Ogilvy PR’s Futures Report #6 has found that Marketing and communication are undergoing a seismic and fundamental shift, moving away from controlled content and timebound campaigns towards a new era of co-creation. Read the report HERE.
Released today, the ‘Alchemy, Avatars and Altered Authority’ report examines key marketing, and communications trends gleaned from leading creativity, cultural and design events in Australia, New Zealand and around the world.
Its findings point to a new paradigm of co-authorship and conversation with brand fans, social creatives and new digital personas; one of many identified trends that has “significant implications for brands and business alike”, according to Richard Brett, CEO of Ogilvy PR and Ogilvy Health.
“Marketing has been crafting and pumping strict messages out to target audiences for 150 years, and while we’ve seen channels develop and advance, this ‘push’ element has remained the predominant approach.
“But what we are now seeing is a fundamental shift to co-creation, where the role of every brand and organisation is moving to empower fans in the development of content that adds to their shared story. This alchemy between brands and passionate creators is fuelled by technology, and as that technology becomes more advanced, the opportunities for brands and governments to engage also become greater,” he said.
Brett said the annual report looks at 10 key trends explored across four different chapters – Altruism (trends in purpose marketing), Authors (a new era in co-creation), Avatars (adventures in identity) and Altered Authority (re-empowering democracy). It identifies a number of key shifts, including:
- Brands and organisations are rethinking how they operate based on a new understanding of their place in the world
- New creative platforms, including the metaverse, provide different ways for people to express themselves, and for brands to interact with them.
- Avatars allow consumers to be whoever or whatever they like in these new worlds, with particular brands leaning in to encourage the glorious possibilities.
- An altered sense of authority creates a new role for brands and organisations, as governments around the globe struggle to get on top of the world’s increasingly complex problems.
Brett said: “Co-creation, collaboration, citizen empowerment, and inclusive digital personas are not only driving new types of engagement and approaches to creativity but also ways to govern and the development of the digital economy. This marks a new era of integrity and collaboration that brands and organisations would do well to recognise,”
“Our study shows that a number of leading global brands have already made bold choices and taken their marketing in new directions. Seeing these brands and organisations stepping up with real integrity is encouraging. Those that take the leap will thrive in this new era, and those that resist any shift may find themselves grappling with engaging with consumers or addressing cultural changes in the future.”
Insights in Futures #6 are built around inspirational work showcased at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Dark Mofo, Semi-Permanent, TEDx and Nudgestock.
In addition to Ogilvy PR’s annual Futures reports (which have been on a break during the pandemic), the leading communications agency has also produced three other specialist studies; Health Futures, the Future of Content, and the Future of Communications.
