13 Top Marketing Trends (2024 & 2025)

Businesses of all sizes are adjusting their marketing strategies in response to evolving consumer behavior and advancements in technologies like generative AI.

1. Generative AI Changes How Marketing Is Done

Generative AI has emerged as the most impactful technology in the marketing landscape of 2024. It is widely adopted by marketers for creating content, brainstorming campaigns, and optimizing efficiency, with 73% of marketers incorporating AI tools into their regular operations.

There has been a significant 967% increase in Google searches for "AI marketing tools" in the last 24 months, highlighting the growing interest and adoption of AI in marketing strategies.

Here are some tangible ways AI is applied in marketing:

• Ideation and brainstorming: ChatGPT and similar language models assist in generating ideas for new campaigns, advertising creatives, and other marketing initiatives.

• Content creation: Platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E simplify the process, allowing any member of a marketing team to generate ad copy or even social media images.

Example of a marketing image created with DALL-E.

• Campaign analysis: Generative AI has revolutionized campaign analysis, reducing what used to take days or weeks to mere minutes. For instance, marketers can upload data from an email campaign—such as open rates, click-through rates, and sales—into AI tools to quickly identify top-performing messages and customer segments.

• Predictions and forecasting: AI can leverage data effectively to predict future consumer interests and demand accurately.

By 2025, anticipate AI adoption expanding into novel applications such as automated A/B testing, AI-driven influencers, and campaign management.

2. Marketers Go All-In On TikTok

TikTok, a platform with over 1 billion users, is still experiencing notable expansion in its user base.

Searches for “TikTok” have increased by 1,825% in 5 years.

TikTok gained more than 200 million new users in the fourth quarter of last year alone.

TikTok's user base is still on the rise.

Marketers hold diverse views on TikTok, perceiving it either as exclusively for Gen Z or grappling with how to effectively leverage its short-form video format for branding. However, in the coming months, more businesses are expected to fully commit to TikTok due to its extensive and active user base, coupled with remarkably high engagement levels. Recent developments underscore TikTok's strategic shift towards accommodating businesses and their marketing requirements. For instance, TikTok has enhanced its advertising platform to compete directly with industry giants such as Google and Meta, highlighting its growing influence in the digital advertising landscape.

TikTok has expanded its advertising capabilities to include multiple targeting dimensions, enabling advertisers to tailor their campaigns based on factors like age, gender, location, interests, and purchase behavior. This enhancement aligns TikTok more closely with established ad platforms, providing marketers with comprehensive targeting options to reach their desired audience effectively.

Major national brands are increasingly integrating TikTok into their overall marketing efforts.

3. AI Helps With Personalized Marketing Campaigns

Over the past five years, searches for "personalized marketing" have doubled.

Companies are increasingly leveraging data to foster deeper personalized connections with their audience. This trend is driven by consumer preferences, with 80% indicating a higher likelihood of making a purchase when personalization is part of their experience. Over a third of consumers express a desire for more personalized shopping interactions, although concerns about "data debt" persist. Despite these concerns, consumer trust in sharing personal data remains robust, as evidenced by a report showing that 90% of shoppers are willing to disclose information if it leads to more convenient or cost-effective shopping experiences.

• New technology (AR) lets you see furniture virtually placed in your home.

• Netflix is really good at suggesting shows you'll like (80% of what people watch comes from recommendations).

Most businesses aren't taking full advantage of personalization in digital marketing (only 10% go beyond basic strategies).

Experts believe the next step is personalizing offline experiences using advanced technology (AI and data analysis).

Personalization seems to be very effective, with some businesses reporting a 200% return on investment.

4. E-Commerce Drives News Features On Instagram

• Instagram is becoming a major player in e-commerce, with new features and a huge user base (over 2 billion).

• Many users (36%) actively follow brands, and Instagram reports high daily engagement with business profiles (over 200 million).

• This makes Instagram a goldmine for marketers in the present and future.

Instagram offers everything a digital marketer needs: building a following, branding, and selling directly within the app.

Marketers can attract new customers, nurture existing ones, and drive sales – all on a single platform.

Users can discover and purchase products through various features like Reels, Live videos, posts, Stories, and business profiles.

Instagram is a dominant platform for social media advertising. A survey showed that nearly a third (29%) of businesses dedicate most of their social ad budget to Instagram. Furthermore, over 20% of respondents reported the best Return On Ad Spend (ROAS) on Instagram. The dominance of Instagram ads is further emphasized by projections estimating US businesses spending a total of $9.1 billion on the platform by the end of 2024.

5. Influencer Marketing Matures

Influencer marketing has become a mainstream marketing tactic, rather than a new and upcoming trend.

Influencer marketing is a major marketing channel, especially for B2C companies. It's a booming industry with strong ROI, leading to a projected spend of $35 billion in 2024. Surveys show it delivers higher returns than other channels, and even big companies are finding success with influencer partnerships.

