2024 Trend Predictions

​​It's no surprise that rapid advancements in technology have morphed the marketing landscape. AI systems, storytelling in content, and how we search for information are all evolving. Want to know what we see coming? Read on:

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1. New Tech in Content Production.

Technology is rapidly improving and changing things in the content creation space—and this year, Virtual Production will grab a bigger share of the video production marketplace. As the tech evolves and costs come down, more brands, companies, and agencies are experimenting and becoming comfortable with the workflow. We'll see a lot more Virtual Production projects hitting our screens soon. 

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The 'Text to Everything' revolution is also dramatically transforming content creation across many mediums. AI's ability to generate text, videos, 3D models, and even potentially Billboard 100 songs from simple text inputs is reshaping the creative industry. This year, it’s likely the time delay between making a text request and receiving a response from an AI will drop to milliseconds. This enables the production of customizable ad visuals based on user data on-the-fly, offering unprecedented personalization in advertising. 

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However, with great power comes great responsibility. As AI-generated content floods our digital space, the risk of cognitive overload is real. Balancing the signal-to-noise ratio becomes crucial. In the creative field, a person’s taste, which is highly subjective, defines much of their career. AI has an abstraction of taste derived from billions of stories but must still be guided. In the end, the work we release will still reflect the humans behind it, so long live good taste. And taste buds—although one day, AIs might have those too.

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2. From AdWords to AdTokens: How SEO is Changing in an AI-Dominant Era

Tokens are basically words that get returned from systems like ChatGPT, so a shift from AdWords to AdTokens would mark a profound change in the digital advertising landscape. As superintelligent AI assistants grow in power and proliferation, the relevance of traditional SEO is waning. These AI systems can provide instant, highly personalized responses, making conventional search and ad formats less effective. 

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This transition challenges marketers to rethink their strategies, moving towards being relevant in AI responses, which are AI-driven and offer more targeted, contextually relevant advertisements. This evolution underscores the need for marketers to adapt to an environment where AI assistants are central in shaping consumer interactions and preferences.

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3. Emphasis on Emotional Storytelling and Familiarity.  

Short-form content will be everywhere this year, entertaining us while we spend minutes—or hours—scrolling on our device. Emotional storytelling and high quality content will be driving forces in video marketing. Brands that can evoke emotions, whether through humor, empathy, or inspiration, create a deeper connection with their audience. Viewers are also increasingly demanding that videos are well-made and engaging. In 2024, marketers will need to invest more in increasing the quality of their production and crafting emotionally resonant narratives that captivate and leave a lasting impact on viewers.

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The speed of technological change (and the 2024 elections) will reinforce our need for comfort content—with familiar faces and retro trends. Expect more celebrities-as-characters to counteract AI influencers and brands that promise immediate gratification to do well.

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4. Wearable AI Assistants: The Next Frontier in Personalized Assistance

The emergence of multimodal (Text, Vision, Audio, etc.) wearable AI assistants signifies a big shift in our interaction with technology. This year, products like Meta Ray-Bans, Rabbit, Humane Pin, and the rumored 'SuperduperSiri' AirPods will go mainstream. Imagine asking your AirPods, "Teach me to paint like Bob Ross." In response, a calming Bob voice guides you through painting "happy little trees," providing a serene art lesson directly to your ears, free from the ad distractions typical of a YouTube video. 

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These devices represent a move toward an era where superintelligent assistants (powered by technologies like the currently-training GPT-5 and LLAMA3) are seamlessly integrated into our daily lives—redefining the utility and accessibility of information and transforming user experience in real-time.

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Smaller Trends Worth Noting‍

1. Voice Marketing

Voice assistants and audio devices are on the rise—and as people increasingly listen to news, books, and podcasts, marketing will need to follow them there.

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2. Lots More State and Government Regulation on Technologies. 

Over 65 new tech laws were introduced in 2023, and this trend is bound to continue. Between AI legislation, privacy, child safety, content moderation, and antitrust litigation, it’s likely that we’ll see comprehensive national standards come into the conversation. With the 2024 election, laws around the use of AI in the electoral process will also be an important topic. 

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3. Horizontal content will also make more of a comeback. 

TikTok and other networks encourage creators to share horizontal, longer-form content that can be turned into the full screen and mimic the TV experience. In 2024, think of producing social video content as producing TV show episodes.