Facebook Creative 2021

The 2021 Creative
Forecast
FIVE CREATIVE BEHAVIORS FOR THE FUTURE
SHAPED BY CULTURAL SHIFTS OVER THE LAST YEAR

2
The 2021 Creative Forecast
Contents
A CREATIVE INFLECTION POINT 03
FIVE BEHAVIORS FOR THE FUTURE 05
1. BUILD INCLUSIVELY 07
2. CREATE EDUTAINMENT 10
3. SELL WITH IDEAS 13
4. SPEAK PLATFORM LANGUAGE 16
5. REWARD SELF-DISCOVERY 19
CREATING FOR THE FUTURE 22

3
A Creative
Inflection Point
At Facebook’s Creative Shop, we have a unique perspective on creativity because
we sit at the intersection of brands and people on our global platforms. And what
we consistently see is that the creative climate is shaped by culture. Each year,
we take a look at how culture shifted, and the standout creative that emerged in
response, to identify ascendant themes and behaviors that drive business impact.
We call this: The Creative Forecast.
Safe to say, 2020 was different. Extraordinary influences—from activism to a
global pandemic—changed culture in profound ways. People pushed brands to
become more culturally aware, more personal and more participatory; people
gravitated to brands that reflected and captivated them, and they showed that
they’re more than willing to spend time with the ones that delivered. These
changes were both disruptive and inspiring, spurring bold creative leaps.
While last year was unique, it marked a creative inflection point with lasting
implications for us all. The changes to people’s relationships with and expectations
of brands are here to stay. By looking at the work that broke through on our
platforms, we can pinpoint some of the key behaviors that changed and that will
continue to shape creative for years to come.

4
A NEW FBIQ FLAGSHIP
At Facebook IQ, we aim to provoke leaders to create future-
forward strategies through mind-expanding foresight at the
intersection of people and social technology. A chief way we
do that is through our flagship reports, such as Hello Future,
Industry Perspectives and our annual Topics and Trends Report.
Now, we are delighted to make The Creative Forecast our latest
and greatest flagship. By uncovering cutting-edge creativity
in marketing and communications, The Creative Forecast will
help businesses to remain compelling, culturally relevant and
responsive to customer needs.
We hope you enjoy the report and please let us know what you
think on the Strategy Collective group of Facebook IQ.

5
Five Behaviors
for the future
The Creative Forecast is based on a review of standout work on our platforms from
around the globe. This work was selected based on many factors, chief among
them being business impact—because if creativity isn’t building brands and selling
products, then it’s not working. To determine impact, we assessed performance
against vertical and regional benchmarks for brand and conversion metrics (even
off platform metrics too) and assigned each campaign a “Grow Business” score of 1
to 5, with 5 being exceptional.
BUSINESS IMPACT RATING
1 2 4 5
3
-0.5 SD MEAN +0.5 SD +1 SD

6
We call the work with the highest scores “Lighthouse” campaigns—because they tend to
show the way forward—and among the hundreds of Lighthouse campaigns from 2020, we
randomly selected 100 to analyze in-depth. To identify emerging creative trends, we looked
for themes that appeared in around 20% or more of these 100 high-performing ideas.
Here we’ll explore these behaviors, looking at the underlying cultural shifts, examples from
breakthrough brands and creative springboards so you can leverage each for the future.
• Build inclusively
• Create edutainment
• Sell with ideas
• Speak platform language
• Reward self-discovery
OUR ANALYSIS SURFACED FIVE KEY BEHAVIORS:

In 2020, there was a social awakening across many dimensions around the globe.
People rose up and spoke up, clamoring for a world that recognizes, respects,
celebrates and sees everyone.
Brands that broke through with their creative went beyond simply acknowledging
this and actually took action by more fully reflecting and depicting their audiences
in representative and insightful ways. Their reward for building inclusively? Wider
acceptance and relevance.
20% OF LIGHTHOUSE CAMPAIGNS
3.76 AVERAGE GROW BUSINESS SCORE
01. Build
inclusively
7

