#trending in video - December 17, 2025

13 Major Video Trends in Marketing by 2025 As the habits of consumers continue to change, businesses of all sizes are changing their marketing strategies. Additionally, emerging technologies, such as generative AI, may alter the production process. Consequently, the following are the most significant marketing trends for the next 24 months. Instantly Analyze

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 Marketing Is Transformed by Generative AI Marketers Go All-In On TikTok

 AI Helps With Personalized Marketing Campaigns

 Instagram's news features are driven by e-commerce. 1.  The practice of marketing is altered by generative AI. No new platform or technology is impacting the marketing space in 2025 more than generative AI.

 In point of fact, artificial intelligence (AI) tools are already being used by marketers to come up with content, plan campaigns, and boost overall productivity. It's given rise to a whole new philosophy of "vibe marketing".

 73% of marketers use AI tools regularly, according to one study. Undefined AI is already widely used in US marketing departments. Particularly noteworthy is the 967 percent increase in Google searches for "AI marketing tools" over the past 24 months. unspecified volume of searches for "AI marketing tools" since the end of 2022. The following are a few examples of how AI is being put to use in marketing: 1.  Idea generation and brainstorming: ChatGPT and other LLMs can assist in the generation of new campaign concepts, ad creatives, and other creatives. 2.  Content creation: User-friendly platforms like Midjourney and DALL-E make it so any member of a marketing team can create ad copy or even social media images. 

 DALL·E 2024-06-11 09.37.33 - A lifelike image of a person drinking a soft drink in a 1950s retro ad style.png.webpExample of a marketing image created with DALL-E.

 3.  Campaign analysis: Analyzing campaigns once tool days or weeks.  With generative AI, a lot of this work can now be done in a matter of minutes. For example, marketers can upload a spreadsheet of an email campaign containing data like open rates, click-through rates and sales.  And discover in a matter of minutes which user segments and messages performed best. 4.  Predictions and forecasting: With the right data, AI can help forecast future consumer interests and demand. 

 In 2025, expect AI usage to expand into new use cases (like automated A/B testing, AI influencers and campaign management).

 5.  Optimizing and planning content Content markers are increasingly using AI to outline, update, and optimize content.  In SEO, LLMs can be used for topic clustering and keyword planning.

 Search Engines and AI For websites that rely on organic traffic, the introduction of AI in search engine results has significant ramifications. Interest in the search term "answer engine optimization" skyrocketed in November 2024. 

 And this trend is continuing to rise rapidly in 2025.

 Search volume for answer engine optimizationSearch interest for "Answer engine optimization" has been climbing since late 2024.

 There are a few reasons behind this.

 First, AI Overviews have spiked in frequency since the March 2025 Google Update.

 In a recent analysis, Mark Williams-Cook used 155,000 queries and found 80% of them triggering AI Overviews in Google.

 Additionally, Google began experimenting with a brand-new AI Mode that is integrated into Google search. This appears as a separate tab at the top of SERPs. 

 In AI Mode, Google is using a custom version of Gemini 2.0 which aggregates information from multiple related searches for more comprehensive results.

 Images, citations, web links, and text generated by AI are all included in the final product. Although AI Mode displays web links to sources it considers helpful, it's likely to hurt clickthrough rates for websites similar to how AI Overviews are eating away clicks from websites. 

 AI Mode looks all set to be one of the most challenging trends that organic marketers will have to tackle in 2025 and beyond.

 2.  Marketers go all-in on TikTok

 Despite being a household name with over 1 billion users, TikTok is still seeing significant growth. 

 undefinedSearches for “TikTok” have increased by 1,825% in 5 years.

 In fact, TikTok added over 200 million new users in 2023 Q4 alone.

 undefinedThe number of people using TikTok is still growing. Many marketers see TikTok as a GenZ-only platform.  Others are unsure of how to promote their brand with short-form video content. 

 In the coming months, expect more businesses do all-in with TikTok simply based on the sheer number of active users on the platform.

 Additionally, TikTok boasts extremely high levels of user engagement. Recent developments show that TikTok is putting focus on businesses and their marketing needs.

 For example, TikTok's ad platform now directly competes with giants like Google and Meta.

 undefinedSearches for “TikTok ads” have increased by 8,100% in 5 years.

 Like with major ad players, TikTok now allows dozens of ad targeting "dimensions", including:

 Age

 Gender

 Location

 Interests

 Purchase intent

 And we're starting to see nationwide brands to add TikTok to their marketing mix.

 For example, Petco ran a large-scale UGC campaign on TikTok that reached 67 million people.

 undefinedExample of a large brand using TikTok ads.

