As we all look toward finalizing plans and budgets for 2025, there are some media trends to be intentional about during this process. From hot topics like AI and the future of TikTok to under-the-radar ones like short-form content and inventory transparency, I’ve put together a list of how we at MMGY are pivoting to stay ahead of the trends in the coming year.
Sustainability
Over the past few years, many industries have come to terms with and begun to address their carbon emissions and environmental impact. Initially, this accountability existed for industries with a more explicit impact on the environment, but in 2025, the media ecosystem will need to begin to address its carbon footprint too. Agencies and clients alike will be working to put sustainability at the forefront of their strategies to ensure they are reducing negative environmental impacts while continuing to deliver results.
Growth of Performance Media
With performance media’s focus on results, revenue and ROI, it has been relegated for years to industries like retail, consumer packaged goods and quick service restaurants. But as clients across the spectrum are being asked to do more with less and show more tangible results, performance media tactics and strategies have proven to be more valuable than ever. Expect agencies to begin selling performance media as a packaged solution to more clients.
AI
AI has impacted the entire marketing landscape, but 2025 will be the year that media sets real goals tied to AI usage. We’ll see four key places that media will engage with AI in a meaningful way:
- leveraging AI to predict the KPI outcomes of media investments with more immediacy and fluidity
- growing audience segments that show incremental opportunity
- performing real-time autonomous optimization
- creating responsive content
Rise of Niche Contextual Targeting
As advertisers prepared for the deprecation of the cookie, they sought alternative targeting solutions. In response to that and in tandem with shifting consumer habits, we saw a resurgence of advertisers looking at contextual targeting and alignment to drive relevancy with audiences. This targeting approach produced renewed tactics using social, native and especially CTV, where consumers are chasing content with ever-increasing fervor. The trend to watch in 2025, however, is using niche interests and targeting segments to home in on consumers, using their passions to drive even deeper brand relevancy through storytelling opportunities.
Short-Form Content
With the rise of user-generated and creator content, brands are seeking opportunities to capitalize on these abbreviated storytelling opportunities. In 2025, 85% of CMOs plan to increase their investment in short-form content like TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. This strategy mirrors consumer behavior trends of seeking more snackable content that tells compelling – but short – stories. In 2025, expect brands to share more short-form content across all platforms and not just on social channels.
TikTok Future and Replacement
The uncertain future of TikTok weighs heavily on many advertisers and left them wondering what will replace this almost unending source of video reach and views. Enterprising advertisers have proactively sought out alternatives, even before a final decision has been made on TikTok’s future. This has driven increased interest in creating bespoke strategies, both organic and paid, for IG Reels and YouTube Shorts. Ideally in 2025, these channel strategies will complement existing TikTok strategies or be robust enough to replace them should the media giant be removed from the space.
Retail Media Grows
Retail media grew in 2024 and shows no signs of slowing down in 2025. This growth can be attributed to a number of factors:
- access to and usage of valuable first-party data allows advertisers to tap into the shopping habits of consumers
- platforms have improved and evolved, allowing for more sophisticated targeting, better analytics and more compelling ad formats
- overall growth of e-commerce has rapidly fueled the industry, giving these retail channels rapid market share gains
2025 will be the year that nonretail advertisers begin to see these platforms as conduits to connect with consumers to leverage valuable and unique data and inventory.
Privacy Regulation
Privacy regulation has had a profound effect on digital media in 2024. This will only increase in 2025 as additional states enact privacy legislation, which addresses how advertisers capture and use consumer data. The greatest impacts will be seen around data collection restrictions, user consent and transparency, audience targeting, and conversion tracking. In 2025, advertisers can anticipate the most profound impacts in states like California that have existing legislation in place. But with the expectation of more states enacting legislation – this will become the rule, not the exception.
Increased Demand for Personalization
A personalized approach has been a strategic goal for brands over the last couple of years – and often it was treated as a “good to have” and not a mandatory. But as AI begins to affect the delivery of media and maximize its performance, marketers will have less control over personalization messaging strategies if they’re done manually. In 2025, using dynamic creative will become imperative to harmonize media and ads to create true personalization in real time.
Inventory Transparency
As clients and agencies strive to bring more and more media in-house, there will be a higher demand and need for inventory transparency in the programmatic space. The industry will demand SSPs (supply side platforms) be more transparent about their inventory, how they manage delivery to MFA (made-for-advertising) sites and how they’re minimizing duplication across exchanges to ensure unique inventory throughout every facet of a campaign. In 2025, advertisers will be asking more of vendors in terms of securing inventory up front as well as increased transparency for back-end reporting.
Actionable Video
Video has long been thought of as a medium that can achieve inspiration and awareness. As platforms and technologies have evolved, we’ve seen expectations change – advertisers are demanding even more from video. This forced evolution has created a medium that delivers results and not just emotions. Whether it’s dynamic video, custom clickable overlays, QR codes or shoppable links, 2025 will be the year that video begins to go after goals lower down in the funnel.
These trends reflect the constantly evolving nature of the industry – as consumer behaviors shift and technology advances, we continue to see a convergence of the two that sparks unique and actionable trends. Adjusting for just one or two of these trends in 2025 will keep your media strategy fresh and hopefully deliver improved results.
