Mill Thought | Sean Costelloe: Now, next, future

NOW

How have advertisers, agencies, and production companies adapted for Covid-19 and what have been the positive changes you have observed during this time?

I have been really impressed by the collective optimism, energy and camaraderie shown among the creative community. Yes its tough. Will good days return? Yes. Messaging has been more humble, caring and ‘for good’. How brands behave and communicate during the pandemic will be remembered.

NEXT

As the industry emerges from Covid-19, what immediate changes do you expect to see?

More widespread remote working and distributed talent networks are an obvious change to the way we work and the places in which we work. Logistical constraints will go and we’ll be able to create more freely, but budgets will need to go further, so delivering impact and value will be more important than ever. Creative problem solving is at our core, it is what we do best.

FUTURE

Looking beyond Covid-19, what does the future of advertising look like and how might this have been influenced by what happened in 2020?

How brands communicate in a post Covid world will be key, and likely more nuanced, engaging and human. Storytelling will be king, but leveraged by technology – if technology wasn’t ubiquitous before – after the pandemic it will be. Once people are comfortable getting together and large gatherings return, Experience will also be back with a bang.

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