Kantar has released the 2025 global major marketing trends to watch, featuring key areas such as sustainability, livestreaming, social media, and generative AI, highlighting the critical fields likely to see growth and development in the coming year. Below are the ten key global trends expected to emerge in 2025:
1. Embarking on the Omnichannel Video Journey
Over the past decade, smart TVs have become mainstream, blurring the lines between broadcast TV and streaming. According to TGI 2024 data, while broadcast TV still enjoys broad reach, 50% of viewers say their TV watching is now primarily focused on streaming. Advertisers are facing challenges when deciding where to place TV ads.
The solution lies in diversification.
Viewing habits vary by region and demographic; some markets prefer Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD), while others lean towards Ad-supported Video on Demand (AVOD). Kantar data shows that by 2025, a net 55% of global advertisers plan to increase investment in streaming TV, while broadcast TV ad budgets will further disperse across a wider range of video platforms—including YouTube. The key is to experiment and find the optimal video mix strategy for each brand and objective.
2. Using Innovative Content to Excel on Social Media
Marketers’ understanding of “attention” is changing, with a greater emphasis on the quality of engagement, as it has the greatest impact on creative effectiveness.
In Kantar’s 2024 research, 31% of people worldwide claimed that ads on social media platforms captured their attention—down from 43% last year.
People have grown accustomed to the complexity of social media, making it increasingly difficult to attract their attention.
In 2025, to consistently capture attention, brands cannot settle for routine operations; instead, they need to stand out on social media with innovative content.
3. Be Wary of Potential Risks with Generative AI
In 2025, marketers will pay closer attention to data privacy and security, and consumer-facing generative AI will require greater transparency.
Marketers’ enthusiasm for generative AI continues to grow. According to Kantar data, 68% of marketers have a positive attitude toward GenAI, and 59% are excited about its application in advertising. However, 44% of marketers believe they can identify AI-generated ads, and 43% of consumers say they do not trust AI-generated ads.
Whether using generative AI for strategy or content creation, marketers must ensure that the foundational data for AI models is reliable, confirm data sources, and make investment decisions accordingly.
4. Integrate Sustainability into Brand Strategy
In 2025, major economies’ sustainability legislation will accelerate companies’ ESG agendas. Moreover, 93% of consumers globally say they want to live more sustainably, which will force companies to treat sustainability as a future challenge.
To date, marketers have struggled to effectively integrate sustainability, create meaningful differentiation, and communicate in ways that resonate with consumers. Despite the difficulties, Kantar BrandZ data shows that sustainability has already created $193 billion in value for the world’s top 100 brands.
Kantar predicts that the most active sustainable consumer groups will grow from 22% in 2023 to 29% by 2030. Marketers are also eager for this shift—94% say their sustainability agenda needs to be more confident.
As Jane Wakely, Executive Vice President, Chief Consumer & Marketing Officer, and Chief Growth Officer at PepsiCo International Foods, puts it: “Sustainability cannot just be a marketing agenda. It must be a company-wide agenda. Marketing’s job is to find real connections, make things relevant to consumers, and turn sustainability initiatives into growth drivers.”
5. Co-Building Brands with Creator Communities
Communities are thriving in new ways. According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy was valued at $250 billion in 2024 and could reach $480 billion by 2027.
Creators build tight-knit content communities—such as parenting, sports, or beauty—helping brands reach target audiences and build trust. Research shows that creator-driven content excels in brand differentiation.
Brands should integrate creator content with their overall strategy, ensuring cross-platform resonance.
Creators care not only about income but also about platform experience, influence, and sustainability. Understanding the dynamics of creator choices is critical for user growth and ad revenue on platforms.
6. The Necessity of Inclusion
For years, despite increasing evidence of its impact, marketers have underestimated inclusion as a growth lever.
