A look back at the biggest newsmakers and trends of 2021

From NFTs to the ‘Great Resignation,’ the supply chain crisis to the Meta-zation of Facebook, these are the stories that defined a year of transition

Illustration and animation by hitandrun creative studio. Published on December 22, 2021

A look back at the biggest newsmakers and trends of 2021

From NFTs to the ‘Great Resignation,’ the supply chain crisis to the Meta-zation of Facebook, these are the stories that defined a year of transition

Illustration and animation by hitandrun creative studio. Published on December 22, 2021

You might call 2021 the year of transition.

It was the year we were “transitioning” back to in-person collaboration and events—though at this writing yet another COVID variant threatens to delay a return to business as usual. It was the year of the “Great Resignation,” in which a surprising number of industry leaders transitioned into new posts or left the business entirely. And it was the year the marketing world began truly transitioning into the virtual world as companies, agencies and media companies (yes, we are talking about you, Facebook) began embracing NFTs and the metaverse in a significant way.

Here we look back at the people, the stories, the trends and the events that allowed the industry to transition into whatever 2022 brings. Adage End Bug

Art direction by Tam Nguyen. Web production by Corey Holmes.