DEV TEST MULTIPLE AUTHORS + ABOUT AUTHOR SECTION

Hoffman York is honored to receive a Shorty Award in the Contest category at the 9th Annual Shorty Awards for the Wahl ‘Benevolent Beards’ campaign. The campaign encouraged participants to grow their beards while giving back to their communities, showcasing creativity and impact.

Oh, it’s happening:

1. AI will become part of most daily tasks  

AI might be disappointing Wall Street (very few, if any, companies are citing AI as a significant driver of their earnings), but it will keep making in-roads with businesses and consumers. Many of the “breakthroughs” won’t be big announcements, major platform updates or new players. They will be small additions to environments that we already use such as expanded AI in online searches, features and connectivity in office platforms like Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel but also in Google’s suite of tools (Gmail, Sheets, Drive, etc.). AI is more likely to “emerge” into existing environments than to require adoption of new platforms. 

Oh, and we’ll take “the over” on there being two Super Bowl ads that are entirely created by AI (and they will tout that fact).

2. Brands will get back to (good) branding  

A reduction in inflation and an economic upswing combined with a surge in low-cost alternative products will spur reputable brands to get back to reminding consumers why they matter. And along with this branding will be a resurgence of creative that gets people’s attention. Not all of it, because let’s face it—bad marketing will always exist. In fact, ad satisfaction was way down in 2024, especially on social media (source). Editorial note: We really hope this one happens. 

3. Knowing what you want before you do

Yep, get ready, because all that AI we keep talking about is analyzing everyone’s behaviors to predict what you like and don’t like—like never before. This “predictive personalization” means all this data will allow brands to provide a range of offerings to individuals they never considered based on things these people didn’t even know they wanted—all with extreme accuracy. And while all this might sound somewhat familiar, consider the immediacy of AI and how machine learning will continue to deliver smarter and smarter targeting, all in real, real time. So, that watch you never thought you’d buy because you haven’t worn one in over a decade, you can thank AI for that.

It could happen:

4. Ads all around you

Summary 

Whew… The future of marketing can make your head spin, whether it’s the things right around the corner or those still a few years away. The exciting news is that we as marketers are on the precipice of change like we’ve never seen it. Change that promises to deliver better, richer, more targeted and smarter solutions for helping people and getting the word out. So, while we continue to tinker with and understand the potential and pitfalls of AI, AR, VR and whatever other acronyms come and go, we might as well buckle up, because tomorrow promises to be an adventure. 

About the Authors

Matt Hogan Insights Director

Director of Insights for Hoffman York, Matt works to understand consumer attitudes and behaviors to help brands create deep connections with their audiences.

Patrick Kopischkie VP, Integration Director

A Creative Director at Hoffman York, Patrick fuses creative thinking and storytelling with action that gets people talking, sharing and buying.

Kendell Lee Media Director

Kendell is the Media Director at Hoffman York, leading paid media, analytics, sports and email marketing groups. She is a technical wizard in Salesforce Marketing Cloud, programmatic platforms, Google Analytics and more.

Troy Alfke VP, Strategy Director

Troy brings extensive experience to his role as Strategy Director, helping brands of all shapes and sizes find their identity, launch new products and develop approaches to better connect with their customers.