Biggest
Marketing Trends for 2025
We’ve almost reached the end of 2024, and marketers
around the world are beginning to lay out their plans for the coming year.
But
with so much change and uncertainty in the air, it can be tricky to know
exactly how best to build strategies for the future, so to help you get a
handle on the challenges that lie ahead, we asked some leading marketing
experts for their thoughts on the biggest trends of 2025.
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Table of Contents
Gen Alpha Digital Culture
Leverage Cultural Intelligence
Faster AI Adoption
Quality is
Brand Health Focus
AI Adding Value
The Power of Collaboration
Rising Narrative Attacks
Personalization & Trust
AI Regulation Benefits
Brands Adopt Unhinged Digital Culture
The Webby Awards Team
This year, we saw niche, absurd obsessions take
center stage online. Chronically online humor is in the way Gen Z and Gen Alpha
speak, in their content, and in their expectations of brands. It’s a trend that
is bleeding beyond the walls of TikTok. Given the speed viral trends take
off—and the ease of using Generative AI to create absurd content—”brainrot” or
“unhinged” humor are present in our digital spaces, as well as branded work.
Consumers are open to absurdity, so jump in when it
makes sense. Tap into shared language, but consider your timing with absurd
trends. Be authentic; make sure chronically online trends work with your brand
voice. To give your brand more credibility, work with content creators who are
already known for their fun and “chaotic” content.
If it works for your brand, lean into “unhinged”
executions, and let your content take on a life of its own. Brands like
Teletubbies HQ and Nutter Butter have made waves with their attention-grabbing
executions. We expect to see more marketing that creates new paths for
audiences to share joy.
And ultimately, in 2025 marketers may be faced with
two choices: lean into creating absurdity in their creative work, or build
experiences for audiences to find a reprieve.
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Cultural Intelligence as a Strategic Anchor
Melanie Klausner, Executive Vice President; New York
Lead, In a world where cultural shifts are accelerated by technology, social
media, and global interconnectedness, brands need to move from just observing
trends to actively using data and intelligence to anticipate cultural shifts
and be ready to meet them. True cultural intelligence goes beyond
trend-watching; it’s about deeply understanding the layered nuances of culture
and actively engaging with it.
It’s not only about responding to change but also
about helping shape it. By aligning with the values, behaviors, and
expectations of their audiences in real time, brands can create lasting
connections that go beyond relevance—they build trust and become integral to
the conversations that matter most.
The brands that bring deeper cultural context into
co-creation, content and connecting more meaningfully with their audiences will
stand out. Going forward, cultural relevance will be less of an add-on and more
of a strategic anchor.
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Accelerated AI Adoption & Impact
Jim Reynolds, Executive Vice President - GTM, AI, Edelman PR
2024 was a whirlwind of a year for marketers and
communicators. They faced unexpected global crises, 64 global elections,
Twitter fully transitioned into X, and TikTok trends fueled every cultural
change one could imagine. And oh yeah... Google decided not to kill the cookie
after all.
As we look retrospectively and ask what we predict
will impact marketers and communicators in 2025, I resoundingly come back to
the concept of AI. The speed of AI adoption will go even faster than expected
and change everything. Conventional adoption would have you think that it will
crawl at a slow pace, but as we’ve seen through the emergence of AI being
embedded in every device, from the iPhone to your toaster, it will change how
we market (and rapidly).
Now that we’ve seen generational model updates to
drive faster and more complete access to insights and research out of tools
like Meltwater and the improvement of generative image and video tools like
Runway and Adobe’s Firefly, digital avatar platforms like Synthesia AI are
inching toward near-human-like interactions and just like that, the marketer’s
toolkit has evolved. Marketers and communicators who do not adapt to the age of
AI in their daily work will be left behind.
That gap will become even more apparent when a
moment like Oreos Dunk In The Dark allows the AI-enabled marketing team to
seize that moment and make a cultural impact like no other. We will no longer
watch in awe as communicators work quickly. It will become table stakes.
Quality Matters More Than Ever
Carolyn Sklar, VP of Brand Communications and
Corporate Brand at Danone North America
This might sound traditional, but one word comes to
mind as I think about 2025: quality (or maybe it’s because I finally finished
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance… IYKYK). Consumers are going to
continue to be inundated by more content and more offerings from more brands,
but the truth is their reality leaves them with less attention, less time and
less resources to give.
