Marketing Trends 2025

1. The voyage to total video

The line between broadcast and streaming TV is now invisible to viewers, and there is a big variety in viewing preferences among different demographics and markets between traditional broadcast channels, subscription video on demand or ad-based services. That’s left marketers struggling with how to place their advertising, and they need to consider this variety in our fragmented media landscape.

Marketers need to take these nuances into account, testing and learning to find the right mix for their campaign. While a net 8% are planning to decrease their investment in broadcast TV next year, more than half of marketers have plans to increase it in streaming. The heavy investment that has gone into broadcast advertising will continue to be spread both across the TV portfolio and further into video advertising, as platforms like YouTube re-join bodies like BARB in the UK.

2. Social media needs to up its game

Just under a third of people say social media ads capture their attention. That’s a big drop from last year. Marketers who blame this on an attention deficit among younger audiences are wrong. Disenchantment has struck every generation.

In 2025 attention will need to be earned continuously and consistently. Engagement quality, which has the most impact on creative effectiveness, will become more important. Ads will need to be so platform-specific, well-conceived and well-made that viewers derive instant meaning. Expect to see more creative innovation and visual theatre to capture people’s attention: experimental camera shots, cuts, and new ways of telling old stories.

3. Safety first: Generative AI has to reassure marketers

Marketers are still trying to work out where best to deploy GenAI, what its impact will be, and what the risks are. New powers and capabilities are unveiled every day and the risk of falling behind is real: more than one in three marketers don’t think that they or their teams have the AI skills they need.

Data provenance will be a big theme in 2025. As AI becomes more sophisticated, more people will be pushing for transparency in how it’s used. 44% of marketers can tell if an ad has used AI, and more than two in five consumers don’t trust ads that are AI-generated. Whether they’re using GenAI to inform data-led investment decisions or to help create ideas and content, marketers will need reassurance that the training data the models are based on are trustworthy, relevant, and reliable.

4. Sustainability and marketing must merge

The good news for our planet is that 93% of people say they want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, and 94% of marketers understand that their sustainability agendas need to be more ambitious. With 2025 a big year for sustainability legislation ramping up in major economies, it’s going to force businesses to see sustainability as an opportunity as well as a risk.

So far, marketers have performed poorly in integrating sustainability in a way that’s meaningfully different and resonates with consumers. But despite what seems like the well-intentioned failure of sustainability marketing, our analysis suggests that sustainability already contributes $193 billion to the value of the world’s top 100 brands. Even by a conservative estimate, the most environmentally engaged group of consumers is going to grow, from 22% of the population in 2023 to 29% by 2030.

5. Brands tap into creator communities

Creator communities are thriving; Goldman Sachs estimates the creator economy could reach $480 billion by 2027 – almost double what it is now. Tight-knit communities that creators bring together, whether about parenting, sports, beauty, or something else, hold a great deal of power to predispose more people towards a brand. They can drive equity and love with future audiences. In a polarised world, that means creators with an authentic voice can act as a vital bridge in establishing trust with consumers.

Brands need to align creator-led content with their wider strategy to resonate across channels. Not all content creators are competing for cash – some seek platform experience, clout, or longevity. It’s a two-way street, and collaborating with creators to understand what they’re after will be important for platforms aiming to grow their user base and ad revenue.

6. Woke and definitely not broke: The Inclusion imperative

While evidence that inclusion is a powerful engine of brand growth continues to mount, marketers have long underestimated its impact. Social, political and demographic changes are going to make inclusion more personal for lots of people next year meaning it’s going to become one of the most important considerations for brands.

Our data shows that a brand’s diversity and inclusion efforts influence the buying decisions of almost eight in 10 people worldwide, and this is even higher among Gen Z and Millennials, LGBTQ+ communities, people with thinking and learning differences, people in developing markets and people with disabilities.

7. The puzzle of slowing population growth

Products rely on populations getting bigger to drive sales. But global population growth is now under one percent and is predicted to go negative by the end of the century. Fewer people, fewer shoppers.

In this context brands will find it easier to hold onto their market share, because there’s less pressure to add new shoppers to stay even. Brands are five times more likely to grow if their categories are growing – that’s harder when there are fewer new shoppers each year. Other forces will exacerbate this. People are marrying and having children later and living in smaller households. Meanwhile, aging populations comprise more of the market – and they tend to spend less.

Population decline creates an urgency for marketers to predispose more people to their brand, to stake a claim in consumers’ minds and to find new spaces in which to grow.

8. Stretching the limits of innovation

Innovation will be a must for larger brands that can’t easily grow in other ways. The good news is there’s plenty of inspiration to take into 2025 around how brands innovate to reach new pockets of growth. Examples include Oreo and Ferrero pivoting to ice cream or Oral B investigating more ways to expand their presence in the bathroom. At the most radical end of the spectrum is the way Samsung has stretched into ‘extra mile’ convenience stores in the US.

Brands which can find new space in which to operate double their chances of growth. Those with high penetration and a strong probability of growth then have momentum to reimagine what they’re in the business of and explore new revenue streams.

9. Retail media networks are evolving

Retail media networks are transforming how brands engage with consumers by enabling highly targeted, personalized ads across multiple touchpoints – retailer websites, apps, off-site partner media, and even in-store digital displays.

Studies show retail media will account for almost a quarter of all US media ad spend in 2028. By collaborating with retailers on their first-party data, marketers can be more precise in targeting and personalising their marketing, which in turn means detailed consumer insights can be used to optimise ad spend and improve campaign effectiveness. We see some RMNs evolving into full-funnel marketing assets, specifically within consumer products. They’re not just a short-term play – we already know from our Kantar Retail RMN study that nearly 60% of marketers have plans to increase their investment in retail media next year. But there needs to be transparency about the challenges holding back RMN investment. These include improved data access, specific media measurement needs, and the ability to drive brand equity.

10. Livestreaming: alive and kicking

Livestreaming platforms like Taobao Live, Douyin and WeChat reach half the Chinese population for entertainment and shopping, and some forecasts put live-commerce sales at 20% of total retail in China by 2026. Naturally, Gen Z and millennials are major audiences. Successful hosts can play an important role in engaging viewers and encouraging repeat purchases.

Make-up brand Made by Mitchell achieved $1m sales within 12 hours in a UK TikTok Shop event, showing how social commerce can lower barriers for smaller brands. And while live commerce naturally suits fast moving and small items, all sectors including automotive and luxury fashion can benefit from this engaging channel.

Livestreaming ads can boost both short-term purchase intent and long-term brand affinity. Established brands should focus on building long-term associations such as how they meet consumers’ needs, while medium and smaller brands should prioritise increasing awareness and driving immediate interest.