It’s that time of year--for a new beginning, for New Year’s resolutions, which often aren’t kept, and predictions, which often aren’t accurate. Nonetheless SHOOT called upon a brave cross-section of advertising agency executives, executive creative directors, group creative directors, creative directors, heads of production, a CCO, and a head of emerging experience and technology to offer their hopes, goals, projections and plans for 2023.

We also asked respondents to reflect on lessons learned from 2022 and how they might be applied to this year.

AI was high up on the list for several agency folks as they identified significant trends that emerged during 2022.

Amanda Abrams, group creative director at Team One, related, “There’s a rise in conversation around AI in the creative space. It’s hard to truly predict how these tools will transform the industry long term, but it’s exciting to think about the prospect of their usefulness with things like making storyboards and writing search copy. And it should light a fire under creatives to continue thinking of bonkers, wild, wonderful ideas a machine couldn’t possibly come up with.”

Even more bullish on AI, with greater specificity, was Chris Neff, global head of emerging experience and technology at Anomaly, who observed, “From my perspective, the most impactful industry evolution of 2022 came in the form of consumer ready, generative AI. These tools took the building blocks of generative AI systems, ones we have seen in experiments and marketing stunts over the years with GANS, NLP, and deep learning, and operationalized them through computing power, speed, and quality that feels more like magic than technology. This spectrum of growth saw product after product, born out of two motherships in OpenAI and Stability AI, flood the market. The interfaces on Discord evolved into web experiences and then transferred to apps like Lensai. We moved from static to motion to an iteration of a chatbot (ChatGPT) that conquered the shortcomings of its predecessors. 

“These developments,” continued Neff, “impact creativity because they fundamentally change how the imagination materializes. No other aspect--from the shift of NFTs to Digital Collectibles to the boom of Metaverse properties to the massive changes in the social media landscape, to any of the market contraction--compares. 

But whether emerging ways or tried-and-true means of communicating, diversity, inclusion and equity remain a priority. Brett Alexander, recently elevated to managing director, head of integrated production at The Martin Agency, affirmed, “Equity is paramount in all we do. Our culture thrives on equity and inclusion, and we strive for it in everything we make. In 2022, our 50/50 goal (at least 50% of our work helmed or edited by underrepresented talent) was a huge success, and it fundamentally changed how we look for, source and consider talent.” 

Miriam Franklin, EVP, head of integrated production at Deutsch NY, noted that coming to the fore in 2022 were “the awareness and embracing of diversity across all pillars and the beginning of actually implementing sustainable strategies vs. just talking the talk. We still have a long way to go, but it’s a step in the right direction. It’s essential to have representation in all areas of the industry in order to effectively converse with and be part of culture. Valid ideas, thoughts and creativity come out of communities that do not always have a seat at the table and that is a big miss.”

DEI is among varied societal issues that advertisers and marketers need to become engaged in as a growing number of brands and agencies find it imperative to take a stand. Mona Hasan, creative director at Fortnight Collective, shared, “Like the rest of the country, we were frustrated and devastated by the news of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court. As a creative agency, we knew we had to do something. And not just a cool video, either. We knew it was all about getting the right people into public office. So right before the midterm elections, we created VOTEX, the first-ever tampon brand that helps you vote. Using the tropes of feminine hygiene products, each box of VOTEX was plastered with instructions on how to register, and where to vote, all in hopes of causing a raging gush of voters in support of pro-reproductive rights candidates in Colorado. And it won’t stop there. We’ll be inserting ourselves into the next elections as well.”

Then there’s the issue of economic reality and its impact on the marketplace. Keith Cartwright, chief creative officer, CARTWRIGHT, said, “The recession isn’t over. I’m predicting more attrition and more global consolidation. It’s a good thing in my opinion. Let’s cut the fat, get small and get back to big ideas and amazing work.”

Mikko Pietilä, executive creative director, 180 New York & 180 Global, noted, “After the hyper-evolution of the metaverse, spending frenzies, marketing blowouts of brands and the crypto crashes of 2022, predicting that 2023 will be a year where we go back to building meaningful connections and humane approaches. Community and unity will matter over everything, be it at the workplace or inside the brand communities, virtual or irl. Understanding our audiences and their movement will become more important so cultural and audience data, and how to utilize it will play a big role in 2023.”

Survey
For our Production Outlook Survey, SHOOT posed the following questions to folks in the agency community:

1. What industry trends, developments or issues were most significant in 2022? 
2. What is the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2022 and how will you apply it to 2023?
3. How have any societal issues--such as the pandemic, the Supreme court decision on abortion, calls for equity, inclusion, diversity, racial and social justice--impacted the way you do business, company policies and/or selection of projects/creative content? 
4. What are your goals or New Year’s resolution, creatively speaking or from a business standpoint, for your agency, company or department in 2023? 
5. Gazing into your crystal ball, what do you envision for the advertising and/or entertainment industry--creatively speaking or from a business standpoint--in 2023? 
6. How did your company, agency, studio or department adjust/adapt to the marketplace in 2022 (new strategies, technology, health/safety expertise) and what of all that bodes well for 2023?

What follows is the feedback we received from a wide range of respondents... click on the NAME or HEADSHOT below (shown in alphabetical order by last name).