
2025 is here, and digital advertising is moving faster than your Wi-Fi on a good day. From AI shaking up our strategies to consumers demanding more authenticity, this year isn’t for the faint-hearted. But if you’re ready to adapt, the opportunities are endless. Here are eight trends to watch out for and how you can stay ahead of the game.
1. AI: The MVP of Marketing?
AI isn’t the new kid on the block anymore; it’s the team captain, it will drive hyper-personalisation, predictive analytics, and real-time campaign adjustments. In 2025, it’s about more than just automating tasks, it’s creating wow-worthy customer experiences. However, we must balance AI-driven efficiency with ethical considerations, ensuring data privacy, transparency, and creative authenticity remain at the forefront
Your Playbook:
- Use generative AI for ad copy, visuals, and rapid A/B testing.
- Optimise for AI-enhanced search, such as Google’s Search Generative Experience and visual search tools like Pinterest Lens.
- Deploy Dynamic Creative Optimisation and Partner with specialists to deliver hyper-relevant ads that boost click-through rates.
- Use AI to dynamically tweak campaigns based on factors like competitor activity or even weather shifts
2. First-Party Data: Your Secret Weapon
With cookies crumbling, first-party data is your golden ticket to staying competitive. Pair it with loyalty programs, and you’ll not only retain customers but gain deep insights that drive smarter decisions and lasting connections
First-party data gives advertisers a powerful edge, extending beyond personalization to enable smarter targeting with predictive modelling, improved user tracking, and insights that inform long-term growth strategies. It’s key to driving customer retention by engaging loyalty members with tailored offers and creating Lookalike Audiences to attract high-value customers. This fuels better performance, more efficient remarketing, and stronger ROI.
Your Playbook:
- Use tools like Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) to turn raw data into actionable insights.
- Analyse first-party data to understand customer behaviours and improve campaign performance through better segmentation.
- Leverage CRM and purchase data to create dynamic audience segments, enabling personalised messaging and precise targeting based on customer behaviour and preferences.
- Use first-party data to enable accurate attribution and performance tracking, ensuring reliable measurement without cookies.
- Offer exclusive perks (hello, discounts and freebies) to incentivise data sharing.
3. Connected TV (CTV) Is Maturing as Primetime Grows Smarter
Streaming is officially the new primetime, and Connected TV (CTV) is projected to surpass £2 billion ad spend in the UK by 2025. Combining the drama of TV with the precision of digital, CTV lets you serve ads people actually care about while they binge their favourite shows.
Your Playbook:
- Run ads on platforms like ITVX and Netflix’s new ad tiers.
- Leverage programmatic CTV buying for advanced audience segmentation and real-time optimisations.
- Consider QR codes on pause ads that viewers can scan right from their sofa to drive accountability and attribution.
- Sync campaigns across screens for a seamless viewing (and shopping) experience.
4. Niche Creators Set to Outshine Mega-Influencers
Big-name influencers? They’re so 2022. Consumers are gravitating towards relatable creators who feel more like your best mate than a celebrity. Bonus: User-generated content (UGC) is gaining trust. In 2024, 79% of consumers expressed that UGC impacts their purchasing decisions, indicating a higher trust in content from everyday users over influencers
Your Playbook:
- Double down on micro-influencers with loyal, engaged audiences.
- Sprinkle UGC into your paid campaigns to keep things fresh and authentic.
- Testing shifting budgets toward sponsoring creator-led communities or forums like Reddit to build grassroots trust.
- Amplify creator partnerships using paid media tools like TikTok’s Spark Ads or Instagram’s Branded Content Ads or YouTube Brandconnect.
5. Shop, Scroll, Repeat: The AI-Powered Social Commerce Boom
The UK’s social commerce market is set to grow by 26.6% in 2025, Add AI-powered tools and you’ve got a shopping experience that’s dangerously convenient. Did you know that 76% of UK shoppers are open to AI-powered features like virtual try-ons and predictive recommendations and over half of UK social app users now make purchases directly through social media platform, it really is Magic!
Your Playbook:
- Explore social commerce opportunities across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok who offer integrated shopping features, enabling consumers to purchase without leaving the app.
- Implement omnichannel technologies that connect CRM and ecommerce platforms to create a seamless customer journey.
- Experiment with live shopping events to spark real-time excitement.
- Use AI to personalise recommendations and keep customers coming back for more.
6. Video Is Still King (But Shorter Is Better)
In 2025, attention spans are shorter than ever, and video is the format that still gets results. But forget the long epics short-form, shoppable, and interactive videos are what audiences love.
Your Playbook:
- Focus on short-form content like TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.
- Use shoppable video ads to make buying effortless.
- Keep it mobile-friendly, vertical formats and captions are a must
7. Retail Media Networks: From Checkout to Takeover
Retail media is evolving into a powerhouse. In 2025 expect RMNs to expand into non-retail sectors, with global ad spend surpassing $150 billion. Their secret sauce? First-party data that lets you target customers based on what they actually buy. And they’re not just for retailers anymore, healthcare, travel, and even automotive are joining the party. In the UK, retail media is expected to grow significantly, with ad spend predicted to exceed £3 billion in 2025, driven by key players like Amazon Ads, Tesco, and Boots.
Your Playbook:
- Partner with major UK retailers like Amazon, Tesco and Boots to leverage their media networks
- Leverage audience partners and display partners who can access retailers’ treasure trove of data.
- Use Amazon’s full ad stack, including Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Amazon DSP(Demand side platform), and CTV offerings, to target high-intent shoppers. Even if you don’t sell on Amazon, you can still benefit from their data-rich purchase insights for powerful targeting.
8. Sustainability Isn’t Just a Buzzword
Sustainability isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a consumer expectation. Brands demonstrating genuine environmental and social impact will win trust and loyalty in a market increasingly skeptical of greenwashing.
Your Playbook:
- Use visuals and real data to tell your sustainability story.
- Partner with eco-conscious creators to amplify your green creds.
- Leverage platforms that enable you to measure and reduce the carbon footprint of your paid media campaigns