 Users flocked to RedNote in the United States as the threat of a TikTok ban persisted. The Trump administration has extended the deadline for the TikTok ban, but it could disrupt TikTok's place in the market starting from the second half of 2025.

 3.  AI helps with personalized marketing campaigns

 undefinedSearches for "personalized marketing" have doubled over the last 5 years. 

 More and more companies are using data to create deeper personalized interactions between their brand and their audience.

 In point of fact, if the customer experience is personalized, 80% of customers are more likely to make a purchase. Create a winning plan. Get a complete view of your competitors to anticipate trends and lead your market

 More than 36% of consumers say they want a more personalized shopping experience, but “data debt” is a problem.

 And it seems that consumers are not suffering from a lack of trust.

 One report showed that 90% of shoppers are willing to share data about themselves if it means they’ll get a cheaper or easier shopping experience.

 One example of personalization: Crate and Barrel offers a “view in my room” feature on their website.

 undefinedView my room uses basic AR technology to simulate how furniture would look in a customer's room.

 Thanks to augmented reality, consumers can scan a QR code to see a piece of furniture come to life in their very own home.

 Netflix is constantly pushing the limits of personalization.

 The company’s “recommended” algorithm is so accurate that 80% of viewing choices come from their recommendations with only the remaining 20% of viewings coming from a subscriber’s search.

 undefinedNetflix is one of many companies combining artificial intelligence and big data to provide highly personalized recommendations. 

 While there are multiple ways to personalize digital marketing efforts, only 10% of businesses use any personalization strategies beyond that.

 “Offline person-to-person experiences will be the next horizon for personalization,” according to McKinsey, a global consulting firm. They suggest that advanced analytics and AI-enabled tools will drive the change.

 Even though the full impact of AI-driven personalization is yet to be seen, companies that are using the marketing strategy are seeing a huge impact.

 The Rise of Personalized Commerce study showed that 70% of businesses that used AI personalization reported seeing a 200% ROI from it.

 4.  E-commerce drives news features on Instagram

 Chris Messina, who came up with the hashtag, was once quoted as saying, "Instagram is set on colonizing the bleeding edge of where commerce is going." The platform has released several new e-commerce features, and the app continues to attract a massive audience - a win-win for marketing professionals in 2025 and beyond.

 Instagram has more than 2 billion active users as of February 2025. Those millions of users are on Instagram for more than just sharing photos with their friends.

 In point of fact, a significant study revealed that 36% of app users follow brands and businesses. Instagram itself reports that more than 200 million users visit at least one business profile daily.

 According to Instagram's internal data, users frequently interact with businesses on the platform. hootsuite-instagram-statistics-min.png In many ways, Instagram has become a one-stop shop for digital marketing.

 Businesses can gain followers, build their brands, and sell their products right on the app.

 “[Instagram keeps] making it easier for brands to attract new audiences and move existing consumers down the sales funnel, all within one platform,” according to one marketing agency. This path to purchasing comes into play in several different ways, making it easier than ever for marketers to convert followers into sales.

 Users can shop on Instagram’s reels, live broadcasts, posts, and stories, and through a store link in a business’ bio.

 Of course, most marketers take advantage of Instagram ads, too.

 undefinedGoogle searches for "Instagram ads" have increased by 22% in 5 years.

 According to a survey, 29% of businesses allocate the majority of their social advertising budget to Instagram. More than 20% of the respondents also said they see the best ROAS on Instagram.

 Projections show that US businesses were expected to spend a total of $9.1 billion on Instagram ads by the end of 2024. 

 5.  Influencer marketing matures

 In the marketing world, influencer marketing is no longer "the next big thing." undefined The search term "influencer marketing" has grown over the past ten years despite a recent decline in searches. In fact, influencer marketing is now a mainstay channel for small and large brands.

 (Especially in B2C)

 In fact, influencer marketing spend was expected to reach $35 billion by the end of 2024. 

 For many businesses, the strong ROI makes influencer marketing a smart choice.

 In one survey, 48% of marketers said that influencer marketing has a better or much better ROI than other marketing channels.

 According to the findings of another survey, influencer marketing delivers $5.20 worth of value for each dollar spent. Mega-influencers have recently helped big businesses succeed. For example, Dunkin’s partnership with TikTok influencer Charli D'Amelio reportedly resulted in a 20% increase in cold brew sales and a 57% increase in downloads of the Dunkin' app.

 undefinedThe Dunkin' campaign with Charli D'Ameli produced significant outcomes in the real world for the company. Dunkin’ partnered with several micro-influencers, showing that companies using this marketing strategy are using different influencers for different purposes.

