Reasons to be optimistic about advertising in 2025

Pessimists view positivity as naïve, misleading and delusional but science proves them wrong. Channelling your inner Eric Idle and always looking on the bright side might appear ridiculous but it is more beneficial than it seems – optimism has been credited with increasing people’s lifespans by 11 to 15 per cent and is linked to overall improvements in cardiovascular and mental health.

Positivity also pays off economically – studies have shown that it can boost productivity and encourage spending.

In 2025, which begins against a backdrop of war, prolonged economic uncertainty and growing misinformation, advertisers will need to work harder than ever to see past the gloom and find reasons to be positive.

Optimism is undoubtedly hard to come by in adland itself where lingering struggles include recruiting the right talent, customers tightening their purses, and the pressure to keep abreast of fast-moving new technologies like AI and ongoing digital media issues.

Making sense of the public’s mood is another minefield in an increasingly divided world (evidenced in the inaccurate polls and stark urban/rural divides in the recent US elections, and the stready rise of Reform in the UK).

To attempt to understand what makes the nation tick, Leo Burnett’s recent Pop Pulse report drew on active listeners who interact with the public in their day-to-day jobs. And the outlook was bleak. It described a “Crisis Hangover”, highlighting that just 28 per cent of Brits currently feel hopeful. Salaries stagnating despite business’s eye-watering profits, and political dissatisfaction are part of the issues to blame.

In a similar vein, Saatchi & Saatchi’s “What the F*ck is going on?” study of the UK’s middle classes revealed that 73 per cent of this section of society feel they are in a worse position than they would have been ten years ago.

From the Covid-19 pandemic to the soaring cost-of-living and the global uncertainty created by wars in Ukraine and the Middle East - it feels as though there is no let-up from negative headlines. Moreover, the UK might have a new government, but things haven’t got a lot better just yet – despite calling it necessary to help plug a “black hole” even Chancellor Rachel Reeves described her own budget as one that Labour is not “keen to repeat”.

Although the IMF predicts that inflation will fall to 4 per cent globally and WARC predicts global adspend of $1.15 trillion in 2025, growth is still expected to remain below pre-pandemic levels.

Add the climate crisis to the list (74 per cent of weather events are more likely to be severe because of climate change, and specifically humanity’s impact on the planet) and anyone would be forgiven for feeling a touch nihilistic.

But could acknowledging the problem be a reason for optimism itself? In therapy and in business they say identifying an issue is the first step to a breakthrough. And positivity (albeit discerning positivity) is the fuel that helps overcome obstacles and acts as a source of encouragement to come back when everything goes haywire…again.

Endeavouring to enter the new year on a positive note, marketers and ad execs share what could inspire them to wear a smile in 2025.

Coca-Cola global vice president of creative strategy, Islam El Dessouky

One positive coming to the surface now is a big belief in consistency. I think there is a desire not to have waste when you create a lot of new stuff.

Secondly, marketing now has to be an endeavour of co-creation versus one single unilateral message coming from a single brand. No-one owns a narrative anymore. I think you stand for certain values and standards and promises to your consumers and you engage and generate experiences that people join and co-create.

I think that's pretty much what it will be. If anybody wants to fight that, I would actually encourage people to start thinking about moving from exposure to experience. That's quite powerful because exposure is giving you something, giving you a message. But in an experience people hold your hand and join you. I think it's much more powerful.

Mel Arrow, chief strategy officer, McCann London

This should, of course, be a given, but it’s resolutely not been for a very long time. Finally, we have people in positions who are experts in what they've been tasked to do, and have worked hard to get where they are. A prisons minister who’s been reforming prisons and hiring ex-prisoners for years. A physicist and clinical pharmacologist as science minister. A former negotiator who helped to broker the peace process in Northern Ireland as national security adviser. No nepotism, cronyism. No more “we’ve had enough of experts”. We haven’t. We need them more than ever. In government, in industry, in our industry, everywhere.

