Looking Back: The Biggest Creative Trends of 2024
From Purple Cars to Fictional Worlds and CGI Spectacle, 2024 Was a Year of Bold Brand Expression
As we charge ahead into 2025, it’s worth hitting pause to reflect on some of the most striking creative trends that defined the past year. 2024 was a year where imagination took the wheel—literally and figuratively. Across automotive design, brand collaborations, experiential activations, and digital storytelling, creativity wasn’t just encouraged—it was expected.
Here, we spotlight three key areas that captured attention and set new benchmarks for innovation and cultural impact.
Purple Reigns: The Colour That Dominated the Automotive World
While Pantone’s official Color of the Year may have taken a different route, the automotive industry had a clear favourite in 2024—and it was purple. From the unapologetically bold BMW XM Mystique Allure, co-created with supermodel Naomi Campbell, to Porsche’s Provence, a lavender-toned dream, and even the AUDI E’s debut concept in China, purple emerged as the unexpected yet dominant hue of the year.
The trend was more than just a stylistic choice. Purple became a symbol of individuality, futuristic thinking, and expressive design—a fitting colour for an industry pushing toward electric innovation and lifestyle alignment. As car brands continue to shift from purely functional design to personality-driven aesthetics, 2024 reminded us that colour is no longer a finishing touch—it’s a brand statement.
Fictional Worlds Come to Life: Pop Culture Meets Experiential Marketing
Pop culture and brand marketing have always enjoyed a symbiotic relationship, but in 2024, collaborations went far beyond limited-edition packaging or co-branded content. This year, fictional worlds were brought vividly to life—offering fans the chance to step inside the stories they love.
Standout activations included a life-sized Polly Pocket Compact House, where nostalgia met modern design and social-ready moments, and the immersive Mountain Dew Borderlands Motel, which transformed a beloved video game setting into a real-world destination. These activations weren’t just about fandom; they were about fully transporting audiences into curated, hyper-branded environments.
The result? Deepened emotional connections, lines around the block, and—importantly—millions of organic impressions across social platforms. Brands that invested in these experiences proved that when fantasy meets IRL interaction, the payoff can be massive.
The Digital Wild West: CGI Campaigns Redefine What’s Possible
2024 solidified CGI as a mainstream marketing tool—not as a novelty, but as a core part of the creative playbook. What was once experimental has now become a widely adopted approach, especially for brands seeking high-impact visuals without the high logistics cost of physical production.
Some of the year’s most memorable examples included Big Ben wrapped with a giant tennis racket to promote Wimbledon—an optical illusion so convincing it left many questioning reality—and E.L.F. Cosmetics placing oversized pimple patches on Mount Rushmore, turning skincare awareness into viral spectacle.
The appeal of CGI lies not just in its flexibility or efficiency, but in its ability to spark conversation and blur the boundaries between what’s real and what’s rendered. It also empowers brands to execute massive-scale ideas in a matter of days rather than months, aligning perfectly with today’s fast-moving digital culture.
The Takeaway: Go Bold or Get Left Behind
2024 proved that audiences crave more than just ads—they want experiences, bold perspectives, and storytelling that invites them in. Whether through a reimagined car colour, an immersive brand world, or a digital sleight of hand, the most memorable campaigns were the ones that dared to surprise.
As we look ahead to the rest of 2025, the creative bar has never been higher. The challenge now isn’t just to keep up—it’s to invent what comes next.
