With the marketing landscape constantly evolving and customer needs ever-changing, it can be hard to keep track of the latest trends or even predict future ones. The rise of digital marketing has allowed companies to think of new ways to reach more potential customers than ever before.
So how can I know what to target as a marketer?
Don’t worry, we have you covered. We’ve assembled a list of some pretty good guesses (we think) for some of the most eye-catching marketing trends to watch in 2025 based on what’s already begun to have an impact and doesn’t show signs of slowing down any time soon.
1. Short-form video content
You may have heard talk of the 8-second attention span of Gen Z, where the rise of short-form video content on platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram has seemingly diminished young people’s ability to focus on clips for more than a mere few seconds before deciding to scroll to the next one. Whether that’s universally true or not remains up for debate, but certainly the popularity of the ‘TikTok format’ and other platforms following the app’s lead has made way for interesting conversation about how this affects advertising and what marketers can do to combat this new challenge of condensing ideas to a minimum and attracting audiences right off the bat.
TikTok has grown extremely popular after merging with Musical.ly, now promoting the creation of all kinds of short-form content and not just the lip-singing and dancing videos that users had been used to originally. TikTok did it first, with the newer YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels hopping on the bandwagon of the app’s success.
For anyone advertising, TikTok has become and continues to be, an exciting new way to go about grabbing peoples’ attention via short video clips either posted on creators’ accounts or through promoting your business on users’ feeds, using targeted ads that appear every few scrolls. In this way, it is vital to be creative about how you advertise on TikTok – you need to be able to surprise and interest consumers with what you say or display within a few seconds, such as utilising trends that circulate the app and collaborating with beloved creators.
2. AI
Yes, a lot of people think AI is taking over our jobs. But its rise (and the inevitable continuation of it) has shown that it’s more plausible to say that AI is just changing the way we do things. Many businesses can and have used it to optimise marketing strategies and the truth is that ignoring it and not adapting is what is more likely to have negative consequences.
ChatGPT is what seems to be making the headlines in AI developments, but there’s also more to be acknowledged.
The use of chatbots on businesses’ websites has become a notable component of marketing strategies, offering visitors the chance to type messages to an AI assistant, answering their questions and directing them to products and services quicker than before.
AI is now helping businesses discover the best influencers to use for their campaigns, analysing post engagement and predicting campaigns that will be most effective with influencers.
Visual searches are also on the rise, with Google Lens and Snapchat’s Scan feature allowing for an integrated shopping experience when users take photographs of objects that can be recognised as products to buy online.
But what about the role of the human in all of this? Whilst these AI tools help speed up the marketing process and provide recommendations, they are not perfect and need human oversight to correct mistakes. Marketers also know and understand their clients best to tailor products and services to their needs. Marketing agencies especially need to maintain a human-to-human contact approach.
3. Social commerce
Social media platforms and businesses are finding more ways to promote products and services directly on social media. For example, TikTok Shop allows a more integrated experience by allowing users to find products to buy via its ‘shop’ tab. Additionally, Pinterest is continuing to attract users who are searching for ideas, offering shoppable pins and video content to drive conversions.
Businesses recognise the exciting potential for driving sales on social media platforms but need to make sure that their attempts feel authentic and engaging, as users are wise to when something feels obviously promoted. The use of storytelling can be an effective way of showing to users that you, or people advertising your product, are relatable and understand their needs.
4. Advertising on streaming services
In an age of streaming, consumers are ditching network television and companies are spending money on ads elsewhere such as Netflix and YouTube.
With audiences wanting to watch more quality content but aren’t willing to pay an arm and a leg for higher-tier subscriptions, streaming services like Netflix have found a successful middle ground where users opt for a basic ad-supported subscription. Many find this alternative to be tolerable, being able to watch the shows and films they love at a reduced cost, but with occasional adverts.
YouTube has been found to not only deliver better ad recall and attraction from viewers compared to traditional TV advertising but also a broader reach among adults, prompting advertisers to diversify their campaigns.
Conclusion
Navigating the world of trends can be a scary place, which is why it’s more important than ever to stay alert as a marketer for anything that makes the news and sparks a lot of conversation as you never know what it might lead to and whether you could use it to improve your strategy. At Icon, we keep an eye on the industry and use our knowledge to create a bespoke service that suits your needs and what’s best for your business.
If you need marketing support, we would love to hear from you – contact us today at kiesha@iconmarketingcommunications.co.uk.