The 2025 Marketing Mood – A Big Reset

The search for humanity, intention and simplicity

As consumers and businesses enter 2025, a shift is on the horizon as the second half of the decade ushers in a collective desire for a more intentional simplicity in a complex world.

Although it often slips past us unnoticed, there is a pivot halfway through a decade, where the overall societal tone changes and people begin to search for new meaning in their day to day lives.

As we enter the second half of the 2020s, the societal tone is starkly different to how the decade began. In 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic sparked global despair, dictating that the following five years be driven by fear and uncertainty. Businesses and consumers spent years living in flight or fight mode, with self-preservation and contingency planning at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We spent most of our time indoors, doubling down on our digital lives, and as a result we became burnt out from scrolling and ushered in the desire for human connection and having fun.

By 2025 we may be back out in the real world, but for many the reality is all too much – the return of a Labour government may have signalled change for the future but has had a bumpy start, while in the US the Democratic party hinged its campaign on the promise of hope and collaboration, yet the vote landed in favour of a protectionist viewpoint. As a result of such negative news cycles, consumer behaviour is trending towards living with intention, ensuring their behaviours focus on finding glimmers of joy and improving their everyday life, promoting a shift in how they spend their time and their money.

Thankfully, this reset is emerging as the antidote to marketer fatigue. Marketing professionals are stretched from navigating a tumultuous first half of the decade, when an abundance of digital channels, demand for commercial success and budget pressures have threatened long-term brand building in favour of short-term performance ROI. However, the incoming cultural shift will allow marketers to return to embracing a streamlined and more human approach. Brands must understand how to engage the hopeful and intentional consumer and position themselves as trustworthy of people’s time and money. The key to this is returning to focus on their brand values.

This change of mindset is a huge opportunity for B2B and B2C brands, and in this report, we outline the key movements marketers need to watch to win with their audiences in 2025.

What should marketers be looking out for?

These are our top marketing moods for 2025 and beyond, to help you tune into what’s really happening in your marketplace.

Where does all this leave marketers?

While consumers are certainly searching for joy and simplicity in their worlds right now, there is nothing simple about the challenge facing marketers as we move into 2025 and beyond. Markets are crowded, budgets are stretched, and attention spans are waning – leaving marketers to navigate a maze of challenges in their roles.

However, this challenge is not to be feared – changing attitudes present a world of opportunities for brands looking to meaningfully engage with audiences. As marketers, what we have in front of us is a chance to make our mark in the ‘brand building revolution’.

Brands that master the balance between performance and brand building are the ones set up for success. Not least because the digital environment in 2025 and beyond presents a unique set of challenges: rising customer acquisition costs, stricter privacy regulations, and changing consumer expectations around trust and authenticity. Relying solely on ‘short-term tactics’ is not just risky, it’s unsustainable and creates a significant disadvantage for businesses.

As we head into 2025, it’s time to think differently, use budgets wisely and get back to a time where audiences are genuinely surprised and inspired and not ‘transacted with’. The marketing landscape is becoming increasingly complex, and no one can afford to rely solely on performance marketing. The consumer demands a more balanced and authentic approach.

By investing in both brand building and performance marketing, you can accelerate sustainable growth, drive customer loyalty, and weather the challenges of an evolving digital ecosystem – which let’s face it, is changing every day!

Download your copy of the report here, and if we’ve got you thinking about how to stand out in 2025 and beyond, get in touch with us to secure your free strategy consultation.