In an interconnected world shaped by demographic change, inclusion’s importance continues to rise. According to Kantar’s 2024 Brand Inclusion Index, nearly 80% of people globally say perceptions of brand diversity and inclusion influence their purchase decisions—especially among Gen Z, Millennials, LGBTQ+ communities, those with cognitive differences, and people with disabilities.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion matter even more for high-growth but underserved groups: in emerging economies, 89% say it is important, compared to 71% in developed markets.
Additionally, UN data shows that by 2050, one in four people globally will be African. This “Africanization” offers brands unique opportunities to connect with diverse audiences seeking inclusion and authentic representation.
Generational shifts are opening doors to broader identities and new cultural expectations of acceptance and understanding. In 2025, brands must make inclusion a necessity, not a box-ticking exercise, and inspire future brand growth by connecting with more people.
7. The Challenge of Slowing Population Growth
Population growth is one way for categories to increase penetration, but declining populations mean fewer shoppers. The global population growth rate is now less than 1% per year, far below the 1963 peak. It’s projected to drop to 0.5% by mid-century and turn negative by century’s end.
This slowdown is global—some countries already have declining populations. Maintaining market share may become easier, as growth slows and fewer new consumers are needed annually to sustain current levels. But achieving growth will be more difficult. Kantar’s Worldpanel data shows that if a category is growing, a brand is five times more likely to grow.
Other factors are also at play. For example, young people are marrying and having children later, declining birth rates mean a larger share of older shoppers with lower purchasing power, and household sizes are shrinking. On the bright side, smaller household sizes mean more total households.
8. Brands Must Expand the Limits of Innovation
More brands are striving for growth through new innovations. For example, Oreo and Ferrero have expanded into ice cream, and Oral-B is exploring more ways to expand its influence in the personal care sector. The most extreme example is Samsung, which has broken category boundaries by entering US convenience stores. By 2025, we will see more brands push their boundaries.
For large brands that can’t easily grow in other ways, this is a necessity—but successful expansion through innovation is never simple, as incremental opportunities always carry risk. Brands must fully understand the overall opportunity when entering new areas.
According to Kantar, if brands find new spaces, growth opportunities double. Brands with high penetration and strong future growth potential (“future power brands”) that rethink their “purpose” can expand into new areas and open up new revenue streams.
9. Retail Media Networks Are Evolving
Retail Media Networks (RMN) integrate and manage all of a retailer’s owned digital media, including websites, apps, in-store digital screens (like POP), private domain communities, online mini-programs, and off-site official media. This helps brands connect more closely with consumers.
Research shows that by 2028, retail media will account for nearly a quarter of all media ad spending in the US, as RMN’s first-party data enables precise targeting and personalized marketing.
This presents opportunities to use detailed consumer insights to optimize ad spend and improve campaign effectiveness. In 2025, RMN will become a full-channel marketing asset for CPG (fast-moving consumer goods) brands—not just a short-term tactic. Kantar Media Reactions 2024 shows that 41% of marketers globally plan to increase retail media ad investments in 2025.
10. Livestreaming Will Become Even More Dynamic
In recent years, livestreaming in China has transformed commerce and brand building. Platforms like Taobao Live, Douyin, and WeChat now reach nearly half the population for entertainment and shopping.
McKinsey predicts that by 2026, livestream e-commerce sales in China could account for 20% of total retail sales, with Gen Z and Millennials as the main audience. At the same time, marketers’ over-focus on behavioral metrics often overlooks emotional value and brand strength. Successful brands design engaging creativity and storytelling to retain viewers and encourage repeat purchases.
Kantar shows that livestream ads can boost short-term purchase intent and long-term brand affinity. For established brands, the focus is on building long-term assets, such as driving “need fulfillment,” which can lead to a 10–15% uplift. For small and medium brands, the priority should be awareness (potential uplift of 10–23%) and direct interest (up to 30%).
The rise of social commerce has lowered barriers for small brands. For example, Made by Mitchell achieved $1 million in sales in 12 hours on TikTok Shop in the UK. Big brands must compete to protect their market share. While social commerce currently suits fast-moving and small goods, it can also extend to industries like automotive and luxury fashion.
