It is 2040, and the UAE is recognised as a global leader in innovation and sustainability. Ad agencies achieved their Net Zero goals.
Today is an ordinary day for one creative director, but the tools, processes, and challenges differ from two decades ago.
7:00 AM: Green start to the day
The creative director’s day begins in a stylish Jumeirah apartment powered by renewable energy. The AI-enabled bed provides a gentle nudge to wake up our protagonist. And yes, creatives do wake up early in 2040, despite the rumors.
The window blinds rise, sunshine fills the room, and Joana (creative director’s AI agent) reminds him to spend 10 minutes on the balcony for some Vitamin D. The morning routine reflects the sustainable lifestyle in the city – from organic and locally sourced breakfast, 20 minutes of outdoor cycling in the community park, to an intelligent AC system which adjusts based on carbon emissions.
8:00 AM: Journey to the office
Joana notified our creative director that his colleagues would pick him up in 10 minutes. His team arrives in a sleek, autonomous EV. With everyone on the go, the team begins a 4-7-8 breathing exercise, helping with focus. The rest of the ride is spent on industry gossip, the latest Banksy stunt (we still don’t know who Banksy is), and sharing excitement about the upcoming ad awards shortlist! Some things never change.
8:30 AM: Community meet up
Upon arrival at the office, the creative team chatted with other colleagues at the coffee station. Another pleasant AI voice joins the conversation to share the background of today’s coffee bean selection and the local farmer who grew it. All the coffee waste is used to produce cosmetics, which employees can purchase in the shop on the ground floor.
9:00 AM: Briefing session
The creative team moves to a mixed-reality environment where ideas are born and shaped. The strategy and client relationship team presents the brief, which includes a holographic 3D image of a product called Foodie5000, the next-generation food appliance.
They all get immersed in a product demo. Food scent is released, creating a sensory experience. The client delivers the final word in the brief through a holographic appearance and introduces a sampling menu to be served during lunch.
10:00 AM: Immersive brainstorming
Creatives move into a brainstorming session led by the Creative Director and Joana, who tap into data sets on consumer behavior, market trends, cultural relevance, and even past successful campaigns in the home appliance space. It throws out ideas, prompts, and insights based on the client’s objectives. For example:
“There’s a rising trend of people wanting appliances that prepare the food with the right protein intake based on their daily activity.”
Music changes to stimulate rapid ideation. At the end, the team selects a few ideas worth exploring. Joana is tasked with visualising these concepts per the brand guidelines and simulating their efficiency and impact.
12:30 PM: Free time
The whole agency enjoys free time. Technology is not allowed during this time, and everyone is encouraged to spend time in the community garden.
1:00 PM: Lunch with a purpose
Today is the ‘Lunch and Learn’ session focused on environmental trends. The talk will cover the latest in regenerative agriculture and include a food tasting prepared by the client’s home appliance. Plant-based meals grown in on-site hydroponic farms are the norm, and the food is delicious. Everything in the kitchen is compostable or reusable. Back in 2024, food waste was almost 40 per cent in the UAE.
2:00 PM: The future of creative production
By early afternoon, the team moves into the production phase of another project. AI agents allow creatives to visualise exactly how their ideas will translate into reality. Virtual production studios eliminate the need for wasteful physical sets, air travel, and digital tools to simulate everything from lighting to camera angles.
However, the client is concerned about the campaign’s “look.” They push for high-end visuals that might compromise the sustainability goals. The creative team must balance the pressure of delivering an aspirational campaign with the need to adhere to their environmental values.
Production, air travel, and on-the-ground transportation used to be a major source of emissions in advertising agencies in 2024. They sometimes accounted for more than 60 per cent of all agency emissions.
4:00 PM: Real-time campaign
In 2040, the client can see, in real-time, how different creative decisions will affect sales, customer engagement, energy consumption, and carbon footprints. Clients feel more in control of outcomes, and agencies can pivot quickly. A collaborative working session and minor visual tweaks have improved sales and reduced the campaign’s carbon footprint by 0.8 per cent, with a tendency for further improvement.
In 2040, the tension lies between creatives and AI agents—will the novel ideas perform well? How can we predict the performance of counterintuitive ideas?
5:30 PM: Awards season in 2040
The agency gathers in a common area, and clients join through an MR device. The entire agency goes loud when they learn their three campaigns are shortlisted for the Grand Impact award. The energy from the employees jumping is harnessed and fed back into the grid. The jury, consisting of AI jury agents, clients, and experienced creative directors, shortlists based on innovation, commercial, environmental, and social impact.
6:00 PM: Global team alignment
The global airline client starts by expressing gratitude to the team from Abu Dhabi for the latest successful launch and campaign results. The whole team will get a free return trip to the destination of choice, staying in an eco-resort and flying on a clean hydrogen-powered airplane. The agency has made an additional 2 per cent profit from the campaign’s performance.
As the day ends in the year 2040, the creative agency team boards the VTOL air taxis and heads to a restaurant to celebrate the latest campaign success.
By Andrej Arsenijevic, MCN Sustainability Ambassador and Executive Creative Director, Commonwealth McCann.
