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25 more predictions for 2025, feat. 25 guests.

Dec 23, 2024

Hello loyal readers, hello newcomers, and hello passersby.

We’re going slightly off-piste for the second edition in a row (!). After my 10 predictions for 2025, I’ve asked 25 movers, shakers and people whose opinions I trust what their spidey sense tells them.

No one can be an expert on every topic. The fear of echo chambers and consensus bias is real for someone (me) whose entire career depends on staying alert to micro/macro trends and innovation.

That’s why I asked people working across various industries, based in different locations, interested in topics I’m not necessarily well-versed in.

Last Monday, I was having dinner with people I collaborate with. Forgive me for this brief lapse into cheesiness: I felt a wave of gratitude the following morning. I’m surrounded by people who inspire me, whose ways of thinking are shaped by immensely different paths, and who made my viewpoints evolve in the past year.

Enjoy, and 📈 Bullish + 📉 Bearish news are back next week 💋

Esther

Share Oblique Forecasting

2️⃣5️⃣ Predictions for 2025

⚽ Naomi Accardi, Writer & Editorial Consultant, Palermo-NYC 🇮🇹🇺🇲

1. Ozempic will become as common as the keto diet of yesteryear and everybody you know will be on it. This time low-rise jeans will be back. The ones with the TINY zipper. 2. Celebrities will invest in sparkling water companies making their own La Croix-type brands. 3. Juvenile Facelifts (under 40) will become more popular and people won’t be afraid to let others know they got it 4. Picnics will have a renaissance 5. LVMH will acquire more football clubs and start a sports division. 6. Under Trump, people will stop pretending they cared about social issues and go back to saying outrageous shit like “Stop being poor.”

🧴 Claire Bataille, Beauty & Wellbeing Brand Manager, Unilever, London 🇬🇧

1. Minimal effort, Maximum results: e.g. self-tanner + retinol in one product, facial fitness chewing gum. 2. Safer Beauty journeys: e.g. Kiehl's warns against SPF contouring on TikTok. 3. Wellness fatigue + Dermorexia: e.g. Good Weird rejects beauty standards in its marketing. 4. Think slow, move fast: transparency and ingredient safety, products that are not only effective but also simple and straightforward. 4. Lazy health: low-effort wellness practices to counteract fast-paced digital lifestyles. 5. Underconsumption. 6. Embracing ageing, counteracting quick fixes and miraculous solutions 7. Revival of phyto and alt ingredients, such as chamomile and Aloe vera, gentler ingredient alternatives to counteract the stripping nature of strong actives, such as retinoids.

🔍 Ana Bogdan, Anthropologist & Journalist, Moderate Hypocrisy, Berlin 🇩🇪

The 2025 Vibe: Digital Demagoguery. Ah, demagoguery — that ancient Greek behaviour we can’t get enough of. Sociologist Christian Fuchs coined the term digital demagoguery in his brilliant account of fascism’s rise across the world, and I fear this is just the beginning. But I’d also argue digital demagoguery has been a solid raison d’être, socially, culturally, and economically, from the very beginning of our online lives. We — individuals, and corporate entities — seek to appeal to the desires of the masses, particularly by playing on emotions, rather than facts. We’ve learnt how to behave and what to say online to grab attention, the most precious asset today. So far we’ve explored pretence, then switched to (consensus-optimized) authenticity, and in 2024 we’ve come to operate in a confused land between the two. 2025 will bring a coronation of both extremes.
So for 2025, I’d hope for more vujà dé — for seeing the unfamiliar in the familiar. Let’s ask different questions, read different media, talk to different people and pull our heads out of our echo chambers.

🖊️ Mathilde Brygier, Content Marketing Strategist, Cultural Chaos, Paris 🇫🇷

Taste Economy. The Spotify Wrapped experience is the most recent event to highlight the increasing exhaustion with AI-only/algo-led recommendations and content. Some even argue we are in a Dark Age of Content (think rage bait content, the milking of existing IPs, the rise of faceless YouTube channels, etc.). Despite its best efforts to optimise our interests, the algorithm only flattens our lives and culture. My take:
1. A renewed emphasis on careful human curation and taste. Future success belongs to anyone who offers something different, something beyond the ordinary and far from the now very detectable sponsored/PR posts.
2. Business-wise, this translates through thought leadership (an essential element of a great content marketing strategy, may I add). I see too few companies leverage internal voices to share unique perspectives. 2025 is the time to find your partner in taste and take your thought leadership to the next level.

