There’s this famous video creator giving Feng Shui advice on TikTok. The information he shares sounds very good and useful, but what makes him unique from all the other ‘TikTokers’ is that he uses AI, specifically, an AI-generated avatar that narrates for him, and looks like a real person.
With the rate at which AI is becoming increasingly popular today, and changing how the wind blows for content creation, the thought of having more AI avatars popping up in our feed in the coming years is not so much of a surprise anymore.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll get a fitness guru using an AI avatar to demonstrate workouts soon on TikTok or an AI-created cooking expert showing off step-by-step recipes like a real chef. We’ve even recently tried AI for ourselves and launched our very first podcast episode, voiced entirely by an AI!
Something hit us, we’re currently entering a new era, one that is very transformative–and it’s coming in fast.
In 2025, marketers and brands will see and experience more of AI’s potential, affecting consumer behaviour and how we approach content distribution and production.
But, while artificial intelligence takes up a big chunk of the digital marketing trends, other technologies and online marketing strategies will also own the stage in 2025. Read on to learn more.
1. Smarter AI and Automation in Marketing
In 2024, AI tools for content creation have evolved quickly and impressively. This year, we are expecting AI and automation to be more than just one of the digital marketing trends, but also a core part of business operations.
Here’s how:
Conversational AI models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can now do more than just chat with a user and answer their questions.
Users can send an image that these AI models can analyse, they can also do some fact-checking and source attribution, and both have already enhanced their multilingual capabilities.
However, the power of artificial intelligence is not only limited to automating content creation. In marketing, they could also help with customer segmentation and predictive analytics.
How does AI help in customer segmentation and predictive analytics?
Customer segmentation involves grouping your customers based on common characteristics, such as their demographics and behaviours. This allows your team to effectively reach out to those customers. It sounds like a lot of manual work, right?
However, by using AI in customer segmentation, businesses can quickly analyse large volumes of customer data and easily identify their shared traits within each segment.
Additionally, with AI being able to collect, organise, and assess data fast, it is also helpful for predictive analytics. It can quickly identify patterns and relationships within data and help predict data-driven outcomes for your digital marketing campaign.
2. Adapting to the Changing SERP Landscape
The impact of the developments in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) will also be felt more by brands and marketers.
Here’s a quick recap of the significant changes in SERPs:
- Google AI Overviews: AI Overviews is a Search Lab Experiment replacing Google Search Generative Experience (SGE). How to use Google AI Overviews? A user can enter their search query and then SERP will show AI-generated summaries answering their question on top of search results. So, instead of users exploring and clicking every webpage that shows up, they can get answers quickly through AI, putting website traffic at risk of getting low.
- Visual Search: Have you experienced searching for something on Google but don’t know the right words to key in? Perhaps you’re trying to remember the name of a brand but all you have about them is the photo of their logo. With the new visual search feature, you could just upload the photo that you want to gain information about and search engines like Google or Bing will help you find relevant results based on the image.
- Rich Snippets: Rich snippets, or rich results, are Google search results that present extra information about your webpage, including ratings, images, and prices. Google usually retrieves these additional details from specific code (structured data markup) embedded in the webpage’s HTML. With rich snippets, your website can attract more attention and traffic from search engines.
To keep up with these digital marketing trends for SEO, a brand must refresh its strategy to align with evolving technology, algorithms, and search behaviour.
For example, the images they publish on their website must contain optimised alt texts and captions. For AI-driven search results, brands can focus on providing clear and concise content that AI can easily summarise. Lastly, brands can get rich snippets by implementing structured data on their pages.
An SEO specialist is equipped to overcome these latest digital marketing trends by providing SEO services aligned with the most updated technologies. They are up-to-date with the latest digital marketing insights, ensuring that your search engine strategy stays relevant and effective.
3. The Shift Toward Voice Search Marketing
Siri and Alexa will become more in demand in 2025 with voice search marketing as one of this year’s digital marketing trends.
If there’s a way to search visually, new technologies also allow users to say their queries instead of merely typing them through voice search. The thing about voice search marketing is that brands deal with highly conversational requests using natural and less professional language.
For example, when typing in our queries we can ask “inverter aircon benefits,” but in voice search, we can say “Should I buy an inverter aircon?”
As you may notice, it can be longer, specific, and conversational.
With this trend, it is important to make your content voice- and chat-friendly by adjusting the language you use, as well as your tone and voice for every webpage content.