Then again, I’d expect nothing less from Keir 'Mr Darcy’ Starmer. I’m not expressing some kind of crush (at all) but when Helen Fielding wrote Bridget Jones’ Diary, she based the character of Mr Darcy on Keir Starmer. I think more people should know this. In fact, I’m of the mind that perhaps his whole political campaign should have been run on this fact alone. Mr Darcy might wear questionable Christmas knitwear whilst eating Boxing Day buffet cocktail sausages (I mean hostages, no, actually, I do mean sausages) but he’s still Mr Darcy.

Gen Kobayashi, UK & EMEA CSO, Weber Sandwick

Another year of chaos passes. Political upheaval, economic pressures and war has unfortunately been the theme for 2024 and by all accounts 2025 is going to be another difficult year. But why should we feel optimistic? Because history tells us that out of difficulty creativity thrives.

From the Golden Age of Cinema emerging from the Great Depression of the 1920s to the birth of Punk in the 1970s during a time of deep depression, job losses, strikes and social inequality we have witnessed creativity at its strongest when times are tough. This is not just true for broad movements but individual achievements. Whether it was Picasso’s “Blue Period” that came from him mourning the death of his closest friend to Frida Khalo using the pain from injuries suffered after a near fatal bus accident as motivation to pick up a paint brush. Out of difficulty comes creativity.

There’s a scientific term for this, it’s called Post Traumatic Growth and evidence suggests that 70 per cent of trauma survivors experience some form of positive psychological growth. After the year we’ve all had, I’m hoping the industry benefits from Post Traumatic Creative Growth.

Satyen Dayal, Technology managing director, Edelman London

2024 was a record year for elections, with more than 2 billion voters heading to the polls across 50 countries, including the UK. However you look at it, this massive democratic milestone offers hope for greater stability in 2025.

For industry professionals, one reason for optimism in this new global environment is that it can help usher in a period of innovation.

I believe much of this innovation will come from deeper exploration and experimentation with AI. We’ll use AI to make storytelling more engaging, craft personalised experiences, and analyse vast amounts of data in ways that help create impactful stories with global resonance.

At Edelman, AI is already unlocking new levels of growth and productivity for our colleagues and clients. 2025 will be the year we push boundaries further, transforming connections with brands and information, opening fresh paths for creativity and stronger, trustworthy relationships.

Pip Hulbert, CEO, VML UK

There are always plenty of reasons to be optimistic when we reach the New Year. For starters, there will only be 88 days until the clocks go forward. It will be the Chinese Year of the Snake, maybe that will signify we can lose some of our old ways and 2025 will be more transformational as we embrace the new. It feels like we’re already on that journey with technology and AI and it’s exciting to see where we will be by the end of the year. I’m feeling positive about next year. For VML we’ll finally all be residing together in our new agency location at Sea Containers House which feels like a great way to start our next chapter.

Jessica Tamsedge, CEO, Dentsu Creative UK

I'm going to stick my neck out and say we've a lot to look forward to next year. Not to say we will have solved these issues but we are headed in the right direction. Platforms in more 'constructive' conversations with government about regulation and transparency. Just in time for my eldest nagging me for his first phone.. Cross media measurement is being developed, all be it still in its infancy. The launch of the Every Brief Counts playbook - which we have been developing with Adnet Zero - holding clients and agencies to stronger account when it comes to social impact through the creative supply chain. And technology genuinely liberating creativity after a year of (in some cases) unlicensed genAI experiments.

With that said, it will be a challenging year for the Creative Sector. With my professional services hat on, the conversation about value over volume will continue as fees continue to be squeezed and agencies grapple with AI commercial models beyond FTE. And the broader Arts sector will continue to struggle with corporate fundraising and support as businesses are hit hard by the budget. Here’s hoping to more tangible growth measures announced in the New Year.

Personally though, I like to now start every January now with gratitude that we are no longer in a global lockdown so I am looking forward to a year of concerts, exhibitions and the odd sporting event (now officially obsessed with London NFL games!) And wherever you stand on 'ambient' TV, there will be a second series of Rivals. Good news in my books.