2024 has been the year of festivals for us at Bonded HQ. From Newcastle to Edinburgh and then down the country to London, there’s been more than enough to keep our team busy and on top of the latest trends in the advertising space.
Couldn’t make it? Not to fear, as this blog will take you through the key takeaways from the day.
Once again, our festival brought together a brilliant selection of speakers from some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including X, Meta, Thinkbox, Spotify and, for this special edition, TikTok, who all took to the stage to talk about the latest developments on their platforms.
Hosted by our Managing Director, Steve Underwood, attendees also learned more about our charity partner, NABS, a charity dedicated to advancing mental wellness within the advertising, marketing, and media community. Nicky Harris, Commercial Director, took us through the incredible work and support NABS offers to those working in these industries. Thank you to everyone who generously donated to NABS on the day.
Alexandra Balazs, Managing Director at Prolific North, the festival’s official media partner, chaired the concluding panel. Throughout the day, we enjoyed movement breaks from Hannah Beecham MBE, founder of Red January, a nationwide movement empowering people to move every day for mental and physical well-being.
Interesting fact: Did you know we are the first event in 2024, outside of sports conferences, to schedule movement breaks? This is one trend we certainly plan to uphold moving into 2025.
So, with all the games (did anyone say spin the wheel?), fundraising, beautiful music from a live cello player, tasty breakfast, networking and jumping out of our chairs for the movement breaks, what did the speakers have to say?
Chris spoke about how X’s vision and mission haven’t changed since the Twitter days, and they see themselves as the world’s town square. With hundreds and millions of posts on X every day, X is the platform where users come to talk about a diverse set of different topics, whatever your interest field. This is what makes X a truly unique platform.
This last year, sports – especially football- have dominated conversations on X, even over election content, which is a big surprise. Even more surprising was how the conversation around Gary Barlow’s son recently dominated the platform. While Gary Barlow isn’t great at using X, the discussion around his son’s height has quickly become a trending topic from both a user and brand perspective. In Chris’s view, this shows the pure magic of the platform and demonstrates how everything still happens on X, regardless of what you might read in the news.
Chris reports that 21 million monetisable active users still come to X monthly. X’s users spend more time on the platform, which, in Chris’s view, is down to their algorithm serving the best content. X is also seeing a growth in Gen Z users coming to X to source trusted news. X takes trust very seriously through their ‘Community Notes‘ (previously Bird Watch).
Community Notes is a community of 800,000 worldwide contributors who add additional context to posts to ensure the content posted by users on the platform is as accurate and trustworthy as possible.
Chris highlighted two key moments when X should be brought into the marketing mix:
X is a breaking news platform with multiple services advertisers can use when launching a new product or sharing news. X now supports vertical video, as it understands how effective this format is for advertisers.
Chris explained how this is X’s superpower. Users flock to X to join the conversation when big cultural moments happen. Chris spoke about how research has shown that cultural relevance is a key contributor to purchase decisions, so connecting with culture and cultural moments offers advertisers big opportunities.
Naomi spoke about how Spotify is more than just an audio platform – it is an essential daily companion that users engage with for almost two hours daily. Whether that be a playlist to wake you up in the morning, songs for the kids on the morning commute, or a podcast to cook dinner to – users are engaging with the app rapidly. These signals allow Spotify to deeply understand its users, which advertisers can use to connect with audiences. There is now a huge visual element to the platform, so advertisers can engage their audiences through both their eyes and ears.
Earlier this year, research was conducted on apps people can’t live without. Spotify came in at number one and was cited as the most home-screened app. 92% of Spotify users use the platform daily, a massive opportunity for advertisers.
Digital audio has grown massively over the last 10 years, and while there are many platforms’ listeners can use, Spotify has no real competitors.
Naomi spoke about how podcasts present a real opportunity for this growth in digital audio. With both music and podcasts, advertisers can tap into specific demographics. Gen Z is one of the fastest-growing demographics on the platform; it is where this age group spends most of their time.
Naomi also sees the future of digital audio as being linked to both sight and sound, and brands can take advantage of this through different visual formats.
Namoi talked us over how (like X) cultural moments are seen within the platform, and Spotify drives, reflects, and amplifies culture. Take, for example, the success of the film Saltburn—this led to Sophie Ellis-Bextor having a phenomenal year for her music. TV shows can also drive listeners to Spotify—just as we saw with the revival of Kate Bush due to Stranger Things.
Naomi stressed the importance of podcasts, which are a place where advertisers can even reach premium account users. Advertisers, however, need to be aware that their ads need to be placed contextually and reflect the listener’s contextual state at that moment in their day.
In her talk, Maddie discussed the power of TikTok Shop and its associated ad universe, explaining why this is one of the most exciting developments on the platform. She told us how, three years ago, TikTok Shop barely existed. Fast-forward to today, and the shop is evolving at incredible speed. In the UK, brands such as Made by Mitchell have reported incredible earnings on the platform, with the cosmetics brand earning a whopping £2 million in sales in just one day.
In the world of fashion, Maddie reported that consumers are now spending £11K on luxury handbags. This shows that TikTok Shop isn’t just for small, less expensive purchases, and the opportunities for brands and advertisers are vast.
So, why is TikTok Shop taking off? In Maddie’s view, TikTok Shop is on the rise as social commerce is on the rise. In fact, social commerce is growing faster than e-commerce, and Maddie warned brands that they need to be agile to keep up.
The reason behind this boom? In Maddie’s view, there are several. However, one of the biggest is that 82% of social users engage in shopping-related activities while on the platform. Users are in the mindset to purchase when using social platforms, and a third of consumers say social and entertainment platforms are where they are likely to discover new brands.
