2025: What Are Our Predictions?

Dear 2025 Readers,

Pinch, punch, 13th of the month.  Already.  The daffs will be out before we know it!

Without being blind to the obvious challenges the economy and wider world is facing, for our industry at least, I believe there is reason for optimism this year.  There is significant opportunity out there and certainly the end of 2024 showed lots of promise. We’re happy to be back and are ready to give 2025 some serious welly.

Looking back over the predictions I made this time last year - so much of what I expected to ring true, did. This year I think we’re likely to see similar themes continue to mature.

1. Brands protecting their budgets by nailing the internal agency model. If you’d like guidance on this - chat to Nicola who works with some incredible studios who have done this brilliantly. Nicola’s prediction for this year is that more brands will aim to craft this skillset inhouse and that freelancers will be the lifeblood which supports that initial development. Reach out to James if you want to hire a senior heavy hitter. We saw a real spike in senior creative hiring at the end of last year - both agency and brand side and James thinks “everyone is seriously upping their creative game”.

2. For agencies - the pitch world has been more competitive than ever, but Joe believes that some have found a silver bullet in the shape of Strategists. With over 30,000 agencies in the UK, choosing the right one has become a complex and competitive process for brands. A Strategist can set you apart and help you win pitches. If you’re interested in getting more business into your agency - we’d encourage you to check this out and read this piece too.

3. Our Marketing and Ecommerce Director, Lucy Steel, is excited about the continued development of generative AI for marketers but she believes that consumers are really looking for brands who also value a sense of community. She’s certain we’ll see a rise in brands working with nano-micro influencers / content creators and we’re seeing some amazing examples of this, particularly from our D2C clients.

4. Personally, I’m really interested in how businesses choose to navigate the hybrid working model. With WPP mandating 4 days back in the office, JP Morgan ending remote working entirely and Spotify going big with the “our employees aren’t children” stance - figuring out where you stand on this spectrum both as a business and as an employee is vital.  Then attracting people or landing jobs that mirror that approach comes next.  We’re firmly in camp Spotify for our own team but we get it - businesses and people have different needs. I think 2025 is the year that businesses have to commit to their model and deal with any fallout.

5. I never thought I’d mention the words “National Insurance” in a blog but this is going to be a seriously hot topic as we creep closer to April. We’re predicting that outsourcing will be back on the agenda for some and that using Freelancers will be an obvious fall back whilst businesses absorb the impact of the increases. If you are figuring out the best way to manage your Freelance and payroll needs – Lee is the one to reach out to for building a collaborative pathway as we all push forward.

So, there we have it - our top 5. Lots for us all to be getting stuck into with optimism but undoubtedly some hurdles to, well, hurdle. Sincere thank yous to every client and candidate who partnered with us in 2024. We hope to be by your side to take whatever 2025 throws us in our collective stride.

Wishing you all health, happiness and prosperity to the max!

Jen