DEPT® Trends

Report 2023

The Zoomer, the Boomer,

& the Digital Consumer

 Introduction 00 Bridging digital 01
experiences with human

authenticity

1. Introduction
3

1.1 Web3, phygital experiences & retail's big makeover

4

1.2 Bridging the physical world with digital twins

6

1.3 3D, world-building, and the gamified brand experience

9

1.4 How DAOs will shift decision-making power to employees

11

1.5 Filtering out the real from the fake 13

AI unlocks the 02 Tech & data power global 03

floodgates of creativity brands in a globalised

future

2. Introduction
14
3. Introduction
20
2.1 Xoxo, AI
15

3.1 Cloud computing gets super-sized

21

22

16

3.2 Connectivity that powers change

2.2 Creative AI’s big breakthrough

24

18

3.3 Personalized content and data privacy concerns

2.3 The Creator Economy is supercharged

3.4 Consumers want to be involved; shaping products & brands
25

3.5 Brands can help consumers discover their identities 26

Take notice, Gen Z is 04 Sustainability becomes 05

here (to stay) non-negotiable

Table of 4. Introduction

4.1 Find us on TikTok

4.2 It’s time to BeReal

2
7
8
29
5. Introduction

5.1 Building a brand in a post-purpose world

5.2 Advertising goes purpose-first, profit-second

3
6
5

36

4.3 Deepfakes go deeper than memes

30 5.3 “Net zero” is an imperfect solution. But it’s a start.
37

4.4 The nostalgia re(love)ution 32

5.4 Putting people at the heart of brands 39

contents
Introduction

Digital was created by Baby Boomers, defined by Gen X, and

transformed by Millennials. With each of these evolutions,
more and more of the places where we communicate, work,
and socialise have shifted from the physical to the digital
world.

When we’ve tried to predict what’s next in digital, we’ve

always assumed this pattern will continue. Our digital lives
will keep getting bigger while our real-world lives will keep
getting smaller. But it’s become clear that this pattern is
about to be broken by a new generation of high-octane
individuals, fueled by creativity, identity, and a profound
sense of urgency.

Gen Z is the first generation to have always existed with one

foot in the digital world and one foot in the physical world.
And, as their digital lives have evolved, they’ve seen their
real-world lives suffer at its expense.

These young people refuse to accept the status quo:

they’re pushing the world to go green, promoting social
equity, and holding brands accountable to ensuring
purpose-driven missions actually make a difference. In this
way, Gen Z is defining a future in which digital is meant to
combine with the physical world to create a better way of
living.

Unpack the pioneering trends across culture, business,

marketing, and technology that are driving this exciting
change. Explore the possibilities that Web3’s evolution
holds. And begin 2023 by learning how your brand can
shape what’s next. 2
Trend — 1
Bridging digital
experience & human
authenticity

Digital platforms and experiences can be a powerful tool

for building relationships and creating meaningful
connections. At the heart of these interactions, however,
are real people with their own unique needs, desires, and
personalities.

While technology offers convenience and connectivity, as

humans consumers also crave personal and authentic
connection. To bridge the gap between the two, brands
need to explore the places where the physical and digital
collide to find new ways of sparking human connection
with the power of authenticity.
3

$140 Bil
GenZ’s spending power
26%
GenZ’s population percentage
71%
of consumers still prefer stores
out brands that offer experiences that are personalised,
43%
of consumers prefer stores that offer
interactive displays or product
demonstrations
37%
prefer stores that offer personalised
recommendations or assistance.
in-person shopping.
Trend — 1.1
Web3, phygital
experiences, & retail's
big makeover
Phygital is the buzzword du jour in the retail industry, and The statistics are clear: consumers are increasingly seeking
that’s not likely to change in 2023.
interactive, and immersive. And, in 2023, providing those
As the physical and digital worlds collide and more experiences won’t just be about providing entertainment,
customers begin to move within the phygital space, it’s vital it’ll also be about providing functionality.
that brands develop a hybrid approach that delivers
frictionless, integrated experiences. This could be anything When it comes to functional experiences, Zara is one of the
from keeping track of stock levels in real time, to seamless retail brands leading the charge, recently launching its third
click-and-collect, to interconnected physical and virtual phygital collection, Y2K Creatures, in the metaverse.
stores made possible by Web3.
The 10-item collection can be worn both inside and outside
Phygital experiences like these are becoming the standard the digital realm. For ultimate personalisation, exclusive
largely due to Gen Z, which accounts for 26% of the digital accessories are available including hairstyles and
worldwide population and whose spending power is wallpaper to ensure a consumer’s avatar looks just like
estimated at over $140 billion. Gen Z might be the first true them in real life.
digital natives, but that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate
Across generations, an NRF survey reported 71% of
consumers still prefer to shop in physical stores. But the
same survey also indicated 43% of consumers prefer stores
that offer interactive displays or product demonstrations
with another 37% preferring stores that offer personalised
recommendations or assistance.
1.1 Web3, phygital experiences, & retail's big makeover 4
In 2023, providing those
experiences won’t just be about
providing entertainment, it’ll also be
about providing functionality.

For those who want to see a product in real life before

purchasing, Zara also created a “store mode” feature in its
app that gives users the option to find a product in-store
and book a fitting room to try it out.

Similarly, H&M has started using smart mirrors in some of its

COS stores to offer shoppers personalised styling
recommendations and to enable them to request new
items to try on without having to leave dressing rooms.

Other brands like Nike and Ikea have also implemented

innovative phygital experiences in stores, including virtual
reality product demonstrations, augmented reality product
visualisations, and—in Nike’s case—personalised fitting
experiences using 3D body scanning technology.

To ensure their own customer experiences are as

seamlessly intuitive and personalised, other retail brands
will need to step up their offerings in both physical and
online stores. At the same time, these brands should take
advantage of the opportunity for innovation that digital
offers to create new experiences that are as functional as
they are out of this world. 1.1 Web3, phygital experiences, & retail's big makeover 5
Trend — 1.2
Bridging the
physical world with
digital twins

Way back when, in the very distant ‘90s, digital cameras Given the level of detail achieved for festivals like these, it
appeared and collectively blew everyone’s minds. might not be a surprise that digital twins have also emerged
Suddenly, photographs didn’t just exist on sheets of film, for entire nations.

they could also exist as digital files stored on the family

desktop.

Tuvalu, an island nation in the Pacific, began work on its

groundbreaking virtual counterpart as the real-world
A digital twin represents a digital duplicate of a physical country faces rising sea levels.

product. Digital photos are one of the simplest and earliest

examples but, in the thirty years since their public debut, “As our land disappears, we have no choice but to become
digital twins have emerged across nearly every conceivable the world’s first digital nation,” announced Simon Kofe,
aspect of our lives.

Minister of Justice, Communication & Foreign Affairs, “Our

land, our ocean, our culture are the most precious assets of
As a result, digital twins now exist not just for physical our people. And to keep them safe from harm, no matter
products, but also for physical services, systems, and even what happens in the physical world, we’ll move them to the
experiences. During the pandemic, festivals like the Dubai cloud.”

World Expo pivoted to the virtual world by building

immersive experiences featuring real-world details like
landmarks, thematic pavilions, roads, hotels, and more.

