Beautiful Thinking.
As branding experts, we constantly keep an ear to the ground, a finger on the pulse and gaze toward the future.
Throughout December we shared news from the nest on the trends brands and retailers should be paying attention to ahead as the new year approached.
Check out why Sensory Elevation, Longevity, Surrealism and Joy are the trends to watch in 2024.
While beauty has been a central focus for our agency, the trajectory of the industry’s growth is uncertain. 2024 emerges as a pivotal moment to fortify your brand. This battle for attention is affecting both heritage brands feeling the pinch and new brands struggling to make their voices heard. The strategic armour-building around brands is now more crucial than ever.
To rise above major saturation, brands across categories must embrace a sensory revolution. By orchestrating a sensory overload, brands can create a more memorable and immersive experience, offering a distinctive edge.
Here is what is tingling our five senses…
There’s a noticeable shift away from unscented products. Brands are now meticulously crafting enchanting fragrances that align with the psychological experience of application. The most powerful sense, brands are leveraging scent to create memorable connections. If your brand is in the process of reinvention, a strategic shift towards appealing scents is particularly advisable in 2024.
This tactile dimension, often overlooked, is poised for revival. Brands are entering an era of reinvestment, focusing on crafting packaging with ownable shapes; a Bespoke Packaging Renaissance. Generic options like the Boston round and commonplace tubes won’t secure the standout presence needed. It’s time to bid farewell to off-the-shelf packaging, embracing a new era of distinctive and memorable tactile experiences.
The haircare market is set to dominate with a greater respect for inclusivity. Products will no longer homogenise the variety of textures that exist, prioritising personalised curl needs. Whatever your texture, the stressors putting strain on it, your needs from scalp to tip. Start-ups catering to unique needs have plenty of room to grow – we expect to see major retailers take note.
The influence of Gen X cannot be overlooked. ‘Active agers’ in their 40s and 50s dominate food and drink spend globally and are fuelling demand for nutrition which supports the ability to age well. Brands should pay attention to consumers’ stronger understanding of nutritionally-rich foods which support a diverse lifestyle, steering away from deadly UPFs (ultra processed foods).
The rise and rise again of IoT will see smart home solutions become commonplace. Matter – the global, open-source standard designed to streamline the home – recently announced updates to its capabilities. We expect to see more appliance brands jump on the bandwagon to improve connectivity in the home. Furthermore, the sophistication of AI to understand your daily habits will see voice assistants cater to individual needs more intuitively.
We are an ageing population, and yet, the concept of ageing is changing.
The approach generations take to ageing – individually and collectively – is going to shift dramatically. Longevity is a buzzword that is going nowhere.
But what does it mean to each generation? And how can brands connect with a spectrum of empowered customers growing up in 2024?
With the oldest mini-millennials reaching their teens, preventative skincare is primed to dominate. Brands which harness playful TikTok-friendly packaging, skin-specific treatments, an easy-to-embrace regime and ingredients kind to flora and fauna, will certainly come out on top. It’s giving “cruelty-free and cute”.
As the generation fighting for climate change arguably more than any other, products which tackle environmental aggressors to the skin will become a Gen Z priority. The demand for multi-functional products in 2024 will see brands who combine active healing from UV damage with ultra-lightweight formulas taking the lead.
Prada truly set the tone – its patented complex, ‘Adapto.gnSmart Technology’ made up of 15 rare plants, helps the skin to adapt in real time to the environment. This is reported to include 400-million-year old plants that have survived through extreme geological ages. If that’s not longevity, we don’t know what is.
Instead of holding back the hands of time, they are embracing ageing in healthy living. The concept of ageing is changing thanks to our Active Agers, which is no longer seen as life in decline. The heroes here will be backed by science at every turn, including the packaging. How can brands make an impact on the shelf whilst their graphics communicate their efficacy consistently?
Turning to graphic design, a key factor pulling all generations together is the shared demand for sustainability…without the greenwashing. Creativity of graphic design translating to sustainable packaging is a challenge we embrace. Packaging designed to break down and the rise of package-less packaging means that there may be less obvious space to feature design. And yet, the design of the packaging itself can elevate brand identity. Who wants to get creative?
The art of surrealism in 2023 took off with the rise of FOOH (fake out of home).