4. Immersive Technologies with AR and VR
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are also one of the digital marketing trends in 2025 that are bound to elevate customer experiences.
AR turns the simple, real world into a dynamic, colourful one by projecting digital images and characters through a phone’s camera or screen. Ikea has been injecting AR into its customer experience through the “Ikea Place” app where a user can point their camera to a specific location in their home, choose a product from the app’s catalogue, and check if it fits their space.
With this, Ikea helps their customers in their buying decisions, allowing them to visualise how furniture will look and fit in their homes before making a purchase.
Meanwhile, VR produces an entirely computer-generated simulation. For example, Adidas used VR technology when it promoted its outdoor gear line, TERREX. They created a virtual simulation of one of the Delicatessen route’s hardest climbs in Punta du Corbi, Corsica.
Using VR headsets, players were given the chance to virtually experience climbing the Delicatessen summit, giving them a sense of what it’s like to climb and what it entails. It is also an opportunity for the brand to showcase the capabilities of its outdoor gear.
5. Short-Form Video Content Taking Center Stage
TikTok videos, YouTube shorts, and other forms of snackable reels are becoming more and more popular every year—these content forms still earn a spot in the list of digital marketing trends for 2025. This isn’t just a short-lived trend. It highlights the evolving nature of consumer behaviour in today’s world.
A modern user’s attention span has become shorter than in the past. In fact, the average time has decreased from 12 seconds to 8.25 seconds over the last two decades–that’s less than the average attention span of a goldfish which is 9 seconds!
No wonder how short-form videos, with their fast and to-the-point nature, have become so popular. They cater perfectly to the current shift in how we consume content—quick, engaging, and easy to digest.
To create effective short-form videos, plan your content, tell your story, keep them under 60 seconds, use subtitles, trending music and content, and write compelling copy to hook your audience immediately.
6. Evolving Trends in Social Shopping
One of the digital marketing trends expected for 2025 is the rise of social commerce.
What started as a place to share photos and stay in touch with friends has quickly turned into a go-to spot for shopping and discovering new products.
Social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest, have joined e-commerce giants like Shopee and Lazada in integrating shopping features directly into their platforms, making it easier than ever to discover and buy products on the go.
Brands are now able to directly market their products on social media channels through shoppable posts, stories, and even live streams, making it super easy to shop without ever leaving the app.
For example, the TikTok app allows video creators to add a product link to their videos–it is the ever-famous TikTok yellow basket. When customers click on this basket, they can check on the product and easily add them to their cart for checkout.
To successfully market on social channels, brands should create visually appealing and shoppable posts. They could also partner with influencers who can review and promote their products.
With social shopping getting so popular, do e-commerce websites still matter?
While social commerce is a powerful tool for reaching new customers and driving engagement, brands should also recognise the credibility that comes with having a compelling e-commerce website design.
Social platforms make it easy for customers to discover and purchase products, but a dedicated e-commerce website adds a whole new level of trust and professionalism. It shows customers that the brand is established and reliable, offering a secure and tailored shopping experience.
By integrating both social commerce and an e-commerce website, brands can create a seamless, omnichannel experience that combines convenience with credibility.
7. Hyper-Personalisation with Data Insights
Customers want to feel seen and understood. Now, more than ever, brands should get to know their customers more and tap into their interests to deliver content that resonates, leading to higher engagements.
One of the digital marketing trends in 2025 that helps achieve this is hyper-personalisation through data insights.
Hyper-personalisation uses machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), and real-time data to produce content, products, or services, that are highly specific. It is also called one-to-one marketing, as it helps marketers create an experience that is unique to a customer.
With its granular nature, brands can send messages, promotions, and product recommendations that feel really personal and relevant to each person.
Buckle up, marketers and brands—2025 is going to be a year of big changes
A decade ago, who would’ve imagined you could search for something just by speaking to your phone? Or that social media could actually go head-to-head with platforms like Shopee and Lazada for e-commerce?
The digital marketing trends for this year are big game-changers for brands. The question now is: Are your digital marketing methods ready for 2025?
Digital marketing agencies are full of experts who know how to work with the latest tech, like AI, voice search, and AR. They are used to withstand changes in the digital space from adapting to consumer behaviour shifts to strategising around new tools and platforms that emerge.
iFoundries has been around the industry for 20 years and we’ve seen it all. Over the past two decades, we do not just keep up–we lead the way. Let’s future-proof your digital strategy. Contact us to learn more.
