There’s something about trends, whether it’s fashion or food, or media, popular culture has a way of repeating itself – but in each revolution, there’s an evolution.
In 2023 we saw an abundance of creativity and progression in video advertising – with commercials and content reaching new levels, while also giving a respectful nod to the past.
From steps forward in technological advancements to paying tribute to technologies from generations before, the last year showcased the dynamic intersection of expression and innovation, and the evolution of storytelling in advertising.
Let’s focus on some of the trends that dominated the landscape of video in advertising and are poised to shape the future of commercials and content in the coming year.
Trend 1. Mixed Mediums
While mixing mediums is not new, 2023 saw all perceived “rules” thrown out the window, with audiences engaged in a greater variety of creative collaging than ever before.
Combining contemporary digital video with “outdated” formats like miniDV (VHS), 8mm & 16mm film, digital and film still photography, hand drawn animation, and computer generated animation, created a bigger palette for marketers and creatives to work with.
Mixing mediums is great for amplifying an audience’s engagement through film by connecting with the audience’s emotions through feelings, such as the nostalgia associated with older mediums, the excitement of a night out associated with flash photography, or the childlike wonder that can be felt when watching animation.
Sydney Sweeney x Ford Bronco® | Built Ford Proud | Ford
This spot for Ford is a great example of using mixed mediums. The film contains digital video, 16mm film, miniDV/VHS, still photography, drone footage and VFX.
Australian Government | One Talk At A Time
This campaign by the Australian Government utilises 3 different styles of computer generated animation to illustrate the perspectives of children
Elsy Wameyo | South Australia – A New State of Mind
This spot produced by Fuller for South Australia uses modern digital video alongside miniDV, still photography, drone footage and hand drawn animated elements to tell the story of musician Elsy Wameyo.
Trend 2. Shooting for all delivery channels
With average internet users spending more than 2 and a half hours a day on social media platforms (more than 30% more than spent on television), 2023 continued the ongoing shift in the hierarchy of delivery channels and reaffirmed that television is no longer a marketers primary platform.
Global ad spend on social media continues to increase and is projected to reach US$219.8bn (AUD$333.82bn) in 2024, ensuring campaigns that are customised for all platforms are essential to maximising reach and ensuring audience engagement.
Fortunately for marketers, these shifts have occurred in a time when updates in camera technology have resulted in an increase in recordable image sizes (4k+).
These extra pixels are now being leveraged to frame and compose one larger image that can be cropped for both horizontal and vertical.
The outcome is one shot which can be cropped for TV, YouTube, feeds, stories and reels, while saving time and costs and ensuring consistency of appearance across all platforms without sacrificing quality.
Marketers and creatives are now planning compositions and production around this technical approach with plenty of success.
Trend 3: Generative Artificial Intelligence
Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) certainly created headlines in 2023, and its impact is being felt in the visual advertising and media landscape as creatives leverage this new technology to take their ideas in new directions.
From crafting compelling visuals to personalised content, AI algorithms are transforming the way brands engage with their audience. In the realm of visual content creation, AI-powered tools are becoming indispensable.
Like any tool, Generative AI is only as good as the person using it (see the Burger King example below). Whether it’s generating unique imagery, transforming visual effects processes or even producing entire video campaigns, the best AI applications are carefully considered, well planned and thoughtfully applied to amplify an original creative concept.
Coca-Cola® Masterpiece
Set in an art gallery, Coca-Cola’s Masterpiece utilises generative AI (along with other visual effects) to bring paintings by artists such as Ady Warhol, Edvard Munch & Van Gogh (amongst others) to life.
La Compil des Bleues (The Blues Compilation)
French telecom company Orange used Generative AI & visual effects techniques to transform footage of female football players into male players. The spot aimed to challenge prejudice against women’s sports and perceptions that female athletes are not as skilful as their male counterparts as a part of their campaign for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
BURGER KING® France | A.I.LLOWEEN
Not every commercial that has leveraged generative AI has been a beautiful execution of creativity or a thoughtful statement of equality. For Halloween in 2023, Burger King France launched this 100% social media campaign using generative AI to create fear-inducing images of Burger King customers losing their human form as they eat hamburgers.
Morphettville | A Day At The Races
In a creative use of technology, Fuller used generative AI to develop an animated group of horses in full gallop with jockeys riding in a scenario where filming on location or using stock footage was a limitation of production.
Trend 4. Unique Lenses
Specialty Lenses provide unique points of view that engage audiences by catching their eye and drawing them into the world. Probe lenses, ultra wide and telescopic lenses all allow for unusual perspectives that create interest.
Embracing the imperfections of vintage lenses allows filmmakers to create softer and more organic worlds away from the harshness that can be associated with a digital image. Vintage lenses also hold characteristics that are unique and not associated with modern glass, allowing content to subconsciously imply an emotion from the viewer. As with many trends, what’s old is new again and once forgotten glass is now seeing a dramatic rise in popularity.
SATC | Travel. Our Way.
This commercial produced by Fuller for the South Australian Tourism Commission utilised 1970’s Canon K35 lenses due to their amazing performance and unique character.
META X RAYBAN | The Art of the Downtime
This content piece advertising the collaboration between Meta and Rayban and their smart glasses range used vintage 1970’s Zeiss Super Speed lenses combined with a modern cinema camera to give an organic texture to the piece.
Trend 5. Visual FX
For the most part, technological advancement is the underlying driver for a majority of the trends we saw in 2023 which are likely to continue this year. Visual effects, once reserved for the Hollywood productions with multi-million dollar budgets, are now accessible to productions with much leaner bottom lines.
While the eye-catching glamour of visual effects are great, the most exciting aspect of this technology (and the reason that this trend is here to stay) is that it opens up a new world of contemporary storytelling for creatives that was previously out of reach. This helps marketers to communicate to audiences with unique voices, create more engaging content and stand out from the sea of same.
CITB | Trade Up
In this commercial for the Construction Industry Training Board, Fuller used an assortment of visual effects from sky replacements to computer portals, all with the purpose of telling an engaging story that spoke to a youthful audience and encouraged them to change their perceptions of what a career in the trades stands for.
MTN DEW | Your Soul Needs DEW
Mountain Dew utilised high end visual effects to drive the storytelling in this amazing execution aimed at empowering audiences to unleash their “true selves” by drinking their beverage. Combining dynamic camera movements with thoughtful production design and costumes allowed the visual effects to feel cohesive with the storytelling, creating a bespoke world to draw in audiences.
Final Thoughts
In 2023 the video trends in advertising were led by technological advances and saw visual narratives expressed in new and exciting ways. A new arsenal of tools and methods to engage with an audience were added to a marketer’s toolkit, with almost any idea seemingly within reach (and budget!), inspiring what feels like a renaissance of visual storytelling in advertising.
This was balanced against a renewed passion for using older technologies and practices that has allowed brands to connect with their audiences (albeit subconsciously) by using textures and feelings that evoked an emotional response.
I believe 2024 will see these trends and creative freedom flourish, as further advances in technology allow the conventions of the past to be pushed and morphed further into new directions.
Brands and marketers can leverage this freedom to create unique perspectives, and tell human stories that will cut through and connect with their audiences. For those who are brave enough to embrace the change (while keeping their own truths intact), success will follow.
We are lucky enough to be living and working with so many options at our disposal, where the possibilities of the future will be limited only by our imaginations.