However, the blessing and the curse of virality means this trend has already become tired.
2024 will seek to elevate surrealism. Brands who are able to indulge the unconscious mind of their consumers, influencing the more mundane elements of daily life, will make a lasting impact.
The capabilities of image generation in 2023 have accelerated beyond our imagination. 2024 will be the year that the use of AI tools such as Midjourney become an integral part of every brand journey, brought to life in increasingly immersive methods. The magic of which not only challenges artistic norms, but also poses benefits in reducing marketing’s environmental impact – when you can be transported anywhere instantly, location scouting both at home and abroad becomes virtually obsolete.
The ability to transport yourself from your day to day is a true artform, and we are set to embrace the concept of wellness next year through unique concepts. A pretty cool example we’re keen to dive into ourselves is taking place at Hangar Y in Paris. The RECHARGER exhibition is an immersive wellness experience which utilises generative digital art alongside impactful soundtracks to create unique experiences under the conceptual pillars of relaxation, energisation, reconnection and stimulation.
Surrealism also provides an opportunity to break free from the often heavily-filtered reality in the world of beauty and wellness. 2024 will move away from picture perfect settings which in themselves are surreal. These will be replaced by raw, real images of skin laid bare. Brands have the opportunity to utilise images of the body in its natural state in unique ways, such as the haptic packaging of our Sensory Elevation theme. Why not bring to life the textures of skin on multi-sensory packaging?
The veil has been lifted on the lives of influencers which often felt surreal in their indulgence – no longer do they have the weighting they once held for marketers or the consumers that follow them. We are officially returning to the era of celebrity, but with a surrealist spin. The art of surprise and delight in cameos was achieved heroically by Oblivia Colemine. We expect to see this injection of humour in celebrity cameos continue in the year ahead.
The elevation of the luxury experience spans multiple industries and creates opportunities for some special partnerships. Where better to explore the trend of surrealism than in unique, limited edition creations crafted for the uber-wealthy. We expect to see some incredible products and experiences designed by dynamic pairings that meet our craving for surprise and delight, in different but complementary industries.
In the past year consumers have felt a lightening of spirit as we return to a new normal following the pandemic.
In 2024 we will see this continue with gusto, fuelled by the youngest and most powerful generations indulging in our next theme, JOY.
What better way to wrap up a festive season of trends than a spotlight on the ways that brands can capture the hearts and minds of customers in the new year.
2024 will see experiential retail entertain, educate and empower. Brand journeys must become sophisticated enough to make every interaction personalised, including the products customers walk away with. A combination of AR and VR will tie in ecommerce to match the demand for phygital experiences. It is vital here that brands understand their identity in its entirety. How else will you bring it to life for your consumer?
Retail is lagging behind brands on genderless beauty. The majority of shelving space in stores remains largely with women. With more men diving into beauty and self-care, and more products catering to all genders, we look forward to the major retailers following suit. It was reported in 2020 that 58% of Gen Alpha don’t think someone’s gender is that important. When you consider they are on track to be the largest generation in history (and with it have the greatest spending power) we should be paying attention.
As consumers continue to feel the effects of the cost of living crisis, beauty and wellness industries are maintaining a steady stream of committed purchasing power through their ability to meet a ‘little treat’ mentality. 2024 is reportedly the year of the ‘Value Hacker’ who seeks quality in every purchase, subscription-based saving, and ultimately invests in brands where their loyalty lies. The launch of good.clean.goop this year demonstrates how upmarket brands can explore budget-friendly options without sacrificing quality.
WGSN predicted 2024 to be the year of ‘hangover beauty’, putting aside the aspects of wellness and beauty which feel less than forgiving. Party make-up that doesn’t punish the skin? Ideal. Fall asleep in your make-up? No problem. This marries with the growing trend of multi-functional products which slimline regimes and go to work for customers. Brands can give themselves an edge here by embracing playful packaging that appeals to the likes of the Alphas, where they can build brand loyalty as they enter their teenage years.
In 2023 many brands sought to jettison their identity in a Gen Z world, abandoning what made them instantly recognisable. We instead are championing the warmth and wonder that comes with nurturing heritage and sparking memory in order to excite. From typeface to classic advertising touches, marketers should indulge in the joy of the past in 2024. The trick is to utilise the tools and channels of today to bring them to life.