1.2 Bridging the physical world with digital twins 6

“Our land, our ocean, our culture are the
most precious assets of our people. And to
keep them safe from harm, no matter what
happens in the physical world, we’ll move
them to the cloud.”

Simon Kofe, Minister of Justice,

Communication & Foreign Affairs of Tuvalu

1.2 Bridging the physical world with digital twins 7

In addition to their practical applications,
digital twins can also enhance the customer
experience and create brand value.

Kofe made the statement to the United Nations during

COP27 from within the metaverse-based digital nation,
adding to its impact even more.

Other Web3 technology, especially NFTs, has allowed for

the creation of digital twins for memorabilia and consumer
products. This is especially prevalent in the sports world.
The NBA, NFL, and UFC each has their own NFT platforms
that allows fans to purchase, trade, and collect NFTs of
highlight moments from games/matches or their favourite
players.

As productivity tools, digital twins can help organisations

increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality by
enabling real-time data-driven decision making.

For example, a digital twin of a manufacturing line can be

used to optimise production processes, identify
bottlenecks, and predict maintenance needs. In
transportation, a digital twin of a fleet of vehicles can be
used to optimise routes and schedules, reduce fuel
consumption, and improve safety.

In addition to their practical applications, digital twins can

also enhance the customer experience and create brand
value. A digital twin of a retail store can be used to provide
personalised recommendations and offers to customers
based on their shopping history and preferences. In the
hospitality industry, a digital twin of a hotel can be used to
enable virtual tours and help customers choose the best
room for their needs.

By providing an engaging and personalised experience,

digital twins can help brands differentiate themselves and
build stronger relationships with their customers.
1.2 Bridging the physical world with digital twins 8
 Trend — 1.3

16% 3D, world-building, &

of people understand what
the metaverse is

the gamified brand

61 mil experience
was the amount of views for
Sonic Speed, the most visited
game on Roblox in August 2022

The word “metaverse” has been thrown around a lot the

past year.

59 mil
Despite all the chatter around it, however, research shows
Snapchatters engaged with AR that only 16% of people understand what the metaverse is.
lenses during the Super Bowl This is one reason why there's a lot of hesitancy around the
metaverse. But, to understand the virtual world's potential,
we need only to look at the popularity of similar immersive
experiences from 3D worlds and gaming platforms.

In the 3D world, brands connect with audiences in

immersive social experiences. And this year, we realised
that engagement on metaverse or gaming platforms can be
deep. The most visited experiences on Roblox

75%
in August included games created by brands like Vans,
Sonic Games, and Gucci, with Sonic Speed topping the
of the global population will be frequent chart at more than 61 million visits from users month-over-
AR users
month.

What you see is gaming is eating large parts of the

consumer web: fashion, dating, events, concerts,”

says Rec Room’s co-founder and CEO, Nick Fajt, “These

things are now moving into the gaming world in a way that
was unthinkable 20 years ago.”

The biggest driver for gamers today is the ability to socialise

and build new experiences through online communities. To
that end, the most powerful brand activations of the year
were made in two steps:

Step 1: Create something 3D.

Step 2: Make it social.

1.3 3D, world-building, & the gamified brand experience 9

 Snapchat has been heavily investing in AR technology
since the introduction of its AR Lens Studio in 2017. On the
app, 3D objects engage with real world scenes to create
surreal and memorable experiences for both users and
brands. This year, 59 million Snapchatters engaged with AR
lenses during the U.S Super Bowl.
Tomorrowland, for example, worked with Dogstudio (part of
DEPT®) to create a groundbreaking virtual realm that
embraced the otherworldliness of both the metaverse and
the festival itself. Via this new offering, one million fans
were able to experience the festival and engage with one

another.

By 2025, Snapchat projects that nearly 75% of the global With the door to immersive and shared worlds open, the
population and almost all smartphone users will be frequent 3D possibilities are endless. More and more brands are
AR users.

using these worlds to foster a rich community around their

brand and find new ways for young fans to connect with
Using AR as a bridge to enter the metaverse can be an their content in an entirely new dimension.

attractive way for brands to experiment in the Web3 space.

Brands like Lacoste collaborated with Minecraft to push the In a few years time Web3 will be the standard. Emerging
boundary of web experiences with a metaverse that technologies like AI, AR, VR, and metaverses are all
housed pixel-based collectibles. The result of this collab combining to create a gateway to immersive worlds and
included a unique in-game map within Minecraft as well as experiences that will fundamentally change how we
special-edition Lacoste garments available to buy both connect online.
virtually and in real life.

Brands are also taking advantage of the opportunities in the

metaverse by creating immersive experiences that foster
communities among fans.

This gave young users the opportunity to try

new styles and fashions without financial or
physical barriers.

1.1 Bridging
1.3 3D, world-building,
digital experience
& the gamified
& humanbrand
authenticity
experience 10
Trend — 1.4

How DAOs will

shift decision-making
power to employees

Unless you’re a blockchain expert or a venture capitalist,

odds are that you’re probably unfamiliar with what’s been
slotted as the next big trend in crypto.

DAOs—short for “decentralised autonomous

organisations”—began snagging headlines during last
year’s NFT boom as organisations like PleasrDAO emerged.
PleasrDAO represents a group of crypto investors who
collectively own a portfolio of collectibles that includes the
sole copy of Wu-Tang Clan’s “Once Upon a Time in Shaolin''
album as well as the original Doge meme. Much wow.

But what makes PleasrDAO so interesting is that, although

they operate as an investment firm, as a DAO they’re
fundamentally different and infinitely more democratic. As
billionaire investor Mark Cuban referred to them, DAOs
represent “the ultimate combination of capitalism and
progressivism.”

Like NFTs, DAOs are run on a blockchain. Only instead of a

blockchain-based ledger, DAOs are built on a blockchain-
based smart contract. This allows the organisation to
operate independently of any single individual or group. In
other words, operate in a way that’s fully decentralised and
autonomous.

It’s this structure that makes DAOs so progressive and why

Forbes has reported that analysts and industry insiders
believe that this type of organisation will soon begin
replacing traditional corporate structures.

1.4 How DAOs will shift decision-making power to employees 11

DAOs represent “the ultimate combination
of capitalism and progressivism.”

In a traditional organisation, decision-making power is

typically concentrated at the top, with senior leaders or a
board of directors making important decisions about the
direction and operations of the company.

But within a DAO, where the organisation is governed by a

blockchain-based smart contract, that decision-making
power gets shifted from a small and select group of leaders
to the votes cast by everyone within the organisation.

It’s that same smart contract that makes DAOs not just
inherently democratic, but also inherently transparent. The
blockchain records voting records infinitely and makes it
possible for anyone to see how a user voted, increasing
accountability and trust throughout an organisation.

Over the course of the past year, platforms and tools like
(DAO, DAO) have emerged to make it possible for anyone to
create a DAO for their organisation. As DAOs become more
and more proliferate, so will their use cases. For future-
ready businesses staying abreast of current trends, the
unbreakable system of fairness and equity offered by DAOs
makes them a trend to be watched going forward.

