From PRWeek December 26, 2024:
by Adrianna Bevilaqua, M Booth
Oh, 2024. You defied gravity with shifts that often felt like they were against the natural order of things.
We expected the unexpected and then were delivered things that were well, difficult to explain, like Raygun the white breaker at the Summer Olympic Games. Mostly the year was a cultural tango, a dance between MAGA and the Dems, Brat and Demure, Elphaba and Glinda. Do we see any parallels? Pink and green aren’t quite the colors of our dominant political parties, but the history of the Wizard of Oz is riddled with political symbolism, mostly from populist times. A scarecrow representing farmers, a tin man who needs oil, sparkling slippers that represent the free silver movement. The signs were everywhere, according to some academics. Even today, Wicked, part one, seems to be serving us signals. But who is Elphaba? Who is Glinda? And who is the Wizard? Our opinions are likely dependent on the echo chamber from which we watched the film.
Those echo chambers have grown increasingly far from one another, as has our self-awareness. Polarization was Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2024, capturing the reality that as a society we are trending towards the extremes instead of the center. Other words that defined the year? “Brain rot,” the decaying of our brains due to hyperconsumption on the internet. And let’s not forget “enshittification,” the notion that the world is deteriorating, particularly the online platforms and communities we once relied upon for conversation and civil discourse that have been made worse due to the presence of algorithms, trolls and platform changes that prioritize linkbait. In the past, the words of the year offered a more positive commentary on culture, but perhaps this year’s words are speaking to a much larger movement: the way the internet is corroding our emotional interiors, ultimately impacting how we exist with one another.
While Pantone has anointed creamy mocha as the color of the year, a nod to simple indulgences and comfort, the internet, of course, can’t agree if that is a good or bad call. Many have panned the brown hue because they feel we are in need of a bolder direction, while some suggest dismissing the color brown carries inherent bias. Despite the rainbow of rogue nominations, there is no doubt that we will all be seeing one raging color in the new year: red. This color may anger some and embolden others but either way red is rising, up 325% in searches, according to Pinterest, and there is no doubt it will serve as a trigger for big feelings. With it will come big questions to answer. Is the great awokening over? Or are we on the precipice of even deeper movements? Will the two-party system bifurcate? Will the promise of AI finally be realized? Will TikTok be banned?
In 2025, we will all become painfully aware that culture is never one thing but instead a series of currents and jetstreams that coexist, even in opposition, and create big waves that rise and inevitably crash on our shores. This year, riding the waves will mean getting out of our comfort zones. But are we ready to see the icebergs? Or would we prefer to sip champagne on the Titanic? Below are emerging trends that will prevail as we navigate choppy waters and as Norma Desmond, our favorite Sunset Boulevard character would say, still find bigger ways to dream.
1. Roaring Luxury: Call it “Mar-a-Lago core” or the socialite aesthetic, but this year we will say ciao for now to quiet luxury in an age where more billionaires have entered the chat, wealth gaps are widening and, in general, flash is back. In New York City, The Waldorf-Astoria will make its triumphant return to its perch on Park Avenue, while Dolce & Gabana’s hotel and residences will open in Miami’s Design District, providing next-level opulence for living and jet setting. Whether we love it or love to hate it, louder luxury has been captivating our attention across social media feeds and streaming channels. The term
“wealth porn” has even become a thing referring to our fascination with the absurd luxury in cult shows like “Succession,” “Industry,” “The Morning Show” and “White Lotus.” Filming for the big screen this year is a remake of American Psycho, a relic from the greed is good 1980s with Austin Butler playing everyone’s favorite sociopath in a world of clubs, martinis and, of course, a buzzing stock market. Luxury watch sales are ticking up with younger audiences and Wall Street is betting on a strong economy for the new year. Does this all sound familiar? According to TikToker geniusgirlalert, we’ve been here before, but this current version of the Roaring 20s may be even more audacious and less self-aware than the one a century ago. Regardless of where we sit, in 2025, wealth won’t be so stealth and brands will have the opportunity to play into the absurdity of money and the power dynamics that rule it in both conventional and unconventional ways.
