Craig Roderick looks at some of the biggest trends of 2024 to take in to the year ahead.
Without a crystal ball or the help of Mystic Meg, predicting the year ahead in creativity proves a little challenging. But as history has proven time and time again, looking backwards can offer valuable clues as to what the future may bring.
With that in mind, it’s hard not to begin with Jaguar - the cat that was marking its territory all over my social media for the past couple of months of the year. And what a gargantuan achievement that was. It seemed the whole country was channelling their inner Hegartys and Clarksons, applauding or condemning work with a passion usually withheld for funny cat videos (oh wait a minute!?).
The campaign polarised opinion and here I’m not going to either express my love or loathing for it but more see how it might inspire the year ahead.
Firstly, I strongly believe the genius of the launch work lay not in its creative execution per-sé, but in its bold strategic approach - the creation of a launch film they knew would polarise the masses and totally alienate the typical Jag owner. It’s yet to be seen if the strategy will shift cars or not (it’s certainly shifting perceptions). Looking ahead I can hear many a boardroom conversation from marketing directors wanting the kind of work that provokes this kind of exposure. The exposure that a bottomless media budget would struggle to beat. But, and it’s a big but (perhaps as big as the back end of the TYPE 00 itself) the creativity needs to go a lot further. Get that special combo right and we could see some of the most exciting communications since our beloved Jaguar was a kitten.
Expect a resurgence of ads that evoke nostalgia, celebrate diversity, or use humour to break through the noise.
Craig Roderick, Executive Creative Director & Co-Founder, Catch A Fire
Onto another hot topic that seems to have landed on us from another dimension and promises an interesting future for us creative types - Artificial intelligence. Both scary and exciting it’s happening whether we like it or not. Currently, I’m loving it. The marker pens have definitely run dry a long time ago and doctoring Getty images seems so 2023. Storyboards, mockups and even test films will be taken to new heights that will get even the creative purists among us wondering if the AI visual is better than the real thing. I think we’re probably going to see a few brands and clients realising this too and a few ‘have a go heroes’ could be putting it to the test themselves without the guidance of an agency. I think this will be woefully apparent.
Yeah, sure, the whole point of AI is that it’s supposed to be intelligent enough to handle every task you throw at it. But guess what? Agencies are probably going to need a new hire just to figure it all out. I Wonder what they'll call themselves? AI Specialists? Machine Learning Consultants? AI Gurus? AI- ists?…. The Oracle? Bet they’ll ask AI to come up with the name, too.
As the digital world, previously a fantastical dream of sci-fi writers and Comicon devotees becomes more our reality, our Mcdonald's workers, car stereos, bank clerks, and kitchen appliances become more C3P0, T-800 and HAL, I think consumers will inevitably crave a bigger slice of ‘real’ life. Expect a resurgence of ads that evoke nostalgia, celebrate diversity, or use humour to break through the noise. The smartest campaigns will tap into universal emotions while also tailoring their messaging to specific groups, striking a balance between mass appeal and personalization. Maybe nothing’s changed there, but I feel it will need to be amplified more than ever.
Having formed our agency, Catch a Fire, with environmental awareness and strong ethics at its heart I’m pleased to see the rise of purpose-driven creativity and brands. Consumers now expect brands to stand for something. In 2025, purpose-driven creativity will be a cornerstone of effective advertising. From climate change to social justice, the year’s most memorable campaigns will align with causes that matter to their audiences. But authenticity will be non-negotiable—empty virtue-signalling just won’t cut it anymore.
So press the start button on your new jag, and brace yourself for the ride. 2025 promises some exciting upgrades and although the race is on for true automatization when I ask AI to create an ad that appeals to the masses and sells a truckload of veggie sausages, it serves me up the sausage fest below.
Happy New Year everyone, our creativity is needed for another year!
Craig has worked in the advertising industry for over 20 years, at agencies including Leith, Y&R, WCRS and Southpaw. As Creative Director he's lead projects on great brands like Honda, Asahi beer, Talisker, Baskin Robbins and Cunard. Founding his own purpose-led strategic creative agency Catch A Fire in 2017 with co-founder Toby Barty, with a desire to help brands that want to make a positive impact on the world. He has gone on to create work for plant based food brand - Frys, World Conservation Society, PG tips, Flora, Demelza childrens Charity, Unilever and many more. Most recently Craig and the Catch a Fire team have been awarded for their work for Camden Council, Omnevue and Penfolds wine.
Looks like you need to create a Creativebrief account to perform this action.
Create account Sign inLooks like you need to create a Creativebrief account to perform this action.
Create account Sign in