1.4 How DAOs will shift decision-making power to employees 12

 Trend — 1.5

40%
of internet traffic amounts to bots
Filtering out the real
from the fake
User identity
verification is
poised to People visit social platforms largely to interact and connect
with other people. Yet a large number of interactions are
Fortunately, technological advancements will help create
better, more secure and seamless methods for customer

advance more
with bots. About 40% of internet traffic amounts to bots, identification.

many of which are maliciously resulting in the spread of

misinformation, inefficient resource allocation, ad fraud, and Paypal, for example, has ditched passwords for passkeys.
inferior digital experiences.

Apple even introduced VR iris scans for payments. And

in 2023 than
blockchain provider Oasis Labs partnered with Equifax to
Filtering out the real from the fake is of vital importance to develop Web3-driven identity management and verification
keeping digital experiences safe. And an easy place to start solutions.

ever before.

is user identity verification, which is poised to advance

more in 2023 than ever before.

Outside of improvements in user verification, the use of AI

Research has shown that anonymity breeds cyberbullying
because, as Scott Galloway, a UCLA professor explains,
“When we don’t have guardrails or face consequences,
we’re prone to being assholes.” In this way, using
verification to tie people’s real-life selves to their online
and machine learning also helps detect and flag fake news
and other forms of misinformation. AI that understands
context, like ChatGPT, will provide more automation to
proactively flag fake information. On top of that, blockchain
technology can be used to create immutable records of
information.

personas ultimately helps make discourse more civil—most

of the time.

Overall, these efforts can help to create a safer and more

authentic online experience for users in 2023 and beyond.

Case in point is the endlessly meme-able failure of Elon

Musk’s attempt to democratise Twitter’s user verification
with Twitter Blue.

For $7.99/month, Twitter Blue gave anyone access to the

coveted blue check mark once reserved for verified
accounts. Impersonation of celebrities and brands blew up
in a matter of hours, forcing Twitter to put the product on
hold and implement a secondary form of verification for
accounts verified pre-Elon.

1.5 Filtering out the real from the fake 13

Trend — 2

AI unlocks the
floodgates of
creativity

2022 was a blockbuster year for AI. From ChatGPT to

DALL-E, machines are now producing sophisticated
content that looks and feels distinctly human. Moreover,
much of this technology has now been made open and
available to the public.

With these advances, some writers, designers, and

developers have expressed their concern that AI could
replace them in the near future. We’re inclined to believe
that the technology is more likely set to become an
invaluable new addition to the creator’s toolbelt.

In this way, AI’s potential could change content creation.

It could change how developers build software. It could
change marketing, advertising, and even search. But
amid all these possibilities, there is only one surefire
occurrence: that AI will change the way we work.

14
 Trend — 2.1

5 Billion Xoxo, AI
Internet users across the world

80%
of B2C consumers say that customer
experience is as important as a brand’s
product or service

76%
of consumers get frustrated when
customer experience isn’t
personalised

It’s official: there are more than 5 billion internet users
across the world. We’ve achieved a level of unprecedented
size and connectivity, which begs the question: in a
globalised market with billions of digital consumers, how do
brands make connections with everyone? Or, rather, with
every one?
With 170 million daily customers from all over the world,
eBay is one brand that we’re helping deliver hyper-
personalised experiences at scale. Using creative
automation and our suite of tools, ADA by DEPT®, we’ve
created over 200 monthly campaigns in multiple

languages for eBay to help them start a 1:1 conversation

with millions of people around the world.

Right around 80% of B2C consumers say that customer

experience is as important as a brand’s product or service. Another tool that can help brands take advantage of AI is
And 76% of consumers get frustrated when customer OpenAI’s prototype chatbot, ChatGPT. ChatGPT went viral in
experience isn’t personalised.

December for the sophistication of its human-like text

It’s clear that customers want to feel special. But not all
forms of personalisation are created equal. Experiences
from brands that put popular names on their products, for
example, aren’t personal enough to make people feel truly
responses, which are generated using a machine learning
technology called DBSCAN. Although ChatGPT’s responses
aren’t perfect, they aren’t imperfect either. As a result, the
technology is already being used to write lectures, essays,
and even ad campaigns.

special. Others, like email reminders about specific

products people have browsed online, feel invasive.

The future of marketing is in hyper-personalised

experiences, according to McKinsey. To scale alongside our
This is where artificial intelligence has emerged as the gold fast-growing world, brands everywhere will need to start
standard provider of customer experiences that are hyper- automating personalisation with the help of AI.

personalised, that is, tailor-made without feeling creepy. AI

can crunch super-sized data sets quickly to learn what
makes not just people, but any singular person, click.

2.1 Xoxo, AI 15
Trend — 2.2

Creative AI’s big

breakthrough
Poll anyone on Instagram and odds are that they’re familiar
with Lensa and the AI-generated selfies that took social
media by storm in November. Lensa reached record-
breaking downloads, even surpassing YouTube and
Instagram in App Store popularity. But, even so, it wasn’t the
first time that AI broke the internet this year.

Text-to-image generators also took over the internet when

OpenAI released DALL-E to the public. A deep learning
image synthesiser, DALL-E scours the internet to collect
data from thousands of digital books, blogs, and online
pages.

From these supersized sets of data, it uses latent diffusion

to create realistic images out of anything and everything,
from “a kiwi that is both a bird and a fruit” to “selfie of Steve
Buscemi joyriding in a stolen fighter jet cockpit.”

While AI-powered generative technology like DALL-E and

Lensa has existed for some time, 2022 marked its
breakthrough year. The astonishing quality of the results
and the speed at which these platforms produced them
earned AI images their virality.

Even brands like Heinz began experimenting with AI

generators, making the technology the hero of a campaign
that demonstrated how the prompt “ketchup” almost
always generated an image with an element of Heinz's
signature branding.

Forrester predicts that, by the end of 2023, 10% of Fortune

500 enterprises will be generating content with AI tools.
This year, toy designers at Mattel started using Microsoft’s
Azure OpenAI Service to create new designs for Hot
Wheels, the brand’s iconic model cars.

AI is already challenging traditional notions of creativity. It

has blurred the lines between human and machine-
generated works, raising questions about the value and
meaning of creativity, encouraging new ways of thinking
Image captions: AI artwork by Henry Daubrez DOGSTUDIO/DEPT® about what it means to be creative.

2.2 Creative AI’s big breakthrough 16

 By the end of 2023, 10% of Fortune
500 enterprises will be generating
content with AI tools.

And while some are understandably worried that AI will

replace artists and designers, the truth is that AI will
become part of the creator’s toolbelt. Already, Stable
Diffusion, MidJourney, GPT-3, Google’s Imagen, and Meta’s
Make-A-Video have been embedded into mainstream
design, animation, and coding technology like Figma,
Canva, and GitHub.

Moving beyond the individual creator, brands should begin

learning how to push these emerging platforms to their
creative limits by focusing on the following areas

Using generative models to create visuals and help with

image or video production
Generating new ideas and brainstorming new products
or campaigns with algorithms related to image, video,
copy and music generation
Automating repetitive creative tasks to save time and
effort, allowing staff to focus on more complex and
challenging tasks.