🎤 Diamanda Callas, Drag Singer, Cabaret Madame Arthur, Paris 🇫🇷

In 2025, drag won’t be enough on its own—it will need to return to its roots, to its subversive essence. We’ll need to relearn how to surprise, shock, and entertain. Mainstream culture has appropriated drag; it’s up to us to make it evolve.

🎙️ Christofer Ciminelli, Cofounder, Orso Media, Paris 🇫🇷

Politics as Reality TV. What if our politicians fully embraced their flair for drama by adopting the most voyeuristic format of all: reality television? Sounds like a nightmare? Think again. For nearly six months, the fate of our country has rested on private negotiations between political leaders striking secret deals, the content of which we know nothing about—deals that may even run counter to the reasons we entrusted them with our votes. Blind trust, in every sense of the word. What if these backroom dealings were recorded and broadcast live? What if we finally forced politicians to lay all their cards on the table with complete transparency? Can we continue to trust leaders who seem to have things to hide? Imagine swapping their polished, carefully rehearsed TV and radio appearances for a candid, fly-on-the-wall perspective that shows them as they truly are. This is the challenge I’m throwing at them for 2025.

📖 Charlotte Cole, Writer, Ad Infinitum, London 🇬🇧

Big Weird. For three years we’ve seen a rise in intentional, gorgeous, unsettling nonsense across most mediums, particularly film, literature and fashion; think Poor Things, Lee Miller’s new biopic, Han Kang’s Nobel Prize win, Mariana Enriquez’s entire back catalogue etc. Even Pinterest has pulled out surrealist tablescapes as a trend from 2025 dinner parties. Each year the popularity of surrealism has risen in parallel with our collective lean into apathy and derealisation; a lean which is, of course, born from The Horrors we live in. If the Fates are to be believed, in 2025, Big Weird will only get bigger and weirder.

🧑‍🏫 Antony Dabila, Researcher in Political Science, IESD, Paris 🇫🇷

2025, the Year of the AI Revolution in Research? Translation, compilation of supplementary literature, and preprocessing of mathematical data once reserved for a select few: cognitive support tools now integrated into our daily lives are freeing researchers from tedious tasks. With the global number of scientists at an all-time high, individual productivity is soaring. Small teams may soon suffice where an army of diverse profiles was previously required, potentially triggering an explosion of discoveries and innovations. Could this lead to a paradoxical revival of style, clarity, and finesse in interpretation in a world overwhelmed by data?

🏦 Marie Dollé, Head of Marketing & Communications, EuroQuity bpifrance & Writer, In Bed With Social, Paris 🇫🇷

The agentic era. Human identity in question. As the year comes to a close, Google redefines the frenzied race of automated AI. This is called the agentic era: an era where delegating to machines becomes a skill in itself. After hard skills and soft skills, here come out skills. And now you’re thinking ‘technological revolution,’ right? Wrong. The real disruption lies in the mirror. In what we see there… or what we no longer see. In a world where AI anticipates, acts, and decides, the central question is: what remains of our identity? The upcoming battle isn’t one of speed or innovation. It’s an identity quest. We’ll need thinkers, sociologists, and philosophers to shed light on who we are and who we want to be, in the face of machines that will never need to ask themselves that question.

💰 Julien Etaix, Chief Investment Officer, Novum Capital Partners, Geneva 🇨🇭

2025, the year when large corporations borrow money cheaper than Sovereign. As most large economies continue to dig a hole through their finances at an accelerated pace, with political turmoil across Europe, a weakened China and a US leader on a spending spree, Sovereign deficits are out of control. You have heard it many times but it is pretty serious this time, reaching highs which are making even Pension funds worried about their ability to repay in 10 or 20 years.
The largest corporations on the planet, think Apple, LVMH, etc… are in many ways better run than States, despite not being able to draw taxes from their citizens as easily as your friendly IRS. This year may be the first one when they start borrowing cash at a cheaper rate than their own countries where they are based, which would be a first.

💻 Laurent François, Managing Partner, 180 & Writer, Alive in Social Media, Paris 🇫🇷

With rising fatigue from algorithmic predictability, users will seek virtual sanctuaries that provide intentional solitude or meaning. Spaces like Substacks, private Discord servers, or minimalist apps will become the modern equivalents of monastic retreats. Digital minimalism won’t just mean “logging off” but reorienting toward spaces designed for reflection, deeper conversations, and creative renewal. These “digital monasteries” might even include AI companions built for quiet dialogue rather than constant optimization.

