The Future? Stay Nimble or Die

In this piece we will give one - and only one - future prediction: those who don’t stay curious and nimble will crumble and die. Light and ingenious is the only way to face the future and stay relevant.

Regardless of the number of algorithms we hide ourselves behind, one thing is for sure, the future will arrive and it will look entirely different than we expected, and anyone who is too big, slow or heavy will suffer.

That of course begs the question; how do you prepare for what’s to come?

Knowledge? Software? Analysts? Storytellers? Creative technologists? Data ceramics? What’s the solution?

Stop stressing about predictions or trying to force the path ahead. Instead, be unreasonable. Create great work that challenges the traditional mindset of advertising agencies.

We — the execs — who lead businesses today all entered the industry 10-plus years ago, so remember, what we consider the future, might well already be in the past. Hire people who terrify you.

Embrace those whose thinking and talent is outside your bubble of knowledge and comfort. Constantly surround yourself with a wide variety of talents, with flexible thinkers, can-doers and problem-solvers; the kind of people who eliminate the distance between problem and solution.

Once you get this right, let the business problems you are trying to solve be your guide. Confidently let the challenge in front of you determine the right tools for the solution (because you hired the right people to help).

Regardless of what the future brings, some elements will stay the same. Humans love humanity. Storytelling that touches us will always be relevant. Tight, smart and conceptual thinking is the best guide through a plethora of possibilities, and will continue to be at the heart of how we engage consumers.

Lots of new technologies are already here and growing. The Internet of Things is a reality and wearable technology is here to stay. We will be able to subscribe to everything—think Fresh Direct, Car2Go, Hello Fresh on steroids. Services in our lives will be on auto-pilot. A.I. guides are already here in the shape of Siri, but the likes of HER will soon be able to both teach you French and act as 24/7-therapists.

Product placement and launches will happen in-game. Consumers will form personalised versions of the truth, based on the broader peer opinions. All great, but it is how we use and humanise them as marketers that will separate us from the rest of our competitors.

At Anomaly we see three types of companies; the big bureaucrats, the global tech giants and the up-and-comers. Remarkably, they all pose a similar challenge to what we need to be better at.

To tame the bureaucrats we need to show rather than talk. Make tangibles that can be experienced outside the theoretical realities and pressures of a boardroom.

For the tech-giants the approach is a no-brainer. It’s in their DNA to operate in this fashion and if we can’t, it will make us look like fools.

The same goes for the smaller companies, usually led by hyper-creative hands-on people who will not accept a two week conversation over the order of four words.

All this and much more is happening and it is damn exciting, because not knowing exactly what tomorrow will bring is what keeps us curious - and that makes us feel alive.