Only time will tell what exciting new innovations come of

the partnership between AI and creators. But in the
meantime, AI is undeniably set to become a game-
changing part of the creative process, helping brands be Image captions: AI artwork by Henry Daubrez DOGSTUDIO/DEPT®
more productive, inspiring new ideas, and creating faster
workflows.
2.2 Creative AI’s big breakthrough 17
50 million
Trend — 2.3
Internet independent content creators,
curators, and community builders
comprise today’s creator economysers
The Creator Economy
is supercharged
across the world

50% of YouTube’s ad revenue was shared

with creators over a decade ago

197.8 mil
Over 50 million independent content creators, curators, and
community builders comprise today’s creator economy.
hours are spent watching TikTok And, as the creator economy continues to grow, our
by GenZ each day understanding of what defines a “creator” is changing.

Today, anyone can be a creator. Emerging technology like

text-to-image generators and free design platforms like
Canva or Figma are making it easier for people to create fast

57%
—and publish even faster.

Social platforms see the trend and they’re going all-in on a

more democratised creator economy, continuously adding
in a range of tools and features designed to foster
increase in downloads for the collaborations with creators and brands.

Dunkin’ mobile app due to a Earlier this year, Instagram launched their Creator
collaboration with it's Charli D'Amelio Marketplace to help connect influencers on the platform to
brands and encourage fruitful partnerships between the
two. Retailers are also seeing the power of working with
creators, with Shopify launching Shopify Collabs and U.S
retailer Walmart launching Walmart Creator, to incentivise
creators to develop shoppable content.

The real incentive that keeps creators active on any given

platform, however, is the ability to make profit. The most
direct path to success has been cultivating audience
attention with a large digital following. YouTube began
sharing around 50% of its ad revenue with creators over a
decade ago and, as a result, is the oldest social platform to
still have a stronghold on young users.

That said, more and more creators have migrated to TikTok,

whose Gen-Z dominated audience spends 197.8 million
hours watching videos on the platform each day, more than
ten times as much as Instagram’s users spent watching
Reels.
2.3 The Creator Economy is supercharged 18
The real incentive that keeps creators
active on any given platform, however,
is the ability to make profit.

Creators are likely to move where their audiences are.

Jimmy Donaldson, known on YouTube as “MrBeast,” might
be on the cusp of becoming the first YouTube billionaire, but
still opted to collaborate with Epic Games on Fortnite where
millions of players competed for the $1 million prize in
“MrBeast’s Extreme Survival Challenge.”

Collaborating with creators on social and gaming platforms

enables brands to tap into a new audience organically and
achieve higher engagement rates. And, in the creator
economy, audience engagement is key.

By collabing with Charli D’Amelio, for example, Dunkin

Donuts found footing with the TikTok creator’s 203.7 million
followers. Hundreds of thousands of D’Amelio’s eponymous
drink special, “The Charli,” were sold within the collab’s first
five days and there was a 57% increase in downloads for
the Dunkin’ mobile app.

Collaborating across both traditional and emerging social

platforms is a smart way for brands to build and maintain
relationships with both consumers and creators. Most
importantly, by making the most of the creator economy,
brands will organically stay abreast of the ongoing change
in the landscape of social platforms.

1.1 Bridging
2.3 The Creator
digital
Economy
experience
is supercharged
& human authenticity 19
Trend — 3

Tech & data power

global brands in a
globalised future

Global markets are shifting as emerging technology and

revolutionary connectivity combine to create a world that
evolves at hyperspeed. This, combined with the shift from
third-party to first-party data, has made it imperative for
brands to reconsider how they connect with their
audiences.

As social media and other online platforms race to adapt,

they’ve learned to rely on tech to build new features and
offerings to attract users. Personalisation, AI experiences,
discovery-focused content, and new strategies for ads
are all hallmarks of these recent innovations. To stay
ahead in 2023, brands need to take advantage of
innovations within these platforms as well as apply the
same strategic adaptations for themselves.

20

8 Bil +
People roaming the planet
$600 Bil
is the expected amount that cloud
computing’s global market value will
expand to in 2023
$1 Tril
is the expected amount it will
grow to in 2028, reaching
cumulonimbus proportions
architecture to focus on sustainability.
88%
is the reduced IT footprint if
Brands switch to the cloud
date with the next iteration of cloud technologies.
Trend — 3.1
Cloud computing gets
super-sized
The forecast is in: cloud computing is getting bigger. Way
bigger. With more than 8 billion people roaming the planet,
cloud computing will scale to match. In 2023, it’s expected
that cloud computing’s global market value will expand to
$600 billion. By 2028, it’ll surpass $1 trillion and reach
cumulonimbus proportions.
As a hallmark of modern infrastructure, cloud computing is
capable of processing more information faster than
traditional systems. Not only does this capability increase
capacity and flexibility, as a service-based solution it comes
packaged in an easy-to-implement format where brands
pay only for what they need.
If your brand hasn’t migrated to the cloud yet, now’s the
time. Global markets are growing as more digital consumers
than ever before enter the playing field. Moreover,
consumer’s digital expectations are increasing as people
seek better and more personalised experiences from
brands.
outside the domain of workplace IT.
But that’s not all, the storm clouds of economic
uncertainty are also on the horizon. As a highly capable
and a pay-as-you-go tech investment, cloud computing
becomes invaluable in this regard. Our work optimising
Triumph Motorcycles’ cloud configuration, for example,
modernised and audited their cloud configuration,
reducing hosting costs by 30% with immediate effect.
But cloud computing isn’t just a part of ongoing digital
transformation for brands, it’s in the midst of its own
transformation as well.
3.1 Cloud computing gets super-sized
Although switching to the cloud often means a brand can
expect their IT footprint to be reduced by as much as 88%,
on a global scale cloud computing represents a major
source of hidden emissions. That’s why providers like
Microsoft Azure and now AWS are optimising their
Latency-sensitive technologies like 5G and IoT have paved
new roads for edge computing, boosting connectivity in
remote or rural areas of the world and leading Forrester to
predict that edge-to-cloud networks will soon become
commonplace.
Also worth noting is the advent of cloud-based IT security.
Gartner coined the term Secure Access Service Edge
(SASE, pronounced “sassy”) to describe the collective of
cloud-based network security functions, including ZTNA,
that are being increasingly used to protect networks as
more employees access services and data from devices
Finally, quantum computing also plays an important role in
the near future. Supercomputing power like this can store
and process incredibly complex algorithms at hyperspeed.
The top three cloud platforms, AWS, Microsoft Azure, and
GoogleCloud, are all leveraging this power to innovate and
create the next generation of cloud technologies.
Over the course of the next year, brands will rely on
optimising the cloud platforms they’ve invested in to stay
ahead. By doing so, they’ll be well positioned to stay up to
21
Trend — 3.2

Connectivity that
powers change

Revolutionary connectivity has opened a multi-trillion

dollar door for new use cases within the retail, healthcare,
automotive, and manufacturing industries alone. Within
society, it also creates an invaluable opportunity for
equity, enabling more people to access global flows of
communication, information, and services.

The rise of 5G has brought with it higher speeds, higher

security, and better reliability with latency sensitivity.
Although this new technology was only made available to
consumers in the past three years, it’s already disrupting
industries and society for the better.

