Brand and Demand 3.0: Industry Leaders Predict 2025’s Biggest Marketing Trends
Welcome back to Brand and Demand 3.0, a series by The Continuum where we ask industry leaders to share their thoughts on cultural moments, events, trends, and ideas that matter to brands and marketers. We also connect the dots between top-of-funnel brand awareness and day-to-day performance marketing.
In 2024, we witnessed several trends define the marketing landscape, from the surge of generative AI and automation tools to growing concerns around data privacy and AI regulation. Industry leaders also grappled with finding the right balance between technological innovation and authentic storytelling, a central theme at major conferences throughout the year. Meanwhile, we saw consumer behavior continue to shift, prompting brands to double down on content personalization and omnichannel strategies.
As we look ahead to 2025, many of these trends are expected to evolve further. We asked several key industry leaders which trends they foresee shaping the marketing landscape this year and how they plan to navigate them. Here’s what they had to say:
Leslie Baumann
CEO, Skin Type Solutions
At Skin Type Solutions, we see more and more demand for custom skin care routines from e-commerce skincare buyers. They seem to want to buy a collection of products that work together rather than just one product. We address this personalization of skin care by dividing the consumer into 16 skin types. Our questionnaire helps us decide which skin type they are and helps us design a custom skincare routine for them. We notice that when shoppers take the quiz, they tend to return to repurchase more often and have fewer product returns.
In 2025, we plan to enhance our customization abilities and interactive conversations using the infrastructure we have already built.
Anna Bager
President and CEO, OAAA
As we look ahead to 2025, we are seeing several themes emerging for marketing in general and for Out of Home (OOH) in particular:
Emphasis on Data-Driven Strategies: As marketers across channels seek more precise ways to measure impact and optimize spend, this focus on analytics and measurement will be seen in OOH, where advertising will become increasingly data-driven, with real-time measurement tools and advanced analytics providing clearer insights into campaign effectiveness and ROI.
Data Privacy: With heightened regulatory scrutiny and public awareness of data privacy issues, advertisers will face challenges in complying with data protection laws and maintaining consumer trust. This will make OOH advertising a more attractive option due to its lower data footprint and historically privacy-friendly reputation.
Channel Optimization and Budget Reallocation: There's a trend towards reallocating budgets from oversaturated channels to historically under-invested ones like OOH. This shift aims to optimize overall marketing ROI and improve metrics such as brand awareness and purchase intent.
OOH in the Omnichannel Mix: Marketers will focus on creating seamless, integrated campaigns that deliver consistent messages across multiple platforms. This includes better integration of OOH advertising with digital channels to develop cohesive consumer experiences.
AK Oghoghomeh
CMO, Beyond Meat
In 2025, I anticipate a stronger convergence of AI-driven tools guided by human creativity, enabling brands to craft hyper-personalized experiences while maintaining authenticity to core audiences. While still important and very relevant, social channels like TikTok and IG will cede a share of attention to new emerging social channels like Threads and Bluesky. This has the potential to reshape how brands connect with audiences, which emphasizes the need for nimble strategies to stay relevant in new digital spaces. As consumer concerns around data privacy intensify, marketers will need to adopt more transparent and ethical data practices around first-party data to build trust and foster loyalty among core consumer groups. Additionally, the rise of immersive technologies like AR and VR may finally open new opportunities at scale for interactive storytelling and engagement.
To navigate these shifts, I’m focusing my team on staying agile, investing in cutting-edge tools, and continuing our prioritization of a consumer-first approach that aligns with evolving sentiment around privacy and trust.
Chris Breen
Partner and CCO, Chemistry
AI is going to shift how we work; that is inevitable. But take typesetting, for example. Typesetting didn’t die. It evolved. It moved to different screens as technology shifted with desktop publishing and opened a new world to the craft. Sure, typesetting by hand went away (for the most part), but typesetting as a craft, I would argue become more valuable because of technology.
2025 will also be the year Creativity Strikes Back. I think the world is yearning for big ideas and simplicity. Just because there are many channels doesn’t mean there have to be many messages. I think we will see a shift to omnichannel marketing and that will place a premium on big ideas vs. many ideas.
Brittni Hutchins
Associate Partner, Managing Director, Venables Bell + Partners
I think it's important to remember that trends come and go. They take over and then retreat and sometimes come back again. As tempting as it is to predict the next year or next decade, we have to stay focused on our main job: building an enduring relationship between brands/products and consumers. The question we should be asking ourselves is how are these trends--whatever they may be--in service of that. My hope is that we keep that in the forefront and allow the noise and distraction to fall by the wayside.
Ron Ceballos
EVP, Executive Creative Director, Quigley-Simpson
In 2025, generative AI is no longer just a shiny new toy—it’s your brand’s chatty sidekick, whipping up brilliant ideas while you sneak off for a green tea matcha latte. We’ll see data privacy rules get stricter than an overzealous gym teacher's whistle, meaning marketers must earn trust the quaint, old-fashioned way: honesty and respect. Personalized content will spread like a perfectly choreographed TikTok trend but with more heart (and hopefully fewer awkward dance moves).
As for me, I’m sharpening both my creative vision and bolstering my regulatory savvy, ready to ride the wave of innovation without losing sight of authentic storytelling. It's relatively the same game: juggle new technologies and regulations like a circus clown with a master’s in compliance.
January 14, 2025
© 2024 The Continuum
