7 Marketing trends to watch in 2025

2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year for marketing, where technological innovations, authentic connection building and value sharing will take centre stage. Discover the must-have marketing trends to capture your consumers' attention and build a lasting relationship with them.

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

The rapid evolution of technology is radically changing the way companies interact with their customers. This digital transformation is mostly possible thanks to artificial intelligence. Here are three major trends that will redefine marketing practices.

Content creation for generative search

First, what is generative search? Also known as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), it is changing the way we get information online. When a user makes a query in a search engine, the latter directly generates a detailed answer, eliminating the need to click on several links to access the information. Emerging digital platforms like Perplexity and Gemini are leveraging these tools to deliver highly relevant and personalized responses, redefining the user experience and giving rise to this brand-new trend.

To stay relevant in this new ecosystem, companies need to adapt their content accordingly. An effective strategy will incorporate not only traditional SEO techniques and credible content, but also advanced contextualization and optimization for AI.

Hyper-personalization

In 2025, the era of mass marketing is giving way to individualized communication, where each person is addressed in a unique way. Thanks to AI and machine learning, brands now have a detailed portrait of each internet user interacting with their various platforms. Properly done, the data collected makes it possible to give the right message to the right person at the right time and in the right way. 

With hyper-personalization, the customer therefore has an optimal experience with your company. By offering a tailored customer journey, you'll not only increase your chances of conversion, but also build consumer loyalty to your brand. Customers now prefer companies that personalize their experience rather than those that have kept standardized approaches.

Transparency in the use of artificial intelligence

While hyper-personalization is becoming more and more trendy, it also comes with a growing need for transparency about the use of data. Under Bill 25, Quebec websites must ask their visitors for their consent to collect their personal information and clearly indicate how it will be used.

In addition, as artificial intelligence is increasing in the creative process, consumers are becoming more attentive to the content it generates. An image or text that is perceived as artificial can be criticized. However, when a company specifies that the content was made in collaboration with AI, it often elicits more positive reactions. This transparency builds trust and shows that AI is a tool at the service of humans, rather than a machine that replaces our creativity.

CONNECTING WITH CONSUMERS

Consumers want much more than just a product or service. They are looking for brands that share their values and with whom they can create authentic connections and cultivate a sense of belonging. This is a marketing trend to follow in 2025 to build lasting engagement with your community.

The community around the brand

The trend in 2025 is that customers don't buy a product, but a brand. It is therefore essential for a company to orient its marketing strategy around the creation of a community with which it can communicate.

This approach is essential because it helps solidify customer relationships, encourage repeat purchases, and turn loyal customers into passionate ambassadors. Consumers seek out these connections to feel involved in something bigger than themselves: a movement, a cause, or simply a space to share common interests.

To build an engaged community, a company can:

• Organize online or in-person events
  
  

• Create exclusive social media groups where members can interact with each other
  
  

• Launch interactive campaigns, such as challenges which encourage its customers and audience to be actively engage

By cultivating authentic connections with your audience, you will strengthen your relationship with them and build long-term loyalty.

User-generated content

We've been talking about user-generated content (UGC) for several years, and it's not in 2025 that we'll say goodbye to this trend! What for? Because your potential customers trust the designers more than the brands themselves. Collaborating with content creators is therefore essential, regardless of your industry.

By building strong relationships with influencers in your niche, you'll get authentic, quality videos and photos that you can repurpose on your own platforms. This will not only improve your credibility, but also your ability to reach a wider audience.

Another reason why user content should fit into your social media strategy: you can comment on it! By interacting with these posts, you will show your appreciation and humanize your brand. These exchanges will increase your visibility to new audiences, while strengthening your reputation as an approachable and attentive company.

Consumers like to support brands that share their values. In 2025, those that particularly stand out are sustainability and inclusivity.

Sustainable marketing

Faced with an increasingly environmentally conscious clientele, companies must integrate eco-responsible practices at all levels, including in their marketing campaigns. Sustainable marketing can take several forms:

• Use of recyclable or compostable materials for your packaging
  
  

• Reduction of waste related to your advertising campaigns
  
  

• launching initiatives such as recycling programmes or collaborations with environmental NGOs

If you have taken eco-responsible steps, have you informed your audience? Communicating your eco-responsible approaches is essential to building a relationship of trust with your potential customers. Consumers like to know that their choices support a company committed to the planet. Consider including this information in your communications, whether it's on your website, social media, or packaging. This will show your audience that you're taking concrete steps to reduce your environmental impact.

Inclusivity at the heart of communications

Inclusive brands continue to grow in popularity and stand out for their ability to speak to everyone, without exception. To adopt this approach in 2025, start by analyzing your communication practices.

Here are some tips to go in the right direction:

• Adapt your language
  Favor neutral, inclusive formulations or doublets when addressing your audience. This makes your posts accessible and welcoming to a wider audience.
  
  

• Represent diversity
  Take a look at your visuals and communication tools. Do they illustrate a variety of genders, ethnicities, and physical abilities? Representation matters, because consumers want to see themselves reflected in what you’re offering.
  
  

• Collaborate with a variety of creators
  Partner with influencers and partners from all walks of life. This enriches your campaigns while showing your openness.

Adopting inclusive practices is not only a matter of trends, but also a way to ensure that everyone feels welcomed and respected in their interaction with your brand.

These trends will provide you with concrete opportunities to better connect with your audience. Dive into the future and be bold in 2025!