BITE’s weekly series rounds up the must-read articles of the week.
Overwhelm and burnout continue to dominate the industry press. While the industry has been keen to turn the page on the pandemic, the truth remains that collectively we are still grappling with the impact of Covid.
The industry is awash with signs of this pressure cooker environment; such as NABS receiving a record number of calls to its advice line. While the IPA is collectively providing solutions to this overwhelm, with a new People First publication which provides tangible policies to prioritise staff wellbeing.
In a year of geopolitical chaos and delayed decision-making, it is easy for organisations and individuals alike to feel a loss of momentum. As well as neglect the basics. New research from Leapers shows freelancers, which make up 32% of the creative industries' talented workforce, are facing ‘ghosting’ on mass. A phenomenon where individuals invest their valuable time and resources in pitching for business only to hear nothing. As Matthew Knight explains: “It's 2025, we have the technology to auto-respond as the lowest form of human decency, and even that is too much effort for some.”
In this environment is it any wonder that consumers' quest for escapism has only grown bigger? As research from McCann Worldwide underlines even the smallest moment can provide the release of escapism.
When so much of leadership is energy, the credit must go to the creative leaders continuing to progress with meaningful work amidst the sharp edges of 2025. The Mayor of London’s vibrant campaign from McCann London is a compelling reminder of the creative industry's ability to positively change the narrative.
Research from Leapers into the experience of freelancers in the creative industries reveals that the industry is falling short. ‘Ghosting’, a phenomenon in which a client approaches an organisation or individual for work and then disappears, is a common complaint amongst freelancers. According to Leapers’ study, 72% of respondents have been ghosted. A truth that poses the question: why are we not getting the basics right as an industry? “I hope in most cases that it's just that everyone is overwhelmed and stretched,” says Knight. He points to the fact that when people are looking for freelancers they are turning to platforms like LinkedIn, getting 600 responses and then not being able to respond to them all. Yet he believes that volume is a poor excuse.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, used Valentine’s Day to launch a new campaign to celebrate London’s rich diversity and send the message that every Londoner is loved and wanted in the city.
Created by McCann London the ‘Loved and Wanted’ campaign launched at Outernet London on Valentine’s Day. It will run for two weeks both in Outernet London and across high-impact areas across the capital. The campaign launches amidst an increasingly polarized media ecosystem and six months after towns and cities in the UK experienced racist riots, violence and unrest. According to the team behind the campaign, the ‘Loved and Wanted’ work ‘serves as a direct affirmation that London remains a beacon of hope, resilience, and multiculturalism’.
In an age of social and digital overwhelm, the desire to escape is an almost universal one. So much so that the ‘Escape Economy’ is valued at $9.7 trillion currently, and is predicted to increase to $13.9 trillion by 2028. Within the Escape Economy, the global travel and tourism market is worth $316 billion.
Within such a huge market, the opportunities for brands are both vast and complex. With this opportunity in mind McCann Worldgroup’s brand intelligence unit, MW Truth Central, conducted a mixed-method research study into escapism, collecting data from across the globe.
Entitled ‘The Truth About Escapism’, the research found that 91% of people feel the need to escape occasionally. This desire for escapism doesn’t simply equate to a dream getaway, a simple afternoon sweet treat is equally an act of escapism.
The research found that globally, consumers’ number one reason for needing escapism was the state of the world. Secondly came a desire to escape their own mind, and thirdly a desire to escape their work. The research underlines that Overwhelm is not a trend that leaders or marketers can simply wish away. In order to properly connect with consumers and employees alike we have to face the truth.
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