Duncan Willett

Director of agency development
News UK

Analysis

It is that time of year when everyone starts planning the year ahead.

Every year, we are treated to some fantastic thinking from the clever folks at ad agencies, who assemble their smartest to the task of imagining the next 12 months in media and marketing.

Here is a summary of what some of the big agencies believe will be top of mind for brands in 2023.

Wavemaker UK: 'Piggyback' news publishers

The agency's 40-page 2023 Growth Trends Report spotlights big cultural trends across gaming, digital community and more. In it, Emma Dibben, Wavemaker UK's Head of Print and Media Partner Engagement, writes that news publishers will provide brands a valuable role in the modern news environment:

"If social media is the gateway, providers such as The Sun, Channel 4, BBC News, Guardian, MailOnline and LBC are the destination for the facts and the full story.

"Piggybacking the social journey with publishers, and being present at the destination, will unlock optimum growth for brands across multiple platforms and will support verified sources of journalism."

She expects more news media outlets to create co-branded content, and says brands can harness lifestyle, entertainment and sport categories with news publishers.

PHD Media: An organisational reset

C-level leaders from Omnicom's PHD have used a series of podcast discussions to voice their expectations for 2023.

They say brands will be focused on organisational design, people strategies to future-proof businesses, investing in the future and bringing more business purpose to purpose-driven marketing.

They also imagine the reunification of marketing around the consumer, decentralisation across a long tail of media and the collapsing of experience into single unified touch-points.

 

Mindshare: Balance value and values

The WPP agency's latest Reality Check research finds consumers' priorities are shifting down Maslow's hierarchy of needs, away from self-actualisation and toward more basic needs and safety.

Mindshare continues to urge brands to display good values, but says consumers are placing a new priority on value and product or service quality.

The top three of its seven 2023 takeaways for brands are: "Know your customers’ values and how they manifest," "Choose the right spaces to be in," and "Talk about your own brand values as a brand."

Dentsu: Opportunities amid lower growth

Dentsu forecasts UK ad spend will grow by 3.6% in 2023. That is lower than its earlier forecast.

But the group says economic troubles could throw up media innovation and an opportunity for brands to grow if they continue advertising where rivals pull back.

Reasons to be cheerful in lower ad growth forecast

Zenith: Growth in all markets

The UK will see the third fastest-growing ad spend in between 2022 and 2025, after the US and China, according to Publicis-owned Zenith.

It forecasts 7.3% 2023 global spending growth, a small downward revision from its earlier 8% forecast.

Subscription video and retail media will bring new ad opportunities to the mix, Zenith predicts.