Before you tear off your clothes and dance with wild abandon, let me explain why this is a good thing. Aquarius is the sign of innovation. I’d say the last ten months, as miserable as they have been, have yielded some ground-breaking developments—most notably, the COVID vaccine which was created in record-breaking time and will have positive implications for future management of all epidemics and disease worldwide.

Closer to home (literally), while we are no doubt tired of being cooped up, flexible working options are at long last not only the norm and there’s recognition that they are actually beneficial to both people and business. Most studies show that those who can and want to work from home are more productive. Cutting the commute saves time, gas and anxiety, allows for more focused “deep” work and increased creativity and creates the ability to work seamlessly across time zones. Agencies are adapting their processes and workflow to allow for happier, healthier and more productive employees, with the potential to yield better margins and opportunities in new markets.

In order to better serve lives that are centered at home, internet-based technologies that enable collaboration, presentation, consensus-building, entertainment, education, self-care and whatever else we need are being developed on hyperdrive. My money’s on VR right now. The hardware is getting better and cheaper. Soon it will be lighter and more efficient. I like the idea of creating my own digital twin, a better self as it were, to interact more graciously and effectively with my friends, family and colleagues.

What does this mean for brands? They need to continually insert themselves relevantly and sensitively into people’s lives. The old rules haven’t changed even if the technology has. Brands that offer something useful, educational, and most of all entertaining—whether that’s via smart speakers, on social, in streaming media—will be successful.

Another bet I’m making on Aquarius is that it will refocus our collective energies on solving the climate crisis. When we rejoin the Paris climate accords, we are likely to see a stricter regulatory environment for hydrocarbon production. I hope to see some (carbon-free) jet fuel poured on progressive innovations in solar, wind, wave, geothermal and other intelligent energy sources.

For brands, this means greater scrutiny on their environmental impact. Initiatives in this area should be central to corporate values and implemented across all touchpoints of their brand, not just sidelined to some discrete CSR department. Progress needs to be reported in marketing and corporate communications regularly. Environmental impact is as important as earnings.

Finally, I hope we use what could be a time of applicable innovation to solve some of society’s inequities. This pandemic has shone an intensely bright light on the cavernous divide between the haves and the have nots. It's time for some practical altruism. We’re beginning to see better representation of all peoples in management, on boards and in government, but we obviously need to kick it up a notch with new opportunities and new structures energized by new technologies and a better way of doing things. If we’re unchained to an office, for example, hiring is less confined by location. Technology allows companies to tap all sorts of diverse populations. As with their environmental impact, agencies and brands will need to be transparent about their DEI progress in marketing and corporate communications. People are going to care as much about who companies employ and how they’re treated, as they do about what they deliver.

Is this all hopeless optimism on my part? Maybe. But studies have shown that optimists are happier and less stressed so I’ll take it over the alternative, and I do think that we should all be buoyed by the energy of this new age and bullish on the notion that peace will guide the planets and love will steer the stars. All together folks!:   Let the sunshine, let the sunshine, let the sunshine in  etc.