Maisie Lloyd
Maisie is the Digital Content Manager at Intelligency, handling all things creative for the agency. Her experience centres around the production of digital content, pertaining to graphic design, writing copy, and video and audio content.
2025 has seen campaigns that not only drove brand success but also sparked conversations, controversies, and engagement across every platform. Observing shifts in the way brands and businesses market their products and services paints a picture of how the digital landscape is evolving marketing approaches.
The Shift to Social Channels
Marketing was once dominated by print, whether it was the posters we see pasted to the sides of bus stops, or the imposing and impressive billboards. But that has all drastically changed over the last few decades, with banner ads, pop-up ads, and data capturing information about what we like and dislike in order to better target us with campaigns.
In more recent years, that strategy has expanded with entirely new methods and techniques to advertise products.
Authenticity through UGC
User-generated content is a more subtle way products and services are now being advertised. Utilising real customers and their genuine experiences to promote brands and their offerings.
Conducive to authentic relationships between brands and customers. When goods or services are accurately depicted, and by a voice other than the brand, it affirms the confidence prospective customers have.
The Social Shift
Google currently indexes Reddit, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, which increases the chances of brands being discovered. Making optimisations a necessary part of a comprehensive social media strategy.
You can optimise content through:
- Creating captions with search engines in mind
- Using high-quality assets
- Using Hashtags
- Creating accessible content through subtitles and alt-text
- Use keywords
AI-Powered Marketing
AI has altered the trajectory of the internet and streamlined processes of creation for marketing efforts. Integrating AI into business tools, enhancing capabilities, and automating campaigns for more effective budget spending. Personalisation is levelled up, and predictive analytics allow campaigners to forecast and tailor campaigns with data-led precision.
We see the incorporation of AI in most business tools today, whether that be Meta Business Suite, Grammarly, Canva, and so many other applications. Every aspect of campaign creation now has some form of AI assistance implemented, completely changing the way marketers create campaigns.
Influencer Marketing
While influencer marketing has existed for the last couple of years, it seems it is becoming more and more intuitive. Reflecting audience desires and forging collaborations with the audience’s preferences in mind.
We see this evidenced in the Chamberlain x Pinterest collaboration, where Pinterest launched its first-ever partnership, all crafted on audience listening and trend data. And in other campaigns, like when Michael Cera created a witty ad for socials with Cera Ve, playing on his name and the brand name, using humour and wit to promote the products. Both campaigns are tapping into internet culture, which further connects audiences and fuels the conversations across platforms.
Marketing in 2025 is less about selling and more about connecting—through authenticity, creativity, and technology. Brands that adapt to these shifts won’t just survive the digital evolution, they’ll define it.
