dentsu Creative Trends 2021


A report demonstrating that creativity, technology and innovation are our last unfair advantage in driving a return to growth in 2021 and beyond.

Brave New Normal presents a positive view of the years to come – reframing the potential for brands and encouraging them to embrace a new creative canvas: presenting the integration of creativity and technology as the greatest opportunity our industry has ever known.

Download the report



Young woman using AR headset
Five themes that will coexist, combine and recombine to shape the future of creativity and technology.

1. The Virtual Experience Economy


Accelerated by the pandemic and enabled by 5G, we will see a dramatic increase in virtual products and experiences. Unrestrained by the physical space, we will reimagine what a concert, conference, class or even product can be. How much would you pay for virtual couture?

Young woman using AR headset

2. The Real We


In parallel, we will see a powerful desire for simplicity and authenticity. Front line workers, farmers and activists are our new heroes. A new commercial model is emerging rooted in direct, disintermediated relationships between creators and the communities they serve.

Young woman using AR headset

3. Human Contact-less


As contactless technologies make stores less human, online commerce will become more social and more personal, powered by next generation live streaming platforms. Get ready for a “QVC for Generation Z”, to reimagine stores as studios and staff as entertainers.

Young woman using AR headset

4. Me, Myself and AI


Amidst the pandemic, personal health data became public property. In a future where Alexa can diagnose a cold, cars can identify distracted drivers and our bank accounts can track our carbon footprint, we expect an ongoing tension between privacy, personal wellbeing and public interest.

Young woman using AR headset

5. The Urgency of Allyship


Alongside individual wellbeing, as social inequalities widened and the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum, we saw new-found urgency around brands as a force for social good. Going forward, we will see brands step up as allies in driving structural and systemic change.

Young woman using AR headset
Download dentsu Creative 2021 Trends Report

Brave New Normal

The report was created by a team of strategists, creatives and technologists from across dentsu’s global creative offering including experts from award-winning agencies dentsumcgarrybowen, Isobar, 360i and dentsu agencies.

In it they draw on their experience as partners to some of the world’s biggest brands as they navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic and evolve their businesses to be future fit.




Copyright © 2021 dentsu International

Young woman using AR headset