Marketing has dramatically changed over the first quarter of the 21st century. The rise of digital, hyper-specific targeting, connected TV(CTV), and real-time advertising marketplaces are just a few of the trends that have made the marketing industry almost unrecognizable to what it was at the beginning of 2000.
"Over the past 25 years, the evolution of the internet, the rise of mobile devices, and now AI have radically transformed how we connect, communicate, and create," said Kaare Wesnaes, head of innovation at Ogilvy North America. "These shifts have made advertising more immediate, data-driven, and interactive. The next 25 years will take us even further into hyper-personalization, with AI-driven interfaces enhancing every facet of the industry—from strategy to execution."
As we enter 2025, we asked marketing leaders what they considered were the biggest changes over the last 25 years and where they would like to see the industry be by 2050.
Connecting with consumers
Both the advent of the internet and ubiquitous growth of smartphones have changed the world over the last 25 years.
The new tech has not only upended consumer habits, but it has also reinvented how brands and marketers can connect with those consumers, particularly through social media.
"Marketing was always a one-way conversation: brand to consumers," said Kerry Tucker, co-president VIRTUE Worldwide. "In the last 25 years, the introduction of social media has forever changed marketing to be a two-way conversation."
Nearly half the global population (49.8%) will be a social network user in 2025, per our May 2024 forecast, with 2.13 billion people using Facebook and 1.58 billion using Instagram.
"Social media has transformed marketing in the past 20 years, leaping from a value add to the center of most marketing campaigns," said Leslie Koch, senior vice president of creators & social strategy at TelevisaUnivision. "It’s fueled the rise of authentic, creator-driven content, and has made marketing a two-way interaction between consumers and brands."
Foundational technology like the internet and mobile devices have also allowed for a greater diversification of platforms. The traditional landscape of print, TV, radio, and out-of-home (OOH) ads has expanded to include social media, CTV, creator-driven activations, live-streamed events, and so much more.
"The biggest change in the last 25 years has been the rise of the creator economy, which has fundamentally redefined how brands connect with consumers by shifting influence from traditional media to individuals," said Scott Fisher, founder and chairman of Select Management Group. "Creators have become the new power brokers of attention, trust, and commerce, shaping industries far beyond entertainment and marketing. Over the next 25 years, I see creators infused throughout all aspects of global commerce—owning and leading Fortune 500 businesses, driving innovation across sectors, and transforming how products are built, marketed, and sold."
Data collection
Tech advances over the last quarter century have allowed for a truly astounding level of data collection that has radically upleveled capabilities in consumer targeting and campaign measurement.
"The biggest change in the past 25 years has been the rise of programmatic advertising and the shift to data-driven, personalized marketing," said Melanie Zimmermann, general manager, global retail media at Criteo. "This evolution has allowed brands to reach specific audiences with precision, optimizing ad spend and improving campaign effectiveness through automated technology and real-time data."
However, the sheer volume of data has led some to see a decrease in quality of content across the digital landscape.
"In the past 25 years, I saw an almost myopic focus on targeting audiences at the lowest price possible," said Eric Danetz, president at Cognitiv. "This eroded the focus on quality content, giving rise to issues like made-for-advertising sites. The trend was tough on publishers, and it turns out, didn’t deliver the best possible results for advertisers."
In the future, marketing leaders are pushing for excellence in advertising to once again emerge.
"In the next 25 years I would love to see a shift to quality over quantity, not just for marketers, but consumers as well," said Marissa Shapiro, CMO of Lawfty.
AI for the ages
It's impossible to talk about marketing trends over the last 25 years without mentioning the recent rise of AI.
"AI is by far and away the biggest trend and technological transformation I have been part of," said Raj Lala, vice president, demand sales & development at Vistar Media. "I am excited to see how AI continues to support efficiencies, accessibility, and positive impacts to the work that all of us do each day. With this in mind, I do hope that we as an industry don’t lose sight of the tangible, real moments that brands can create for consumers in real life and over the next 25 years."
Leaders expect that AI will be used to enhance the emergent trends of consumer connection and data collection, aiding all aspects of campaigns.
"AI has the potential to revolutionize our industry in the shortest amount of time, creating new opportunities for brands to add value to their customer connections," said Amanda Richman, vice president of global media sales at Microsoft Advertising. "We are on the brink of achieving hyper-personalization, finally delivering the right message to the right person at the right time and in the right context at scale. This industry transformation won't take 25 years—it could be more like 25 months, at this pace."
This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.
First Published on Jan 3, 2025