My creative wish list for 2024 by Pablo London's Dan Watts

I have no idea what 2024’s going to bring.

If Nigel Farage entering the ITV Jungle is now considered normal then all bets are off. But I do feel optimistic about creativity. I’m looking for good things in 2024 and I hope brands are too.

What’s missing?

Despite it being the best way to get attention and memorability, comedy has been in short supply of late.

Instead, we’ve had brand purpose mood films for fizzy drinks, and manifestos of being “by your side” for spreadable butter. Audiences have been having it rough of late and need cheering up, so let’s look for the funny in 2024. Tell people what you’re selling, why it’s good, and make them chuckle. They may just remember you when they’re next in Tesco.

Next up, long term thinking, for example, active brand platforms that last longer than six months.

It’s 2024 and the world is moving faster than a pair of AI Usain Bolt feet, but now is the time to remember the power of brand building amongst the digital sea of data-driven tech. We may have the attention spans of a moth-eaten sieve nowadays, but we still love, and will engage with, interesting things. And sometimes those interesting things can be brand ideas. But interesting things need substance and an enriching, insightful point of view built on over time.

What else can we hope to see…hmmm…how about less reliance on media before the idea?

There’s no point being a brand with the first Virtual Holographic Brain Scanning billboard if you have no idea what to do with it.

Far better to work out what the idea is first. A mediocre, retro-fitted idea is exactly that—mediocre, no matter how jazzy the media. As the opportunities around media become more and more exciting in 2024 let’s ensure we don’t all end up with All the Gear And No Idea.

How to stand out?

More than ever brands are going to need to become more authentic, personalised and immersive for their audiences. But in a world where everyone is worried about saying the wrong thing and getting cancelled, there is a real risk in being risk averse. Middle of the road. Dull. Dull gets ignored, costs money and saps creativity from the world. So let’s be on the lookout for dull in 2024 and make sure it's replaced with the colourful, the thoughtful, the punchy and the surprising.

I’m sure 2024 will bring with it many good things to widen the eyes. Technology and ways of reaching audiences will no doubt throw a few surprises our way. Personally, I hope to see a robot version of Freddie Mercury play live.

But when it comes to brands and creativity, I’ll settle for some of the basics.—humour, brand building, insightful points of view, and thought-provoking, innovative executions.

(A few jingles wouldn’t hurt either).