2. Anger Management: There is a new experiential trend popping up that has nothing to do with ice cream or rosé in Instagram-worthy locations. The next big thing are rage rooms, pop ups spaces where people pay to smash objects and break things as a relief from mounting anger. While income inequality and hostility toward corporate America have been mounting for some time, it’s hitting a boiling point, as we’ve recently witnessed. According to the Gallup Global Emotions Report, global anger is on the rise with 23% of respondents now feeling angry on any given day. Road rage is increasing due to the confluence of aggression, social isolation and increased acceptance of bullying, as normalized by the internet and even more congestion and frustration as return-to-office climbs. There is also evidence showing that unlike traditional newspapers, social media is making us madder by the minute with content architected as purposeful rage-bait. Art and culture editor Ted Gioia of the Honest Broker substack argues that society oscillates between hot and cool periods, and that right now we are indeed in our scolding era with dark themes playing out in pop culture that are an ambient extension of anxiety and depression. Villain character energy has taken up big space from the Joker to a darker Batman, and even the positivity in our music is on decline. By nature, art can be a safe space to play out some of the intrusive themes that occupy our subconscious, and certainly pop culture reflects our moodiness. But in the year ahead, as society continues to wrestle with darkness, there is a big opportunity for brands to push the scales and consumers toward the light.
3. Parallel Economy and Parallel Agencies: If you have been living in a certain echo chamber you may have never heard about Rifle Coffee or Patriot Mobile, the world’s only Christian conservative wireless network. But, in 2025, regardless of what party you subscribe to, you will. For those unaware, there are a group of brands with more conservative values that make up what is known as the parallel economy, floating around in plain sight. In 2025, these brands will have a bit of a coming out party, similar to how conservative dating site the Right Stuff is making noise with its dating event series to make America hot again. The platform Public Sq Marketplace, a shopping space for those with aligned conservative values, has already attracted 1.6 million users and more than 65,000 brands across categories like personal care electronics, food and more. This parallel economy will have fertile ground under the Trump administration and the outright conservative agenda will come with its own badge value and market opportunity. But will agencies answer the call? Our progressive-leaning industry may not be willing to take on these businesses. But where there is opportunity there could be innovation. With an industry that is shape-shifting and shedding swaths of senior talent, there may be a new era of parallel agencies that are more politically flexible and able to serve a conservative or even libertarian agenda.
4. Comeback Culture. At its best, cancel culture has been a way of holding people and entities accountable for bad behavior when it goes outside of the norms that we have agreed upon as a society. At its worst, cancel culture has stifled independent thought. But in a polarized world, where there is less agreement on societal norms, cancel culture has become less about forgiveness and more about shifting vantage points and reconsidering information, opening the door for an entirely new trend. Comebacks, reboots, returns, call it what you will, but in some of our Cultured research at M Booth, we have found that cancel culture is in fact loosening its grip. Shunned former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is considering a run for mayor. Lana Del Rey easily sprung back from the calls to cancel her due to her anti-feminist opinions. Jay Z is fighting back fiercely against allegations, unbothered that it may stir up opinions. The Martha Stewart documentary, the final cultural reconciliation of her character, left audiences with a new found understanding of her ambition and humanity. The topic has been tackled in jest on shows like “Hacks,” and Larry David of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” has tangled with the topic on- and off-screen with no consequences. The most obvious example of all, a president that had been canceled by many, only to ultimately be embraced by some of his biggest detractors. Only time will tell if these comebacks have true staying power or if they were better left under unsubscribe.