Volkswagen, for instance, has implemented 5G

infrastructures to create “smart factories” with real-time
control over the manufacturing process of its vehicles.
And Huawei rolled out 5G capability to hospitals in Wuhan
during the onset of the pandemic to send instantaneous
updates to front-line workers and disease experts around
the world.

5G has also allowed brands to connect customers to

other emerging technologies. Star Atlas, a blockchain-
based metaverse game, came to us to help create an
innovative digital experience to introduce new players to
their world. Immersive mobile experiences like this, along
with IoT applications and cloud gaming, are all enabled by
5G.

But 5G is only a part of the connectivity revolution.

There’s also WiFi 6 and new evolutions of LPWAN and
optical fibre that have also emerged to improve
throughput, coverage, and security for billions of people
throughout the world.

3.2 Connectivity that powers change 22

WiFi 6 and new evolutions of LPWAN and
optical fibre that have also emerged to
improve throughput, coverage, and security
for billions of people throughout the world.

Another new technology, LEO satellites, is being

implemented by SpaceX’s Starlink to bring high speed
broadband to remote areas.

As connectivity becomes more universal, billions of new

digital consumers stand to enter the market. And, as
connectivity advances in its capability, the expectations of
the 5 billion internet users already in existence will change
accordingly.

As more consumer audiences adjust to having always-on

connectivity, brands across industries will need to make
use of these technologies to deliver next-gen customer
experiences at every possible moment.

1.1 Bridging
3.2 Connectivity
digital
that
experience
powers change
& human authenticity 23
Trend — 3.3

Personalised
content & data
management in light
of privacy concerns
The post-cookie world is rapidly approaching as Google Contextual targeting uses AI to segment users according
expects to phase out internet cookies in 2024. to their passions.This gives any brand the ability to
Meanwhile, governments across the globe are display relevant ads to users with limited data. This
responding to consumer privacy as Austria, Denmark, method has been around for years, but AI has added
Italy, and France have made rulings against the use of the value via more precise targeting, sophisticated
standard Google Analytics platform in light of GDPR.

segmentation, and showing ads to those more likely to

convert.

The days of personally identifiable information (PII) are

over. However, that doesn’t mean that you should settle There’s also Emotion AI, which enables everyday objects
for so-called “spray-and-pray” marketing campaigns. to recognise our verbal and non-verbal behaviour and
Brands will need to change their approach toward respond accordingly. With this technology, you can refine
consumer experience.

your ads and marketing messages to ensure you send the

right message to your desired target audience.

First and foremost, brands attempting to collect first-

party data will need to engage with their users to build With all the focus on data collection, you will also need to
trust. If users don’t opt-in, no data can be collected. invest in robust data privacy and security practices, such
Therefore, that is the single most important step. You will as encryption and anonymization. Otherwise, all that date
need to provide clear and transparent information about you’ve collected could be at risk.

how data is benefiting their experiences, all while offering

users control over their data and privacy settings.

The most logical thing marketers can do in 2023 is to

explore alternative targeting and personalization
techniques, the two big ones being contextual targeting
and emotion AI.

3.3 Personalised content & data management in light of privacy concerns 24

Trend — 3.4

Consumers want to
be involved in
shaping products &
brands
Open innovation takes brands’ most dedicated followers Use online surveys and other forms to gather feedback
and makes them a part of the innovation process. from users about your products and services. Distribute
Although open innovation isn’t a new idea, new these using email, via social platforms, or other online
developments and a general embrace from brands allow channels. Top users can provide valuable insights into
consumers to contribute more.

what they’d like to see/experience next

Omnichannel approaches are still trending, and
consumers are increasingly expecting to shape their
experience within the bounds of the product offering.
Better yet, consumers viewed a product more favourably
when open innovation was part of the product’s
development.
Social media offers brands a powerful tool for gathering
insights and involving consumers in their product
strategy. Whether monitoring or actively engaging with
their audience, brands can gain new insight into who
their top audience is and what those consumers want

from the product

So, how can brands implement this in 2023?

By analysing things like purchase history, browsing
behaviour, and social media interactions, brands can gain
insights into preferences and trends, segmented by new
vs returning users, devices, and more. This can help
brands understand what content customers are drawn to
and what content they engage with the most

Brands can use data and AI to allow users to design and

personalise products for themselves, or to offer
personalised experiences and recommendations.

Overall, technology and data can be powerful tools for

involving consumers in shaping products. If you're not
already leveraging these kinds of tools, it will be a priority in
2023.

3.4 Consumers want to be involved in shaping products & brands 25

Trend — 3.5
Brands can help
consumers discover
their identities
Historically, brands have adjusted themselves to cater to
specific customer segments. But now, social platforms
are switching things up. Instead of serving users the
content they know they like, platforms are letting users
discover new interests.
and generate pathways to enabling change. Many brands
TikTok, for example, is famous for recommending hinge
topics that you would not ever think of searching for. And
it works.
In a matter of six years, Bytedance, the parent company of
TikTok, has reached the heights of Meta’s and Twitter's
social media platforms in terms of active users. A leaked
memo from Meta executive Tom Alison indicates, in
response to TikTok’s success, that Facebook is also
shifting its algorithm to involve more discovery posts as
opposed to those from accounts users follow.
It’s through discovery content that the personality and
interests of consumers may change as a result of the
platform's algorithm. That said, with the rise of brand
activism and corporate social responsibility, brands are
also taking on a role in shaping consumer identities for
the better.
3.5 Brands can help consumers discover their identities
Brand media budgets keep many of the social media
platforms alive so it makes sense that a large share of
social media content is devoted to, well, brands. By opting
to generate good content, brands can inform consumers
had social media content celebrating Earth Day,
promoting sustainability and small changes users can
make.
Brand activism is not only limited to social media as other
marketing channels may be used to send the brand's
message. Contextual ads can be used to tailor the brand
message to the context where the potential customer is
seeing the ad, spreading a message where it is also likely
to drive conversion with a limited need for behavioural
data that may soon not be as readily available.
The lesson here? Brands need to have personality and
values in the messaging and content they create. With
authenticity comes genuine connection with users
across the globe.
26
Trend — 4

Take notice, Gen Z is

here (to stay)

Gen Z is still growing up, but this young generation’s

power remains impossible to ignore. While Millennials still
represent the largest group of consumers and Baby
Boomers still hold the largest spending power of any
generation, 58% of older generations say that Gen Z
influences the products they buy and what brands they
buy them from.

Gen Z and their symbiotic relationship with digital have

established them as cultural gatekeepers. And getting
the Zoomer seal of approval is a hard-won task. Brands
that fail to match Gen Z’s values—including authenticity,
experience, identity, purpose, & creativity—will be left
behind as this young generation of upstarts continues to
change the world.

27
 Trend — 4.1

43% Find us on TikTok

of global users of TikTok are aged 18-24

62%
of TikTok users say that the best way for
brands to connect with them is through
organic content created in As digital natives, Gen Zers have a bulllsh*t detector that
collaboration with another brand on can spot a sponsored piece of content in a split second
TikTok or a TikTok creator and, with an endless stream of alternative content just a
flick of a finger away, to get Gen Z’s attention brands have to
play by their rules.

