Commercial creativity will be challenged in 2022 by a talent shortage, according to industry insiders.
But the winding down of pandemic restrictions will also see a rise in experimenting and a renewed vigour.
João Braga, chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson: “We’re all talking Metaverse, and that’s only going to get bigger and open-up more opportunities for brands in the next few years.
“But I’m also interested in the real world, and especially after these 2 years, I’d like to think I’m not alone. People want to see people, go places, share a laugh.
“With the pandemic stabilising we’ll hopefully see more movement, and with that more diversity, more real-life insight, more organic interactions, and these are by and large the ingredients of great creative work.
“Like post-plague Florence, we’re also in for an even greater explosion of formats and technologies. That combined with a diverse, open and curious culture could again give rise to a bigger canvas for creativity.”
Jasmin Bedir, CEO, Innocean Australia: “I’m writing this while re-reading my predictions from last year, and while keeping an eye on the news of a new ‘strain of concern’. So unfortunately, it seems not much has changed this year and ’22 is already shaping up another year of major uncertainty.
“I seriously hope I’m wrong, but we may need to use this Christmas break to build up even more resilience than last year to deal with the madness of it all.
“The madness of continued talent shortages, hybrid meetings, supply issues, confused consumers, border openings and closures combined with ever increasing pressures on our clients will make for an even wilder ride. Strap yourself in.“
Simon Brock, Digitas, Executive Creative Director: “Travel will be the double-edged-sword of 2022. It’ll be part of our conversations every week, driven by the fact that almost 60% of Aussie adults say they are likely to travel interstate next year, and almost 40% want to head overseas in 2022.
“Talent will be taking extended trips to their home countries or satiating their wanderlust. The challenge will be maintaining consistency of delivery. The opportunity will be attracting world-class talent to re-energise our businesses and brands.
“The true potential will be facilitating both of these things through bold new initiatives like Publicis’ Work Your World initiative, which has already got folks I work with buzzing with excitement.
“But the challenges and opportunities go further than that. Travel brands will lean into innovation to earn attention over-and-above their competitors in a fiercely competitive market, which will challenge creatives to think beyond convention and create opportunities for bold, brave work.
“Non-travel brands will also get in on the action, challenged to rethink their product benefits for a generation of Aussies desperate to be on the move. I expect that will shape marketing activities for brands across retail, automotive, telecommunications, FMCG, tech, and even fashion.
“We’re all desperate to travel right now, but I expect travel will be the most well-trodden territory in marketing by this time next year.”
Steve Jackson, Milk & Honey United Co-Founder: “Even though we started Milk + Honey United at the end of 2020, this has really been year one for us. It’s been a year like no other so, naturally, we’ve learned a truck load from starting our own thing, and then some.
“We’ve witnessed immense change with where and how we work. Some of it’s been necessary, much of it’s been needed, but now the shift has happened it’s only the start of things to come.
“So looking to 2022, the creative companies we predict will thrive will be those that have removed the layers, the double handling and inefficiency and consistently give you access to the right people.
“For us, the strength is having a more fluid approach (which, in part, helped inspire our own company name). Same seems to be true on the client side. Those who are thriving, not just surviving, are the ones embracing and even pushing for new ways of working.
‘On a human level, it teaches us that life is far too precious to waste one minute of it working with the faint hearted, the small minded or the Grinches of our industry. There’s never been a better time to redesign the way we live and work, which is partly why we’re seeing the rise of more independents and a move away from the traditional models.
“After smashing a well earned mince pie or three we're hoping, like everyone else, that 2022 will bring the end of “You’re on mute mate!”, the pandemic and even more outdated ways of doing things. As a relatively young company we look forward to what’s next and continuing to collaborate with people who don’t view their job as simply keeping their job but rather, a chance to prove what’s possible in a time when anything is.”
Andy Fergusson, executive creative director, Leo Burnett: “Remember when 2021 was going to be the year when everything went back to normal? How charmingly naive we were. Well, 2022 might just be the year where we all finally realise that things are never going back to normal for our industry… and that’s okay.
“Productions are never going back to normal. Gone are the overseas junkets. And with every 7-figure budget, rest assured, there’ll be 7-figures of deliverables too. But on the bright side, producers are so battle-hardened from the past two years, that they can now make literally anything happen.
“The workforce is never going back to normal (or going back to work, for that matter). Yup, ‘The Great Resignation’ is real. But it’s not all bad. There have never been so many quality freelancers on the market. And hopefully it will open up our industry to a batch of different candidates “reshuffling” out of their own fields looking for a new home. Who knows? it might just force agencies to ask the question, 'Was it our fault?'
“Office life is never going back to normal. Brace yourself for yet another year of Zoom calls. Oh, and another year of having dinner with your kids. And seamlessly working from another state while you spend time with your nan. Was normal ever good to begin with?
“I could go on. But my point is this: if we all stop waiting for things to go back to normal, we might just focus our efforts on creating ideas, workforces and workplaces that are anything but normal. And that’s the only normal our industry should be focussed on.”
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