5. MAH-sculinity. When JD Vance took the stage for the vice presidential debate, there were a lot of feelings. House In Habit, an influential blogger in conservative circles, posted a photo on her feed with a caption that read: “A Star is Born.” Her comment section was met with giddy fanfare from her followers. As the first person in the White House to have facial hair in 100 years, his beard, combined with the likes of the Kelce brothers, has ushered in another wave of hair growth which some say is a sign of health and vitality. Meanwhile, Robert F. Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, movement has taken off with bipartisan circles as highlighted on New York magazine’s cover feature this week. His pull-up contests with influencers have set off viral videos in the manosphere and some mainstream media outlets. Is he taking testosterone? Is it the falconry? Is it genetics? Or is it the unique and rugged outdoor spirit he is serving mixed with conspiracy theory and hyperfixation on topics like fluoride and vaccines? For men who are “recovering” from a cultural arc that did not center them, he is proving to be magnetic and will bring about a new brand of MAH-sculinity that celebrates skepticism and prioritizes extreme health rituals. Expect this movement to turn and twist into increasingly fringey places, even as it mainstreams. Health communicators need to be aware of health fads as more men will be on a mission to prove their new brand of masculinity and pass it on. With Nameberry already reporting Yellowstone-esque names like Huck, Lonnie and Truett trending for babies, we are clearly entering the Wild West.
6. Women, Disrupted. For many feminists, agendas have been interrupted. Despite some silver linings like Kirsten Gillibrand leading the fight to embed the Equal Rights Amendment in the Constitution, a long struggle for equality and bodily autonomy feels like it may be put on ice. But the voices of women will not be shuttered in the wake of the broligarchy before us. An extreme movement that began in South Korea known as 4B, encouraging women to abstain from sex, relationships, and having children with men until certain rights are realized, landed in the U.S. post-election with search increasing for 4B 3,000% according to Google. While it didn’t take off, it did mark a way for some women to create disruption. And complicated times call for complicated stories where women will demand more whole-hearted narratives about their messy place in the world and the right to control their bodies. Variety discusses how breakout films like The Room Next Door, which wrestles with euthanasia; Baby Girl, which discusses sexual submission; and The Substance, which takes on the beauty industry, are suggesting that even when women are in control, it’s ultimately society that sets the standard for women’s aging bodies. All of these films fight against the shackles society puts on women and will push us all to think about the toxic pressures and the choices that women need to make in the wake of structures that are removing their controls. And in a world of Ballerina Farms, where women win beauty pageants three weeks postpartum, and have time for fake eyelashes and breast feeding on competition day, the world definitely needs Night Bitch, a film where a stifled mom shape-shifts into a dog to regain her freedom by night. In the new year, our leading ladies will show more raw representation of women than ever before as a way to reclaim their autonomy and challenge audiences. Let’s hope no one looks away.
7. Aura-ginals. We have gone from social channels that are curated to our preferences to social channels that are now creating our preferences. The Spotify algorithm finds our next song. The Tinder algorithm finds our next date. We all show up with the same water bottle. It’s all very mid, and consumers are beginning to feel like their feeds are more of a prison than an escape. As more evidence mounts around how these systems are running the world, consumers will start escaping the algorithms that are stifling taste and limiting experiences and start opting for serendipity and friction in the quest for originality and “it” factor, or as the cool kids call it, aura. Maybe that’s why meet cutes have replaced swipe culture and why ideas like plot twist and unhinged have thrived in our lexicon. Kyle Chaka of The New Yorker discusses how algorithmic cleanses can help us rediscover our own tastes and have a more conscious approach to how we engage in content and what we select. In our homes, cluttercore is bubbling up and tchotchkes are back as a means to show off imperfection and individualism. Runways are showing mismatched fits that were definitely not served up on a Pinterest board and dopamine dressing, the trend of dressing for ourselves to elevate our own mood, is on the rise. Just don’t do it for the gram because you may inadvertently set off the next mob wife aesthetic, which negates the point.
