It is December, when we are traditionally bombarded by predictions, forecasts, and the essential trends for the forthcoming year. 2024 will be an interesting year in many ways:

• The Netherlands will have a new cabinet (which parties this will consist of and who will be in it is not yet known at the time of writing).
• Eight of the world’s ten largest countries will go to the polls next year.
• Will the Dutch economy manage to rebound after three quarters in which it contracted slightly?
• Will 2024 have golden touches thanks to Olympic success for Femke Bol, Sifan Hassan, Mathieu van der Poel, and other Dutch athletes?

From a commercial point of view, what is FD Mediagroep’s perspective on next year? What trends are already emerging? What is essential for any self-respecting advertiser? As a media agency, what development should you tap into? Let’s hear what Job van Wagensveld, Commercial Director at FD Mediagroep, has to say.

AI is here to stay

Perhaps this is stating the obvious, but in 2024 AI will become even more a part of our day-to-day lives – in business and elsewhere. And things are moving fast in that regard! For example, it is incredible to think that a tool like ChatGPT has only recently made its way to the market. Moreover, a recent survey by Kantar shows that 67% of all marketers are positive about the possibilities that generative AI brings. So there is no doubt that things will happen in this area in 2024 as well. Obviously, we can’t predict how rapidly it will all go or how we will be using generative AI by the end of next year. What I can say, however, is that we have a working group that is closely monitoring all developments, and of course paying specific attention to opportunities within the marketing communication and media sector.

Look out for digital audio!

As you know, we are ahead of the field when it comes to different types of digital radio, such as podcasting. We are also witnessing year-on-year growth in the use of BNR’s digital livestreams. This is not only the case for us: it is a market-wide phenomenon. Despite the fact that Dutch audio users have fully embraced digital audio, it is still the case that this medium gets only a modest share of audio ad spend. This will require perseverance, but there is double-digit growth every year, a trend that will continue in 2024. We are convinced that with our strong presence in this segment (FD Mediagroep is the largest commercial provider of podcasts), we are on the right track and will be in a position to enable advertisers to benefit from this in the new year as well.

Instructive ESG exercise

More and more organisations are becoming aware of their role in the global ecosystem. ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is becoming increasingly embedded in FD Mediagroep’s strategy. We recently published our first ESG sustainability report, which includes details on how we can reduce our carbon footprint. We have different working groups engaged internally with multiple issues, and it is incredibly instructive! I can heartily recommend to all our advertisers that they should embark on such an exercise (I am obviously available as a sounding board).

Broaden your scope

I have found that it is important to keep broadening your horizons. In my job, it is tempting to stick to the same statistics, metrics, and media experts. In that light, I strongly recommend to everyone that they read the FD publication ‘De Wereld in 2024’ (The World in 2024), to be published by Het Financieele Dagblad on Saturday 23 December. This excellently designed magazine provides a broad insight into all the economic and geopolitical developments to be expected in the new year. The FD editorial offers a window on the world. Reading this can lead to surprising insights that may help you in your day-to-day activities.