 Overall, the campaign reached more than 1 million people on Instagram and boasted a 5.2% engagement rate.

 undefinedSearches for “micro influencers” has been rising steadily. 

 6.  User-generated content is favored by advertisers. The rise of user-generated content (UGC) is an important trend that goes hand in hand with the push for authenticity on social media. undefined Interest in "user generated content" by search engines has doubled in the past five years. The American Association of Advertising Agencies reports that 96% of consumers don’t trust ads.

 But, a recent study found that 93% of marketers agree that consumers do trust content created by real people.

 For example, Vitamix runs a "smoothie of the year" campaign that features smoothies made with the product.

 undefinedVitamix is one of many major brands focused on UGC.

 UGC can also be used by brands to promote social causes and increase social follower engagement. Clothing company Aerie started the #aeriereal hashtag, encouraging their customers to post unfiltered images of themselves on Instagram.

 7.  Marketers go all-in with video

 undefinedSearch growth for the term "video marketing" over the last decade.

 HubSpot has named video marketing as “one of, if not the, most important marketing trend today and likely for the next 5-10 years”.

 You only need to look at YouTube to see how much video has taken over. According to the platform, over 500 hours of content are uploaded each minute. However, YouTube is now one of a number of social media platforms that prioritize videos. Instagram, TikTok and even X (formerly Twitter) are becoming video-first platforms.

 And marketers are starting to take notice by making video the focus of their campaigns. 

 Wyzowl reports that, in 2024, 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.

 undefinedAccording to one industry study, nearly every business now invests in video content.

 Particularly convincing are the statistics regarding video content on social media. For example, Instagram Reels significantly outperform other content types on the platform.

 undefinedWhen it comes to user engagement, Reels get more engagement than non-video posts.

 There is a sweet spot in video marketing, though.

 According to the data, short videos are most popular, and the definition of "short" is becoming ever-shorter. (In large part due to YouTube Shorts and TikTok) The current industry standard stipulates that marketing videos should not exceed two minutes in length. 8.  Consumer demand fuels visual search

 undefinedSearch interest in “Google lens” has been on a steady climb.

 Thanks to AI, visual search is finally here. 

 Right now, incorporating visual search into marketing strategies is an emerging marketing trend.

 Advertisers have focused on this, but a London-based publisher's article stated that only 8% of specialty retail brands have integrated a photo search feature into their apps. The image recognition market is expected to grow to $53 billion by the end of 2025.

 And a study reported that 35% of marketers were planning to optimize visual search in the near future.

 There is plenty of demand for visual search among consumers.

 According to one study, 74% of consumers consider text-based searches to be "inefficient" for their requirements. Millennials, especially, want visual search capabilities - 62% want to use it more than any other new technology.

 Google Lens is one of the most popular visual search apps available.

 google-lens-min.pngGoogle Lens is steadily growing.

 Pinterest Lens might be even more impressive.

 It can recognize more than 2.5 billion objects.

 Their platform can take consumers directly from visual search to purchasing.

 Two other examples of the trend: Amazon has StyleSnap, which uses visual search and several other parameters to recommend items to consumers.

 And, Snapchat’s visual search goes as far as to recognize food packaging and wine labels.

 techcrunch-snapchat-amazon-visual-sea... The visual search function of Snapchat. In the furniture and fashion industries, visual search marketing is especially prevalent. ASOS’s app allows users to take a photo and the platform will automatically find the product or recommend a different product that matches the style of the item in the image.

 The use of visual search extends to NAPA Auto Parts stores as well. Their "Drop & Find" kiosk takes a picture of a part, compares it to a picture in its AI system, and instantly tells a customer where that part is in the store. The system can identify 5,000 parts and ninety percent of the time finds the customer an exact match. And just last year, OpenAI's GPT-4o model was specially engineered with robust vision capabilities as a core use case. 

 9.  Marketers Turn to YouTube Ads for Increased Reach and Improved ROI

 As consumers shy away from watching traditional television, companies are spending their ad budgets elsewhere.

 YouTube is quickly growing into a huge advertising platform. undefined Over the past five years, the search volume for "youtube ads" has increased by 126%. The platform’s global revenue is up to over $8 billion per quarter. 

 The Social Media Examiner reports that 52% of marketers are currently using YouTube and more than half of marketers want to learn more about YouTube ads.

 Digital marketers who use YouTube ads have the potential to reach 1.7 billion unique visitors every month.

 These ads are also relatively cheap, too — $.03 to $.30 per impression.

