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As digital marketing continues to evolve, Sunitha Natarajan, Director of Digital Strategy at Social Panga, shared her insights on the key trends that shaped the sector in 2024 and what to expect in 2025. Reflecting on the past year, she highlighted the dominance of the "3Vs" – Video, Voice, and Vernacular – and the role they played in shaping the landscape.
"Speaking about trends of 2024, she said, 'As I reflect on the past year, it's clear that the 3Vs - Video, Voice, and Vernacular - continued to dominate digital marketing. I've seen innovation in leveraging these mediums lead to several key trends. AI played a significant role in generative and research applications, and I was impressed by the impact of vertical video content, shorter videos, and User-Generated Content (UGC) fuelled by hyper-personalization. Additionally, I've noticed the emergence of borderless commerce, blending AR, VR, AI, and commerce to create seamless online and offline experiences."
Looking ahead to 2025, Natarajan identified several key trends she expects to shape the future of digital marketing, with AI continuing to take centre stage.
"Speaking about trends for 2025, she explained, 'I believe AI will become even more intuitive, amplifying personalisation and customized experiences. This will revolutionise ad buying, enabling more precise targeting and engagement.' She continued, 'While last year we were trying to just get a grasp of generative AI and personalisation, this next year I am predicting the role of AI in the journey is going to be much more advanced. With more data and inputs, AI is just going to get powerful and accurate, which means the use cases of using it are just going to be stronger."
One of the most significant areas of focus for AI in 2025 will be multi-modal data retrieval.
"Multi-modal data retrieving is going to be a big area where we see more focus shifting to – users and customers interact through a variety of mediums: text, body language, voice, videos, among others, which is all going into data that can be used in many ways. AI will also revolutionize ad buying to an extent, with more accuracy there will be more precise ad targeting suggestions in place and engagement."
The way people search for information has also undergone a transformation, and Natarajan predicts this will have a significant impact on SEO strategies in 2025.
"'The way people search has changed. You are now searching to get answers, not results, thanks to AI. So, 2025 will see a lot of brands doing SEO efforts which prioritise authenticity and user experience even more, as the direct hit is going to be on referral traffic.'"
Turning to video content, Natarajan expects it to become even more interactive and commerce-driven. “In my opinion, video content will become shorter, more interactive, and simplified to create. I predict that shoppable video will emerge, transforming ads into virtual storefronts. This seamless integration of commerce and content will redefine the customer experience.”
She also highlighted the growing ease of creating video content. "Creating quality video today on just a phone has become simpler with so many tools available. Hence, this will dial-up more content creation efforts towards shorter video creations, live streaming, and engagement-focused videos."
With the rise of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), Natarajan foresees these technologies being integrated into video content to create interactive shopping experiences.
"With more and more video content being generated every minute, this is definitely on the radar for search. Hence, there will be more focus on commerce next year with AR and VR adding shoppable content features into it. Thus, transforming every brand ad into a virtual storefront. Interactive video content is also here to stay and continue to make an impact in education and training."
The voice search trend is also expected to continue to grow, as brands adapt to the shift in how consumers search for information.
"I foresee voice search and audio commerce experiencing significant growth. Optimizing for voice search will become essential, enabling brands to reach customers more effectively and efficiently."
A significant change in the way people interact with search engines was also noted by Natarajan, especially with the rise of AI.
"I've noticed that the way people interact with search engines is changing. Instead of seeking results, users now demand answers (thanks to AI). This shift may impact referral traffic, making it essential to create websites that accurately represent the brand, partners, and fans. By prioritizing authenticity and user experience, I believe businesses can thrive in this new search landscape."
Lastly, Natarajan highlighted a bold new trend she calls "Unhinged Marketing."
"Unhinged marketing is the new normal. In the chase to be relevant to Gen Z, there is a new marketing type that is completely changing the rules to stand out. Unhinged Marketing uses trending content, memes, funny brand voices, irreverent brand voices, nonsensical content, and in some cases creates almost a satirical version of traditional marketing. In a nutshell, Unhinged Marketing is a deliberate departure from the dull, generic, and overly serious brand voices that have been prevalent in marketing for decades. It is meant for the bold, the brave, and the brands ready to make a statement."
She concluded, "So, in 2025, we might see more brands taking this route, like the case of what we have already seen with Jaguar, to stand out and bring new perspectives that stand out."
As Natarajan points out, the future of digital marketing is set to be shaped by AI, short-form interactive content, voice search, and a new wave of bold, unconventional marketing strategies.
