6 Predictions for Marketing that Likely Won’t Come True

Forget the obvious marketing predictions for 2025. Will NFTs make a comeback? Is media spending set to decline? And what of AI? It can all be too much; but here are my predictions on what is likely to not happen over the next 12 months.

1. We will abandon AI
   No one cares about AI, said no one this year. Sure, AI has calmed a bit over the past 12 months as the industry starts to sort itself out. I am personally excited to see where we start to see AI go and take the banking industry; and more importantly, the credit union sector
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   Just remember, we have had AI since the dawn of digital advertising so, in many ways, this is not new. Just much more advanced and very rapid.
   

2. We will pull back from Social Media
   No, social is not going away. But here is what I do think we will see more of in 2025: Self-selecting in and out of various platforms. Like it or not, some channels are good, bad, or indifferent for your brand. I had long been saying that X (formerly Twitter) was likely an indifferent platform for your brand. That is no longer the case. I now advocate for BlueSky over X, and Threads over Facebook. Selection is okay. In fact, it should always be the practice to only work where your audiences are or are likely to be.
   

3. It’s time to stop caring about data
   For years, companies big and small have been yelling about data. Screaming. Shouting! It’s time to move on. It had it’s moment.
   
   Okay, forget I said that. But it’s unequivocally false. Data will continue to become more and more important. Organizations that make data easy to access, use, and put into action, will be the ones we are talking about a year from now and not sitting in the corner crying.
   

4. Brand will stop being relevant
   It’s time for sales, sales, sales. Brand marketers have had their moment but now it’s time to Always Be Selling.
   
   I only half mean this. It is always time to build brand and always time to build the sales funnel. I believe they are partners and not adversaries. But what happens in the absence of a true brand story? You become a commodity. And we all know what happens when that occurs.
   

5. Media spending will rise by 10%
   I actually think this is pretty likely, but I stated it because there continues to be big shifts in media budget allocation. eMarketer is projecting massive growth in ad spend but I’m a little less bullish than them.
   
   While the election is behind us, inflation is still and will remain a challenge for many Americans. Additionally, the uncertainty in the economy related to taxes, immigration, and tarrifs, are real and will likely dampen growth for 2025.
   
   But I do believe will occur is deeper data analysis and smarter spending. This will lead to some industries going all in on digital and some moving back towards direct mail and non-traditional media mixes.
   

6. NFTs will make a comeback like it’s 2020!
   Yes, NFTs aren’t dead. If anything, there is this quiet undercurrent still keeping the technology alive. Do not forget, Bitcoin is built on the Blockchain and that is where NFTs live.
   
   They aren’t going to come back the way they did, but we are inching closer to true value props on what an NFT can do. Look no further than the Banana-taped-to-a-wall artwork, which isn’t actual art so much as the legal ownership to have the official guide to said work, just fetched $6.24 million.
   
   The truth is the Blockchain will impact your business. It is just still a matter of how and when in a meaningful way.
   

ending