100 Keyword Predictions for 2024 | Brands (31-40): Fan Inspiration, Dopamine, Sand Sculptures and a Sense of Co-creation!

What new trends may emerge in brand marketing in 2024? This is explained in the Wunderman Intelligence report "100 Future Trends 2024". In this article, the author shares his thoughts. Let's take a look.

In 2024, the Dragon's Journey begins!

Wunderman's "2024 Future Trends 100" report is structured in 10 sections, supported by 100 forward-looking keywords, and guided by nearly a thousand innovative cases, making it the world's most valuable annual trend forecast report.

The entire report consists of 10 sections: "Culture", "Technology and Innovation", "Tourism and Vacation", "Brand and Marketing" , "Food and Beverages", "Beauty", "Retail and Commerce", "New Luxury Life", "Health", and "Work", with 100 keywords and 100,000 words.

Today, let’s take a look at the 10 trends in “Brand & Marketing” in 2024.

Part 4: "Branding & Marketing"

1. The rebirth of outdoor advertising: Outdoor advertising enters an interesting era of surrealism

Virtual Out-of-Home (FOOH) is a concept developed by artist Ian Padgham that uses CGI technology to combine real video footage with 3D elements to create visually appealing and realistic outdoor advertising.

Among the artists pushing this interesting approach is Shane Fu, a New York-based motion designer originally from Wuhan, China.

• Fu says his work combines elements of digital art, AR/VR design and 3D trompe l'oeil billboards. His work includes different imaginary versions of Burberry's Lola handbag, including a giant, feathered version placed in the middle of a fashionable London neighborhood. In another piece Fu created for BMW, he depicted a BMW iX emerging from a shiny, water-rippled bubble.
• Rogier Vijverberg, founder and creative lead of Jimmy, told VML Intelligence that people are seeking out new ways to be entertained, especially as more people are constantly scrolling on their phones. “When you see something that sparks your imagination and makes you wonder if it’s real or fiction, or it has an element you haven’t seen before, that’s the moment to stop scrolling and think deeply,” he said.
• In the fall of 2023, Jimmy collaborated with British jewelry brand Astrid & Miyu to plan giant snowball advertisements based on CGI technology in New York, Edinburgh and London.
• Another artist blurring the line between reality and hyperreality is American creator Ian Padgham. He created an ad campaign for Jacquemus, in which the brand’s giant handbags were placed on wheels and shuttled through the streets of Paris. He also created social media content for Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara, in which London Underground trains and buses appeared to have giant eyelashes, brushed by oversized eyelash brushes.

Innovation opportunities

The ubiquity of social media coupled with the creativity of digital art means a new reality is being shaped. These creative, reality-breaking FOOH creations showcase the potential of this art form to capture the imagination of consumers.

2. Fan inspiration - "huge wealth" created together with fans!

Passionate fans and social media influencers are constantly inspiring innovation from the brands they love.

"It's a focus group of a billion people," Abercrombie & Fitch's chief product officer Corey Robinson described TikTok in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Passionate fans and influencers on social media constantly inspire innovation from the brands they love, creating a focus group of hundreds of millions of people.

Corey Robinson, chief product officer of Abercrombie & Fitch, once described TikTok as a platform with huge potential. This trend captures a new social media-driven product development paradigm - brands convert fan creativity and viral social media content into valuable new product development and innovation opportunities.

• Chipotle responded to the Keithadilla craze in 2023 — a customizable tortilla popularized by TikTok food critic Keith Lee — by launching the dish in 3,200 U.S. stores and training more than 100,000 employees on how to make it.
• McDonald's also paid tribute to the food hacking culture by launching the Menu Hacks option, which allows fans' creativity to become reality, such as the Hash Brown McMuffin, which can be purchased in stores.
• In Colombia, Ramo’s chocolate cake brand Chocoramo responded to a viral fan-generated social media campaign by launching new variations, “Esquinas de Chocoramo,” which include only the cake’s popular corners.

In China, this concept of "extreme wealth" emphasizes respecting and highlighting the user's subjective consciousness and cognition.

