The marketing world is a mess of trends. Here’s what you need to know right now.
A quick Google search proves it: the marketing world is a mess of choices, voices, and new trends emerging daily. How do you make sense of it all? Worse, what happens if you don’t? Paralysis can cause irrelevance. The wrong strategy can put your business on the line. Your butt on the line.
To help you focus, here’s what you really need to know about some of the buzziest topics in marketing right now.
The Buzz: AI is revolutionizing content creation
The truth? While Google now ranks AI- and human-written content almost equally in search results, marketers should tread lightly when using AI to author content.
- 50% of consumers can now tell the difference between artificial and human-generated content.
- 52% feel less engaged reading copy suspected to be written by AI.
- 82% don’t mind if brands use AI to write copy, but it needs to feel like it was written by a person.
- 63% want AI use to be disclosed.
AI, as we all know, is here to stay. The key is to use it strategically, not solely. For the best results, ensure your AI-assisted content is reviewed and edited by a human — so it feels human — and be transparent with all parties, internal teams included.
“Our research shows that as AI use increases, the most important element of a marketing campaign should be the human touch.”
—Warren Daniels, CMO, Bynder
The Buzz: AI-powered search engines are replacing Google
The truth? AI-powered search is on the rise, yes. By 2026, traditional search volume is expected to drop by 25%. But while people are increasingly using tools like SearchGPT and Perplexity for certain types of queries, traditional search still dominates by a long shot.
Consider this: AI-powered Perplexity sees 100 million searches per week. Google sees 8.5 billion per day.
What does this mean for marketers? AI isn’t the Google killer we think it is, at least not yet, so optimizing for AI search isn’t mission-critical. And, in many cases, AI-powered search engines default to traditional search results anyway. In other words: don’t scrap your SEO playbook.
The Buzz: AR/VR is still a shiny new opportunity for advertisers.
The truth? People have been calling AR/VR the future of marketing for years, but innovation is outpacing adoption.
Metaverse? More like Megabust. Once predicted to be worth $13 trillion by 2030, the Metaverse has hemorrhaged almost $50 billion over the last five years. Similarly, VR/AR headset shipments dropped 67% year over year globally in the first quarter of 2024. And though sources say the market is poised to grow, it’ll largely be at the hands of gamers.
For marketers, AR/VR technologies remain niche and experimental. Barriers include:
- A general lack of understanding around mixed realities (AR/VR).
- A lack of technical talent and expertise.
- High costs to outsource and implement AR/VR experiences.
- Limited, proven case studies around their ROI.
Only a few sectors like retail (virtual try-ons) and healthcare (exposure therapy, etc.) have seen positive engagement, likely because their applications are functional, not gimmicky. Unless you’re in the right sector, AR/VR isn’t worth the investment. Stick to tried-and-true brand experiences like product demos, experiential activations, and strong video creative instead.
“AR/VR users are still few and far between. Growth projections are nowhere near the scale that would make mixed reality ‘the next computing platform.’”
— Statista Marketing Insights
The Buzz: Cross-channel consistency is key to brand integrity.
The truth? Marketing 101 tells us to adhere to our brand guidelines at all times. With social media, however, people value authenticity, relevance, and creativity more than strict uniformity in tone and style.
It makes sense: the top priority for social media users right now — above commerce, education, and networking — is entertainment. Still, many brands are primarily focused on promoting their products and services, and in a way that’s hyper-buttoned up.
In 2025, 43% of brands plan to push creative boundaries with their social content in ways they wouldn’t dare to on other channels. It’s becoming more urgent to do so: 31% of people globally claimed that social media ads captured their attention in 2024, a 12% decrease year over year.
To stand out, brands will need to step outside their comfort zone, give their content creators more control, and treat social media as a creative playground. So, pay attention to what your audience engages with. Don’t be afraid to bend your brand, take risks, and get a little unhinged. (See: Duolingo, Liquid Death, etc.)
“Fueled by a blend of curiosity, imagination, vulnerability, and courage, creative bravery will be infused into our daily lives.”
— Sofia Hernandez, Global Head of Business Marketing, TikTok
The Buzz: Performance is more important than brand.
The truth? Yes, CMOs are increasingly favouring short-term, lead-generation campaigns over brand awareness. In 2024, for example, marketers spent 68.8% on performance marketing, an 8.9% increase from 2023. But these same marketers stated that a fifty-fifty budget allocation would be ideal. So what’s driving the disconnect?
It’s no secret that performance marketing has clearer, more measurable KPIs than brand building; it’s easier to demonstrate value. But it’s also easy to get tunnel vision when you’re focused on the bottom of the funnel.
Here’s the thing: a new study from a first-of-its-kind coalition of marketing experts confirms that “switching from a performance strategy to a combined approach (performance x brand) can boost total revenue returns by somewhere in the range of 25% to 100%. The median is an incredible 90% uplift.”
What’s more:
- Brand recognition fuels lead conversion: when searching online, 82% of people will click on a product from a brand they recognize before one from a brand they don’t.
- 76% of people will buy from a brand they feel connected to over a competitor.
- Emotionally connected customers have a 306% higher lifetime value.
The takeaway? Investing in brand equity acts as a multiplier. Giving more budget to performance marketing might be appealing on the surface, but it ultimately leads to diminishing returns. An integrated approach to brand and demand is key.
“The biggest returns come when brands see brand equity as an accelerant of commercial performance.”
— WARC, The Multiplier Effect
Keep up with clarity, not trends.
As the marketing world evolves, it pays to remember the basics: know your audience, invest in your brand, and don’t be afraid to take creative risks. It’s not about chasing trends. It’s about mastering the fundamentals so you can capitalize on any trend — or stay resilient if a trend falls flat.
Some things are changing faster than others, and it’s not always clear where to invest your time, money, and attention. If you’re struggling to find clarity, we can help. Just send us an email at hello@s3mcmillan.com.
