AI remains a focus, but there are a host of other ways advertising will come to life this year
By Tim Nudd and Sabrina Sanchez. Published on January 08, 2025.
Creators have more options than ever for ways to deliver a brand message. Credit: 9george/Adobe Stock
Predicting the future of creativity feels harder with each passing year, as the rate of change in the ad business
accelerates. Still, there is no shortage of predictions for how creative work will evolve in 2025.
For this piece, 59 top advertising leaders offered their thoughts on creative trends that are likely to be front and center
this year. Their predictions encompass everything from tone to tech, from politics to purpose, from formats to
channels. AI, of course, continues to be a major topic—though exactly how it will manifest in advertising over the
course of the year is an open question.
Ian Grody, chief creative oficer, Giant Spoon
I expect laughter and sensuality to spike, party in response to political change, and partly as an answer to it. Brands
On a different note, newstalgia will be in. There are movies and bops and cultural artifacts we can all agree to love.
Consider the way Gap has reimagined classic ads—simple, stripped-down musical performances, sometimes involving
today’s celebrities, sometimes involving TikTok talent, but grounded in the warm, chicken soup of collective memory.
Even throwback mediums like print may surge; simpler times, simpler times, simpler times.
Lastly, communal experiences will become core. Being in the same space, and forging memories together, reminds us
of all we have in common.
In America, we are going to see a lot of communication on the eve of World Cup 2026—people putting flags in the
ground in terms of their part to play in the American World Cup. We’ll see an escalation in soccer sponsorships. Also,
the continued exposure and marketing around women’s sports will definitely be big, like during March Madness.
Hopefully, marketing will work toward becoming more equal in terms of exposure.