Comprehensive quality across marketing touchpoints
will be an important distinction. When you invest in partnerships, content, and
experiences – are those leading to quality relationships and a quality
impression of your brand? Are you looking with clear eyes at the changing media
landscape to invest in places where a quality impression is possible, and will
make an impact in the circular (less linear) version of consumers’
decision-making process?
Certainly, AI and other significant marketing trends
of 2025 will play a huge role in how we market, but it will be important to set
filters for quality (measurable!) interactions between your brand consumer,
across paid, owned and earned. Looking inward, quality of connection will
matter internally both in-house and with agency partners. We all have
fragmented attention, too, and need to lead the work and teams in a way that
creates an environment for quality ideas to be created.
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Brand Health Takes Center Stage
Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer, Meltwater
CMOs are moving away from reactive to proactive
brand health strategies. Because of this, marketers are rethinking their
reliance on conventional methods, like sporadic market research surveys. While
helpful, this data is not enough — and quickly becomes outdated.
The availability of advanced data analytics and AI
tools, such as those offered by Meltwater, provide marketing departments with
real-time brand reputation monitoring and measurement to gain a comprehensive
view of their brand perception
Teams can act on these insights more immediately
through AI-driven summaries that help marketing teams understand the public
discussions about their brand, track competitor brand sentiment, and adjust
strategies on the fly based on real-time feedback
Crisis monitoring, integrated within a brand’s tech
ecosystem, is now a cornerstone of effective brand health management. Automated
spike detection and analysis provides an early warning system that helps comms
professionals get ahead of any potential crisis quickly. As these technologies
become more accessible, brands that invest in real-time, AI-powered monitoring
systems are well-positioned to protect their reputation and capitalize on new
opportunities with precision and agility.
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Embracing AI Will Secure Ancillary Benefits
Erica Fields, Executive Vice President, Head of NA DXT and I& A, WE Communications
Recent data from WE Communications and USC
Annenberg Center for Public Relations reveals that communicators who use AI more
frequently report being more excited to come to work, and are 93% more likely
to say they feel valued at work. This makes a clear case for a culture mandate;
empower your teams to embrace AI and, in turn, enhance their relationship
to their jobs.
As more comms organizations look to create
AI-forward work cultures, the data shows the two strongest predictors of
success are encouragement from an employer and giving individuals latitude to
find ways of working with AI that benefit them. This means managers have an
opportunity to be even more declarative about where and how AI can be
prioritized and give room to help team members interpret that guidance in their
unique ways and watch them flourish.
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Storytelling and Breakdown of Echo Chambers
Nicolette Addesa, Public Relations Lead, EY Canada
Individuals are becoming increasingly conscious of
the echo chambers created by our mediated consumption of information. By 2025,
I anticipate this growing awareness will motivate people to explore diverse
media outlets and broaden their sources of information
To be a good media storyteller, one must actively
consume media and stay informed about local, national, and global events.
Understanding current trends and issues is crucial. Utilizing technology
efficiently helps in keeping up with the fast-paced media landscape. By being
well-informed, storytellers can craft narratives that stand out and contribute
meaningfully, rather than adding to the noise.
This awareness ensures that stories are relevant,
impactful, and capable of shaping the world positively. Engaging with diverse
media sources and perspectives enriches storytelling, fostering a deeper
connection with audiences and promoting a more informed and empathetic society.
Marketing Takes the Lead in Collaboration
Alexandra Sabb Bjertnaes, Chief Strategy Officer,
Meltwater
As marketers, we’re all perfectly aware that
organizational silos can seriously inhibit the success of a business, putting
up walls between teams that need to work together for shared success. And we
know that we can be instrumental in solving the problem since 73% of marketers
say their organizations are seen as strategic partners to other business
functions.
I believe the drive to increase collaboration in
marketing will be a significant trend in the near future since our own data
shows that online conversations about the issue have increased by 41% percent
year on year
To achieve this, marketing leaders should align
their goals with the wider business objectives, and this means ensuring that
both marketing goals and business objectives are properly documented and
communicated in the organization.
This is a strategic problem, but it’s not impossible
to solve.
