The idea of, or more accurately the need for, change in the creative industry has dominated conversations of late. It’s tough wanting to lead culture – or at least be on top of what’s happening now…and next. The advent of AI has coincided with an economic downturn, adding weight to the conversation – and the need – to do more than talk about change.

WPP Media has tackled this trickiest topic. Its recent Advertising in 2030 report provides a unique look at how industry experts envision the future of media, technology and commerce. Alongside global perspectives you can see commentary from some of our local Australia & New Zealand clients including Ikea head of marketing, Kirsten Hasler; CBA GM marketing, Pat Crowley; and Uber & Uber Eats senior director of marketing; Andy Morley; as well as James Hier, Wavemaker ANZ chief growth and product officer.

The full report is attached. It builds on previous iterations published in 2020 and 2021, projecting change over the course of the decade. It’s based on a survey of over 60 hand-picked industry experts who rated the likelihood of 20 scenarios by 2030. These scenarios cover predictions from AI and robotics to regulatory shifts and changes in consumer behaviour.   

Advertising 2030 highlights how expert attitudes have changed over the last four years as technology accelerates and consumer attitudes evolve, revealing an acceptance of rapid AI progress while maintaining a more cautious outlook on broader industry transformation.

There are 4 main sections – Data & Privacy, AI & Autonomy, Commerce & Consumption, Media & Platform Evolution.

… And in a nutshell, these are the key things to know:

• AI will transform creative production by the end of the decade but expect hardware adoption and mass-market behavioural change to take longer.  
• AI will become deeply integrated into creative workflows, handling routine tasks and augmenting human capabilities. This will require the advertising workforce to evolve significantly, with AI reshaping job roles and demanding new skill sets and a focus on human-AI collaboration. 
• Advertising will remain a critical plank of the economy. And not just for traditional media publishers, but also for retail, transit, and other sectors that are moving into the space
• The report cuts through the hype, showing where tech is really headed. Expect more focus on real AI progress, like bot-to-bot customer service, and less on concepts like humanoid robots in every home. Universal micro-payments or a single global privacy law now are also seen as highly unlikely.