The photography brand Polaroid, for instance, realised that

their iconic reputation didn’t translate to Gen Z consumers,
whose baby pictures were all taken on digital cameras and

9.4 Mil
smartphones. To get Gen Z’s attention, DEPT® helped
unique users were captured
welcome Polaroid to TikTok with a campaign that steered
through Polaroids first ever TikTok away from traditional advertising.

campaign using Spark ads

Among other social media platforms—like Instagram,
Facebook, and Twitter, which are preferred by older
generations—TikTok stands out. Not only is the app Gen Z-
dominated, with 43% of global users aged 18-24, young
consumers prefer TikTok to such an extent that it’s begun
to rival Google as a search engine.

Gen Z trusts TikTok to give them the unbiased gist of what

they’re looking for. It’s no surprise, then, that paid ads rarely
perform well on TikTok. Instead, 62% of TikTok users say
that the best way for brands to connect with them is
through organic content created in collaboration with
another brand on TikTok or a TikTok creator.

This is why Polaroid, for their first-ever TikTok campaign,

opted to collab with young creators like Zack Lugo, Kyla
Imani, and Nathan Ramsay, who each took Polaroid on a
journey with their friends. Using Spark ads to cross-
promote the collab across Polaroid’s account and creator
accounts helped the campaign achieve a reach of 9.4
million unique users and a 53% view-through rate.

Playing by Gen Z’s rules forces brands to throw their old

playbooks for consumer marketing out the window,
challenging them to think creatively and deliver content
that works organically. Exploring new platforms, especially
TikTok, is a must. And collabing with creative experts like
content creators opens the door to an organic narrative
that’s become invaluable.

4.1 Find us on TikTok 28

Trend — 4.2
It’s time to BeReal

By the time that the oldest members of Gen Z
downloaded their first social media apps, the platforms
were already dominated by Instagram models, YouTube
stars, and corporate Twitter accounts all striving to be
#relatable.
Millennials and Gen Xers will recall MySpace, LiveJournal,
and Tumblr, pre-Facebook platforms that became online
communities for teenagers who felt misunderstood,
different, or full of emotional angst. These Y2K teens went

online in search of their authentic selves. And the content

they created reflected that.

Gen Z is the content generation. And, having been

steeped in social content that feels performative, “When I found Tumblr, it felt like finding the whole world.
pandering, and fake, they’re chasing something different: This kind of thing is difficult to put into words—like the
authenticity.

sensation of learning how to read, or your first existential

crisis,” Kaitlyn Tiffany wrote, describing Tumblr’s legacy.

Talking about authenticity requires talking about BeReal,

the anti-performativity photo-sharing app which has Tiffany’s article, How the Snowflakes Won the Internet,
been downloaded more than 20 million times in under traces how it was soft, angsty teens like her—not the
two years. BeReal allows users to post just once per day, edgelords, or the billionaires, or the billionaire-edgelords
giving them just a two minute window to take a (hi, Elon Musk)—who, in pursuit of authenticity, created
simultaneous front and back camera photo. Share yours the foundation for the internet as we know it today.

past the time limit and the app lets your friends know,
giving them the heads up that you haven’t been real.

While we’re inclined to doubt the lasting appeal of BeReal

as a social platform, the millions of downloads it received
According to Wired, BeReal represents how the idea of over the course of the summer of 2022 pushed it above
authenticity is packaged by commercialisation, as juggernauts like Instagram and TikTok. And that speaks to
nostalgia for an old way of living that seems better an overwhelming desire for authenticity from Gen Z that,
because it predates the problems that people attribute to as of now, remains unmet. Whichever brands can tap into
the inauthenticity they encounter today.

it will be well-positioned to cross over successfully into

the internet culture’s next generational cycle.

By this token, authenticity is part of a generational cycle

and also a bit of a Holy Grail. But even if this is true, the
quest to find it has always been a driving force of online
culture.

Image caption: DEPT® helped welcome Polaroid to TikTok with a

campaign that steered away from traditional advertising.

4.2 It’s time to BeReal 29

 Trend — 4.3

Deepfakes go deeper
8.1
million followers on the @unreal_keanu account
than memes

“Who owns Bruce Willis?” is a question few people

probably thought they’d be answering going into 2023,
least of all Bruce himself.

This year, Willis made a surprise appearance tied to bomb

on the back of a yacht in a Russian advert for a cell phone
company. Only it wasn’t actually Bruce Willis: the actor
has become the latest in a growing list of celebrities who
have been deepfaked, that is, had their likeness digitally
recreated using AI and VR.

Ask most people about deepfakes and the first thing they
think of are probably TikTok videos. A TikTok of a
deepfake Tom Cruise doing magic tricks went viral in
2020. Since then, @deeptomcruise has racked up 3.7

Synthetic media has a million followers. Another account, @unreal_keanu, has

8.1 million followers, many of whom seem convinced
they’re watching the real Keanu Reeves jumping in on the
powerful functionality latest TikTok dances.

that makes it, for better Deepfakes fall under the category of synthetic media,
content including video and audio that’s been artificially
generated. It’s a controversial topic. Particularly when

or worse, the future of synthetic likenesses aren’t consented to or when

synthetic media has resurrected a celebrity from the

content creation.

dead.

That said, other celebrities have consented to (and

Synthetic media has a profited from) synthetic media. ABBA, for example,
celebrated their first album in forty years with a worldwide
tour starring four synthetic “ABBA-tars.”

powerful functionality
And then there are those instances where synthetic

that makes it, for better media is entirely synthetic. Where a face or a voice is
created that doesn’t belong to anyone. There are even

Image captions (From top-left to bottom-right): @unreal_keanu

influencers—like CodeMiko, a Twitch streamer, and Lil

or worse, the future of content, ABBA: The band's last concert in London took place in

Wembley Arena in 1979, ABBA-tars.

Miguela, “a 19 year old robot” with an Instagram account
—who are entirely synthetic.

content creation.
4.3 Deepfakes go deeper than memes 30
Synthetic media has a powerful functionality
that makes it, for better or worse, the future
of content creation.

Synthetic media also has a purpose that goes beyond

entertainment.

Brands like JustEat have used AI to make small but

otherwise costly edits to ad campaigns featuring
celebrities. By creating synthetic lip movements and voices,
both brand and celebrity avoid having to book another in-
studio recording session.

Other companies have used synthetic media to create

multilingual avatars, enabling them to host meetings and
workplace training sessions for employees around the
world. And news stations in China have been using
synthetic avatars as news anchors for years.

While the controversy around deepfakes will continue to

swirl, as a whole, synthetic media has a powerful
functionality that makes it, for better or worse, the future of
content creation.

1.1 Bridging
4.3 Deepfakesdigital
go deeper
experience
than &
memes
human authenticity 31
Trend — 4.4
The nostalgia
re(love)ution

From record collecting and the resurgence of Kate Bush

to ‘90s grunge and Y2K aesthetics, Gen Z is obsessed
with nostalgia. And, honestly, no one should be surprised.