Optimizing Content for AI Chatbots
Brittany Paxman, Managing Partner, Point 600
In 2025, optimizing for AI will increase in
importance. Rather than just using AI to create content and workflows that
cater to humans, AI will be used to create content that appeals to other AI
bots. AI will increasingly be an intermediary for humans. Humans will still
interact and be the ultimate decision-makers, but AI will filter, recommend,
and segment content and experiences for humans
Search used to be the front door for marketing, and
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) was the strategy for engagement. Now, rather
than SEO, we’re entering the era of AIO — AI Optimization. If you want to reach
human audiences, you must first optimize for the AI bots that those humans are
using. This will include the myriad stakeholders that marketers and
communicators interact with, including consumers, journalists, B2B decision
makers, analysts. The takeaway: start optimizing your content and plans for
consumption by AI bots and not just humans.
AI-Driven “Narrative Attacks” on the Rise
Matt Alario, VP Partnerships, Blackbird.AI
Narrative attacks intertwined with cyber threats
will be critical challenges for marketing and communications teams. Major
brands have faced backlash when their initiatives clashed with cultural
debates. Viral content dominates social media, and brands can quickly be
targeted by coordinated disinformation campaigns aiming to damage their
reputation and bottom line. The rise of AI in marketing also raises risks of
narrative attacks created by deepfakes, disinformation, and manipulated content
being weaponized against companies.
Executives must prioritize narrative intelligence
and social listening applications to navigate this emerging threat vector. This
means real-time monitoring for coordinated attacks, partnering with
cybersecurity experts, and having a crisis communications plan informed by
real-time narratives.
Brands that understand the emerging threat of
narrative attacks and allocate resources accordingly will be resilient.
Marketing and communication leaders can protect their brand's
integrity and consumer trust by focusing on prevention and being ready to
respond decisively
Building Trust Through AI-Driven Personalization
Robert Harles, Founder & CEO, dig.human
In 2025, AI will be essential in delivering
hyper-personalized marketing experiences, but its true value lies in using it
to build customer trust. By analyzing data like browsing behavior, purchase
history, and social media activity, AI can create real-time, individualized
content tailored to each customer’s needs and preferences. As voice and visual
search technologies become more integrated, brands will be able to offer even
more tailored experiences, enhancing convenience and engagement
However, for AI to foster trust, marketers must
avoid common pitfalls. One key error is using AI to over-personalize in ways
that feel intrusive or overly predictive, which can alienate customers. If AI
recommendations feel too “creepy” or disconnected from real preferences, it may
reduce customer trust. Additionally, transparency is critical—brands must
clearly communicate how AI algorithms are used and how personal data is
collected, stored, and protected. Without this transparency, consumers may feel
their privacy is at risk.
Marketers who prioritize customer trust by ensuring
their AI-driven personalization efforts are respectful, relevant, and secure
will build stronger relationships. By focusing on delivering value through
personalized experiences that respect privacy, brands can use AI not just to
engage customers, but to earn and maintain their loyalty in an increasingly
data-conscious world, and mitigate the risk of inevitable AI backlash
New AI Regulations Will Benefit Marketers
Rob Key, Founder & CEO, Converseon
Greater emerging regulations for the design and
deployment of AI will begin to impact media and social listening. A
greater focus on accuracy, elimination of bias, model validation, tracking,
auditing, and human-in-the-loop governance will rise to meet both internal AI
policies and governance, as well as new regulations such as the AI EU
Act, which apply not just to the builders of AI, but also “deployers”.
These new standards however will come with greater
benefits for the industry: greater trust in the data, more adoption, lower cost
of operations (especially data corrections), and the ability more effectively
utilize this data for more advanced use cases, such as predictive
intelligence - including correlating this data to outcomes such as sales and
shareholder value.
Guest Authored By Lance Concannon. Lance has 20+ years experience as a journalist, and tech marketer, with a focus on digital and social media.
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Marketing Trends 2025 Conclusion
2025 looks set to be an eventful year, with lots of
change in the marketing industry and the wider world.
We hope some of these
thoughts from our selection of experts will help you to navigate the way ahead,
but if you want some more insight into the big changes facing marketing next
year, download Meltwaters 2025 Marketing Trends Guide.
Post Crafted By:
Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Scottsdale, AZ where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends. My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
Authored by:Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends. My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)
