01/02/25

Our 2025 Predictions for Marketing Trends

Marketing moves fast, and it’s only gotten faster. As we look ahead to the new year, we’ve got some thoughts about what to pay attention to — and what isn’t worth spending time on. Here are the predictions for marketing in 2025 from all our executive leaders, including founder and CEO Mary Ann O’Brien.

Connection + a focus on genuine, efficient content.

The AI-generated content boom will continue, but smart brands will use it thoughtfully and authentically.  

As AI-generated content continues to grow, brands should be even more careful to preserve their authenticity and remain thoughtful in their communication strategies.

The increasing reliance on AI tools for content creation offers plenty of advantages like efficiency, scalability and personalization. But without a clear strategy to maintain genuine connections with audiences, brands risk sounding robotic or disconnected, undermining the trust they’ve previously built.

To stay ahead in 2025, brands will need to integrate AI tools in a way that enhances their storytelling without losing the essence of what makes them unique. Authenticity will be the differentiator, and consumers are more discerning than ever when it comes to content that feels manufactured.

A brand that uses AI thoughtfully, aligning content with the values and needs of its target audience, will gain customer loyalty and trust. Whatever the tactic, brands should prioritize making AI-driven initiatives transparent, aligned with their mission and not over-reliant on algorithms that risk disconnecting the human element. If you can get that right, AI can become a powerful ally in creating meaningful, lasting relationships that go beyond the quantity of delivered content.

Sean Conlin, Vice President of Digital Strategy and Product Development

Transparency + a focus on values for customer loyalty.

If you want to win in 2025, be open about business practices, genuine in your communication and watch both customer loyalty and your brand grow.

As consumers become more price-sensitive and value-conscious, businesses must deeply understand and align with their customers’ values to remain competitive.

Warby Parker is a great example, offering affordable, stylish eyewear and donating a pair of glasses for every pair sold. Additionally, Warby Parker’s transparency about pricing and manufacturing processes builds trust and loyalty among their customers. That’s on top of their overall affordability and the innovation of trying on glasses at home — a game-changer for customers both when it was pioneered and now.

And it’s not just big businesses who stand to gain from aligning with customer values. If you’re leading a small business, you can learn about customers’ values by taking the time to listen and reflect on who you are and what you’re great at. Once a business knows what matters to their customer and what they can deliver, it’s time to tell that story in marketing strategy and community engagement.

In 2025, businesses that align their operating and marketing strategies with customer values with authenticity and transparency will see a big boost in customer loyalty and market share.

Erin Dittman, Vice President of Customer Insights and Strategy

Adaptability + a focus on engaging visibility.

CTV and social media will surpass traditional TV as primary channels.

In 2025, we’ll witness a major turning point in the media landscape: YouTube and social media users in the U.S. will surpass linear TV viewers. This isn’t just a gradual evolution—it’s a tipping point that redefines what “primary channel” means for brand visibility and conversions.

Platforms like YouTube and other CTV/OTT channels have long been seen as secondary to traditional TV. But in 2025, they’ll solidify their place as primary channels for reaching and engaging today’s consumers. As ad-supported streaming options grow and technology advances, brands that prioritize CTV and social media will have the competitive advantage.

To stay relevant, marketers must evolve and leverage first-party data to craft personalized and engaging experiences on these platforms. As CTV and social media ad technology advances, we’ll see more innovations in interactive ad formats, personalization, shoppable experiences, and real-time attribution, redefining how we look at brand awareness vs. conversion.

Justin Eveloff, Vice President of Performance Marketing

Partnership + a focus on increased ROI.

Clients will expect not only creative execution, but strategic insights from agency partners.

Maintaining strong client relationships requires strong performance across the board, but agencies that prioritize strategic partnership, are adaptive with AI and operate with transparency and flexibility will likely see the most success.

Clients will increasingly demand transparency and shared responsibility with their agency partners. Agencies which offer open communication around KPIs, budgets and campaign performance will gain trust and long-term loyalty. Transparency in fees and deliverables will also be expected as clients scrutinize value and ROI more closely.

As agencies continue to integrate strategic capabilities, clients will rely on them not just for execution but for insights that impact business decisions. Agencies that invest in understanding their clients’ industries and challenges will be better positioned to offer high-value recommendations that transcend traditional campaign metrics.

Clients are expected to press harder on agencies to demonstrate ROI across multiple channels. This will increase the need for robust analytics, real-time reporting and clear accountability metrics.

Larger clients may continue to bring more marketing functions in-house, particularly those related to data and digital marketing. Agencies will need to adapt by offering specialized services, consulting and collaboration models that support and integrate with in-house teams rather than compete with them.

Karisa Malchow, Vice President of Client Services

Integration + a focus on balancing technology.

Agencies who successfully adopt AI will take the lead in their field of expertise.

From the lens of Business Operations, 2025 is likely the defining year for advertising agencies in the race for AI-powered tools — navigating skills, gaps and staffing.

Many agencies have been early-adopters, but others are now quickly investing in training and new AI technologies. It may be a tricky balance and those who understand the balance will best navigate the complexities. Many agencies, unfortunately, may not have the teams, trainings or infrastructure to effectively implement new platforms. Agencies that succeed, however, will be able to integrate AI into workflows and increase productivity, positioning them as leaders in their region or expertise.

As successful as the tools may be, AI adoption does not a marketing agency make. As adoption of this technology grows, it needs to align with culture and processes. It should be employee focused and aimed at how to best position their role and increase their capabilities. It should be understood and embraced at all levels.

Joe Menaugh, Vice President of Business Operations

Innovation + a focus on lead generation and attribution.

It isn’t enough to deliver good results — clients want engagement and analysis on a deeper level.

I believe that 2025 will focus on innovation around lead generation.

Better has no finish line — we’re continually pushing to achieve the full potential and productivity of our work. For this next year, the best marketers (and clients) will continue to invest in understanding the power of seeing the full view of the customer and coupling it with hard data to drive results. This will be fueled by customer insights, good data governance and robust data aggregation that allows for advanced attribution to measure and manage work. We’ll also continue to work with generative AI to serve up real-time offers, ads, headlines and creative more easily, so we have the perfect offer at the perfect moment.

If our goal is to help others realize their dreams, using technology paired with our marketing expertise is the solution. So, I say: bring on the technology advancements, bring on AI and bring on the ability to think critically around the business problems we help solve and around the needs of both our clients and their customers.

Mary Ann O’Brien, Founder and CEO

Marketing and advertising isn’t just about staying ahead of trends — but true success in this industry requires proactive vision. The brands that make it adapt quickly, embrace innovation and place their customers at the center of their strategies.

Don’t wait until everyone else is on the bandwagon to make changes; get in touch with a marketing agency like OBI Creative and start preparing for what’s next. We can help you navigate market shifts, make the most of emerging technology and build a strategy that keeps you ahead of the competition.

Are you ready to step into the future? Reach out now to learn how we can prepare you for the advancements ahead.