Advertising is an ever-changing beast — with those on ad and marketing teams working hard to stay ahead of trends.
In 2024, we saw the expansion of AI in all forms of content, the rise of personalization, and continued use of short-form video. In 2025, advertisers will need to stay on top of trends, or their ad money won’t go as far.
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In this article, I’ll discuss upcoming advertising trends and how you can leverage these stats to increase engagement, value, and sales.
Table of Contents
Digital Advertising Trends in 2025
While ad spending is forecasted to slow in 2025, it’s still predicted to increase in all categories except print. Teams will likely carry more responsibility for ad performance as companies tighten their budgets in anticipation of a recession.
Knowing and using the latest trends to your advantage can help you get more value out of the money you spend on advertising this year.
SOCIAL MEDIA advertising; visual storytelling; niche influencer marketing; value-driving marketing; experiential marketing; personalization; data-driven marketing; targeting generational audiences.”/>
1. Artificial Intelligence
“One in four marketers plan to leverage using AI to turn text into multi-modal campaigns.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
In 2024, the HubSpot State of Marketing report found that 40% of companies have hired dedicated AI experts to support their marketing teams. This year’s report indicates that we’re using AI more and more as marketers — for brainstorming, creating content, and researching.
Many business leaders believe we underestimate AI’s impact on companies, with 65% reporting that AI will rival the Industrial Revolution in its impact on productivity.
What does this mean for you?
In 2025, AI will continue to be one of the best ways businesses can scale their growth and increase the quality of their advertisements.
If you want to leverage AI more than you currently do, consider hiring an AI expert or consultant to help you integrate AI into your work processes and advertising efforts.
I may not have an AI expert on staff, but I definitely experiment with these new tools to see where they work best. I’m not alone. HubSpot program manager Kaitlin Milliken also takes the time to test AI solutions like ChatGPT.
“AI may not be the best at coming up with creative concepts or writing the copy itself, but I use AI to eliminate manual tasks and supplement my skills,” Milliken says. “I had to work with large sets of images for a project. I used ChatGPT to create a Python script that managed the files for me. That’s saved me hours.”
If you don’t have the budget to hire an AI expert right now, there’s no reason why you can’t start consulting AI programs like Gemini or ChatGPT during every stage of the advertising process.
I like to use AI during brainstorming, ideation, content writing, planning, and more. Check out our guide to AI in digital marketing for more information.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA Advertising
“Successful brands in 2025 will be the ones that actively listen, adapt, and engage with their audiences in real time.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
SOCIAL MEDIA investment in 2025. youtube 29.58%. instagram 28.84%. tiktok 27.64%. linkedin 26.16%. facebook 25.93%.”/>
I’ve found that where I choose to display my ads is just as important as the actual ads. If you’re not currently investing in a SOCIAL MEDIA platform, there’s a good chance you’re missing out on potential leads.
The platform(s) you focus on may vary according to your audience. Gen Zers are more likely to spend time on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and millennials are more likely to be found on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
The U.S. government may still ban TikTok, which could, in turn, skyrocket the cost of advertising on remaining platforms and oversaturate those markets if you aren’t ahead of the curve.
How can you get a strong ROI from SOCIAL MEDIA platforms?
In 2025, a deep understanding of SOCIAL MEDIA buying is vital for getting a good ad ROI. Careful planning and organization will ensure you’re investing in the right platforms. Check out this free media buying template to get started.
Be sure to monitor your ads’ performance to identify which platform provides the best bang for your buck. If a certain platform is lagging, consider investing in organic content marketing on that website instead of paid ads.
SOCIAL MEDIA Advertising Trends in 2025
Marketing leaders are prioritizing SOCIAL MEDIA hires in 2025, and both B2B and B2C brands report that they’re still planning to invest in SOCIAL MEDIA advertising.
While certain SOCIAL MEDIA platforms have always favored video (Youtube, TikTok, etc.), platforms that haven’t always done so now do favor video (Instagram, Facebook, X). Here are some SOCIAL MEDIA ad trends you need to know.
3. Visual Storytelling
“The content formats that marketers say deliver the highest ROI are short-form video (21%), images (19%), and livestreamed videos (16%), and marketers plan to invest more in these channels in 2025.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
As marketers shift their focus to younger customers, they’re adjusting their content and SOCIAL MEDIA strategies accordingly, and we’re seeing a significant shift toward visual storytelling.
Short-form video, images, and livestreaming video were among the most commonly used content formats in 2024. This is only accelerating in 2025 — all three formats are seeing increased investment by a higher proportion of marketers than all other formats.
It makes sense In 2024, all three formats were reported as some of the highest ROI formats. This shift is also being felt in SOCIAL MEDIA strategy, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok seeing increased investment in 2025 at rates higher than other channels.
Why Visual Storytelling Works
Millennials and Gen Z — born between the early 1980s and early 2010s — form two generations of digital natives. That adds up to a lot of people watching short-form video. Plus, younger generations increasingly demand more authenticity and value alignment from brands, making visual storytelling a natural fit.
4. Niche Influencer Marketing
“In 2024, 24% of marketers reported using influencer marketing, and both B2B and B2C brands found the most success with micro influencers with 10K – 100K followers.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
Influencer content was a major trend in 2024, and in 2025, look for niche influencers to emerge as a key marketing channel.
According to HubSpot research, more than 40% of marketers reported huge benefits to working with small influencers (under 100k followers). These niche influencers can often unlock a valuable, tight-knit community, and they’re commonly seen as more trustworthy by their subscribers and followers.
While most influencer-involved content has to be labeled as an advertisement, you move into the gray area of advertising by sending influencers Public Relationship (PR) boxes.
