5 Digital Marketing Lessons from 2025

Marketing has changed a lot in 2025.

As a digital marketing agency, it is our job to keep our finger on the pulse to ensure that we, and our clients, are at the top of our game.

It is essential to look forward, anticipate, and adapt.

But sometimes it is valuable to look back at the year and consider what we have learnt.

Here are the top takeaways from 2025 and the lessons we have learnt along the way!

Lesson 1: a rebrand can bring new energy

Every year brings about a number of rebrands, but we learnt firsthand this year that a well-timed, well-executed brand update can align the brand with the team, bring new energy, and provide a path forwards.

Since our rebrand, and renewed marketing focus, we have seen a 318% increase in impressions and an uptick in engagement.

Now, as a digital marketing agency, we’re lucky that our rebrand doesn’t provoke feedback from the large numbers that a consumer brand does – we probably all remember the reaction to the Jaguar announcement in 2024.

It’s important to ensure that rebrands are well-planned, coordinated, and executed in the right way for each business.

And when done correctly, rebrands can appeal to new audiences, as can be seen in the Stella Artois rebrand, provide opportunity for growth, as GF Smith were aiming for, and help to give insight into a company, like ours!

Figure 1-3: GF Smith, Jaguar, and Stella Artois rebrand images from design agencies

Lesson 2: more people are becoming aware of AI

Artificial intelligence has become entrenched in our society in recent years.

It’s the hot topic for businesses as executives discuss it in boardrooms and teams attempt to implement it into their systems.

We have talked about AI a lot this year, as we all adapt to the updates, changes, and opportunities – you can see our insights and thoughts on our blog.

But it’s not just businesses and professionals that have become more attuned to AI and its potential.

Consumers are now better than ever at spotting where AI has been used, especially in content creation and information gathering.

Whether its content full of em dashes, customer service functions that ‘sound like AI’, or an image featuring a person with 8 fingers on one hand, we’re all more switched on to AI. And the reactions to that AI usage when it’s not stated are becoming more visceral.

So, the lesson from this year is that you should use AI for good, for improving processes and personalisation, but don’t allow it to take over your consumer facing activity and erase the brand’s humanity.

Lesson 3: niche communities are the way forward

In a world of viral posts and performance marketing, it’s easy to be tempted to spread the net wide and try to target everyone.

But those that have seen the most success in community building are highly personalised and know their audience incredibly well.

This harks back to the core of marketing, knowing your ideal customer, segmenting your audience, and personalising messaging to each segment.

In a world where we’re marketed to at every turn, consumers are more aware of it and are more likely to respond to authentic, relevant activity.

This has even been picked up on by social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Threads that now allow users to filter and refine their views to interests and topics.

Communities such as ‘BookTok’ and ‘RunTok’ are providing spaces for interaction and connection between consumers and brands that want to provide genuine and well-thought-out experiences.

Paired with the rise of micro-influencers and partnership campaigns rather than one-off endorsements, the future of community is meaningful connection.

Figure 4-6: Instagram personalisation options and interest filters

Lesson 4: testing and experimentation is more important than ever

When algorithms, platforms, and methods are constantly changing, the only way to stay ahead is to adapt.

The ideal way to do this is to experiment and test new approaches with your audience before making permanent changes.

If you continue to do things the way they’ve always been done, you will miss out on new opportunities and ways to reach your audience.

Dragons Den fixture and Entrepreneur Steven Barlett shared that he hired a ‘Head of Failure and Experimentation’ at his podcast to ‘fail fast’ to learn what works and what doesn’t.

While this is an extreme route to take (and we don’t all have Steven Barlett’s budget!), it shows just how important it is to test new methods and learn as much as possible about what does and doesn’t work with your audience.

The marketing rulebook has flown out the window and it’s essential to test what connects or risk being left behind.

Lesson 5: don’t get too comfortable

If there’s anything that the digital sphere and the marketing world has taught us this year, it’s that it’s essential to be flexible and adapt.

If you get comfortable and complacent, you’re missing opportunities to grow.

You can see this in the rise of challenger brands and quick-moving startups such as ivee and Sult.

Both audience habits and platforms are constantly changing, making it ever more important to evolve.

It’s also essential, as marketers, to keep learning.

This is where we can help!

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