Formative Agency Blog

As communicators on the ground at #WEF26, we arrived with anticipation. Geopolitical tensions were at a boiling point; could a “spirit of dialogue” be enough to cut through? This year, we saw firsthand that Davos isn’t just about big ideas on AI, climate or geopolitics. It’s about how leaders communicate under pressure. From the Carney effect to the new value of trust, we explore five key takeaways for comms professionals and what they mean for cutting through complexity on the global stage.

The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting returns to Davos in January (19-23rd), bringing together leaders from business, government, civil society, academia and the next generation at a moment of profound global uncertainty, but also opportunity. This year’s meeting is framed around ‘A Spirit of Dialogue’. In an era of fragmentation, mistrust and accelerating change, cooperation is set to be both harder and more essential than ever.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) has been an established practice for decades. Yet, getting your content picked up by ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude is still something of a “dark art”. Today, the share of people who use these Large Language Models (LLMs) as search interfaces is only a fraction of the visits traditional search engines garner. But this is changing rapidly.

Find At Formative we are experts at making the complicated sound simple. We deep dive into source material - our clients’ flagship reports, for example - and distil them into key areas and messaging priorities. This lays the groundwork for our creative journey into those topics. At this stage, we’ll discuss how much to use AI to copilot our work. There is a myriad of ways in which AI can improve our work and make us more efficient - but we work on a human-first approach.

Design never stands still – and neither do we. This year, our Senior Motion Designer, Becca Byrne, attended Mouvo 2025 – a conference that brings together some of the most forward-thinking minds in visual design. But it wasn’t just about being inspired, but bringing fresh ideas home. From animated typography to immersive data visualisation, the insights Becca returned with are already shaping how we help brands tell their stories today.

What started as a novelty – “Hey Siri, will it rain today?” – has become a daily habit. Voice search is part of how we live, work and buy. And it’s not just consumers asking Alexa to reorder paper towels, your B2B customers are talking to their devices too. This is a fundamental shift in how people seek and consume information, underpinned by AI advancements and smart speaker adoption.

Search is undergoing a major transformation. Traffic patterns are shifting, leading to a substantial dilution in traffic referrals. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of editors, CEOs and digital executives surveyed by Reuters are concerned about a decline in search engine referral traffic this year. As new platforms and AI-driven search tools rapidly reshape the landscape, digital marketers and content creators must adapt to stay visible and relevant. Here's how we can respond.

Instagram has launched ‘trial reels’ Instagram is experimenting with a new feature designed to help Reels creators refine their content strategy. This latest feature enables users to put their reels before a sample audience who don’t follow them. This feels like a nice, safe way to experiment with your content, get an idea of how an audience responds to it and tweak accordingly. It’s essentially a little focus group within Instagram itself. A nice idea.

At Formative, we know how fast-paced the world of social is. If you’re looking for the latest news to help improve your social media strategy, you’ve come to the right place. 💡 Join us as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing, with some bonus content thrown in for good measure.

In today's complex world, C-suite executives are recognising the power of social media, particularly LinkedIn, as a tool to cut through the noise and shape personal branding, company visibility and industry influence. Over the past five years, the number of C-suite professionals on LinkedIn has grown by 35% in the US and 30% in the UK, according to the Financial Times.