The heart of advertising – creativity – has opened up its doors to technology and innovations and how. Quite a leap, we must say. From the days of speakers blaring slogans to radio jingles, to print creatives to television campaigns, to the meta-universe, storytelling has only evolved in the world of advertising with the past year being quite remarkable.

e4m reached out to the masters of creativity to understand how 2023 panned out for the industry.

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 Amit Wadhwa, CEO, Dentsu Creative India

In terms of creativity, I think tech becoming more mainstream is fantastic. The ideas have been good but can be better, and I feel there is room for improvement. It has been a defining year; it told us that AI and technological advancements are here to stay.

 Abhinav Kaushik, President, FCB India

One can’t separate creativity from its fraternal twin ‘strategy’. And this has been a year where creativity has gone hand in hand with effectiveness. More so, because businesses were still rising up from the impact of the pandemic. Clients are willing to back ideas that go beyond the ordinary but not at the cost of consumer or business impact. The evidence of effectiveness has been a paramount part of the conversations with the clients.

Short, snappy, and breakthrough creative formats are paving the way through the slugfest of advertising. The forefront of creativity is being held by new-age and startup brands who have demonstrated how successful advertising cut-through can be achieved with a combination of great creativity that drives home an equally potent strategy.

 Mukund Olety, CCO, VMLY&R

I feel this has been a year of change. Not just structural changes across agencies but changes in the way we work with AI seeping in a big way. Generative AI and hyper-realistic CGI Animations (thanks to Barbie) were the defining trends of the year, and they are not just fads. These are here to stay and will continue to shape the future of content creation.

AI has been talked about a lot. We have barely scratched the surface. In addition to taking care of the mundane, AI is starting to make a deeper impact on production and Customer Experience. It is still a long way away from Ideation but is proving to be a great tool for execution.

 Anand Nair, CCO, 4AM Worldwide

I think it was an exciting and dynamic year for creativity and endless opportunities for those who were willing to embrace new technologies, collaborate, and think outside the box. In my opinion, the highlight of 2023 was the collaborative nature of the creative process. Partnering with cross-disciplinary teams and even specialized firms in areas of AI / AR / VR / IOT to create diverse, immersive, and integrated experiences for brands with their consumers seems to be the way to go.

There are numerous advancements and innovations in technology that include AI-powered design and content generation tools, interactivity between brands and their audience, conversational marketing, the creator economy, and short-form video format. These have provided opportunities for pushing boundaries and exploring new ways to engage with consumers. This integration of technology and creativity has enabled the creative industry to experiment and iterate faster, making work efficient, effective, and innovative. Moreover, the increased focus on DE&I has shaped the creative landscape in 2023 allowing for fresh and unique storytelling, challenging traditional narratives, and amplifying previously marginalized voices.

 Titus Upputuru, Founder & CCO, The Titus Upputuru Company

It's been a good year. Overall, across the industry, everyone's been pushing the boundaries. For us at The Titus Upputuru Company, we were able to produce a lot of work! But what stands out for us is the film Long Distance Love that we produced for Catch Masala on the occasion of Mother's Day. It has received tremendous response, including a nomination at the Filmfare Awards! A few years back, I could not imagine a brand telling this story. But hats off to marketers who are willing to push the envelope and to writers who are writing such incredible stories. I was grateful to get a chance to direct the film.

 Binaifer Dulani, founding member and creative at Talented

This year, advertising has shown up, and shown the power of the artform. While Indian cinema may get away with mirroring society and feeding the average Indian’s ‘primal’ instincts, advertising in 2023, with affirmative action at the heart of it, has tried to influence society to move it forward. From campaigns that furthered a discourse on caste and profession (Chhota Kaam? By Urban Company), to addressing the lack of equality between couples (See Equal), to representing minority cohorts – with colour blindness and neurodivergence (McDonald’s Eatequal, and initiatives like Stem the gap (Olay), advertising has shown what is possible when we celebrate all the parts that make us different, and dare to question our consumers, instead of servicing them unquestioningly as kings and queens.