• For example, Amul has demonstrated the power of co-creation through their "Building Seize Plan". In March 2023, a netizen posted on Xiaohongshu that a building looked like Amul, which triggered ridicule from netizens. Surprisingly, Amul actually responded, saying that it wanted to "take back my building". Subsequently, Amul launched the "Building Seize Plan" and cooperated with the netizen's strategy to successfully make the screen of the building play the "Amul Light Show" for a week.
• Mazda also announced that Tony Leung Ka Fai would be their spokesperson. In movies and TV series, Tony Leung Ka Fai once sharply "commented" on Mazda, becoming a famous "anti-fan". But surprisingly, this year the two sides reached a century-long settlement, and Mazda invited Tony Leung Ka Fai to be their spokesperson, which triggered a series of heated discussions.
• KFC launched the "V Me 50 Card" and took advantage of the craze of "Crazy Four Literature" to turn "V Me 50" into a promotional tool.
• Luckin Coffee launched a new product, "Prickly Rose Latte", on Valentine's Day in 2023. It's hard not to suspect that it was inspired by He Guangzhi. In the end, He Guangzhi even became Luckin Coffee's "forced" product experience officer.

Innovation opportunities

The world is a huge interactive stage, and having fun together is the most important thing. Brands can satisfy consumers’ desire for creativity by leveraging the creative influence of fans, and bring real-life innovations to fans based on viral ideas - this is the sense of co-creation!

3. India’s Moment: The Rise Cannot Be Ignored

Through its strong hard and soft power, India is emerging as a new global brand power.

• 2023 marks a milestone for India as it officially surpasses China to become the world's most populous country .
• By hosting the G20 summit in September 2023, India has cemented its status as an emerging global superpower and has demonstrated its importance in the new space race through missions to the moon and the sun.
• And India’s development is just getting started. Ernst & Young predicts that by 2027, India will become the world’s third largest economy and has ambitious plans to become a leader in technology and innovation. India will become “one of the world’s largest artificial intelligence markets.” Many leading global companies such as Apple, Samsung, Kia, Boeing, Siemens, Tesla and Toshiba are leveraging India’s manufacturing and technological capabilities.
• Meanwhile, Bain & Company predicts that by 2030, India’s domestic luxury market will be “3.5 times larger than it is today.” Brands such as Gucci, Cartier and Louis Vuitton are increasing their presence in the Indian market.

India's soft power potential is also growing.

• The "Offbeat Sari" exhibition at the Design Museum in London has generated huge interest among British audiences.
• Bollywood's top stars Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone and Athiya Shetty recently became India's first brand ambassadors for leading global brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Laneige.
• Indian brands Sabyasachi Calcutta and Forest Essentials are expanding their presence globally by opening retail stores in the US and UK.

Babita Baruah, CEO of VML India , said a combination of factors explain the rise of Indian brands . “While economic growth is an important sign of progress, the combination of talent, technology and grassroots innovation is creating something even greater for India: a positive zeitgeist.”

Innovation opportunities

Huang told the media that this is "India's moment." India is rapidly becoming a global political, economic and cultural powerhouse as its population, domestic market and technological capabilities continue to grow rapidly. This makes India a market that brands, manufacturers and consumers cannot ignore.

4. Creator to Consumer (C2C): A new model for brand building—co-creation by creators!

The new co-creation platform enables numerous creative creators to easily set up their own online stores, attracting shoppers through content, stories and personal charm, while providing brands and retailers with a new brand sales and display channel.

• Maddie Raedts, co-founder of Bond, said that they are a live shopping startup centered on discovery and personalization, creating a new generation of social shopping experience by prioritizing content and focusing on creators. On the Bond platform, various creators curate digital boutiques, organize selected product series and broadcast live. Their audience exceeds 35 million, and brands registered on the platform include Bally, Altuzarra and Re/Done.
• Flagship is an American startup that launched a ready-made online store for creators in February 2023, providing creators with the opportunity to work with 100 partner brands and earn commissions. Here, creators focus on inspiration creation, and brands register through Shopify accounts, choose the creators they want to work with, and negotiate a share based on sales. Brands are also responsible for inventory and logistics fulfillment.
• Similar platforms include Pedlar in Australia, Canal for Creators and Emcee Studios in the United States.