So, why are users purchasing on TikTok Shop? In Maddie’s view, this is because the shop is entirely integrated on the TikTok platform. Users are entertained while using TikTok, and the act of buying is incredibly simple and easy, making the marketing funnel incredibly short. In just a few clicks, users can order an item, and, Maddie stressed, the purchase can be actioned at the very moment of inspiration.
Creators are one of the more powerful and easier ways to reach mass audiences on TikTok. Thinking back to Maddie’s point on the power of users buying at the moment of inspiration, if a customer loves your product, they may become an advocate by creating a video themselves that includes a tag to the product, which they push to their audience. The buying cycle then organically repeats again; sometimes, you can end up with a viral product.
Another way you can engage creators is by sending products directly. Maddie spoke about how this is not only a great way to push your product to their audiences but also an easy way to create multiple videos and test different video formats. This is a fantastic option for brands and advertisers who might not have access to large budgets or creative teams.
Maddie also spoke about live shopping on the platform. The live shopping function is a little like live QVC but more engaging and encourages users to purchase more expensive items, as users can ask questions about the product. For example, if you are a brand selling a luxury handbag via live shopping, users can ask questions about the bag size or for a look inside the bag.
With various options for advertisers on the platform, a suite of shop ads supports this ultra-short sales funnel. If you want to reach a Gen Z audience, TikTok Shop is the place to sell.
The audio-visual (AV) entertainment world has evolved significantly over the past decade. While the pandemic in 2020 drove a dramatic spike in video viewing, the AV landscape has since stabilised. A key shift is the growing preference for on-demand content, with broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) growing by 22% this year. Zoe predicts continued growth in this area, particularly for genres like drama and film, where 40% of viewing is on-demand. Genres such as news, sports, and current affairs still rely on live TV, which isn’t a surprise given the nature of the content.
Zoe spoke about how TV sets remain the central hub for high-quality content, with households averaging three hours of daily viewing. Of this, 80% is devoted to broadcaster content (71% linear and 9% BVOD), while 15% is for streamers like Netflix (8%), Amazon (3%), and Disney+ (3%). These trends present a stable and complex AV advertising landscape with plenty of opportunities for advertisers.
Streaming platforms have seen consistent growth since their inception but experienced a slight decline in subscriptions last year. This shift is attributed to rising costs of living, crackdowns on password sharing, and the trend of ‘subscription cycling’, where users temporarily subscribe, binge-watch, and cancel.
Despite these challenges, streaming platforms remain key players, particularly as they incorporate advertising. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon now offer ad-supported tiers, providing new opportunities for advertisers to access premium audiences within a subscription environment.
In Zoe’s view, yes, context significantly impacts ad effectiveness. Research from Thinkbox and partners identified six key factors driving 80% of an ad’s effectiveness:
These factors show that ads performed in the right environment, such as on a large TV in a shared living room, can improve recall by up to 6.8 times, making thoughtful placement crucial for advertisers targeting UK audiences.
Rob’s insightful talk discussed how AI is revolutionising numerous sectors, including marketing and advertising, by automating manual processes and enabling innovative use cases. At Meta, AI has been a central investment for over a decade, with applications ranging from large language models like Lama 3.2 to tools integrated into platforms like WhatsApp and Messenger. These advancements allow for seamless personalisation, enhanced customer experiences, and innovative tools – such as Meta’s collaboration with Ray-Ban smart glasses, which provide real-time information.
Generative AI is particularly promising for advertisers, offering tools to automate ad flow, create videos from images, expand visuals, and personalise content at scale. As AI continues to evolve, personalisation, efficiency, and consumer engagement opportunities grow exponentially. Meta’s open-source approach also ensures the broader AI community benefits from shared learning and collaboration.
Rob stresses that while AI holds immense potential, its effectiveness depends entirely on the quality of the data it processes. Advertisers must measure performance rigorously and understand what drives success. Personalisation at scale is possible with AI, but overly prescriptive segmentation can limit growth. Meta emphasises testing and broad targeting to uncover unexpected audiences.
AI’s ability to challenge traditional audience assumptions and adapt to broader targeting has delivered remarkable results. For instance, Meta’s automated ad products, like Advantage+ shopping campaigns (ASC), have significantly improved ad spend returns and incremental sales by allowing algorithms to operate freely. However, strategic input and data quality remain essential for leveraging AI effectively in marketing.
Even in an AI-driven world, creativity continues to be the cornerstone of effective marketing. Generative AI offers tools to enhance the creative journey, but it’s the creative execution that determines campaign success. From designing unique visuals to crafting compelling ad narratives, AI serves as a powerful enabler.
Meta’s tools allow marketers to experiment with backgrounds, expand images or videos, and create dynamic content directly within Ads Manager. However, the focus remains on crafting experiences that resonate emotionally with audiences. As marketing evolves to become more personalised and interactive, creativity will remain the differentiating factor in a crowded digital landscape.
“Interesting mix of speakers from the fastest changing platforms. Relaxed vibe, superb venue! Movement breaks were also such a good idea – first time I’ve experienced this, but it helped!”
“Great panel, good pacing and interesting topics. Also liked the unique movement breaks!”
“The location and the fact that you gauged how long each speaker should speak for perfectly to retain my attention.”
Thank you to everyone who joined our Future Trends in Advertising Festivals in London and beyond. That’s now a wrap for 2024. If you would like to learn more about our digital and marketing services or be the first to know about our 2025 events, reach out to connect@wordpress-744164-5635304.cloudwaysapps.com
