Brands going woke, lack of consumer trust in AI ads, and rethinking waning social media engagement will all be on the table.
What’s in store for the world’s marketers in 2025? As 2024 heads to a close, Kantar has just released its Marketing Trends 2025 report, providing important insights for marketers navigating a rapidly evolving landscape.
These are some of the marketing trends that the insights and consulting company believes will make a difference next year:
Brands go woke and definitely not broke
While evidence that inclusion is a powerful engine of brand growth continues to mount, marketers are still underestimating its impact. Data shows that a brand’s diversity and inclusion efforts influence the buying decisions of almost eight in 10 people worldwide. With major political, social and demographic changes set to make inclusion more personal for lots of people next year, it will become one of the most significant considerations for brands.
Gen AI – safety will come first
Data provenance will be a big theme in 2025. The company’s research indicates that more than two in five consumers don’t trust ads that are AI-generated. As AI becomes more sophisticated, more people will be pushing for transparency in how it’s used. 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.
Looking to livestreaming
Livestreaming ads can boost both short-term purchase intent and long-term brand affinity. Kantar’s experts expect established brands to look to livestreaming ads to build long-term associations, while medium and smaller brands prioritise increasing awareness and driving immediate interest.
Demanding more from Retail Media Networks
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. But in 2025 there needs to be transparency about the challenges holding back marketers from investing in RMNs; improved data access, specific media measurement needs, and the ability to drive brand equity.
Embarking on the voyage to total video
The line between broadcast and streaming TV is now all but invisible to viewers. Heavy investment into broadcast TV advertising will continue to be spread across the TV portfolio, and further into video advertising, predicts Kantar. Marketers that take a nuanced approach, testing and learning to find the right mix across traditional channels, SVOD, and AVOD platforms will be best set for success.
Social media to innovate to recapture attention
Just under a third of people say ads on social media platforms capture their attention, a marked decrease over last year’s 43%. This can’t simply be attributed to an attention deficit among younger audiences; disenchantment has struck every generation. Kantar expects to see more creative innovation and visual theatre attempt to capture people’s attention in 2025: experimental camera shots, cuts, and new ways of telling old stories.
