The human touch
If 2024 was the year the industry insisted that AI was not going to replace “the human touch”, will 2025 be the year the industry defines what exactly “the human touch” is?
How will brands define their human touch? Moreover, how will brands deliver that human touch – with AI or humans?
Greater consumer expectations for personalisation alongside increasing awareness of the negative consequences of machine learning and algorithmic decision making will up the requirement for companies to consider their mix of technology and (actual) humans. It will also bring into question their level of transparency about these resources.
Human voice voice cloning, digital humans and autonomous vehicles make it possible to lend a human touch to travel and hospitality without a human. There are benefits of this for both businesses and consumers (24/7 multi-language support, personalisation or sales integration). However, what consumers want to know about the sources and authenticity of that human touch will likely evolve alongside the ever-expanding amount of (mis)information available and the divisive political climates that many people feel they are living in. How will your brand establish trust with its technology-assisted human touch?
“Pick-your-own algorithm” social media
Bluesky is the post-Twitter social media platform that has become a popular destination amidst the ongoing exodus from Elon Musk’s X. Bluesky is gaining respect and traction for its open protocol and allowing users more control over what they see. NewScientist recently referred to this as the dawn of the “pick-your-own algorithm” era.
While Bluesky currently does not include advertising, some predict it is only a matter of time before it does. Even so, advertising’s absence from Bluesky underlines the importance of brand dialogue with consumer audiences. At WYSTC 2024, TikTok’s Leon Suarez discussed the importance of developing a community-first brand in the current social media landscape. Which communities will your brand prioritise and be ‘always in’ for?
Global politics
Along with threatening political talk about immigrants and border controls in North America, border checks within Europe’s Schengen Area have been re-introduced in 2024. For those in travel who believe that free movement is not just a convenience, but beneficial to cultural understanding and world peace, these are worrying developments. Such moves have been made amidst already unstable geopolitics in other world regions. The threatening talk from the US president-elect is not expected to cease.
Unpredictable global politics combined with existing anxiety about the environment and climate stand to take a toll on people.
And speaking of tolls, threats extend to implementing trade tariffs from ‘day one’ of the US president-elect’s return to office.
How trade tariffs will impact US consumers and their international travel budgets remains to be seen. If implemented, tariffs are expected to increase costs for US businesses and consumers. How global trade bullying and geopolitical tensions will weigh on our minds and factor into travel decisions also remains to be seen. How will your organisation adapt to the unpredictable in 2025?