With COVID-19 limiting in-person interactions, L’Oréal saw an opportunity to reimagine not
only the beauty festival for the digital age, but also representatives of beauty. For the first
time, they paired men and women to provide cosmetic and skin care tips via Facebook Live.
Afterward, people could communicate with a diverse group of 122 advisers via Messenger
to receive more personalized beauty advice from experts like themselves. By authentically
embracing and advocating for a more representative audience, L’Oréal was able to give the
typical beauty festival a much-needed makeover.
LIGHTHOUSE BRAND: L’ORÉAL
REGION: APAC
8
8

BUILD INCLUSIVELY: CREATIVE SPRINGBOARDS
To sell with ideas, consider these questions when developing creative:
1
How can we authentically and truthfully represent our whole
potential audience?
What if there’s a group of people we’re currently overlooking that we
could serve better to create more inspiring and inclusive work?
Is there a topic or issue we could uniquely advocate or champion a
solution for?
Is there a cultural taboo we could shed light on in an authentic way to
make a deeper connection with people?
2
3
4
9
9

The global pandemic forced us to consider and embrace new ways of learning in 2020.
People had to embrace new ways of getting information because there wasn’t a lot of
choice—many of the traditional approaches simply weren’t available.
Brands that excelled last year found new ways to earn attention by reimagining
learning. Importantly, they did so not by lecturing audiences about their brand stories,
but by building edutainment experiences that didn’t feel like a chore.
02. Create
edutainment
10

Research has found women who are dissatisfied with the appearance of their breasts are less
confident about detecting a change that could be a sign of breast cancer. To address this,
CoppaFeel created Boob Bot, a (world-first) Messenger monthly subscription tool that makes
at-home breast checks habitual through an inclusive, informative and fun experience.
By promoting the tool with a thumb-stopping, lighthearted campaign focused on utility and
levity, the brand showed that education and entertainment can be a potent combination.
LIGHTHOUSE BRAND: COPPAFEEL
REGION: EMEA
11
11

CREATE EDUTAINMENT: CREATIVE SPRINGBOARDS
When looking to create engaging edutainment, consider these questions:
1
What if we turn the problem to solve into a behavior we want to
create or people to emulate?
How can we turn our story into compelling entertainment (passive or
active) that earns attention without feeling like a chore?
If we were going to reward audiences for their time and attention,
what could we give them?
How could we turn our ideas into something truly useful to our
audience?
2
3
4
12
12

With life focused on home in 2020, people lost many of the interactions that might
normally have led to discovering new ideas and interests—whether that was meeting
up with their friends and family, hitting up their favorite stores or even just strolling
around their neighborhoods.
This led serendipity to shift online, with social feeds becoming spontaneous and
always-on discovery engines. And people weren’t just scanning, they were more
comfortable than ever taking action. Brands that thrived last year understood this
dynamic; they made themselves discoverable by using ideas not only to stand out
across our platforms, but to close the sale.
03. Sell with
ideas
13

Allbirds, a brand known for “the world’s comfiest sneaker” and deep commitment to
sustainability, was launching their first-ever running shoe, the Dasher, in 2020. To introduce it
to the world, they tested different creative approaches through Stories videos and interactive
Stories to find the right combination of product messaging and sustainability messaging.
This enabled them to both drive an increase in direct response performance and establish
credibility in a new category. By highlighting their mission while simultaneously conveying
functional benefits, Allbirds was able to truly sell with an idea.
LIGHTHOUSE BRAND: ALLBIRDS
REGION: NORTH AMERICA
14
14

SELL WITH IDEAS: CREATIVE SPRINGBOARDS
To build ideas that sell, think about these questions when developing creative:
1
How can we use a differentiating concept not only to drive interest
but to convert potential buyers?
What if we could turn a pivotal sales moment into a thumb-stopping
idea?
What if we leveraged an aspect of our brand, product or a relevant
moment in culture to inspire a larger idea?
What audience needs to know us better? How can we design
experiences that speak to their key motivations?
2
3
4
15
15

In 2020, people adapted to the constraints on their lives caused by the pandemic and
found new ways to express and connect online. There was an explosion of creativity
across digital platforms that often colored outside the lines and left the traditional
polish behind.
The brands that turned heads and won hearts last year did the same. They spoke the
language of the platforms—through approaches like lo-fi production, user-generated
content and creator content—and met people on their own terms in authentic and
relatable ways.
04. Speak
platform language
16

