2024’s biggest lessons for curious communicators

2024’s biggest lessons for curious communicators

Written by
Cara McLeod, Chief Executive Officer
What defined the strategies that stood out this year? And how will those lessons shape the road ahead? Listen to what our team has to say as they reflect on what 2024 taught them.

As we close out 2024, I joined Mahlab’s leadership team in reflecting on the moments that defined the year for us—unexpected challenges, surprising opportunities, and the lessons that shifted our thinking. From navigating new technologies to deepening our understanding of audience needs, this year has been a reminder that curiosity and adaptability are the foundation of impactful business communications.

Here’s a look at how we’re stepping into 2025—with a renewed focus on building connections, embracing bold ideas, and driving meaningful change.

Lily Carlyon, Head of Strategy

The economic and geopolitical uncertainty of the last 12 months has increased focus on driving real and measurable impact. I think this is a great thing. It drives deep curiosity into how we’re doing things and makes us constantly ask if there’s a better way.

It also means that being able to engage and influence different people has never been more important, particularly in the complex B2B businesses that we work with. Boards and executive teams are scrutinising business decisions even more closely, needing to understand the value that they will create before investment is approved. 

This means leaders need to be able to engage and influence decision-makers inside and outside their business to get things done. Understanding who you need to influence, clearly articulating your direction and explaining why it matters will be a key part of any successful leader’s strategy in the year ahead. 

Kim Richards, Head of Marketing

By far, the year’s biggest challenge was balancing generative AI adoption with human connection, commercial realities and a growing sea of sameness.

Generative AI emerged as a transformative tool, enabling B2B marketers to create content, automate processes, and personalise interactions at unprecedented scales. However, it introduced challenges, including concerns about misinformation, ethical use and the erosion of brand authenticity. 

While AI is effective in scaling operations, its limitations in creativity and emotional nuance highlighted the continued importance of human-led storytelling and relationship-building; two things Mahlab is a supreme master of. 

Next year, I think we will need to focus on balancing AI capabilities and client expectations for its use, with human creativity, and seek to maintain or re-build trust and authenticity with audiences. For me, an example would be simply blending AI-assisted efficiencies with human-led content that can create scalable yet emotionally resonant campaigns​.

I think our work as a business communication house will increasingly see us helping our clients establish ethical guidelines and oversight mechanisms for the use of AI. Transparency in AI use will be a critical differentiator​ and it’s something Mahlab has always been at the forefront of. 

We will need to help our clients embrace adaptable strategies, prioritise ethical practices, and demonstrate how to blend AI and human expertise in an optimal way. 

Emily Donnelly, Communications Director

Audience-led communications will be at the forefront of thinking in 2025. It’s so important to make sure you’re talking to the right people, at the right time and in the right place, and not rely on a ‘spray and pray’ approach, which no longer works.

As the media landscape continues to evolve and shrink (not just in Australia but around the world), building relationships will be crucial as well as looking at new ways people are telling stories. Whether it’s through new social media sites like BlueSky or through publishing platforms like SubStack - these are impacting where audiences are getting their news fro

Gus Wick, Business Director, ASEAN

As we reflect on 2024, one reality stands out: the growing complexity of bridging Asian market dynamics with global organisational frameworks. If you're like me, you've experienced and seen the challenge of explaining to global headquarters why a successful campaign in the US might need complete reimagining for Jakarta or Seoul.

But here's what's fascinating: this challenge has become our greatest opportunity. We're not just adapting global strategies anymore—we're pioneering new approaches that are reshaping how multinational organisations operate in Asia.

What I've learned is that success isn't about better translation of global initiatives. It's about becoming master storytellers of Asia's unique market dynamics. When we support our market insights with robust data and real customer narratives, we transform scepticism into understanding.

Looking ahead to 2025, I see Asian marketing leaders taking a more pivotal role in global strategy development. We're not just executors of global plans—we're architects of new approaches that can drive success across diverse markets.

The future belongs to those who can expertly navigate this balance: honouring global frameworks while championing local market needs. This isn't just about adaptation. It's about leading the way in creating truly global-local marketing strategies that deliver results.

Jelena Li, Publishing Director

In my work with associations and member organisations, I’ve witnessed a strong urgency across the sector to rethink how value is communicated to members. It’s been a tough year for many—difficult economic conditions and rising costs make memberships feel increasingly discretionary for many. This has introduced a level of risk that many associations haven’t had to grapple with to this extent before. The challenge they are increasingly facing, and which has come to the forefront this year, is: are we meeting the diverse needs of our members enough for them to renew their memberships when their budgets are tighter than ever?

To tackle this, many associations are now realising that they need to move away from a one-size-fits-all value proposition. Instead, they’re exploring how they can become hyper-relevant, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse and discerning membership base. For many, this means introducing a more nuanced offering and value proposition.

Another emerging priority for many associations this year was engaging student members more meaningfully. Associations are beginning to see that pipelining future members is not just a recruitment strategy but must be made a strategic priority and that this segment must be better understood in order to reach them. Student members need different things than those members who are already working in their profession. Showing relevance to their specific needs means associations can position themselves as career partners right from the beginning, but this means investing in a different approach—which many struggle with due to limited resources, and lack of insights and research into this cohort.

Looking to 2025, I hope to see more associations adopting a more nuanced approach to how they communicate with their members, and that communications will be elevated within these organisations to make them a bigger strategic priority.

Cara McLeod, Chief Executive Officer

This was a transition year in many ways, both macro and micro. 2024 was the biggest election year in human history. Half of the world’s population – some 3.7 billion people had the opportunity to go to the polls, many for the first time. It meant that much of the world was operating with a heightened level of uncertainty. The hope is that we’ll be operating with more confidence in 2025.

On our micro level, at Mahlab, 2024 has been an inflection point. It was a year in which we expanded our operations to Asia and one in which we cemented our positioning as an organisation that applies relentless curiosity and critical thinking to transform businesses and how they communicate.

In 2025 we’ll be working to expand the relationship with our clients and support them navigate an ever increasingly complex environment and create positive impact.

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