Radical transparency, a craving for hope and connection and nurturing customer connections through communities are some of the key trends highlighted by Ogilvy in its eighth Futures report.
‘Radical Transparency, Real Connection and Revolutionary Fragmentation’ examines 11 trends and its expected impact on brands, organisations and the political environment.
The report, divided into three chapters, delving into the shifting consumer beliefs and behaviours, analyses how marketers and communications teams are responding, and highlights examples of the most impactful work in an increasingly chaotic operating environment.
Richard Brett
“With the rapid rise of AI, a fraying of the established order, and ongoing cost-of-living pressures, the world feels increasingly fragmented and polarised,” Ogilvy PR and Ogilvy Health CEO, Richard Brett, said.
“Navigating a way through this shifting landscape is crucial for brands and organisations, particularly as they face renewed scrutiny of their societal role,” he added.
1. Radical Transparency
• After Peak Woke: The cultural shift seeing progressive policies and practices winding back and the implications for big business
• The Age of Radical Transparency: The generational shift in sensitivity to corporate claims and the rise of social media as a platform to voice concerns, requiring new levels of business and political transparency
• A New Climate Chapter: Why engaging with sceptics, finding shared values and mobilising believable voices will become increasingly important to address climate issues and action
• The New Moguls: How ‘newsfluencers’ are reshaping the media landscape and building increasing power among young audiences, and why brands need to rethink channels and voices
2. Real Connection
• People First: How empathetic leaders are improving business performance by creating human-centric workplaces
• A Craving for Lightness: Which brands are tapping into a need for levity with humour, hope and personal connection as an antidote to doomscrolling and sameness
• Reactive by Design: The need to deliver more dynamic, relevant and meaningful content, and react to cultural moments in order to meet the value exchange expectations of audiences
3. Radical Fragmentation
• The Rise of Slop: How low-quality video, still images and copy generated on artificial intelligence platforms produced with little or no budget is impacting the quality of online content
• Chaos Theory: Its role behind the spread of misinformation and disinformation through absurd content that sparks conversation
• Community Currency: Which brands and organisations are generating additional value by facilitating and nurturing customer connections through communities, and creating fanbases in the process
• Surviving the Newspocalypse: The reshaping of legacy media, and where audiences are turning for news
Ogilvy’s eighth annual collection of marketing and communications insights was gleaned from leading creativity, cultural and design events in Australia, New Zealand and around the world. These include the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, SXSW Sydney, TEDx, Nudgestock and Cannes in Cairns.