The world is evolving faster than ever, fuelled by the continued growth of social media and the rise of AI. We’re quickly seeing that brands that aren’t adapting are losing out, and those that can embrace what’s probably the biggest seismic shift in marketing that we’ve seen in the last 10 years will win.
This 5-step framework will guide you through the key areas of focus to ensure your brand not only survives, but excels in 2025.
In 2025, the days of allocating the majority of your marketing budget to just two or three key channels or platforms will be behind us. The rise of niche social platforms, e-commerce-driven ecosystems, and decentralized media environments means brands must now expand their reach across 5-6 diverse channels, ensuring they don’t miss opportunities in emerging spaces.
Take Action:
Diversify your media mix by experimenting with emerging platforms and ad formats. Use a portion of your budget for experimental channels and formats that might not have massive scale yet, but where early engagement trends show potential. This approach will help you stay ahead of the curve and mitigate over-reliance on any single channel.
Zero-click marketing—the phenomenon where consumers get all the information they need without leaving their current platform—is gaining momentum. With the rise of featured snippets, social media in-platform commerce, and voice search, consumers are increasingly engaging with content directly on platforms without clicking through to brand websites. Brands must adjust their strategies to win in these environments, where capturing attention without requiring a click is critical. This trend will only grow in 2025, as consumers expect convenience and instant access to answers and product details.
Take Action:
Optimise content for zero-click environments by creating snackable, in-platform content designed for quick consumption. Invest in creating value-driven content that answers questions, showcases products, or shares key information directly within search engines, social feeds, or even voice assistants. Ensure your brand remains top of mind even if the consumer doesn’t leave the platform.
The power dynamics in content creation have shifted. Consumers are increasingly turning to creators and influencers for information, entertainment, and recommendations. Traditional brand-led content is losing its impact in favour of more authentic, creator-driven narratives that consumers trust. To stay relevant, brands need to shift their focus from controlling the narrative to collaborating with creators who can build authentic, engaging stories on their behalf.
Take Action:
Shift your content strategy to embrace creator-led messaging. Partner with micro and macro influencers who can authentically tell your brand’s story, but in a way that resonates with their own audience. This doesn’t just mean paying for one-off sponsored posts; it requires long-term partnerships where creators become true brand advocates, helping to drive community and brand loyalty.
The lines between direct-to-consumer (D2C) and retailer channels have blurred, and measuring each in isolation is no longer effective. As consumer journeys cross multiple touchpoints—from social media to retail websites and beyond—brands need a measurement approach that tracks performance across all channels holistically.
Take Action:
Implement a unified data infrastructure that centralizes customer insights from all channels. Use this data to understand how different channels work together and inform your investment decisions. By attributing value across the entire ecosystem, you can more effectively optimize budgets and boost return on investment.
As marketing becomes more complex, understanding which touchpoints drive conversions—and how different channels contribute to the overall customer journey—requires full-funnel attribution. Gone are the days when last-click attribution ruled decision-making; brands need to invest in sophisticated attribution models that give visibility into the entire customer journey.
Take Action:
Adopt an advanced, MMM attribution model that measures data points from the top to the bottom of the funnel. Ensure your attribution system can measure everything—from brand awareness campaigns to direct response advertising—so you can more accurately assess how each element of your marketing mix contributes to sales. This level of insight will allow you to better allocate resources and optimize your budget in real time.
Final thoughts:
The time to act is now. The brands that evolve and innovate today will be the ones leading the conversation tomorrow. Brands that embrace channel fragmentation, leverage zero-click marketing, and let creators tell their stories will not only stay relevant, but thrive. By adopting omnichannel measurement and investing in full-funnel attribution, you'll unlock the full potential of your marketing ecosystem.
