham has revealed his love of Lego, one of a growing number of AFOLs (Adult Fans of Lego) contributing to a 17% sales boost in 2022. While “Kidult” toys are a multibillion dollar industry, McDonald’s adult happy meals were an instant hit.
Meanwhile, the three sub-trends for the category ‘The memes of production’ are from world-building to building better worlds, change the story, change the future, and the meme-ing of life. It further unveils that a generation raised on the art and craft of world-building expect to take an active role in reshaping the physical world they live in.
The report highlights that 81% of CMOs believe brands have a responsibility to take action on climate change. While scripted drama shields away from pressuring issues with just 3% featuring climate change. In addition to this, Nike was one of the first brands to adopt the technology creating Airphoria as a means of immersing fans in an Air Max themed universe.
For the sub-theme ‘Change the story, change the future’, the report highlights that since the days when we huddled together around the campfire, we have known the power of storytelling to change behaviour. 81% CMOs agree brands can use their budget to amplify independent and diverse voices. However, 62% of young adults in 2023 said they would be motivated to buy a product or service if it helped them achieve a sense of community belonging. Memes and reels have emerged as a way of distilling complex ideas into bite-sized, shareable and endlessly repeatable formats.
Empathy in action, local luxury and the cosy web are the three sub-themes for ‘Here we are now’. Diving into this, the report results that the travel industry is placing new emphasis on empowering indigenous communities to tell and profit from their own stories. Meanwhile, 80% of young adults in 2023 said they would be motivated to buy a product or service if it helped them achieve community belonging. However, 54% of gen Z would join communities providing content aimed at their passion.
Aimagination, in touch with humanity, and borderless commerce are the sub-themes for ‘The magic in the machine’. 2023 has been the year audiences across the board have curiously embraced gen-AI. Furthermore, 87% of CMOs agree that generative AI represents the future of advertising and marketing. Contradicting this, 81% CMOs agree that in the future customers will pay a premium for human created content. While 65% of the brands and agencies cite AI as the biggest trend to come out of this year.
For the category ‘Me, myself and us’, the sub-categories include the ‘I’ in collective, my (inter) generations, and digital doppelgangers. This trend unveils that ‘collectivity’ and ‘individualism’ become not binary options but two states we can inhabit simultaneously. 68% of UK consumers say it is important to feel part of their local community and half of Americans aged 18-29 live with at least one parent, up from 38% in 2000. Moreover, 70% gen alpha gamers cite socialising as one of the most significant aspects of gaming.