Designing 2050: “Uncomplicate This World”

From the cost-of-living crisis and war tensions, to climate change and more, there is too much doom and gloom surrounding the future. Without drastic change, experts claim that by 2050 millions could be without food, rising seas will wipe out cities across the globe, air pollution will be at lethal levels, technology will breach our privacy, cyberattacks will increase… the list goes on. 

It’s bleak, but this doesn’t have to be the case. Creative thinkers, advertisers and brand strategists have the ability to create real change. So in this series, creative agency 2050 London calls for the creative industry to step forward and offer an optimistic view of what 2050 can be through positive visionary thinking and some crazy ideas that can change things. 

In this interview LBB’s Tará McKerr speaks to Alan Edwards, managing director of Why? Marketing Services, an industry veteran who yearns for the return of a simpler, less complicated world - (where the film ‘Gregory’s Girl' is probably on repeat).

LBB> What is your greatest wish for 2050?

Alan> One of the finest films ever made is Gregory’s Girl. Released in 1981 and directed by Bill Forsyth. It’s the story of a teenage boy who falls in love with a classmate and tries to win her love. Set in Scotland, it embodies a beautiful, simple life. Not declaring my age, but this is a time I remember, uncomplicated, unending, wonderful. 

It doesn’t feel like this for young people today. In fact young people are facing so many pressures, so soon in their lives. I’m sure it’s just ‘different’, a rosy, reflective, generational view, but somehow it doesn’t seem like this.

What I wish for in 2050 is that we can uncomplicate this world and enable young people to be properly young, and released from these world pressures. By then it will be my great grandchildren, but for them, it’s a great wish.

LBB> What crazy, fun, creative business ideas do you have to help make that happen?

Alan> Well, the first crazy idea is that, obviously, everyone who hasn’t watched Gregory’s Girl, needs to do so.

One of the biggest pressures young people face is climate change. The feeling of an overwhelming problem, of being left with the lack of respect for the climate by prior generations. Of course it’s a real problem, but imagine as you’re starting out in life that you have to think, and worry about the possibilities and potential of change. Gregory never had the worry. All he had to think about was how to woo his classmate. 

So the climate is a problem. It affects everybody, but it affects young people exponentially, and we all know something has to be done.

The problem with doing something is that the solutions all seem to be bookended. At one end are the big impact solutions that can only happen with political and nation state backing. These are so vast that they are trapped in the endless cycle of talks and positioning. One nation waiting for the next to move.

At the other end are all of the things that we can do as citizens. Recycle our waste, use less energy, change our diet. All important, but even collectively aren’t going to move the needle too far towards any significant temperature reduction. 

So, it strikes me that there are a range of solutions big enough to make an impact and small enough to not get caught in the political trap. 

The crazy and creative idea is - wouldn’t it be great to come up with one or two of these solutions! 

I need to declare at this point that I’m not ‘a creative’ (as such). I am a marketer, but always sat in the activation / execution camp, not the creative camp. Therefore, like a good brief, I put the idea to the brilliant creative people to come up with the solutions to climate that aren’t so big they never get done, or so small their impact is incremental - they are big enough!

LBB> How will the advent of AI shape the creative industry? What will the role of human creativity be? Will we all lose our jobs? 

Alan> I’m an optimist and with regards to AI, I don’t subscribe to the notion that we are in some great danger from it. Heaven knows, young people have enough on their plates already, let’s not pile more onto them for it is they who will bear the brunt of AI should it have a negative impact. 

I do think there needs to be some regulation in place. Not specifically to control the machine and prevent it taking over, but to protect intellectual property and copyright. 

The idea that AI will replace human creativity has no credence in my view. For a start, AI has no heart and no soul, the sources of much creativity. AI, while able to find connections and patterns, can't make ‘leaps’. The human mind can take leaps where no obvious connection exists. It comes from a feeling, an intuition. It may make no sense to many people, and absolute sense to others. It’s the basis of art. To communicate from another place and find receptors who understand that language. AI isn’t going to do this anytime soon. 

Will AI disrupt the workplace? Of course, like any disruptive technology it will change some patterns and types of work. We’re told this is a good thing. It will give us all more free time. It will allow us to concentrate on the most important things. Answer me this: has any technological innovation of the last five decades taken more work away than it has created? 

No! Don’t worry, there will be plenty of work to be done still. 

LBB> And what about the planet? How can we influence more people to take action against climate change?

Alan> I kind of answered this in one of the questions above, but to reinforce my point, people will take action when they see a benefit from their actions. At the moment there is too much being asked of individuals that isn’t being matched by governments. That isn’t a good recipe, but until that changes, it’ll be hard to influence individuals much. Too often it is the populations that are asked to make the sacrifices, to do the hard yards. Change the model and you’ll change people's enthusiasm.

LBB> How will we spend our money? Will it all be through digital experiences and cryptocurrency?

Alan> I have to declare a bias here and that is that I loath cash. Since the pandemic I never carry cash, in fact I never have cash in my wallet nor in my pockets. The convenience, albeit dangerous, of tapping your phone is just way, way too great to mess around with grubby cash. 

I do get the issues for people who rely on cash, are paid in cash, who have to access a bank but for me. No cash here! In the future, if we extend the model whereby we pay through something like facial recognition then bring it on!

LBB> What else do you think will happen?

Alan> Assuming the planet still exists, and imagine that? Even the notion that it couldn’t exist - that’s scary, but assuming it does then I think everyone will have watched Gregory’s Girl by then. They will realise that there was a brilliant and wonderful time, and they will collaborate to recreate it again and give all of the young people a break!

LBB> So, are you feeling optimistic?

Alan> I’m Sagittarius and so I’m always optimistic, which seems counterintuitive because I think I’ve been a bit down in these answers. I know, I’ll cheer myself up and go watch that film again!