This new model of mutual benefit for all three parties brings obvious benefits:

• For brands, they have a brand new user touchpoint, which allows them to explore and try without any burden, and expand their sales channels.
• For creators, they have stable development potential and a more reliable profit model.
• For consumers, they can purchase personalized products and experiences from their favorite influencers instead of just searching for mass-market items.

Big retailers are also working to put creators and content first.

• Following Walmart, US retail giant Target launched an influencer-led online store exclusively for the 2023 holiday season, with more than 300 creators opening online stores just a few weeks after its launch.
• In May 2023, e-commerce giant Amazon also launched a new creator platform Inspire.

Now the trend is expanding into other areas, with the startup Wandr inviting travel influencers to create their own booking interfaces for its portfolio of one million hotels.

In fact, this model can be understood as an independent and exclusive e-commerce version for influencers such as Douyin.

It is important to note that the term "influencer" needs to be redefined here : they are people who can change the ideas and behaviors of "some people". They are no longer limited to celebrities or experts and masters, but ordinary people, even shop assistants, deliverymen, cleaners, and anyone who can establish trust and identity in a certain aspect can become an influencer.

An extreme example is Lei Sen, a young man from Sichuan who begs in the United States. He went from begging on live broadcasts to becoming a million-dollar internet celebrity. If he were to sell goods, there would be no doubt that he would surpass those stars.

Innovation opportunities

Brands can use influential opinion leaders to engage customers through personalization, storytelling, and enhanced discovery. This trend also reflects the preference of younger generations to buy from their peers: 23% of Gen Z and Millennials said they are more interested in buying directly from influencers.

5. Dopamine vision-stimulate pleasure with bright colors!

Brands are redesigning their packaging and imagery to inject that feel-good dopamine rush!

Jell-O's first brand redesign in a decade, launched in July 2023, features bright colors and eye-catching graphics designed to inspire joy and wonder through imagination and play.

• “ We’re bringing back the thrill of play , tapping into the sense of wonder that the brand brings to adults and kids alike,” said creative director Rebecca Williams.
• The brand says the new visual identity " unleashes imagination" by "reimagining how flavors can be presented in a playful and sensory way, allowing customers to enter the delicious world of Jell-O. "

Fanta also underwent a brand redesign in April 2023, featuring dynamic cartoon graphics and a bright color palette that captures a feeling of "joyful indulgence."

• Lisa Smith, who developed the brand identity with Coca-Cola, says it was the most extensive color project she’s ever worked on. The design deliberately chose elements that were non-precious and imperfect; the team explored “all the opposites of a formal typeface,” Smith explains, making the logo “deliberately very, very playful.”
• “We wanted to showcase a brand that values ​​free play,” said Rapha Abreu, vice president of global design at Coca-Cola, “redefining play so that people of all ages can embrace and benefit from it.”

7UP unveiled a new look in February 2023, designed to create "delightful moments" for drinkers. Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo's senior vice president and chief design officer, said: "We want to create a new, dynamic image that is up-to-date and in line with the brand's positioning to inspire emotional value!"

Innovation opportunities

The world is becoming increasingly color-deprived, concluded a 2020 study by the Science Museum Group in London. Brands are incorporating color into their new imagery and packaging to deliver and activate emotions, while consumers are actively seeking out brands that can make them smile.

6. Brand Universe—Those who can tell stories will live forever!

Brands are no longer isolated, static entities, but rather all-encompassing dynamic universes with worldviews, narratives, and actions, just like the Marvel Universe.

79% believe that the role of brands has changed in the past five years, and 88% say companies have a responsibility to look after the planet and people.

• Azabdaftari, founder and CEO of digital branding agency NickelBronx, told The New York Times: "Twenty years ago, a brand was really just a logo and a color; now that's changing, brands are evolving into organic ecosystems, and creating a more comprehensive brand universe has become more important, and it can even become a new force in changing the world."
• "Creating a brand means creating the macro world that the brand occupies and inviting consumers to join in , and we see this as the evolution of brand building," said Amplify Chief Creative Officer Jeavon Smith and Executive Creative Director Alex Wilson at the SXSW2023 forum.
• Fashion Business reports that the cosmetics brand Isamaya Ffrench is more concerned with "worldview construction" rather than just simple beauty products. Under her eponymous brand Isamaya, three series were launched in June 2022, each of which created a unique character and narrative. Ffrench called it an invitation for people to "explore a bigger world" together.

