Future Trends in Advertising Leeds Festival – Recap

• The traditional customer journey (search → click → compare → buy) no longer reflects how people discover and purchase products. People discover brands everywhere – on TikTok, Instagram, through tools like ChatGPT, WOM, Whatsapp groups etc…
• Microsoft highlighted that generative AI lets brands predict what people want rather than just reacting to their actions. It can tailor messages, optimise campaigns across social, search, and video, and make marketing more efficient.
• Action: Be visible across multiple platforms, build awareness early, tailor messaging to where audiences spend attention, and use AI-informed insights guided by human interpretation.

• Relevance drives impact more than reach. Channels like TV, video, and OOH build long-term awareness while supporting short-term conversions.
• Skyrise demonstrated how programmatic outdoor media can deliver messages to the right people, at the right time, in the right places, making outdoor campaigns more efficient and targeted.
• Iconic Media highlighted the “trust recession” – 58% of people globally struggle to tell what’s real online. Advertising in trusted environments transfers credibility to your brand.
• Action: Invest in trusted media, focus messaging on relevance, leverage long-term channels strategically, and consider programmatic OOH for precision targeting.

• Audio branding goes beyond jingles, creating a full sonic identity across platforms.
• Research shows sound can be 8x more effective than visuals at driving brand attention, while positive audio cues can change mood in 65% of listeners.
• Action: Audio Experts recommend building a consistent sonic identity, leverage interactive audio experiences, and consider smart speaker integrations to future-proof campaigns.

• Creative accounts for over 50% of campaign effectiveness. High-quality content, authentic storytelling, and cultural relevance are key.
• Meta emphasised creative volume, differentiation, and personalisation, using creator partnerships and tools like Advantage+ for continuous testing.
• ITV shared how Emmerdale uses storytelling and partnerships to drive cultural impact – for example, integrating heat pumps into a storyline doubled viewer consideration and searches.
• Action: Prioritise storytelling, collaborate with creators/partners, and continuously test and iterate creative.

The future of advertising is multi-platform, AI-informed, and creatively-driven. Start applying these insights today to make your campaigns smarter, faster, and more human.

For any questions or further insights, please contact michelle.crozier@bondedagency.com.

Stay tuned for our next instalment on the Future of AI in Search!