Navigating the algorithmic era means every piece of content must perform; not always by driving conversion, but by driving visibility; sending the right signals to the algorithms that determine whether our content surfaces in the feed, or must pay a higher and higher premium to interrupt. As analysis from System 1, together with the IPA, Peter Field, and Adam Morgan demonstrates, dullness is extraordinarily expensive: dull brands must spend almost £10m as much on media to cut through.
That means understanding and optimizing for those signals: building brands in partnership with creators and culture makers, engaging customers through the communities and passion points that matter, putting pace and agility at the heart of our approach.
In this landscape, successful creators wield extraordinary power and influence. 75% of CMOs agree that influencer marketing is a vital part of the modern media landscape. The Creator Economy continues to expand as an economic force, anticipated to generate half a trillion dollars by 2027.
Meanwhile, a generation of digitally savvy consumers are also increasingly aware of making the algorithm work for them. However, an increasingly algorithmic world risks not only predictability, but exacerbating the sense of fragmentation we highlight in our trend: “The Togetherness Deficit”. The meme-ification of everything has significant implications for brands, businesses and society; a world that runs on memes and “vibes” is a volatile world indeed.
I. RUNNING ON VIBES
“Vibes” have replaced facts as the driver of public opinion, political affiliation and purchasing behaviors. While deeply irrational, consumers instinctively trust the vibes. Economist Kyla Scanlon coined the phrase “vibecession” back in 2022, now widely adopted by politicians and financial institutions to explain how perception of poor economic performance lags reality.
A recent study by Jigsaw, a subsidiary of Google (published in Business Insider, June 2024) suggests for example that although Gen Z are well aware that getting their news from social media is risky, they find it quicker and easier to look to their peers for context rather than interrogate the content. In a world of intensely polarized, 24-7 news, vibe checks have replaced fact checks. This prompted the World Health Organization to join TikTok earlier this year to deliver science-based health information.
The internet officially overtook TV as the UK’s number one source of news in September 202435, with more than half of UK adults using social media for news. For younger consumers, TikTok is the single biggest news source, used by 28% of UK 12–15-year-olds. Similarly, a third of Americans aged 18-29 regularly get their news from TikTok, with some 40% using Instagram and TikTok as their primary search engines.
Meanwhile “meme stocks,” first popularized in 2021, made a resurgence mid-year impacting shares from GameStop to Tupperware, although rises were modest compared with 2021’s surges. Vibes are proving to be an effective and profitable marketing tactic; according to Vogue Business “Tomato-girl summer” led to a 644 percent increase in searches for linen pants on Depop. Journalist Cazzie David illuminates, “Light-blue nails in themselves are insignificant, but label them “blueberry-milk nails” and everyone will want to eat their own fingers.”
OUR GLOBAL WORK: BUILDING A BETTER INTERNET, COMMUNITY FIRST, FOR KPN
Dutch telecom brand KPN champions a #betterinternet for all; one that is safer, more sustainable and more socially inclusive. Developed together with Dentsu Creative Amsterdam, the “A Piece of Me” campaign leverages the power of community to tackle online shaming, changing culture, changing behavior and ultimately helping change the law.
Learn more: A Piece of Me | Cannes Lions Winner
II. BINGE-SNACKING CONTENT
As the boundaries between content and commerce become ever more blurred, only a fraction of content’s cultural and commercial value lies in traditional views. Younger generations are just as likely to watch in bite-sized chunks on social media, enough to be part of the conversation without committing to an entire episode. Viewers admit to watching series or movies in minute-long clips on TikTok or Instagram; a highlight reel approach to popular culture where contemporary hits jostle alongside Gossip Girl, Sex and the City and Friends for attention.
In response, DC Comics has launched DC GO to appeal to a younger generation of comic book readers more adept at reading content on their phones. MrBeast, a YouTuber, collected 30% more viewing hours than The Night Agent, the most watched show on Netflix. A similar approach to sports viewing is emerging, with Sports highlights among the fastest growing types of social content, according to data from Global Web Index. NBC’s Olympics coverage starring Snoop Dogg, seemed designed to win in the feed as much as in broadcast.
Rights owners seem relatively relaxed about the phenomenon, perhaps because entertainment brands are not only world building but empire building – rapidly becoming retailers as much as entertainers.
Netflix has extended its revenue model into merchandise and live events via Netflix Shop, with plans to launch Netflix House in 2025. Disney Plus is incentivizing folk to subscribe with the lure of exclusive merchandise to shop. On the other hand, global brands from Saint Laurent to LVMH are launching production houses to generate entertainment IP (Forbes, 2024). Beauty brand e.l.f is partnering with musicians to create ‘Get Ready With Me, The Album’ combining intuitive social media behaviors with proprietary entertainment.
