The highly anticipated Future Advertising Trends Festival took place on Thursday 14 March at The Catalyst, an impressive new venue in Newcastle, home to the National Innovation Centre for Data.

Organised by digital and media agency Bonded, the event brought together speakers from Meta, X, Spotify, Pinterest, and Thinkbox to delve into the emerging trends shaping the media landscape. There was a buzz in the packed auditorium, where we first heard individual presentations from the speakers on the latest updates and trends on their individual platform, and the event concluded with a panel discussion that I was delighted to facilitate.

Kicking off the event, Marija Cepulyte, a senior client partner at Pinterest, unveiled the platform’s latest updates and trends, with an emphasis on personalisation, shopability and brand visibility. Cepulyte also provided a glimpse into Pinterest Predicts, the platform’s trend predictions for 2024 – which included ‘Kitschens’, ‘Inchstones’ and ‘Cafe Core’ – and offered valuable insights for how brands could incorporate these trends into upcoming campaigns.

Naomi Chapman, a senior client partner at Spotify, shed light on the future of audio advertising, highlighting the platform’s focus on personalisation, and its innovative initiatives like Canvas for advertisers and its new CTV partner network to help bring video ads to the big screen. 

Chapman cited podcasts (which she described as ‘the cultural watercooler’) and AI as the next big trends in the audio space – claiming that “the future of audio advertising combines sight and sound”.

Following a presentation from Bonded’s charity partner, NABS, the wellbeing charity for those within the industry, and a short break, the festival resumed with enlightening talks by Chris Treacy from X, Zoe Harkness from Thinkbox, and Rob Smallwood, from Meta.

Chris Treacy, Head of Vertical Sales at X, discussed the platform’s recent features and future developments, focusing on its ability to keep users up to date with what’s happening in the world. As such, he pointed out several upcoming events that will likely become big moments on the platform and that brands should factor into their campaigns, including the Champions League Final, Love Island, and the Olympics. 

Treacy also touched (briefly) on the importance X places on brand safety, as well as the importance of AI in targeting. 

Zoe Harkness, Head of Training at Thinkbox, shared several studies on consumers’ shifting viewing habits before presenting hot-off-the-press research on the significance of context to ad recall. The research found that ads drive the highest recall when watched in the living room, on a TV screen, and alongside other people. 

Lastly, Rob Smallwood, Head of Industry, Media Agencies UK & Ireland, at Meta, spoke mainly about the platform’s investment into AI and its potential to ‘supercharge’ marketing strategies, stressing the importance of creative automation and experimentation. 

Following the presentations, I had the chance to sit down with all five speakers for a panel discussion to delve deeper into their insights:

Q: What has been the most significant shift in consumer behaviour that you have seen on your channel recently?

Naomi, Spotify: The time spent on the app has massively increased – we’re seeing more time scrolling, more time looking at song lyrics, and more time watching podcasts. We’re seeing a lot more listeners who were traditionally music listeners, shifting their attention to podcasts.

Rob, Meta: The nature of sharing has completely changed. Social media started as public sharing with our friends and family, and that changed as people’s expectations changed. Now, we don’t want things to stay around that long, we want more control. Instead, we post ephemeral Stories, we send private messages, and we share 3.5 billion Reels every day. 

Chris, X: Coming from a platform that was very recently limited to 140 characters, we’re really excited about video. Vertical video on X is our fastest-growing service, it accounts for nearly 20% of all time spent on the platform. We want everyone on the platform to be much more comfortable with sharing video on X. 

Zoe, Thinkbox: The ways we like to watch things have changed. Where broadcasters once used to drop an episode a week, we’re now seeing them drop whole seasons at once. So, you can now choose how you view things more so than you ever used to. We’re also excited about contextual targeting and thematic targeting. 

Marija, Pinterest: Having more representation and inclusion in the digital world. As someone who doesn’t look like your typical Lithuanian, I’m really excited about this. 

Q: Choose one future trend that you feel is the most important for brands to consider

Naomi, Spotify: Take a holistic approach to advertising – while Spotify may be an audio platform, we’re seeing how important the visuals are too. Think about the context in which you’re reaching your audience – make it visual, short, and snappy. 

Rob, Meta: Harnessing authentic creative. There should be a real focus on creative that is built for the platform.

Chris, X: For me, it’s about outcomes over metrics. We don’t have time for vanity media anymore; every dollar matters in these challenging times. Bespoke campaigns, while they may take a little longer, will be more suited to what you need them for. 

Zoe, Thinkbox: Think about the possibility. Don’t rule out TV because of the price – there are so many different ways to get on the TV, like sponsoring a show, or doing product placements. Some cost a lot, but some don’t.

Marija, Pinterest: Tagging and shoppability of posts. People used to say, ‘I wish I could shop my Pinterest board’; well, now you can. 

Q: If you were to leave the audience with one last piece of advice for advertising on your platform, what would it be?

Marija, Pinterest: Don’t assume you know your audience. And test, test, test. Audiences may behave slightly differently than you thought they would. 

Zoe, Thinkbox: Think about outcomes and what you want to achieve, and then talk to the broadcasters to learn about your different options. 

Chris, X: Spend some time on the platform as a consumer. Get to know how it works for you, and what you like and don’t like about it. Understanding the user experience will have significant benefits. 

Rob, Meta: Lean into the automated world, but take control of what you can on either side of that. Think carefully about your own data, and how you can leverage that. 

Chapman, Spotify: There’s a place for strategy, but have the flexibility to connect with culture when it arises. Have the bravery and flexibility to react to these moments.

Congratulations to the Bonded team for hosting a festival that no doubt sparked many conversations, relationships and ideas. I look forward to the next one – keep an eye on their channels for updates on the next event!