8. Techstreamism: A few weeks ago, people gathered in the desert to drink, connect, play music and test their robots. Robopalooza is not an idea from The Onion or a spoof on festival culture. It’s a thing that has started to test robots in extreme conditions. If you haven’t heard, this is the year the robots will officially become part of the paid labor force fueled by a race between the U.S. and China to produce robots at scale. Even the care economy will be impacted, with the University of Oxford predicting that robots will ultimately take on 40% of household chores. But it’s not all about loading dishwashers. The movie Subservience, starring Megan Fox as a robot purchased by a man looking to fill domestic duties when his wife becomes sick, has had more streams than the Grinch in advance of the holidays. Can we predict how the story ends? With this sophisticated AI robot eventually seeking its own kind of revenge, of course. But there are already more sinister themes at play in real life as AI bots are proving to have disastrous impact on their human companions. In 2025, as big tech leaders have new access to the White House and the ability to push forward policy that lines their pockets, the threat of techstreams will move from hypotheticals to a crushing reality.
9. Generational Fluidity: The rise of micro-generations from Zilllennials and Xennials to Generation Catalano and now Zalphas, referring to those on the border between Gen Alpha and Gen Z, born between 2006 and 2012 have commanded our attention and ushered in a strong case against generational monoliths, making way for more fluidity in how people “perform” and identify among generational norms. Boomers are showing up with rizz, bending Karen stereotypes in pop culture with shows like “The Later Daters,” produced by Higher Ground, Michele Obama’s production that highlights intimacy and desire for the over-60 set. Boomer grandparents have been noted across social media for their main character energy and desire to live the good life, on the dime of their children, of course. All of the sudden, once youthful millennials have reached middle age this year, preferring titles like grand, antique and geriatric to identify their exact breed and the slew of health issues thrust upon them as they have become the new sandwich generation. Gen Z, long thought to be an extraordinarily progressive cohort, have partially migrated toward President-elect Donald Trump this election cycle, particularly the men under 24, who are more likely to identify as conservative than liberal. From Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor IRL to Laura Dern and Liam Hemsworth on the small screen, age-gap relationships have been surfacing in pop culture, particularly with Gen X women, and the research supports the benefits of mixing it up. With 40% of consumers born after 1981 saying they don’t identify with their generational label, signals suggest that 2025 will be the year to extinguish our stereotypes around how people of different ages live and come together. The upside for marketers? Campaigns and communications will have the opportunity to inspire people with more truthful and nuanced narratives.
10. Conscious Communing. Even with obvious ideological differences in our society, there is still a deep hunger for connection to feed a deficit we have all felt since the pandemic. A year after the surgeon general heeded the warning about the epidemic of loneliness, the next essential conversation is brewing around a new dimension of wellness: social health. According to STAT, if physical health is about the body and mental health is about the mind, social health is about our relationships. This next realm of well-being is built on the quality of our human connections. The World Health Organization just commissioned a task force to research the topic because out of the 7 million Wikipedia entries on health, none broached this crucial topic yet we know that strong social connections lead to a 50% increase in longevity. Apps like Breakfast and Creative Lunch Club have popped up to help people network outside of their existing circles and forge friendships that yield emotional dividends. Consumers are trading solo spa experience for social wellness sanctuaries where folks mingle among thermal baths and saunas. There are even emerging spa rituals that draw people together through elaborate ceremonies. Content is also starting to tell the story, with the success of series like “Nobody Wants This,” celebrating the forging of unlikely connections and applauded ads, like Volvo’s “For Life” whose brilliance was hijacked as an anti-woke narrative but in reality was just telling a thoughtful story about family, strangers and how the choices we make always impact each other. We found in our own research that only 48% of consumers feel brands have brought people together. As the trend of conscious communing takes off, the new year will bring big opportunities for brands to help consumers build bridges, even over troubled waters.
As we approach January 20 and continue to digest the many emotions felt across our communities and inside of ourselves, here’s an idea for our president-elect: Help realize a vision set this year when Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman took the stage at the Grammys, electrifying culture and turning even cynical hearts around. Drop the YMCA as the MAGA theme and invite Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman on stage for your inauguration. Combine the vocal sound. Tracy, rich, angelic, embodied. Luke, spirited, soulful and earnest. Deliver a much needed message: maybe together we can get somewhere.
This article first appeared in PRWeek
