Much has been said of 2016
and its crappy ways, so instead of dwelling on the past, we are looking to the
future! A new year is upon us, which means a blank page alive with opportunity.
LBB’s Addison Capper has caught up with ad folk from across the advertising world
to find out what they’re looking forward to – and what they think the industry
needs to address in 2017.
Lauren Schwartz, Owner/Executive Producer, kaboom productions
What is there to be cheerful about in 2017? Well, I think the best answer to that is: 2016 is over. (Confetti drop!)
What a bad year… right? Very up and down from a jobs perspective; I think the US election really impacted the American psyche and none of us could wait for it to end. And yet we never quite expected it to end like this, did we?
So, what might the positives be to a Trump presidency?
Well for one, my Twitter stock might finally go up, since it serves as our newly elected President’s primary means of communication, and my foggy neighbourhood in San Francisco will get sunnier (thank you global warming and our new EPA ‘climate denier’ director), so maybe I can work on my long-neglected tan. Of course, I'll have to be careful not to burn as no one knows what to expect from health care.
So yes, 2017 is shaping up to be a fine year. For social media stocks and my complexion.
Of course, I am hoping that
2017 somehow rights the wrongs of 2016. And that we can come together to solve
some big issues, make some interesting work, and find heart in who we are.
Maybe Trump won’t be inaugurated and will, instead, go back to TV where we can
ignore his version of reality. In the meantime, I’ll be dancing to a heavy
rotation of Bowie and Prince. #talkaboutchanges #nothankyouforafunkytime
Trevor O’Brien, Chief Technology Officer, Deutsch NY
‘Fuck 2016’, a YouTube video
by John Oliver summarises last year perfectly for me. As for 2017, I’m always excited by the start
of a new year – it kicks off with CES where I get to nerd out on loads of stuff
I can’t have yet or possibly ever. We’ve got some amazing work lined up that
kicks off in 2017, new business to win, new talent to hire and new friends to
make (clients). AI will take off big time in 2017 – watch for bigger platform
creative executions versus the one offs we tend to see now. At Deutsch, we are
working with VR and are launching our first true VR project early this year,
and we are building a new type of chatbot. What’s not to be excited about?
Alan Kelly, Executive Creative Director, Rothco
Get your clients in a room. Lock the door. Turn off the heat and agree that nobody leaves until you have an idea that's world famous. I hope 2017 is the year we say goodbye to ‘ta-dah’ advertising where creatives disappear for weeks or months before doing the big reveal to clients. It’s old, it’s stale and it sucks the life out of creativity.
I'm also looking forward to
bidding adieu to bubble advertising. Every year we slap each other on the back
and congratulate ourselves for creating something that was only appreciated by
a bunch of creatives in a dark festival hall / bubble. If you have an idea you
are excited about, take it out of the agency – go down the road and pitch it to
the guy in the coffee shop. If he gets excited, so should you.
Simon Law, Chief Strategy Officer, POSSIBLE London
Looking to 2017, there’s a
huge amount to be cheerful about and not just that it’s a full stop on 2016!
Firstly, we’re living in the era of Elon… and in 2017 he’ll be launching the
Model 3 car, evolving the solar tiles, pushing the opportunity to populate Mars
and watching to see if Germany manages a working prototype of the Hyperloop
system – all great things, but what will he announce next? Meanwhile, as
agencies, we’ll be changing eCommerce with messaging, pushing the future of UI
with voice, challenging the nature of a website with open search and continuing
to fundamentally influence culture through utility. Finally, I believe that
we’ll see grown-up social from brands in 2017 – laying waste to the frippery
that is ‘always on’ and making meaningful connections with consumers that drive
actual value for the brands behind them. 2017 is chock-a with opportunity and
ripe for cheerfulness.
Jack Laurance, Creative Director, Armoury
I’m cheerful because in 2017
technological advancements will mean that putting a bag over my head and
pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist will suddenly become socially
acceptable. Thank you, Oculus, HTC and Samsung. Thank you, VR. Probably the
biggest step forward in moving image since DW Griffith's first close-up. Which
also made everyone vomit, as it happens.
Todd Eisner, Creative Director, barrettSF
The Department of Justice is interested in our industry!
You don't have to include Vine ideas in your deck anymore.
Clients are demanding more diversity from agencies. And more jingles.
People are starting to forget about what you did at the holiday party.
Banner click-through rates are all the way up to .06%
Several music icons are still alive.