Dentsu Creative’s long-standing partnership with OREO demonstrates the power of entertainment properties to engage all the way to the point of purchase. OREO has been America’s favorite cookie for over 100 years, but by 2017 sales and penetration were sliding. To rebuild cultural relevance, OREO built a series of strategic partnerships, from re-imagining Game of Thrones’ opening credits, to pulling on Pokémon’s cultural power, to letting budding Jedi’s choose the dark or light side. The collaborations reignited cultural salience and growth and built strong consumer relationships through the lure of limited-edition partnership packs, with Star Wars the highest performing limited-edition partnership of all time for the brand.
OUR GLOBAL WORK: FROM FOOTBALL ICON TO MEDIA MOGUL FOR RONALDO
URCristiano bridged global audiences through shared loyalty to football super star, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, its record-breaking subscriber count of 60million in one month, is not only a reflection of his magnetism, but also a hunger for meaningful, collective engagement. The content strategy, led by Dentsu Creative Iberia, shows the star in a new light, taking him from football icon to media titan comparable to established players like MrBeast and PewDiePie.
Learn more: UR Cristiano | WORKS
III. AI EVERYWHERE
AI generated content has shifted from a quirk to something deeply embedded in how we search, consume content and present ourselves to the world in a matter of months. Yet while Gen AI has made it easier for brands to generate SEO-friendly content at pace, it has also created new challenges.
Google’s introduction of Gen AI in search in May 2024 - powered by a custom Gemini model – means our first point of contact with many brands and queries will be generated by AI, accelerating the zero-click search conundrum, where an increased number of search queries are resolved without ever reaching the open web. Optimizing content for a world of Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) demands new skills and in depth understanding of conversational language queries.
In the “(almost) too impressive to be true” category, NoteBook LM’s new Audio Overview feature can turn any piece of content at pace into a convincing audio conversation, with potential to feed the seemingly insatiable desire for podcast content. Meanwhile, META have launched an Imagine Me feature in Beta that invites users to generate AI-generated images and avatars from their own photos and prompts.
The trend for virtual avatars is evolving into virtual voice. ElevenLabs’ Voice Design 2.0 is an AI tool which allows users to generate their own voices by contributing prompts age, accent, tone or personality.
OUR WORK…
DETECTIVE JIA
ADVERTISER/BRAND: INTEL
CREATIVE AGENCY: DENTSU CREATIVE
In the dawn of the AI, Intel is ‘Bringing AI Everywhere’, allowing everyone to experience a unique and innovative journey powered by AI. Meanwhile the decentralized media landscape in China means that the content displayed on each user’s phone differs, shaped by the personalized algorithmic recommendations.
Intel crafted the AI-tailored short film ‘Detective Jia’, featuring a mix of genres like suspense, horror, comedy, drama, sci-fi, and thriller, with storylines specifically designed to match the preferences of the audience through algorithms. In addition, the use of AI face-swapping technology allows millions of users to perform alongside leading roles.
Fusing technology, entertainment, and creativity, the film is an experimental collaboration, illustrating the cutting-edge features and artistic potential of AI PCs.
Read more: Meet Detective Jia, from Intel
WHAT IT MEANS FOR BRANDS & BUSINESSES…
WINNING IN CULTURE
Winning in the age of the algorithm means winning in culture; old models of share of voice will matter less than the ability to command share of culture. That will mean deep understanding of the cultural pain points and passion points where the brand has permission to play, and the communities and creators the brand can partner with.
DESIGN FOR AGILITY
Pace is everything in the Algorithmic era as trends ebb and flow at the speed of the feed. Having the right brand frameworks in place to tell every stakeholder not only what to say but how to behave become more important than ever in balancing agility and consistency.
MARRY CRAFT AND AI
In a world where recency and frequency are rewarded, brands must sustain an always on drumbeat of communication in as efficient a way as possible, while avoiding the “dullness premium”. Intelligent, AI-assisted creativity must be deployed with craft as well as brand distinctiveness baked in.
The content of this article is sourced from the Dentsu Creative Trends Report 2025: Fragment Forward.
Tap ‘Read More’ or below link to visit our global website and download the full report.
www.dentsucreative.com/news/dentsu-creative-trends-2025
The Togetherness Deficit | CREATIVE TRENDS
Curiouser and Curiouser | CREATIVE TRENDS
