Mary Proulx.
The AdNews end of year Perspectives, looking back at 2024 and forward to next year.
Mary Proulx, Co-founder Bread
If you listen to any water-cooler chat around this time, you’ll hear the same thing: “Where has time gone?!” But for Bread, 2024 has felt anything but fleeting. As we celebrated our second year as an independent social commerce agency, it felt like we truly found our groove.
With a strong foundation and new faces around the table, this was the year we doubled down on creating work that seriously engages audiences – not just driving likes but delivering real business results.
More than that, 2024 seemed to be the year social media solidified its seat at the planning table—an achievement that social practitioners have tirelessly championed for years. For too long, social has been seen of as an add-on or an afterthought. But when it’s done well, it doesn’t just support campaigns—it drives them. This year, it felt like brands, big and small, finally started to get that.
And we’re not just talking about using social as a strong paid performance platform (although it’s undeniably powerful there).
From shoppable formats to community-driven commerce, creative use cases to reach audiences in entertaining, unexpected ways have truly shone. Campaigns like Refy ditching influencers to bring their community on a press trip and Yochi nailing an intrigue-generating new product launch (that got picked up in the media) have brought a freshness to the space, reminding us all that social should be fun, bold, and innovative. That creativity hasn’t just captured attention; it’s delivered results.
Often, that creativity was sparked by listening to the conversations happening on social platforms themselves. Recognising the power of having a two-way conversation tool at your fingertips has been the secret sauce for brands in 2024. Take French wine brand La Vieille Ferme, for example. By rebranding to ‘The Chicken Wine’—how their audience referred to them on social—they created something effective, shareable, and shoppable.
The brands that thrived this year understood that community management isn’t about silencing audiences—it’s about engaging them, listening to them, and activating them. Those who embraced this shift to community engagement unlocked its full potential.
But let’s be real: social media in 2024 hasn’t been all fun, games, and business wins.
This was also the year we took a long hard look at the impact these platforms are having on younger generations. Initiatives like 36 Months forced us to reflect on who, when, and how young Aussies are using social platforms—and the long-term implications of that. It sparked vital conversations about how brands can and should engage responsibly with younger audiences.
2024 was also a year of increased reckoning when it came to inclusive representation in content. Campaigns from Shift 20, which leveraged TikTok to connect brands and agencies with talent with disability, showed how much potential there is to create real change. Seeing these efforts gain traction has been a highlight of the year—how good!
All of this to say, if we can keep this creative, considered, and inclusive momentum going, 2025 has the potential to be a brilliant year.
It’s clear that audiences are ready for more, and the brands that lean in—pushing the boundaries and making an impact—will reap the rewards.
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