Dunkin's use of micro-influencers highlights a key aspect of influencer marketing: strategic selection based on goals. By partnering with several micro-influencers, they likely aimed for a wider reach and a more targeted audience compared to a single big influencer. This strategy seems to have paid off, reaching over 1 million people and achieving a good engagement rate (5.2%).

6. Advertisers Prioritize User-Generated Content

The growing demand for authenticity on social media is fueling the rise of user-generated content (UGC).

Consumers are skeptical of traditional advertising (96% distrust ads), but trust content created by real people (marketers agree at 93%). This is why User-Generated Content (UGC) is a growing trend.

User-generated content (UGC) isn't just about marketing products – it can also be a tool for social good. Brands can leverage UGC campaigns to raise awareness and support for social causes, while simultaneously boosting engagement with their followers.

7. Marketers Go All-In With Video

Video content is king! YouTube remains a powerhouse, with over 500 hours uploaded every minute. But video is exploding across social media, with platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even X (formerly Twitter) prioritizing video content. Marketers are catching on and making video the centerpiece of their campaigns.

While video reigns supreme in marketing, there's an ideal length to consider. Short videos are king, and attention spans are shrinking (thanks to platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts). The current industry standard recommends marketing videos stay under 2 minutes for maximum impact.

8. Consumer Demand Fuels Visual Search

Visual search, powered by AI, is emerging as a major marketing trend. Despite its potential, only a small fraction of businesses have integrated it. However, the image recognition market is expected to surge, driven by high demand from both marketers and consumers who find text search frustrating. Millennials are especially eager to embrace this new technology.

9. Marketers Turn To YouTube Ads For Increased Reach And Improved ROI

Traditional TV viewership is declining, prompting companies to shift their advertising budgets. YouTube is emerging as a major beneficiary, attracting a growing share of ad dollars.

YouTube ad spending is surging as traditional TV viewership declines. Revenue tops $8 billion quarterly, and over half of marketers are using YouTube ads or want to learn more. With a massive reach (1.7 billion users) and low costs (as low as $.03 per impression), YouTube offers a strong return on investment, as shown by Grammarly's success with their full-funnel ad strategy.

10. Data Privacy Concerns Prompt Marketers To Change Strategies

Digital marketers rely on consumer data for personalization and targeted advertising. However, growing privacy concerns may soon make this data difficult to obtain.

Consumer privacy concerns are on the rise, with a majority of Americans worried about data collection and many uncomfortable with targeted ads. This is reflected in their online behavior and is prompting major changes in data collection practices, like the phasing out of third-party cookies. Digital marketers need to adapt and rebuild consumer trust.

Privacy concerns soar: Most Americans worry about data collection and dislike targeted ads. This online behavior shift (privacy tools, ad avoidance) forces changes in data practices. Marketers must adapt and rebuild trust.

11. Metaverse Hypes Dies Down

The metaverse, a much-hyped virtual world combining AR and VR, was supposed to revolutionize how we live digitally.Facebook even rebranded to Meta to emphasize its focus on this technology. However, experts are divided on its potential,and so far, the reality hasn't lived up to the initial excitement.

The metaverse, a hyped virtual world, is still a fuzzy concept for marketers. While it's not yet a mainstream platform,some early examples of successful metaverse marketing campaigns are emerging.

12. Marketing Leaders Respond To Calls For Increased Diversity

Consumers are demanding diversity and inclusion in advertising. Surveys show that a significant portion of consumers,especially LGBTQ+, African-American, and Millennial demographics, are more likely to buy from brands that actively represent diversity. Studies have even linked diversity in marketing to higher consumer preference (83%) and trust (70% among Gen Z).

Consumers, especially minorities, demand diverse advertising (61%). However, representation falls short, particularly in digital marketing (29% of non-white individuals are satisfied). Recognizing this gap, marketers prioritize inclusivity (93%) and plan to improve diverse imagery (90%). Strategies include audience research, inclusive language, and partnerships with minority-owned businesses.

13. Chatbot App Integrations Grow

One digital marketing strategy that combines a few of the trends already on this list is the use of chatbots.

Consumers (40% interested) and marketers (especially B2B, 82% value) are embracing AI chatbots for their positive user experience (80%) and ability to drive sales (predicted $142 billion by 2024). Chatbots can answer questions, personalize interactions, and build trust (69% of Americans feel more confident with messaging businesses). Popular platforms like WhatsApp (2 billion users) offer businesses a powerful marketing tool.

Conclusion

Social media remains a key marketing battleground, with platforms constantly adding new features for businesses.However, consumers crave genuine and personalized experiences. The future belongs to brands that can strike a balance between paid advertising and organic buzz (positive word-of-mouth) generated by their customers.