How will AI impact creativity in 2025? What challenges are shaping perceptions of reality, fiction, and branding? How should brands adapt to evolving privacy preferences and authenticity demands? Three industry leaders explore the key factors that will impact the communications industry next year.
- Sector
Dr. Francesca Sobande is the author of The Digital Lives of Black Women in Britain, Consuming Crisis: Commodifying Care and COVID-19, and Big Brands Are Watching You: Marketing Social Justice and Digital Culture. She is a writer and reader in digital media studies, and her areas of expertise include popular and meme culture, Black media and visual culture, feminism and consumer culture, and brand responses to injustices and crises. Dr. Sobande’s research has been published in international journals, including Cultural Studies, Marketing Theory, Journal of Consumer Research, and European Journal of Marketing.
Matt Klein is a cultural theorist, cyberpsychologist, and marketing strategist, analysing social shifts and the psychosocial implications of our technology. Working alongside brands, TV producers, non-profits, and government agencies, Klein is a trusted source in identifying cultural change and developing future-proofed business strategies. As an award-winning writer and frequent commenter, his observations have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Forbes, WARC, The Verge, CNBC, and Adweek.
Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel is a cultural theorist and strategist whose work examines the power of culture and its influence on us. With a PhD in cultural studies from Duke University, she has consulted for the world’s largest brands at global research and creative agencies like Wieden+Kennedy, Dentsu Creative, McCann New York, and Kantar. Featured by the AMA, ANA, Cannes Lions, and Advertising Week, among others, her commentary infuses marketing practice with academic insight into how culture shapes norms, influences perceptions, and drives creative change. A social critic and lifelong activist, Dr. Gabriel is the author of the award-winning book Cultural Intelligence for Marketers.
India Doyle is editorial director at Canvas8, helping brands to understand culture and their place in it. She leads a global editorial team to deliver strategic, actionable insights that keep Canvas8 members in tune with their audience. With over 10 years of experience as a culture and fashion journalist, India has contributed to the likes of SHOWStudio, Dazed and Confused, ekathimerini, Wonderland, and Dapper Dan magazine.
