CREATIVITY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR CIVILISATION. CREATIVITY IS LIFE, SAYS SIR JOHN HEGARTY

26. 8. 2025 Creativity is not the domain of artists—it is the holy grail for people working in various fields. It is an act of self-expression and therefore a vital competency for anyone who wants to grow and innovate, and who seeks new ways to create value and move themselves and their community forward. As such, it is a subject of interest across different industries. The global state of creativity in 2025 is addressed in the report The Business of Creativity, which includes insights from Sir John Hegarty, who has made immense contributions to shaping modern advertising.

ADS ARE LOUD, FLASHY, AND IN-YOUR-FACE. EXCEPT THESE ONES

25. 8. 2025 Brands like Whisker, Calm, and Angel Soft are using ad breaks to offer moments of relief from overstimulation.

THE FUTURE HAS ALREADY BEGUN. AR AND VR ARE TRANSFORMING TV ADVERTISING INTO AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE

21. 8. 2025 Smart TVs, augmented reality and the advent of new devices such as Apple Vision Pro are fundamentally changing the way brands communicate with customers. Television and outdoor advertising are no longer just one-way communications – they are becoming interactive, personalised experiences. Companies are investing in AR and VR campaigns for higher engagement, better conversions and lower costs. And even though these formats still face technical limitations, their role in the marketing mix is increasingly compelling.

WHAT’S DRIVING BACK-TO-SCHOOL SALES: EARLY DEALS, AI TOOLS, AND HYBRID SHOPPING

15. 8. 2025 Back-to-school spending is steady in 2025, but shopper behavior is split. Parents are prioritizing tech and clothing—yet these are also the first to be cut when budgets tighten. Consumers are shopping earlier, seeking deals, and using AI to keep costs down.

HOLIDAY SHOPPING IS ENTERING A GEN Z, MOBILE, AND AI ERA

15. 8. 2025 Retailers face an atypical holiday season. Instead of the usual end-of-year boom, 2025 is expected to bring a rare deceleration in holiday sales growth.

NEARLY 90% OF ADVERTISERS WILL USE GEN AI TO BUILD VIDEO ADS, ACCORDING TO IAB

14. 8. 2025 Video’s transition to the future is accelerating, with half of advertisers already using Gen AI to build video ads, according to IAB’s “2025 Digital Video Ad Spend & Strategy Full Report.”

WARC CONSUMER TRENDS 2025: FIVE SHIFTS SHAPING CONSUMER SPENDING

4. 8. 2025 A growing cost-of-living gap, consumers’ proactive approach to health, and the emergence of alternative social activities are among the biggest trends influencing consumer spending this year, according to WARC’s 2025 Consumer Trends Report. What the trends tell us In uncertain times we crave control.

REACH, BRANDING AND TRUST: THE REASON WHY MORE AND MORE BRANDS THAT ORIGINALLY PREFERRED SOCIAL NETWORKS ARE ADVERTISING ON TV

3. 8. 2025 More and more brands that have been primarily in the digital world are now advertising on TV. In doing so, they are not only reaching new target groups, but also investing in brand building, which is a real driver of growth. These include Kapten & Son, Duolingo and Snocks.

STUDY USA: BLIND BOXES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO BUY STUFF, FINDS STUDY

31. 7. 2025 People looking for hard-to-find Labubu dolls will be familiar with blind boxes – when it’s unclear which doll you’ll get – and now there’s scientific research to prove that combining this mystery with perceived scarcity can be effective in motivating people to buy.

MARKETING TO GEN ALPHA: HOW BRANDS CAN WIN OVER THE NEXT GENERATION

29. 7. 2025 The cohort represents a major opportunity for advertisers, keying them into future trends in areas like gaming, according to research from Horizon Media.

LABUBU: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

17. 7. 2025 Trends and fads, especially around single products, can make money – but whether they point to something significant about the world (or about how to do business in the world) is much trickier; Labubus are one such fad that invites our consideration – Kantar trend analysis explores the deeper meanings of the toys’ rise. Why Labubus matter Labubu dolls, based on a 2015 picture book called The Monsters, are one of China’s biggest global hits, a cultural phenomenon that has many things going for it: scarcity, celebrity endorsements, social media virality, collectibility, limited collections, and a huge secondary market.

PRODUCT PLACEMENT CAN TRULY BOOST THE BRAND

1. 7. 2025 Broadcasters and marketers are offering more and more opportunities for creative brand integration into their formats. This brings a range of benefits for all parties involved, as shown by the research.

IF YOUR TRAVEL AD LOOKS TOO PERFECT, GEN Z WON’T TRUST IT

28. 6. 2025 Show them the good, the bad and the ugly.

STUDY PARKS ASSOCIATES: SHOPPABLE TV GROWING IN POPULARITY

27. 6. 2025 While digital goods and services remain the dominant transactions on CTV, consumers are growing comfortable purchasing physical goods through streaming channels and apps, too.

THREE AI TRENDS RESHAPING THE FUTURE OF MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

20. 6. 2025 The annual NAB Show brings together the top innovators in media and entertainment, showcasing the tools, tech, and trends driving the next era of storytelling. Aside from the tens of thousands of attendees and hundreds of featured sessions, what really set this year’s event apart is that it wasn’t just a display of newfangled tech—in many ways, it was about redefining how entertainment content is created, localized, and ultimately consumed across the globe.

CANNES LIONS AWARD SUBMISSIONS REMAIN FLAT IN 2025

14. 6. 2025 The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity received 26,900 award submissions for 2025, up less than 1% compared to last year’s tally. Total entries are down 38% from their peak nearly a decade ago.

BABY BOOMERS, GEN Z, GEN BETA: THE POINT OF AGE COHORTS

27. 4. 2025 After the legendary Baby Boomer generation came Generation X, followed by Generations Y, Z, and Alpha. And now? Starting in early 2025, Generation Beta is being born. What lies ahead for them?

IS SHOPPABLE CTV THE NEXT BIG OPPORTUNITY FOR RETAIL MEDIA?

4. 4. 2025 Historically, brands used upper-funnel channels like connected TV (CTV) for brand awareness, while relying on lower-funnel tactics such as retail media to drive conversions. But with shoppable CTV ads, brands can do both, leveraging retail media network (RMN) data to target consumers across CTV platforms, connecting the moment of discovery directly to the point of purchase.