Sustainability, live streaming and generative artificial intelligence are among the main themes listed by Kantar
Kantar released the Marketing Trends 2025 report, which highlighted ten trends that are expected to move the market in 2025. Topics include live broadcasts, sustainability, social media and generative AI, among others.
The analyzes are supported by extensive behavioral and attitudinal data from Kantar and offer insights, in a landscape characterized by social, demographic, regulatory and legislative changes, as well as rampant technological advances.
“The objective is for marketers to consider the themes as part of strategic planning for their brand growth journey in 2025”, stated Milton Souza, CEO of Kantar Insights Brasil.
Security will come to the fore with generative AI
The report noted that marketers are still trying to figure out how to deploy GenAI, what its impact will be, and what the risks are. That’s because new features are revealed frequently and the fear of being left behind is real: more than one in three executives don’t think they or their teams have the AI skills their company needs.
The provenance of data used by AI, meanwhile, will also be a big topic in 2025. As GenAI becomes more sophisticated, more people will push for transparency. Proof of this is that 31% of Brazilians say that ads generated by AI bother them and six in 10 consumers say they are worried about the creation of false ads made by generative AI.
Whether they are using technology to inform investment decisions or to help create ideas and content, marketers will need assurance that the training data on which models are based is reliable and relevant.
Sustainability will be a marketing job
Currently, 87% of Brazilians say they want to live a more sustainable lifestyle and 56% say they have stopped purchasing products and services from companies that do not invest in sustainability or impact the planet.
With the promise that 2025 will be a big year for sustainability legislation, increasing its impact on the world’s main economies, this will force brands to see the issue as an opportunity – and also as a risk.
Inclusion will be imperative for brand growth
Kantar data shows that Brazilians expect brands to be more socially responsible. Proof of this is that 76% agree that companies have an obligation to make society fairer – 4 percentage points above the global average.
While the evidence that inclusion leads to brand growth continues to mount, marketers continue to underestimate its impact. So much so that, in Brazil, by not investing in the LGBTQ+ community, women, people with disabilities and black and brown people, brands have a potential loss of R$1.9 trillion – an estimate of the consumption power of these groups.
Social, political and demographic changes will make inclusion an even more important topic for many groups in the coming year, which means it will be an important consideration for companies too.
Social networks need to innovate to recapture attention
Just under a third of people say social media ads capture their attention. Marketers often blame this on an attention deficit among younger audiences. But this thinking is wrong. Disenchantment affects all generations.
In 2025, attention on social media will need to be earned continuously and consistently. And the quality of engagement, which has the biggest impact on creative effectiveness, will become even more important.
The puzzle of slowing population growth
Companies depend on population growth to boost sales. But it is currently below 1% worldwide and is forecast to remain negative by the end of the century. In other words: in a future with fewer people, fewer buyers, the big challenge will be to gain a greater market share.
This equation also includes the factors that people are getting married and having children later, as well as living in smaller homes, while older age groups tend to spend less.
“The population decline creates an urgency for marketers to attract more people to their brand, to claim a position in the minds of consumers and to find new spaces in which to grow”, points out the CEO of Kantar.
Looking for a strategy that takes all video formats into account
Between traditional broadcast channels, subscription-on-demand platforms, and ad-based services, there are a wide variety of video consumption options available today. This, consequently, makes the work of marketing professionals difficult when it comes to knowing how to better position advertising.
Over the next year, executives will need to take these nuances into consideration, testing and learning to find the right mix for each campaign. In data, a small number plan to reduce their investments in open TV next year, while more than half of marketers have plans to increase them in streaming.
Brands will benefit from the power of creator communities
Creator communities, whether about sports, beauty or another subject, have a lot of power to predispose more people to a brand. This means that creators can act as a vital bridge to establishing trust with consumers.
In 2025, brands must align this content from creators with their strategy and thus resonate across different channels. “It is worth highlighting that this is a two-way street. Collaborating with creators to understand what they are looking for is extremely important for anyone looking to increase their user base and ad revenue,” comments Souza.
Expanding the limits of innovation
Innovation will be essential for larger brands that cannot easily grow in other ways. The good news is that there are plenty of lessons for how companies innovate to inspire 2025.
Fini, for example, realized that its appeal went beyond sweets. The company had the potential to bring its vibrant colors, textures and flavors to new categories, which resulted in product collaborations such as lip balms and footwear.
Brands that find new spaces to operate can double their chances of growth. Those with high penetration and a strong likelihood of growth will also have the impetus to reimagine what they are doing and explore new revenue streams.
Live broadcasts will still have strength
Live streaming platforms such as Taobao Live, Douyin and WeChat reach half of the Chinese population for entertainment and shopping. And some forecasts indicate that sales through live broadcasts will represent 20% of total retail in the country by 2026.
In 2025, the strategy could play an important role in engaging viewers and encouraging purchases. And while live commerce is best suited to small, fast-moving items, every industry can benefit from this channel.
“Established brands in the market should focus on building long-term associations, such as how they meet consumers’ needs. Medium and small companies need to prioritize increasing awareness and generating immediate interest”, says Souza.
Retail Media Networks Are Evolving
Retail media networks (in English, retail media networks or RMN) are transforming the way brands interact with consumers and enabling more targeted and personalized ads across multiple touchpoints – retailer websites, apps, third-party media partners and even in-store digital displays.
By collaborating with retailers on their first-party data, marketers can be more precise in targeting and personalizing their strategy, which in turn means they insightsConsumer insights can be used to optimize ad spend and improve campaign effectiveness.
(Credit: Photo by Hal Gatewood on Unsplash)