Sweat is one of the most popular fitness apps in APAC and had already achieved strong results
by running performance campaigns on our platforms. But when they had a new product
to launch in 2020, they decided to shift away from their standard creative approaches and
empower their community. Through a combination of Live With broadcasts and sticker packs,
Sweat showcased how their members work out. By speaking the platform language and giving
voice to their community, Sweat connected in authentic ways and found new levels of success
in return.
LIGHTHOUSE BRAND: SWEAT
REGION: APAC
17
17

SPEAK PLATFORM LANGUAGE: CREATIVE SPRINGBOARDS
To speak the language of platforms in your creative, think about these questions:
1
How can the natural language of our platforms be an integral
storytelling tool to connect with people on their terms?
If we leverage an existing platform trend, can we make our story even
more relatable?
What if we activated a community to tell a shared story in their own
language, from their own platform gathering places?
Which creators’ authentic voices can help to diversify and amplify our
own?
2
3
4
18
18

As entertainment and curiosity moved increasingly online in 2020, people jumped
down the digital rabbit hole and loved where it went.
Creative that connected deeply last year fed this desire for digital exploration and
approached brand building as a participation sport. These brands enabled discovery
and delivered experiences that let people actively explore at their own pace.
05. Reward
self-discovery
19

When people want food advice, they turn to friends. To take this community cooking idea to a
new level for the digital age, Hellmann’s developed a Messenger bot that created temporary
connections among people looking for ideas of what to do with the leftovers in their fridge.
By building this participatory community, the brand enabled people to actively connect online
around meal planning—rather than passively consume content—and ensured Hellmann’s was
the key ingredient.
LIGHTHOUSE BRAND: HELLMANN’S
REGION: LATAM
20
20

REWARD SELF-DISCOVERY: CREATIVE SPRINGBOARDS
If you want to create in a way that rewards curiosity, consider these questions:
1
How can creating ideas that drive participation and discovery
elevate our connection with our audiences?
What linear stories can we tell? What if we built our ideas as
rewards along that narrative path, with the hope of delighting our
audience along the way?
Where could we use the community’s real-time feedback and
support? How could we take their ideas and turn them into action?
2
3
21
21

22
© Facebook company
Creating for
the Future
The five creative behaviors identified in our Lighthouse review are all fundamentally
rooted in people. In 2020, culture changed and that changed creativity.
We spoke up for a world that sees
everyone.
Brands started more fully representing
their audiences and found wider
acceptance and relevance.
We opened our eyes to ways of learning. Brands built experiences that reimagined
learning so it didn’t feel like a chore.
Our feeds became our spontaneous and
always-on discovery engines.
Brands didn’t just start conversations
with ideas, they sold with them too.
As makers, we didn’t just color outside the
lines, we had to reinvent them.
Brands leaned into lo-fi methods of
production, making themselves more
authentic and relatable.
We jumped down the digital rabbit hole
and loved where it went.
Brands realized that brand-building is a
participation sport and fed our desire to
explore on our own.
HOW CULTURE CHANGED IN 2020... ...AND CHANGED CREATIVITY
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5

The changes may have been catalyzed by the unique circumstances of
2020, but they are now taking root and likely to endure. The days of people
passively being talked at by brands are long gone. It’s no longer about
control and exclusivity. It’s about flexibility, inclusion and ever-evolving
creativity.
These evolving expectations are creating exciting new opportunities
for brands to connect with people. As you look to harness this potential
and leverage these behaviors in your future creative, here are a few core
springboard questions to consider:
• Build inclusively: How can we authentically and truthfully represent our
whole potential audience?
• Create edutainment: How can we turn our story into compelling
entertainment that earns attention without feeling like a chore?
• Sell with ideas: How can we use a differentiating concept not only to
drive interest but also to convert potential buyers?
• Use platform language: How can we use the natural storytelling tools of
online platforms to connect with people on their terms?
• Reward self-discovery: How can we create ideas that drive participation
and elevate our connection with our audiences?

Contributors
AUDREY BURGESS
Creative Researcher, Marketing Science Research
Facebook Creative Shop
MACK REYNOLDS
Creative Industry Lead, Brand
LILY WYCKOFF
Creative Industry Lead, Performance

Facebook Creative 2021

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