Toy company Mattel is stepping up its efforts to partner with Hollywood and various brands to reinvigorate Barbie.

• By the summer of 2023, the craze extended far beyond toys. Time reported that "Barbie has conquered the world—thanks in large part to a slew of co-promotions that have completely immersed consumers in Barbie's world."
• To achieve this goal, Warner and Martel have partnered with brands such as Burger King, Pinkberry, Bloomingdale's, Crocs, Gap, Xbox, Ruggable and furniture brand Joybird to launch Barbie-themed products.
• Richard Dickson, president and chief operating officer of Martel, said the Barbie movie is the first step in reinventing how the brand operates, and that what you really start to see is Martel as a pop culture company.

Innovation opportunities

Consumers’ interactions with brands are shifting from disparate, separate touchpoints to an omnichannel experience. Looking ahead, Smith and Wilson said brands need to put storytelling at the heart of everything they create.

7. Influential Entertainment – ​​Emotional narratives inspire positive change!

“Our goal is to inspire action through deep experiences to make the world a better place.” This is the grand vision of Daniel Hettwer, founder of Hidden Worlds Entertainment, who has developed the “impactainment” model – combining experiences with positive action to address existential threats such as the climate crisis and mental health.

"Influential entertainment" is deeply rooted in behavioral science and psychology, and involves creating influential experiences that inspire mass action and change. Unlike traditional education, it not only educates participants, but also inspires them to change.

“Education alone doesn’t bring about change,” the founders told VML Intelligence. “There’s a lot of scientific research that shows that stories stimulate certain neurochemicals in the brain. Stories have a huge ability to create specific emotions, resonate and inspire. We want to inspire people and then help them turn that inspiration into action.”

The Bahamas took this approach to "impact entertainment" to give people an immersive experience of the positive significance of the ocean . The event blended art exhibitions, multi-sensory dining and 360-degree photography to highlight the success of the Bahamas in protecting the ocean while educating guests about the beauty and challenges of the ocean. After the experience, guests were also invited to participate in a beach cleanup, creating what Hidden Worlds Entertainment said was a direct impact.

Hidden Worlds Entertainment currently focuses on two key areas: conservation and mental health . But the founder believes that impact entertainment can be used for any topic and by all kinds of consumer brands. He said: "Our mission is to create the most entertaining and high-quality customer experiences in the leisure, entertainment and hospitality industries to promote hope, faith and innovation."

Innovation opportunities

Hettwer believes that influencer entertainment will become a “ key driver of brand equity and long-term profitability” by providing fun and authentic ways to effect positive change while showcasing a brand’s purpose.

8. Brand clown/silly sculpture advertising: It’s time for brands to regain their sense of humor!

For the past 20 years, brands have responded to users and epidemics with a serious image, but evidence shows that new consumers are more eager for laughter than preaching.

• According to the Link+ report, in 2022 and 2023, ads with a sense of humor will see growth for the first time in 20 years.
• People crave brands that bring a laugh. Oracle’s 2022 Happiness Report found that 91% of consumers worldwide want brands to be funny, and 90% believe funny brands are more memorable.
• Data from VML Intelligence shows that the main reason people choose to buy a certain brand is because it brings them a feeling of happiness.

Brands are leaning towards creating silly or spoof ads to relieve stress or bring a brief sense of relief to users. This includes using nonsensical humor that may be embarrassing to some users.

• On TikTok, the up-to-date and embarrassing content has received more than 2.6 billion views.
• The latest advertisement of canned drinking water brand Liquid Death uses a lot of nonsensical comedy elements, and cooperates with the Kardashian family's eldest brother-in-law, musician Travis Barker, to produce Liquid Death enema in commemoration of Blink 182 album.
• CEO Mike Cessario shared the brand’s focus on humor in an interview with Spy.com, saying, “ We know if we can make people laugh, we’ll win. We treat our creative work like the writers’ room for Saturday Night Live, and we set a higher standard for our content because of it.”

Humor is not only an alternative to "preaching", but also a vehicle to discuss issues in a more intimate way.