PR boxes are a way for influencers to try new products and give their honest review. However, there’s no guarantee that they will review your PR box, so be sure to do your homework and pay careful attention to personalization.
Check out our guide to influencer marketing in 2025 for more ideas.
Influencer Content Example: How a Tarte trip to Bora Bora took over TikTok
Tarte, as a brand, has worked closely with influencers since 2015, with budgets for the trip getting larger over the years. The 2024 Tarte trip included flying around 30 influencers and their plus ones to a retreat in Bora Bora.
CEO and founder of Tarte, Maureen Kelly, explains the strategy, stating, “The idea from the beginning was to invite innovative creators from all over the world to join us in an intimate setting where they can relax, and I can connect with them 1:1. This time together builds deeper relationships and strengthens the story behind the brand.”
Because so many famous TikTok influencers were on the Tarte trip, everyone’s “for you” feed was flooded with Tarte-sponsored content.
While the Tarte trip must have cost a pretty penny, in my opinion, they likely made this back tenfold with the brand and product awareness they got.
Other Emerging Advertising Trends in 2025
Other ad trends in 2025 include marketers’ preferred audiences, experiential marketing, and the importance of personalization. Keep reading to learn about other emerging trends in advertising.
5. Value-driven Marketing
“B2B brands are investing in more social responsibility content and sharing more boldly about their mission, vision, and core values.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
One of the most significant industry changes is in value-driven marketing, according to our respondents. Twenty-nine percent of them cited the importance of creating content that reflects your brand’s values, which is in keeping with younger audiences’ priorities and preferences.
How can you use value-driven marketing in 2025?
Consumers are looking for brands that share their values. Gen Z audiences in particular have cited social and environmental responsibility among their top concerns. So if your brand has ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance) or other initiatives that appeal to younger audiences, now’s the time to let them know — authentically.
6. Experiential Marketing
Experiential marketing is the actual experience your audience has at events, trade shows, or during campaigns, and it remains a priority in 2025. About 18% of 2025 respondents named experiential marketing as one of their key focuses for the year.
The 2020 pandemic canceled most in-person events or forced marketers to make them virtual events, putting experiential marketing in the back seat.
However, now that restrictions have been lifted, experiential marketing is having a hay day, with 77% of marketers using it as a key part of their plan.
How can you use experiential marketing in 2025?
If you’re planning on attending any shows this year, make sure your booth is both eye-catching and memorable. If you’re marketing a new product this year, think outside the box and really consider your user experience.
Some past experiential campaigns have included branded filters on SOCIAL MEDIA, fun pop-up shops, interactive content, giveaways, and more. You might also consider how virtual reality can improve your marketing.
7. Personalization
Personalization is an important aspect of marketing in 2025 because most industries are supersaturated with similar products, and it’s getting harder to stand out. According to our research, an incredible 80% of marketers say that personalization increases their sales either moderately or significantly.
While creating a personalized experience can be time-consuming, there are now several tools that can assist in the process.
For example, I was once contacted by a marketer from Reachdesk (a company that specializes in personal gifting), and the marketer sent me a watercolor set because my profile described my love of painting.
This attention to detail and personalization got my attention and my interest in their product. If you’re new to personalization and want to consult an expert, consider trying Hubspot’s Technical Consulting.
Here’s 14 more examples of great brand personalization.
What does personalization look like in 2025?
In 2025, personalization looks like full names in email subject lines, abandoned shopping cart emails/texts with discount codes, product recommendations based on search history, chatbots to customize web experiences, and more.
To ensure your customers are getting the best personalized experience, consider sending out surveys that ask customers how easily they can navigate your website and what features they’d like to see added.
8. Data-driven Marketing
“Underpinning every marketing effort in 2025 will be a need for data-driven strategy and a plan to attack data privacy.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
Data remains an essential component of marketing strategies — but we’re also seeing an uptick in concerns around data privacy. That means that brands need a comprehensive plan to collect and interpret data as well as plan to meet consumers’ privacy needs.
Marketers report that the top advantages of using data-informed strategies include reaching target audiences more effectively (35%), increasing the ROI of marketing efforts (34%), and planning media mixes more effectively (32%).
9. Targeting Generational Audiences
“Over 70% of marketers plan to target millennials in 2025, and interest in targeting Gen Zers is up year over year. Interest in marketing to Gen X and baby boomers is down more than 30% year over year.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report
Generations that grew up using the internet are increasingly the target of marketers. Seen as “digital natives,” millennials — and increasingly, Gen Z — are key decision-makers with purchasing power at organizations.
In my opinion, this trend is likely due to marketing largely taking place online versus traditional advertising means, which had more in-person meetings and physical advertisements.
How can you reach digital natives in 2025?
The best way to reach each generation is to understand what kind of advertising works for them. Millennials primarily engage with SOCIAL MEDIA, apps, and brands that care about social issues.
Gen X prefers to discover products through search, TV ads, and specific SOCIAL MEDIA platforms (Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram). These trends make SOCIAL MEDIA an important investment for companies hoping to reach digital natives.
Only 4% of boomers have purchased a product through SOCIAL MEDIA, while TV ads, internet searches, and retail stores work better for their generation. Read more about how each generation shops.
Understanding Ad Trends in 2025
Staying on top of trends is an important part of any marketer or advertiser’s job description. I’ve found it super helpful to subscribe to or follow the HubSpot Blog so I get the latest stats on which trends are working and which ones to avoid.
Some aspects of marketing will never change, such as solving customer problems and “making sure that the customer is representative of a large market” so you can “have a pretty good formula,” as Melanie Perkins advises.
As you solve customer problems and try the latest trends this next year, be sure to be consistent in your efforts, track your results, and stay open to new ideas.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in April 2024 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/advertising-trends