As members of the so-called “Last Chance Generation,”

Zoomers are the polar opposites of their generational
nemeses, Baby Boomers. Where Boomers were born into
an advancing world, Zoomers were born into a world in
decline. With their future hanging in the balance of
countless crises, is it any wonder that they’ve found
comfort in the past?

Nostalgia-fueled shows like Netflix’s Wednesday and

Stranger Things, offer a unique appeal to Gen Z. Not only
do they each feature a Gen Z-dominated cast, Stranger
Things in particular speaks to Gen Z’s battle for their own
future with the story of a group of misunderstood
teenagers simultaneously finding themselves and saving
the world.

At the same time, the shows’ nostalgic aesthetic offers

the comfort of escapism. Stranger Things sparked an ‘80s
fashion revival, including everything from mullets to Nike
Blazers, and even resulted in a TikTok fashion inspo
hashtag with 12.4 million views.

Nostalgia-inspired fashion combined with Gen Z’s

interest in purpose and sustainability has drawn young
consumers to secondhand shopping. Of the active users
on Depop, a platform for buying and selling secondhand
fashion, 90% are under the age of 25.

4.4 The nostalgia re(love)ution 32

Gen Z’s obsession with the past isn’t just a
source of comfort, it’s a powerful tool that’s
being used to protect their future.

Moreover, following Depop’s whopping $1.6 billion

acquisition by Etsy last year, second-hand fashion
became a verifiable global phenomenon. More and more
celebrities have showcased vintage red carpet looks.
And even Love Island partnered with eBay to introduce
pre-worn clothing to the cast’s wardrobe for the first
time.

It’s no surprise that this year, the secondhand fashion

market surpassed $100 billion and is expected to surge
beyond $200 billion by 2026.

With fast fashion responsible for 92 million tonnes of

textile waste each year, secondhand fashion’s popularity
stands to make a big difference in the fight against
climate change as well. In this way, Gen Z’s obsession
with the past isn’t just a source of comfort, it’s a powerful
tool that’s being used to protect their future.

To foster a connection with Gen Z, brands need to

remember that nostalgia, although attention-grabbing,
should feed a greater purpose that’s in line with Gen Z’s
values.

4.4 The nostalgia re(love)ution 33

Trend — 5

Sustainability
becomes non-
negotiable

Addressing societal issues with brand purpose is no

longer optional. Society and the larger world face
worsening climate change, rising inflation, the effects of
the pandemic, and the struggle to provide sanctuary for
refugees.

Consumers now feel a renewed sense of urgency and are

looking to brands to take action. So much so that their
brand preferences are now more influenced by brands’
responses to societal issues than personal life events.
Furthermore, research also demonstrates that
consumers’ default tendency is to distrust something
until proven otherwise.

The combination of urgency and distrust characterises

the “post-purpose world” in which, to win consumers’
favour, brands will need to prove themselves trustworthy
with a brand purpose that actively makes a difference.

34
 Trend — 5.1

Building a brand in a
post-purpose world

Now that we’ve entered a post-pandemic world, we’ve That said, we need to talk about Patagonia.

also entered a post-purpose world in which purpose-

driven brands are facing a reckoning.

Yvon Chouinard is writing the business world’s purpose

“People are turning their backs on preachy, too-good-to-
be-true purposes from brands,” wrote Thomas Kolster,
founder of Goodvertising Agency, in Ad Age,“The big
question is: Who to trust?”
playbook. The founder of Patagonia, a $3 billion company,
announced this year that 100% of its nonvoting stock—
around 98% percent of the company’s value—had been
put into the Holdfast Collective, a non-profit dedicated to

fighting climate change. To ensure that the brand remained

aligned with these values, 100% of Patagonia’s voting stock
An early example comes from TOMS, the footwear —the remaining 2% of the company’s value— had been
company that promised to give one pair of shoes to a put into the Patagonia Purpose Trust.

person in need for every pair sold. At its peak in 2014,

TOMS was worth $625 million. Then critics emerged: Was “Instead of ‘going public,’” Chouinard said, “you could say
this hundred-million dollar corporation hurting smaller we’re ‘going purpose’.”

brands in struggling countries? How much of a difference

in someone’s life did a pair of shoes really make?

Patagonia’s news received a standing ovation from

consumers and while, yes, Chouinard’s decision has its
TOMS fell out of favour with consumers, approaching critics and we’ve yet to see how much of Patagonia’s
bankruptcy before being taken over by a group of purpose is manifested, it’s safe to say that Patagonia has
creditors. Its founder would go on to tell Forbes, “Giving is taken that important step and established a clear-cut
really hard.” And the fact is that he’s right: purpose is playbook for how to grow and expand purpose.

really hard. Even Ben & Jerry’s, a beloved brand unafraid

of mixing bold purpose-driven values in with its ice As an aspiring good company ourselves, we’re excited to
cream, was forced to compromise its values this year to see Patagonia’s impact and to see more brands in the post-
appease its parent company, Unilever.

purpose world make their own evolution.

Purpose is effective at helping brands grow. The problem

seems to be that, while there’s a clear playbook for how
to grow and expand a company, there’s none for how to
grow and expand the purpose that goes with it. Details
get fuzzy, corners get cut, and the whole thing becomes
too big, too unwieldy, and too good to be true.

1.1 Bridging
4.3 Take notice,
digital
Genexperience
Z is here (to
& human
stay). authenticity 5.1 Building a brand in a post-purpose world 35
 Trend — 5.2

58% of older generations are

influenced by Gen Z on
what they buy Advertising goes
purpose-first,

profit-second
52% of older generations are
influenced by Gen Z on how they
support causes

63% of older generations are

influenced by Gen Z on workplace
culture
We’re all familiar with McDonalds and their staple product
for children, the Happy Meal. But most people are
probably less familiar with the Unhappy Meal, which
Burger King launched as part of an advertising campaign
for Mental Health Month.

Although one in every nine men will be diagnosed with

prostate cancer in their lifetime, men’s health is such a
difficult topic for men to discuss that they’re unlikely to
seek treatment—even when the evidence might be right
under their nose.

52%
of older generations are influenced by
Gen Z on financial behaviour
The ad campaign and its tagline, “No one is happy all the
time,” took advantage of the fast food chains’ playful
rivalry to boost mental health awareness and send an
important message to children and adults alike: It’s okay
to feel sad.
By putting the spotlight on a cultural taboo like men’s
health, Philips promoted purpose first, product second. It
might seem counterintuitive, but this strategy is vital for
woke advertising to work. After all, how authentic would it

seem for a brand to spotlight its own product over a call for
societal change?

Just as purpose has transformed brands, it’s also

transformed advertising. The result, “woke” advertising, As counterintuitive as it might seem, advertising purpose-
uses a brand’s reach, resources, and power to address first pays off. The 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed
societal issues.

that consumers are four times more likely to make a

purchase from a brand when it takes action on societal
For Burger King, woke advertising demonstrated social issues.

awareness for an important issue. That said, when it

comes to purpose, consumers have been demanding In this way, advertising a better future builds a better brand.

more from brands. And, increasingly, brands are now

using woke advertising to talk about issues that are
controversial or even taboo.

