Vodafone's Brand Director, Maria Koutsoudakis, on why we shouldn't be overwhelmed by AI, why marketers should go for humour in 2025, and why she's off to Costa Rica next summer.

1.     Describe 2024 in three words…

·       Exciting; Productive; Pressure

2.     Plug those three words into What3Words and that is where you are going on holiday next year. Where is it and are you happy?

·       Middle of the ocean off Cost rica.. 😊 Unless its on a mega yacht.. not sure 😊

Maria's holiday destination next year!

3.   What do you want in your Christmas stocking in the real world?

·       Perfume

4.     Chat GPT knows you very well so you have asked it to create your perfect Christmas. Where are you, who is cooking and what entertainment have you got lined-up?

·       Cosy moments, with the family.

·       Going for a walk to admire the Christmas lights.

·       Spending it with family.

5.     How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa? Did you ever stop?

·       Don’t remember – but having gone to Lapland wish I still believed 😊

6.     What’s your single marketing biggest lesson of 2024?

·       Don’t get overwhelmed with AI. No one is winning, no one is behind, we are all stuck in the middle together.

7.     Who is winning the best Christmas ad battle in 2024?

·       Vodafone and Amazon.

8.      What’s your favourite ad/campaign of 2024?

·       Vodafone rebrand – I am very proud of it 😊

9.      What are your 3 big predictions for 2025?

·       Produce less, and optimise more.

·       Humour in creatitivity wins.

·       AI in targeting and optimisation.

10.     Which brand should we look out for next year?

·       Ons.

And finally…

     11. Mince Pies - Christmas food heaven or hell?

Heaven – if they are not too fruity!