1. Brands go woke and definitely not broke
While evidence that inclusion is a powerful engine of brand growth continues to mount, marketers are still underestimating its impact. Kantar data shows that a brand’s diversity and inclusion efforts influence the buying decisions of almost eight in 10 people worldwide. With major political, social and demographic changes set to make inclusion more personal for lots of people next year, it will become one of the most significant considerations for brands.
How Kantar can help: Kantar generates growth with inclusivity across four key pillars including inclusion insights, metrics, marketing and innovation. We also recently launched the most inclusive market research study to date, the Brand Inclusion Index,that reveals how underrepresented groups perceive your brand compared to competitors, how to close inclusion gaps and best in class inclusivity practices. Learn how to drive brand growth through inclusion.
2. The puzzle of slowing population growth
Products rely on populations getting bigger to drive sales. But global population growth is now under one percent and is predicted to go negative by the end of the century. Forces like people marrying and having children later, and living in smaller households, will exacerbate this shift. So will aging populations, who tend to spend less. This creates an urgency for marketers to predispose more people to their brand and to find new spaces in which to grow.
How Kantar can help: With the largest consumer panel in the world, Kantar Worldpanel understands brands and retail dynamics through the choices of 6 billion people. Our experts and solutions measure what matters, when it matters and where it matters. Decode shopper behaviour to shape your brand future.
3. Gen AI – safety will come first
Data provenance will be a big theme in 2025. Kantar research shows that more than two in five consumers don’t trust ads that are AI-generated. As AI becomes more sophisticated, more people will be pushing for transparency in how it’s used. Whether they’re using GenAI to inform data-led investment decisions or to help create ideas and content, marketers will need reassurance that the training data the models are based on are trustworthy, relevant, and reliable.
How Kantar can help: Artificial Intelligence is not just a trend, it’s rapidly reshaping the marketing landscape. Kantar has a suite of AI solutions, from innovation to creative, to help you fuel better insights and accelerate your marketing impact. Learn how to turn marketing challenges into opportunities with Kantar’s advanced AI solutions.
4. Looking to livestreaming
Livestreaming platforms like Taobao Live, Douyin and WeChat reach half the Chinese population, and some forecasts put live-commerce sales at 20% of total retail in China by 2026. Livestreaming ads can boost both short-term purchase intent and long-term brand affinity. Kantar’s experts expect established brands to look to livestreaming ads to build long-term associations, while medium and smaller brands prioritise increasing awareness and driving immediate interest.
How Kantar can help: Kantar has an extensive offer to help you understand how your brand performs in different contexts. Uncover which aspects of your creative are impacting brand lift, so you can adjust campaigns in flight. Find out how Context Lab can help you understand livestreaming opportunities.
5. Demanding more from Retail Media Networks (RMNs)
Retail media could account for almost a quarter of all US media ad spend in 2028. By collaborating with retailers on their first-party data, marketers can be more precise in targeting and personalising their marketing, which in turn means detailed consumer insights can be used to optimise ad spend and improve campaign effectiveness. But in 2025, there needs to be transparency about the challenges holding back marketers from investing in RMNs; improved data access, specific media measurement needs, and the ability to drive brand equity.
How Kantar can help: Kantar can help you build your brand equity with powerful advertising. From identifying the optimal reach and frequency, to isolate the impact of each channel on brand success, LIFT guides you through the intricacies of campaign optimisation. Find out how LIFT can help you.
6. Embarking on the voyage to total video
The line between broadcast and streaming TV is now all but invisible to viewers. Heavy investment into broadcast TV advertising will continue to be spread across the TV portfolio, and further into video advertising, predicts Kantar. Marketers that take a nuanced approach, testing and learning to find the right mix across traditional channels, SVOD, and AVOD platforms will be best set for success.
How Kantar can help: Kantar can help you measure your overall campaign performance, each channel contribution to brand-building, and channels synergies enabling you to deliver the most cost-effective results. Find out how LIFT can help you.
7. Social media to innovate to recapture attention
Just under a third of people say ads on social media platforms capture their attention, a marked decrease over last year’s 43%. This can’t simply be attributed to an attention deficit among younger audiences; disenchantment has struck every generation. Kantar expects to see more creative innovation and visual theatre attempt to capture people’s attention in 2025: experimental camera shots, cuts, and new ways of telling old stories.
How Kantar can help: LINK+ on Kantar Marketplace is the fast and most flexible solution, giving you the power to create strong ads that will increase sales impact and build brand value. Find out how LINK+ can help you drive attention across generations.
8. Sustainability set to become marketing’s job
2025 is a big year for sustainability legislation ramping up in major economies, which will force businesses to see sustainability as an opportunity as well as a risk. Kantar analysis suggests that sustainability already contributes $193 billion to the value of the world’s top 100 brands: by finding authentic ways to connect to the consumer, marketers will be able to turn sustainability initiatives into growth.
How Kantar can help: Our Sustainability Practice brings together expertise and solutions from across Kantar to support brands in the definition, activation, and measurement of powerful sustainability strategies. Our solutions and expertise across strategy, innovation and activation deliver the insights brands need to open new spaces, overcome the Value-Action gap to be more present and deliver engaging activations that will predispose more people. Stay relevant, stay sustainable. Discover our sustainability solutions now.
9. Brands to tap into creator communities
The creator economy is booming, offering brands powerful opportunities to connect with engaged audiences and build trust. The tight-knit communities that creators bring together hold a great deal of power to predispose more people towards a brand. Collaborating with creators in a two-way relationship will be important for platforms aiming to grow their user base and ad revenue.
How Kantar can help: Kantar’s Digital Analytics (Dx) helps you better understand the latest trends through a range of online and digital marketing data, such as search and social media data. We codify them into meaningful signals that brands can tap into to answer their business questions and drive their brand growth. Find out how Digital Analytics can help you understand creator communities.
10. Stretching the limits of innovation
Innovation will be a must for larger brands that can’t easily grow in other ways: brands which can find new space in which to operate double their chances of growth. Those with high penetration and a strong probability of growth then have momentum to reimagine what they’re in the business of and explore new revenue streams. In 2025, marketers can take inspiration from brands like Oreo and Ferrero which have pushed the boundaries through innovation.
How Kantar can help: Identifying and nurturing the right concepts is key to innovation success. Kantar ConceptEvaluate helps you screen concepts in as few as 24 hours, with double the accuracy of traditional approaches, so you can accelerate and optimise concept development. Find out how Concept Evaluate can help your brand’s radical stretching.
Jane Ostler, EVP, Global Thought Leadership, Kantar, commented, “With so many technological and social shifts coming to a head, 2025 marks a pivotal moment for marketing. These trends represent not just incremental changes but a fundamental shift in how brands connect with consumers. Those who embrace these changes, prioritise data-driven strategies, and champion creativity and inclusivity will be best positioned for success. Our 2025 Marketing Trends put brands on the front foot in understanding these shifts, anticipating future challenges, and making informed decisions that shape their future.”
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