 YouTube's full-funnel ad strategy was utilized by Grammarly, a cloud-based typing assistant with 30 million users, with a dual focus on long-term brand development and new customer acquisition. The end result was a 13% increase in conversions and a 9 percent higher return on investment when compared to awareness advertising alone. grammarly-youtube-funnel-min.pngGrammarly saw an improved conversion rate when running YouTube ads in 2021.

 Digital marketers at Kayak, a popular travel booking site, launched a series of humorous ads on YouTube.  The goal was to inspire people to get back to traveling after the pandemic.  On YouTube's connected TV, the ads were shown. kayak-youtube-ad-min.pngKayak’s ad campaign took advantage of YouTube’s broad reach in order to target potential travelers in the United States.

 In just one month, the campaign was successful in reaching one in four adults in the US, and conversion rates increased by 7.5%. Want to Spy on Your Competition?

 Explore competitors’ website traffic stats, discover growth points, and expand your market share.

 10.  Data Privacy Concerns Prompt Marketers to Change Strategies

 In order for digital marketers to personalize content and target ads at consumers, they need data.  But, very soon, that data may be hard to come by.

 Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about privacy.

 undefined Over the past five years, the volume of searches for "data privacy" has doubled. Nearly three-quarters of Americans are “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about their online privacy and 42% of individuals are not comfortable receiving personalized ads.

 The Pew Research Center reports that more than 80% of Americans feel that the risks of companies collecting data on them outweigh the benefits.

 A recent Google survey showed that 73% of people use online tools in order to protect their privacy.

 Amidst this consumer concern, Apple and Google are phasing out third-party cookies, one of the main ways companies collect data on consumers.

 Now, digital marketers are revamping their data collection strategies and aiming to gain back consumer trust.

 responsible-marketing-with-first-part... Customers will be more willing to share their data with advertisers who can provide the transparency they demand. This could negatively impact the bottom line if marketers aren’t able to pivot efficiently.

 McKinsey suggests companies that can’t land on an effective data strategy could end up paying as much as 20% more on marketing and sales to generate the same results.

 mckinsey-growth-marketing-and-sale-mi... According to a McKinsey study, "a strong, trust-based relationship with customers may be the key to a sustainable, effective data strategy" is the conclusion. First-party data is one alternative for marketers who previously relied on cookies from third parties. That’s data a company collects directly from its customers.

 According to Search Engine Journal, 36% of marketers believe that customer purchase history data will be the most valuable first-party data in the future. Social media profiles, website registrations, survey responses, and mobile app usage are all useful data sources. There are clear benefits to first-party data.

 It’s cheap to collect.  It’s owned by the company.  It’s accurate, and it can be used to strengthen relationships with customers.

 Marketers can drive business value by collecting and utilizing first-party data. Properly integrated first-party data has been shown to generate double the revenue from a single ad placement or communication.  Plus, it can potentially result in a 1.5x improvement in cost efficiency.

 11.  Metaverse Hypes Dies Down

 The metaverse was described as a game-changer for consumers in simple terms. (To the point where Facebook's parent company rebranded to Meta). 

 It’s a place where people can live a digital life through augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).  Although it’s still in early development, tech experts are conflicted to whether the metaverse will be a place where people play, party, and socialize in the coming years.

 So far, reality never really lived up to the hype.

 undefinedSearches for "metaverse" have steadily declined since peaking in 2022.

 In 2023, it was predicted that 110 million people would use AR at least once per month. 

 us-vr-users-min.pngThe number of people using was projected to grow.  But it's unclear whether this trend has legs. 

 But those projections never panned out. 

 The metaverse is currently more of a concept than a channel that advertisers can target. However, there are a few examples of metaverse marketing panning out. 

 For example, Gucci.

 A metaverse version of the brand's actual Gucci Garden Archetypes in Italy, the fashion retailer launched a limited-edition Gucci Gardens in Roblox. undefinedIn Gucci Gardens, people could mingle with other avatars, explore the space, and purchase digital products.

 The space was visited by more than 19 million people. Once there, they could purchase Gucci accessories that ranged in price from $1.20 to $9.  More than 4.5 million items were sold.

 The mega hit video game Fortnite has seen millions of people show up for virtual events (drawing over 12 million people). 

 12.  Marketing Leaders Respond to Calls for Increased Diversity

 Digital marketers are listening as consumers call for more diversity, equality, and inclusion.

 A survey from Abode found that 61% of US consumers say diversity in advertising is important.

 In point of fact, Adobe found that more than a third of LGBTQ+, African-American, and Millennial customers stated that a company's efforts to demonstrate diversity have a significant impact on their likelihood of making a purchase from that company. Another study found that brands with the highest diversity scores have an 83% higher consumer preference.

