What trends, developments or issues would you point to thus far in 2022 as being most significant, perhaps carrying implications for the rest of this year and beyond?
The continuous rise of TikTok is one of the most significant trends of 2022. The platform is an unstoppable force, garnering an enormous amount of consumer attention. There are so many insights that can not only be found through the successful work on TikTok, but even within the comments. Spending time looking through the comments every day really allows you to listen to what consumers have to say and will be impactful for the content you create. By paying close attention to these assorted touch points on the platform, it can inform bigger campaigns across all platforms and media. I foresee TikTok to continue its rise and be a key platform for the industry overall.
What’s the biggest takeaway or lessons learned from work (please identify the project) you were involved in this year?
I’m always learning on every single project I’m involved in, but one of the most memorable takeaways I got was from the Planters “All or One” Super Bowl spot VaynerMedia worked on this year. We initially put out a poll on Twitter to see how people ate their nuts – all in one, as in mixed together, or one at a time. Recognizing we struck up a nationwide debate on this topic, we used this as our central idea for the spot. In this, I learned that while talent and creativity are always going to be the drivers of this industry, we are more empowered than ever in terms of not having to rely on a boardroom to decide if your idea is “right.” All you have to do is listen to consumers by leveraging tools like Twitter as an insight machine to understand what consumers want. This allows for creativity to truly resonate with them.
What work (advertising, entertainment, documentary) -- your own or others--struck a responsive chord with you this year and why?
In Entertainment, I love the series “The Old Man,”--it really struck a responsive chord with me. It’s incredible storytelling. It’s a show that’s a slow methodical burn, with knockout action sequences that come out of nowhere. It’s beautifully shot, coupled with phenomenal acting by the cast. I appreciate the artistry of it and love shows that you have to wait for, rather than binge.
While gazing into the crystal ball is a tricky proposition, we nonetheless ask you for any forecast you have relative to content creation and/or the creative and/or business climate for the second half of 2022 and beyond.
The most successful content will be the content that moves at the speed of culture, as that will drive the most relevance and reach consumers in an effective way. In addition, I think ideas will become more technical than ever before. With the rise of interactive technologies such as QR Codes and Augmented Reality, Creative will become a format that consumers will be able to play with.