AD76: 2025 Marketing/Design Trends Compilation

5 January 2025 | Issue #76

In this issue:

Most Popular 2025 Predictions
The Things Nobody Else Is Talking About
What This Means for Marketers and Designers (this is the good part)
Design Quote of the Week

**Prompt:** a cartoon illustration of a wizard. He is precariously holding a pile of crystal balls. A couple of the balls are falling down out of his hands. --ar 16:9

If your inbox is anything like mine, you've been flooded with year-end recaps and predictions for 2025. All of the predictions kind of say the same thing. But not all of them.

After reading through a bunch, I noticed some clear patterns. I also noticed a few outliers that others are missing.

Most Popular Predictions

Marketing’s AI Evolution

Yeah, you should use AI.

Next.

Employee-Generated Content (EGC) Takes Off

Everyone’s talking about authenticity, and employees are the new influencers. Why hire someone to represent your brand when your team can do it better? It’s real, it’s relatable, and it’s working. Think testimonials, behind-the-scenes looks, and raw insights from the people building your product.

– Hootsuite (Social Trends Report)

The Community Boom

Influencers are out, and communities are in. Brands are creating spaces where customers hang out, share ideas, and do the marketing for them. It’s less about selling and more about connection. These communities don’t just build goodwill—they create sustainable engagement that’s harder to achieve through fleeting ad campaigns.

– MarTech Series (Top Digital Advertising Trends for 2025)

The Things Nobody Else Is Talking About

The Death of Algorithms?

Joe Pulizzi predicts Bluesky, a social platform that ditches algorithms, will appeal to those fed up with content manipulation. It’s refreshing but might remain niche—most people prefer the ease of curated feeds. Let’s face it: convenience often wins. That said, platforms like Bluesky show there’s an appetite for change, even if it’s among a smaller, more discerning audience.

– Joe Pulizzi (2025 Predictions)

Data Storytelling

We all have too much data. Data without insight is useless. Now, with AI, we're able to synthesize it so we can understand it. Designers will be able to dust off their old Infographic design skills to present this data in a consumable way. Data visualization is good, but it can be powerful when wrapped in a story.

– Fast Company (8 Designers on the Trends They’re Excited to See in 2025)

Fully AI-Managed Campaigns

Imagine this: AI takes over your entire campaign. It writes the ads, runs the tests, and figures out what’s working. No humans needed (uh oh). A handful of brands will test the waters this year, giving us a glimpse of what a fully AI-driven campaign could look like. My guess is these will be mostly useless by the end of the year. People are going to get better at spotting AI.

– MarTech Series (Experts Reveal Top Customer Data and AI Trends Shaping 2025)

Screen Time as a Health Crisis

Excessive screen time is turning into a real problem, and some researchers are ready to call it a disease. This could lead to tighter rules on mobile advertising, especially for kids. Imagine navigating campaigns in a world where mobile ads face increasing scrutiny or outright bans.

– Joe Pulizzi (2025 Predictions)

Experiential Marketing Renaissance

People are over endless digital ads. There's a reason why terms like "banner blindness" exist. They want something they can see, feel, and interact with. Pop-ups, AR, and immersive events are making a comeback. If it feels real, it resonates. This trend might not dominate the landscape, but it’s gaining traction and could deliver huge rewards for early adopters.

– Search Engine Land (Digital Marketing Trends 2025)

What This Means for Marketers and Designers

For Marketers: Stop Overengineering Your Approach

With all this talk of AI and algorithms, it’s tempting to think complexity equals better. But the rise of platforms like Bluesky and the shift toward employee and community-driven content show people want simplicity and authenticity. Instead of overloading campaigns with tech, focus on making your brand feel approachable. If it doesn’t resonate with your audience, all the tech in the world won’t save it.

For Designers: Lean Into Co-Creation

AI isn’t replacing designers—it’s augmenting them. Use it to supercharge your creative process. Whether it’s generating options for brainstorming or refining designs, let AI do the heavy lifting so you can focus on the ideas that matter most. By embracing co-creation, you’ll set yourself apart from designers stuck in a manual-only mindset.

For Everyone: Watch the Backlash

Whether it’s nostalgia for retro ads, the rejection of algorithms, or a potential reckoning with screen time, 2025 is shaping up to be a year where people start questioning what’s been driving their digital habits. Pay attention to these shifts—they’re not just trends but signals of deeper changes in consumer behavior. If you catch them early, you could be part of the solutions people are looking for.

Our jobs as marketers will be harder in 2025. There will be a lot of M&A, leading to layoffs and your contacts moving to different companies. Building a strong brand will help you retain contact after their email has been shut off.

As we move into the year, the trends shaping marketing, design, and AI aren’t just about tools or strategies—they’re about how people interact with brands and the world around them. This is your year to experiment, rethink old patterns, and maybe, just maybe, set the trends for 2026.

What’s on your radar for 2025? Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Design Quote of the Week

“Design is a plan for arranging elements in such a way as best to accomplish a particular purpose.”
– Charles Eames

My AI disclaimer: This week, I fed a bunch of articles into ChatGPT and had a conversation to find the common themes and the ones that stood out. Then I rewrote a bunch of the entries for my own unique spin. If AI generates the images, I include the prompt so you can see how I got to that image. Nothing in this newsletter, or anything I publish anywhere, reflects the views of my employer.