💿 Hanna Hanra, Creative Director, Editor, DJ & founder The Beat Juice, London 🇬🇧

I was going to say that the wellness industry is going to join forces with music in 2025 – and that many brands are going to start utilising music and sound waves as part of their product or experience offering. But actually, I think I'll predict what I would like to see, which is that brands return to spending proper money on world-building rather than on influencer marketing. Or not even proper money – just some money. The days of denim brands having record labels, hosting tours and releasing mix CDs – seem far behind us. But these former 'street' wear brands have migrated into the luxury fashion space which focuses on performance marketing at the cost of continued brand building. Without a budget being spent on creating demand, there is no reason why these items are the ones to buy within the wider context of the already stuffed marketplace. So, what do I predict? I think next year more brands (hopefully) will follow the path of Adidas who spent money on cool, off-beat collaborations that drove connection and influence rather than spending budget on continually asking consumers to buy from them. We have become used to chasing brief moments of success, and viral hits on social media, rather than brands driving long-term awareness and connection. Luxury needs to return to its basic tenet: time.

🥂 Khaled Kortas, Marketing Manager, Spirits & Champagne, Pernod-Ricard, Oslo 🇳🇴

The no-low trend still has a bright future, driven by health concerns and affordability. At the same time, aperitivos are gaining popularity as alternatives to the classic spritz, with options like limoncello or other choices beyond Aperol. This shift aligns with changing consumer habits: people are going out less frequently and staying out for shorter periods, as evidenced by the alarming rate of nightclub closures. With the traditional nightlife model fading, there’s a growing preference for late-afternoon drinking, where lower-proof liqueurs serve as the base for lighter spritzes.

❄️ Yoann Lopez, Founder & CEO, Snowball, Paris 🇫🇷

It's always hard to get a single prediction right, so I'll give you a few. Hopefully, one will turn out to be correct.
Bitcoin hits $200k.
Like their predecessors, Elon Musk and DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) fail to reduce the federal budget.
Jensen Huang (CEO & co-founder of Nvidia) becomes richer than Bernard Arnault (LVMH).
Spotify introduces an "AI-generated" tag for podcasts and music.
We will all forget who Luigi is by February.

🕴️ Nadia Marouani, Business Coach & Podcast Host, Skills, Paris 🇫🇷

When alignment becomes your strategy, growth follows naturally. In 2025, the alignment between personal values and business goals will become a decisive competitive advantage. Leaders and companies who embody genuine authenticity will earn the trust of an oversaturated market, attracting talent and clients organically. The future belongs to those who dare to merge economic performance with personal integrity. In 2025, authentic alignment between values and business will be the ultimate growth driver.

🌍 Anna Morin, Strategic Advisor, International Politics and Diplomacy, Panterra, Brussels 🇧🇪

In 2025, geopolitics takes cues from modern relationships: nearshoring becomes the new “taking it slow.” Nations are ditching far-flung trade partners for closer, more reliable neighbours. Mexico is the U.S.’s “situationship,” Europe flirts with North Africa, and Asia builds its own tight-knit circle. It’s all about trust and on-time deliveries—no ghosting allowed. But proximity has baggage: old rivalries, tough negotiations, and exes reappearing (hello, tariffs). The global love language? Reliability and shared interests, with a side of drama. Meanwhile, geoeconomics turns trade into a strategic theatre. Sanctions are the silent treatment, tariffs the passive-aggressive glare, and rare earths the casserole everyone’s fighting over. Nations navigate alliances like awkward group texts—forming, breaking, and subtweeting their way through crises. The vibe? A family dinner where no one agrees but the economy somehow keeps running.

🏡 Parysatis Peymani, Co-Founder & CMO, Harmony Homes, Marseille 🇫🇷

Artificial intelligence will integrate into all aspects of our lives, both personal and professional, in a simple, natural, and beneficial way. Whether it’s optimizing our daily tasks, boosting productivity at work, or enhancing our well-being, AI will become a true partner—unseen yet indispensable. Interfaces will be intuitive, and accessible to everyone, and their positive impact will be felt in areas such as healthcare, education, and even hospitality. AI will be more than just a tool: it will be an ally to simplify and enrich our daily lives—just like Facebook in 2007.

👜 Gabriele Pierro, Senior Product Development Manager, Burberry, Florence 🇮🇹

2024 is not really a year to remember for the fashion world. Or at least not for the right reasons: a massive turnaround of creative directors, the struggle in sales of many brands and the words of the Prada Group CEO admitting that we might have a price issue. Now if the first two are quite a cyclical event in the fashion system the last one could be a breath of fresh air. Prices are indeed high, too high for a luxury market not forecasted to expand anymore and that in the best case scenario will just gain back what has been lost in the past 2 years. So what to do then to avoid a wreck in 2025? Well, if you are not Hermes: a lot! But cutting prices is not easy. It means lowering margins which means containing costs, relocating productions, etc. Or, as an alternative, we can try to justify these prices with valuable products and great aftersale service. Whichever the street brands will take whoever acts first will succeed (maybe). Good Luck.

