2023

We’re well into the second week of 2023, so we’ve been having a good think about what we’re seeing as important for the year ahead. Will ChatGPT and  Midjourney be taking over or do we humans still have a chance?! Here’s what the team had to say…

Humanity, empathy, humility.

Unsurprisingly after the year we’ve just had, one of the most popular themes to emerge was showing compassion.

“Empathy. It’s shit out there for a hell of a lot of people. Connection with the audience will come from being very in tune with real life. And, importantly, doing it in an authentic manner”
Dylan, CCO

“The Human Touch. As AI continues to explode into our industry in 2023, I think the markers of human creativity will become more valuable than ever. STUTZ on Netflix is a great example. Show us your workings. Give us something real.”
Rich, Junior Creative

“Humility. It’s going to be a really tough financial year for most people, so ramming commercial messages down their throats without understanding, empathy and humility isn’t going to go down well. That doesn’t mean that everything we do should be linked to ‘helping the cost-of-living crisis’ – unless it’s real and meaningful, not just marketing BS.”
Harman, Client Services Director

“Empathy. How brands speak to people will need to keep changing and it will be more and more important to be empathetic with the audience. Many people are struggling with life currently, so it will be important to keep the tone and expectations right, while also providing value and positivity.”
Ilaria, Senior Account Manager

“Be More Human. With the energy/cost of living crisis, brands who aren’t already should pivot to authentic storytelling and ways to connect with consumers who are facing the realities of higher bills and stagnant wages.”
Joe, Senior Digital Designer

Technology, AI and the Metaverse

Tech also emerged as a big theme. With the dominance of AI in the public consciousness as well as curiosity about the viability of the Metaverse.

“Metaverse hype. I think we’ll see less of this in 2023. There’ll still be developments of course but I think Facebook/Meta tried and showed that widespread appeal isn’t really ready to adopt this yet. Will be interesting to see what happens.”
Mihir, Front-end Developer and Motion Designer

“Progress. Where Web 1.0 allowed us to digest content, 2.0 enabled us to contribute. We can look forward to Web 3.0 empowering the end user to have control and clarity of their data.”
Laura, Digital Director

“A More Exhilarating Retail Experience. With e-commerce (and e-returns) being so accessible and intelligent now, retailers need to make their in-store experience feel other-worldly in order to attract people in. Or else… “
Graeme, Senior Account Director

“Drones. Will be more commonplace in delivery, videography, research, Search and Rescue, and even war. Both in the air and on street level.”
Jamie, Senior Front-end Developer and Motion Designer

“Left Field Ideas. As AI tools become more and more advanced, we may see a shift in the types of work coming out of agencies. Away from formulaic and more into the zany and left field ideas as a fight back to generative art. Speculative at best, but it will be interesting to see how it shifts things in the long term.”
Tim, Senior Technical Architect

“AI. How do we utilise or reconcile with the use of AI in designs? Will AI devalue or assist the creative industry? And how can we ensure creative work isn’t devalued by AI?”
Dan, Account Executive

Social will continue to evolve.

Will TikTok still be riding high, is BeReal a fad and will virtual influencers take over? It’s all for the taking this year.

“More influencer content. Brands are already finding ways to subtly advertise their stuff, through people we love, without us even knowing. And it’ll just keep going in 2023!”
Thani, Junior Creative

“More Short-form video content. I’d like to see a new platform for short form video, like Vine (6-10 seconds) as TikTok is now full of long form videos (1-3 mins) and it’s the same with Instagram reels. I think people are over it.”
Lydia, Content Creative

And finally – let’s have some fun!

Remember that!? Add some of the current headlines to the past few years we’ve had and we could all do with a smile, a laugh, a giggle.

“Everything has been a little too serious so would be good for us as an industry to get back to just having some fun again with our work.”
Kieran, Senior Creative

“Humour. Both in the creative work we produce and in the way we approach work. If you’re someone creating content, advertising, or even the 404 error page on a site, you’re in a unique position to give someone a little lift.”
Ashika, Executive Creative Director

We hope you’ve enjoyed our thoughts on the year to come.
Join us on Instagram @krowcentral and join the conversation.