• Ethical market Better Climate Store constantly mocks the climate crisis when selling its Greenwash soap, while mocking consumers who make ethical choices simply out of self-gratification.
• Ben Becker, co-founder of Better, said: “The planet clearly has a marketing problem in that its most science-backed advocates aren’t necessarily the best brand storytellers. But if we can capture people’s attention with interesting content and products, and direct them from the comfort of their computers to low-cost climate action, that’s a big win for everyone. ”

In China, Ma Yinglong and Wufangzhai are known as the pioneers of sand sculpture advertising, and in 2023, Haidilao’s "Subject Three" advertisement topped the hot search list of major platforms, and its underlying logic is also based on this demand.

Innovation opportunities

Humor can differentiate and engage users, and provide some much-needed joy to consumers who are still struggling through tough times. Perhaps in 2024 we can create some short films similar to this magical Thai ad.

9. Sense of co-creation - create the future with users!

Brands are increasingly handing control of product creation to users (what used to be called the democratization of fashion).

Angelina Jolie launches her brand Atelier Jolie in summer 2023 — a “creative platform” that turns users into designers.

• Jolie said: “Why simply buy someone else’s design when you can create your own?”
• Rather than selling pre-designed garments, the brand lets consumers choose from stock and handcrafted fabrics and have garments custom-made to their exact measurements by in-house tailors; it also offers mending services, take-home mending kits and free-to-use in-store “self-mending stations.”
• “I don’t want to be a big designer, I want to create a platform for other people so that everyone can be a designer,” Jolie told Vogue.

In May 2023, American emerging actress Kiki Shipka launched her own beauty brand, and she also adopted the co-creation model in product development.

• “Anyone who wants to get involved in developing our products can join us,” co-founder and chief product officer Brendon Garner told Glossy. “We’re launching with just one nail polish , and all future releases will be decided by community voting.”
• Chief Creative Officer Ricky Chan told Elle magazine: “We want to change the way brands are built in the future, not just in the beauty space.”

Golden Goose enables shoppers to ‘co-create anything, anywhere.’ In a new co-create in-store experience, launching first in Australia in 2023, shoppers can customise the brand’s essential products including sneakers, handbags, outerwear, jeans and T-shirts by selecting their own designs, which are then completed by on-site artists.

Innovation opportunities

Shopping is a form of self-expression, especially for younger consumers. According to VML Intelligence’s “Generation Z: Building a Better Normal” report, 60% of American Generation Z said their brand choices are an expression of their identity.

In 2024, brands will need to go beyond product personalization and empower consumers to freely express themselves through the products they purchase.

10. Bio-creating brands – truly sustainable

Brands are harnessing the power of nature to create the next generation of fabrics and dyes.

London-based Normal Phenomena of Life is described by its founder as the “first bio-design lifestyle brand” .

• The online platform showcases garments and objects made using bacteria, algae, fungi, yeast, animal cells and other biological agents, which describes the concept of biodesign, which uses the growth mechanisms of natural organisms to create innovative materials and dyeing techniques.
• Among Normal Phenomena of Life’s products is the Exploring Jacket, a technical cover-up made from 100 percent GOTS-certified silk that’s batch-dyed with a wild-type strain of the bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor.

At the 2023 London Design Festival, Danish brand Ganni unveiled a prototype of the Bou Bag, which is made from a leather alternative from London biotech company Modern Synthesis, without plastic or petrochemical ingredients. The material is made from agricultural waste by growing bacteria on a support structure. The microorganisms then convert the sugars into nanocellulose. The resulting fibers are eight times stronger than steel and have natural adhesive capabilities.

In 2019, Central Saint Martins in London launched its Biodesign MA, which aims to “ explore bio-based design strategies for sustainable innovation.” Graduates of the course have created a number of conceptual works, including Mia Luong’s “Future Pearl Light,” which imagines using bacterial cellulose and nanocellulose to design and reimagine the future of nacre and pearls in a world where the oysters from which pearls are derived have become extinct.

Innovation opportunities

Innovative materials that harness the power of nature’s inherent mechanisms are one way to explore a more sustainable future. While it’s still early days for these materials, their potential is compelling and brands are investing in them.

Author: Brand Yuan, WeChat public account: Brand Yuan (ID: brand-yuan)