✍️ Kevin Pujol, Writer, Le Bateleur, Saint-Malo 🇫🇷

2025: The Year of the Absurd. Absurd as a response to a world slipping through our fingers. Absurd: which defies reason, common sense, or logic. Facing a world we can no longer fully understand or rationalize, the absurd becomes humanity’s final stand—a bold reclamation of freedom. The unexpected and illogical, whether expressed through comedy or drama, will find their rightful place as a fitting response to a reality stripped of coherence. As Camus said, "The absurd is lucid reason recognizing its limits”.

📍 Dagmara Reczka, Creative Production Manager & Writer Very Opinionated, Berlin 🇩🇪

Human beings are famously great at ruining joyful things (see: run clubs; see: VC-backed reading parties), but I believe that next year, we’ll double down on embracing chaotic joy — both in marketing and in the broader culture. After the absolute dumpster fire that was 2024, it seems many people are opting to abandon worry about the future and the impending doom of humanity. The worst-case scenario(s) has already happened! Now, it’s time to be silly amid the chaos. Think: over-the-top humour in marketing campaigns. Think: fun messy parties. Think: books that are weird, dark, and funny all at once.

🪩 Krystal Rodriguez, Event Producer, London 🇬🇧

A religious revival is brewing—though which one, I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it’s something new, something shiny. Enter Our Saviour Luigi Mangione (sexy, right?). There's a real tension between the digital void and the tangible world—people are ditching the "chronically online" life for grounded, traditional vibes. Being broke has us reclaiming old-school skills like baking, sewing, and DIY. The trad wife? Just one example. Gen Z, meanwhile, is skipping the Millennial party scene for a quieter, more intentional lifestyle. What’s missing? A spiritual spike. With the world on edge, people crave community and hope. This isn’t a wild claim. With agnostic countries seeing declining birth rates, it’s the more religious populations that continue to grow. Religion—and its promise of connection and purpose—is poised to rise again. See you at church, baby!

📹 Samy Senhadj, Co-founder, Archi Prod & Founder, Haunted Agency, Paris 🇫🇷

Creative coalescence: the lines between entrepreneurs, artists and content creators are converging. Welcome to a world where brands mutate into media-first entities, entrepreneurs explore music creation, and artists undertake complementary entrepreneurial projects in the open.
Creator economy’s Big Bang: at last and after a decade of endorsing established brands (in the latter’s favour most of the time), content creators are now embracing their ability to develop, market and distribute their very own products. What’s at stake: greater profits, and complete control over the alignment between product & personal lore.

🎮 Hugo Texeire, VR & immersive installations, Diversion, Paris 🇫🇷

Steam has been cooking. At the moment console gaming is dominated by Sony, with Xbox now being more of a platform and Nintendo being Nintendo does its own thing. On the VR side of things, Meta is ruling everything, no standalone can compete, PSVR is useless and PCVR at this point does not exist beyond the modding community. 2025 will be the year of steam hardware. Valve Index's successor will be a standalone VR headset allowing you to access your entire flat-games Steam Library in a giant virtual big screen, basically a SteamDeck on your face, a true game changer. There might also be a new SteamDeck but the novelty will be Steam Machine 2, breaching the gap between PC and console. All this running the long awaited open-source SteamOSvbased on Linux doing emulation wizardry. New hardware means new controllers, for flat and VR, and of course new games, in this regard, it might even be the end of a meme, the year Valve finally counts to 3. In 2025 Valve will raise the bar again.

🖼️ Marisa Todd, Chief Digital Officer, David Zwirner, NYC 🇺🇸

We are currently witnessing one of the largest wealth transfers in history, catalysing a significant shift in tastes in the art market. Next gen collectors are driven by social and cultural values and less so by traditional investment motives. In 2025 Surrealists and rising contemporary stars will set record highs, shifting away from blue-chip artists that have dominated headlines for the past decade.

🤖 ChatGPT as Esther Moisy-Kirschbaum (I prompted it to generate a prediction I could’ve written for the year ahead, based on what it knows about me)

In 2025, wellness continues its evolution, blending health with indulgence. Consumers prioritise balance, valuing quality over quantity in both what they consume and how they spend their time. Expect a cultural shift toward experiences that are simultaneously enriching and accessible, as affordability and health-consciousness shape the future of leisure. The mantra for 2025? Savour, don’t overdo.