 70 percent of Gen Z consumers in a study said they trust brands more when they use diversity in their marketing. gen-z-marketing-min.pngInclusive advertising and marketing is especially important to Gen Z.

 But, only 29% of non-white individuals believe their race is accurately represented in advertising.

 Most consumers especially see digital marketing efforts as lacking diversity.

 When asked about which media portrays the most diversity in advertising, 43% of consumers said network TV.  Only 20% said social media and only 9% said digital ads.

 Leading digital marketers are taking steps to ensure their brands meet diversity and inclusion goals.

 The vast majority believe that inclusivity in marketing is important: 93% agreed with this statement in a recent survey.

 Nearly 90% of marketers agree that there’s room for growth when it comes to using diverse images in marketing campaigns.

 Thoroughly researching the target audience, using inclusive language, and featuring diverse imagery are a few ways digital marketers are adjusting their strategies.  In order to make their marketing more inclusive, many brands are also forming partnerships with minority-owned businesses. facebook-difference-diversity-makes-m... Digital marketers are looking at a pathway like this one as they work toward inclusive representation.

 Procter & Gamble provides one example of a successful initiative aimed at diversity in marketing.

 The goal of the company's "Widen the Screen" video series is to increase Black voices. The initiative has created partnerships with Black creators in film, television, and advertising with the goal of confronting prejudice.

 Oreo is another brand that’s been committed to LGBTQ+ inclusion for the past several years.

 They partnered with PFLAG, an organization dedicated to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, to launch the #proudparent campaign.

 They utilized filters on Instagram, Twitter ads, and a dedicated website in their marketing.

 Particularly on social media, the campaign was a huge success. It produced 315 million impressions and 2 million engagements.

 13.  Chatbot App Integrations Grow

 The use of chatbots is one digital marketing strategy that combines some of the trends on this list. undefinedSearch volume for “chatbot” is growing, up 219% in the past 5 years. 

 Chatbots powered by AI combine the futuristic technology of the future with the personalization that customers want. A survey of US adults found that 40% of US consumers are interested in using chatbots.  Additionally, it stated that 80% of customers who used a chatbot had a positive experience. Digital marketers are using chatbots in a variety of ways: driving people through the sales pipeline, answering questions, and pointing consumers to specific products.

 According to a survey of B2B marketers, 82% consider AI chatbots to be an extremely useful component of their current marketing and sales strategy. Chatbots can be a helpful tool for building trust with consumers, too.

 Facebook reports that 69% of Americans who have messaged a business say that messaging capability makes them feel more confident about the brand.

 Insider Intelligence expects this technology to be incredibly valuable in the future.

 By 2024, customer retail spending via chatbots was forecasted to hit $142 billion.  This is in contrast to only $2.8 billion in 2019. One of the most common ways that businesses use chatbots to achieve their marketing objectives is through the use of WhatsApp, a platform with 2 million global users. Whatsapp-business-min.png is a picture of a business that uses the messaging app to meet customers where they are and develop lasting relationships with them. Customers can be reminded by marketers using the app platform, cross-selling opportunities can be taken advantage of, and hyper-relevant promotions can be offered. In October 2021, a chatbot marketing and sales campaign was launched by Tata Cliq, an Indian luxury e-commerce brand. They achieved a 57% clickthrough rate in their WhatsApp communications and attributed $500k in sales to the app during one month.  Their ROI was 10x higher than with conventional marketing channels.

 Facebook Messenger remains one of the top platforms for chatbots.

 There are more than 300k active chatbots on Messenger and more than 8 billion messages go between businesses and consumers each month.

 A Facebook Messenger chatbot was utilized by Sharkey's Cuts For Kids, a franchised kids' hair salon in Odessa, Texas, to generate excitement for its grand opening. sharkey-chatbot-min.pngUsing chatbots on Facebook Messenger can drive leads and conversions for local businesses.

 In order to enter a giveaway, Facebook users messaged Sharkey's and provided their information to the chatbot. In return, they received a voucher for the grand opening.  Users could also be prompted to schedule an appointment and sign up for reminders by the chatbot. Sharkey’s generated more than 100 appointments for opening day and reduced their cost-per-acquisition by 58% when compared to other franchise grand openings.

 Conclusion

 That wraps up the top trends driving marketing in 2025 and beyond.

 Businesses continue to receive features from social media platforms, but consumers are requesting more authenticity and personalization from businesses. Brands that can find the right balance between paid marketing and digital word-of-mouth directly from their customers are poised to be the most successful in the coming years.

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