Philips, for example, partnered with Movember to launch

their “Right under your nose” campaign for the Philips
One Blade multigroomer. But it wasn’t the multigroomer
that was in the spotlight: it was prostate cancer.

5.2 Advertising goes purpose-first, profit-second 36

Trend — 5.3
“Net zero” is an
imperfect solution.
But it’s a start.
As a Climate Neutral certified brand, DEPT® has a strategy
for becoming carbon negative by the end of 2023. We’ve
also been purchasing carbon credits since 2019 to offset
that footprint in the meantime.

Within the past three years, we’ve seen the price of

carbon credits increase by a margin of 25-30% as more
and more companies have made promises to reduce their
environmental impact.

Now, carbon offsetting has become so popular that late

night host John Oliver devoted an entire “Last Week
Tonight” segment around it. During the show, he argued
that carbon offsetting is an ineffective means for brands
to buy the net-zero label and use it to market themselves
as eco-friendly even when, as with Shell or GP, the
company’s industry is antithetical to sustainability.

In some cases, John Oliver isn’t wrong. But carbon

offsetting isn’t a black and white issue, it’s incredibly
nuanced and, given its surge in popularity, also constantly
changing.

Carbon credits, for starters, have to be verified by a third-

party group. Nearly all of the carbon credits in the global
voluntary market meet one of four sets of verification
standards.

Not all verification standards are the same and each has
its own administrators and protocols, making some more
desirable than others. By purchasing our carbon credits
through Terra Neutra, for example, all of DEPT®’s carbon
credits are accredited by the industry’s leading
standards, the Gold Standard or the Verified Carbon
Standard.

5.3 “Net zero” is an imperfect solution. But it’s a start. 37

Within the past three years, the price
of carbon credits have increased by
25-30% as more companies promise
to reduce their environmental impact.

The greenhouse gas reduction projects behind carbon

credits add another layer of complexity. Their
effectiveness is not a guarantee; a reforestation project,
for instance, could fall apart in the event of a forest fire.
Others might be poorly managed or even fraudulent.

Much work is being done to regulate the carbon

offsetting market. Even so, at the end of the day the “net-
zero” goal is an imperfect solution. To become truly
sustainable, brands need to be actively working to reduce
their carbon footprints by a significant margin—the
Glasgow Climate Pact indicates that global carbon
emissions must fall by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030 to
mitigate climate change’s most severe effects.

Fortunately, it’s easy to tell the difference between brands

who are willing to settle for “net-zero” and those who
aren’t: those that refuse to settle have a clear-cut
reduction strategy which, yes, uses carbon offsetting as a
temporary, if imperfect, solution.

5.3 “Net zero” is an imperfect solution. But it’s a start. 38

Trend — 5.4
Putting people at
the heart of purpose

Purpose in brands takes authenticity, and authenticity Human-centric transformation like that at Beam Suntory
takes humanity. As more and more brands realise this can provide a purpose that inspires and reinvigorates
we’re seeing not just a shift towards purpose, but a employees. But, at an employee-owned brand, employees
human-centric transformation.

can drive that transformation and that purpose for

themselves.

A good example comes from Beam Suntory, one of the

world’s largest spirit producers, which embarked on a
transformation from a market-centric business strategy to
a purpose-driven one. This purpose, outlined in the
company’s Growing for Good mission, puts people and
human connection at the heart of Beam Suntory’s
business,
It’s a little known fact but, in 2006, Eileen Fisher was
given the chance to take her eponymous women’s
clothing brand public. Instead, she sold 30% of her
company to her employees. Following that decision, the
Eileen Fisher brand became one of the first in its industry

to achieve a net zero carbon footprint, distinguished itself

as a pioneer of local & sustainable production, and
“We bring this [mission] to life through experiences—on became a Certified B Corporation in 2015.

and offline– that connect and engage people and build

deep relationships with them,” Jessica Spence, President Fast Company chronicles the story as a vision for the
of Brand, told Forbes, “By elevating the experience future of business: employee-owned and purpose-driven.
across our portfolio, our teams delivered double-digit More equitable, more sustainable, and more democratic.
sales growth.”

In other words, the ultimate human-centric

transformation.

It’s clear that people don’t feel a connection to

companies. But people do feel a connection to purpose,
especially when that purpose is human-centric. And it’s
not just consumers, the same goes for employees.

Mckinsey found that the pandemic ignited a search for

individual purpose and that 70% of people, especially
millennials, are looking to their work to find it. Gartner
even argued that a lack of employee purpose was fueling
the Great Resignation, foreshadowing the same
frustrations behind quiet quitting.

5.4 Putting people at the heart of purpose 39

Pioneering tech and
marketing to help
brands stay ahead.

We are DEPT®. Our team of 4,000+ digital specialists Website SOCIAL

across 30+ locations on 5 continents delivers pioneering
work on a global scale with a boutique culture. We are www.deptagency.com
Instagram

committed to making a positive impact on the planet and Twitter

since 2021 have been Climate Neutral and B Corporation LinkedIn

certified.

Facebook

TikTok
We are pioneers at heart. What this means, is that we are
always leaning forward, thinking of what we can create
tomorrow that does not exist today. We were born digital
and we are a new model of agency, with a deep skillset in
tech & marketing. We facilitate our pioneering spirit by
investing in innovation, by leveraging our proprietary tech,
data and knowledge platforms for all our clients
worldwide.
Image Credits
Trend — 1 Trend — 4
Bridging digital experience & Take notice, Gen Z is here

human authenticity (to stay)

H&M tests smart mirrors at COS stores, Source

Zara’s Phydigital age, Source

DEPT® helped welcome Polaroid to TikTok with a campaign that steered away from traditional advertising, Source

Nike’s Virtual reality product demonstrations, Source

@unreal_keanu content, Source

Dubai World Expo By DOGSTUDIO/DEPT® (1), Source

ABBA: The band's last concert in London took place in Wembley Arena in 1979, Source

“As our land disappears, we have no choice but to become the world’s first digital nation,” ABBA-tars, Source

announced Simon Kofe, Source

Synthetic influencers are on the rise with Code Miko (left), Source

Kofe making statement to the United Nations during COP27, Source

and Lil Miquela (right), Source

Dubai World Expo By DOGSTUDIO/DEPT® (2), Source

Max listens to Kate Bush in Netflix’s Stranger Things, Source

Lacoste’s collaboration with Minecraft, Source

How Depop’s generation thinks, Source

Wu-Tang Clan on stage, Source

Celebrities wearing vintage, Source 


Internet bots, Source

Apple VR iris scans, Source

Twitter’s Blue tick, Source

Trend — 5
Trend — 2
AI unlocks the floodgates of Sustainability becomes

creativity non-negotiable
Yvon Chouinard started out making metal spikes for rock climbing, Source

AI artwork by Henry Daubrez DOGSTUDIO/DEPT®, Source
 DEPT® is a climate neutral company, Source
Jimmy Donaldson, known on YouTube as “MrBeast,” Collaborates with Fortnite, Source

Trend — 3
Tech & data power global
brands in a globalised future
Volkswagens Smart Factory, Source

LEO satellites, are being implemented by SpaceX’s Starlink to bring high speed broadband to remote areas, Source

Emotion AI, Source

DEPT® for Freitag, Source