As another marketing year comes to a close, we asked our designers, PR experts and social specialists to stare deeply into a crystal ball… and when they eventually realised that crystal has no predictive qualities whatsoever, we asked them to offer us a few of their own thoughts on where we’ve come from and where we’re headed in 2024.

No mystic powers required.

What changed forever in the year just gone?

In PR, there’s been a definite shift in the types of stories that land, with less coverage for survey-led and visual, creative stories and more for people-first content. Case studies have been flying recently because they connect with journalists and readers. Especially when offered as exclusives, which is a great relationship-building tactic.

Beth Turner, Head of PR 

On social, it’s all about ‘unhinged’ content. Stuff that would previously have been seen as rude, silly or generally chaotic. Because the chaos cuts through! We’re seeing more brands lean into internet-speak and meme humour, leaving corporate content behind. The Duolingo owl led the way, building enough momentum that it’s now an approach supported by TikTok that keeps viewers watching for 1.4x longer.

Elliot Madden, Social & Paid Media Executive

The murky grey clouds of AI have become ever more threatening in the world of design this year… We’ve seen our stock image searches become littered with furry meat and mangled hands. But what began as a bit of hilarity has actually evolved into actual, genuine usefulness. AI tools are making their way into our day to day software to speed up our workflow and increase the quality of our work.

Mike Goldsworthy, Creative Lead

What will look totally different in 2024?

I predict the way we measure PR success will change. The way many agencies rank success (with SEO metrics like followed links) is rapidly becoming outdated. The value of PR lies way beyond backlinks. We should be building on brand awareness, perception and audience visibility. That’s why, at ilk, we set KPIs for high-quality coverage, reach and relevancy as well as focussing on links.

Beth Turner, Head of PR 

Aside from AI, it’s the rise of the social search engine. Meta and TikTok have been jealously ogling Google for ages, but now Gen Z are using those platforms instead. It stems from a shift in trust, with real people creating real, relatable content which builds authenticity. Combined with features like voice-aided search and ever-increasingly complex algorithms, consumers are far less tempted to step away from social to look for info.

Elliot Madden, Social & Paid Media Executive

A follow on from the last answer really… I predict AI will come on leaps and bounds, with AI image generation becoming more and more accurate, and certainly a more useful, helpful and viable tool. This will hopefully lead to less reliance on stock imagery in favour of a more unique and relevant visual range.

Mike Goldsworthy, Creative Lead

What are the biggest challenges on the horizon?

It’s a more general trend, but PR is definitely being hit by budget constraints, with some brands dropping PR entirely. It’s going to be more important than ever to offer more, in an integrated way. How can we build in social, paid media or OOH alongside? How can we use influencers for a boost? A pure PR campaign might not offer enough in 2024.

Beth Turner, Head of PR 

Rising costs are having an impact on social too, with budgets shrinking and the cost of living crisis hitting brands.  Google’s recent (on-the-sly) increase in advertising costs is just one example. So we have to be mindful of spend, leveraging organic where possible to build authenticity. We’re increasingly seeing the reveal of the people behind the content creation as a result.

Elliot Madden, Social & Paid Media Executive

There’s a theme here, but it’s… AI! It will keep changing the complexion of our industry and will remain a challenge, on multiple levels. There’s an increased desire to upskill and learn how to harness AI, new creative business models emerging that offer quick and cheap design solutions and also with developments like Canva and the DIY nature of social media, design is getting easier for a non-designer to do.

Mike Goldsworthy, Creative Lead

Which campaign tops your end-of-year list?

I loved Airbnb’s Shrek Swamp campaign, where they ran a competition for lucky winners to stay in Shrek’s swamp in the Scottish Highlands. The idea itself isn’t new (and is something Airbnb has done in the past), but it goes to show that if the execution is strong, the creatives are solid, and the campaign is relevant, or even tugs on nostalgia, it can be successful.

Beth Turner, Head of PR 

Barbie is an obvious one, but you can’t help but love the chaos-causing owl at Duolingo. When Netflix banned password sharing, Duolingo used its Adoption Centre campaign to encourage users with unused slots in their family subscriptions to ‘adopt’ users in need. It maximised exposure, resonated with customers and offered a helping hand to those miffed by yet another subscription fee. And it was genuinely funny!

Elliot Madden, Social & Paid Media Executive

It’s not so much an individual campaign, but more a trend: living type. It’s been a huge thing across the past 12 months, with brands using a flexible type element that becomes a campaign. I’ll no doubt be sick of it in 2024, but there are some great examples here and here.

Mike Goldsworthy, Creative Lead