Turbulent is probably the most apt word to sum up the state of the ad industry in 2022. As we slowly emerged from the other side of the pandemic and people reassessed what they wanted from their working lives, the impact of the great resignation was felt in agencies across the country and the concept of ‘quiet quitting’ began trending on social media. Ongoing discussions around hybrid working and the four-day week also continued to gain momentum, while Accenture Song CEO David Droga challenged the industry’s status quo when he outlined why we need more creatives in the C-Suite.

Amid all the debate about the nature of the industry, the range of creative work put out in 2022 proved once again that advertising has the capacity to provoke controversy, bring about change, and entertain people in equal measure. Here, we delve into the major trends that emerged this year.