As the uniquely gifted philosopher Yogi Berra once quipped, ‘The future ain’t what it used to be.”
With the New Year knocking at the door and this one heading for the exit, it’s time to reflect on the lessons learned during this journey around the sun and consider what the future holds for the next.
As part of our annual series, we invite industry leaders to share three trends they believe will shape 2025, highlight key moments from the past year, and discuss what stood out—both the good and the not-so-good.
Next up is Kartikeya Tiwari – Digital Creative Partner at FCB Group India, reflecting on the past year, looking ahead to 2025, and revealing the fate of his 2024 New Year’s resolution. (Hint, he released an album!)
Looking Ahead
What are three trends to look for in the coming year?
1. Humans make a comeback
We used to be charmed by anything remotely sensible that tech could create for us. Then we got absorbed by it. Not anymore. This is a time for us to reclaim human influence over culture.
We will see a greater emphasis placed on knowing whether something is created by humans or pure tech or both. The same will be noticed in ads.
2. Sobering Down Of AI
It’s been 2 years of the advertising/brand world really running wild with the usage of AI. Time to sober down. Vanity uses of AI will not cut it for consumers anymore. Face-swapping, telling AI generated jokes are all thankfully passé. Time to see what we can really do with AI and brands.
“We will see a greater emphasis placed on knowing whether something is created by humans or pure tech or both.”
3. Homogeneity of social media
All social platforms are starting to look alike. Each has a feed, shorts/reel/short video format, a status bar, your profile page, you get the drift. It will become even more difficult to distinguish between platforms based on features. The only difference will be the context of our users.
Looking Back
What was your favorite trend of 2024?
Label Padhega India
A trend started by a relatively undiscovered creator has taken the world of branded/packaged foods by storm.
This trend encourages people to read the ingredients on a label of every packaged food item. This has revolutionized the way India looks at these companies.
In fact, some brands have changed their formulation to make their product more healthy, because of the pressure generated from this campaign. Phenomenal work, Foor Pharmer.
What was your favorite campaign?
Spotify Spreadbeats. Created by FCB New York, this particular campaign blew my mind. It’s the perfect marriage of coding and visual art to make a music video come alive on an EXCEL SHEET!
When I saw the case I couldn’t believe the lengths this team has gone to make this idea come alive. Kudos.
What was your 2024 New Year’s Resolution and did you keep it?
My New Year’s resolution was to express my creative skills in the best possible ways for the world. I ended up releasing a hip-hop album and am very likely to release a second body of work soon.
This year saw me complete this pending resolution and will hold a special place in my heart forever.
Check out more Three Trends here.
