What are the key elements marketers should focus on in 2025 to differentiate their brand from competitors?
Sort by:
To differentiate — and succeed — in 2025, marketers need to strike a balance between leveraging AI's power and maintaining human authenticity. Here are six key elements to consider:
Embrace the Human Element: While AI is transforming marketing, it's crucial to maintain human authenticity in branding and communications. Customers crave human experiences amidst the increasing AI noise, so emphasizing human connection and storytelling will be vital. High-touch communications are more critical than ever in the AI era, particularly in our fragmented attention economy.
Prioritize Customer Relationships: Brands must focus on building trust with their customer base, especially as third-party apps and influencers gain influence. Customer relationships are at stake, making personalized experiences and genuine engagement paramount.
Invest in Experiential Content: Experiential content that blends the digital and physical will continue to captivate consumers. AR/VR, AI-powered XR, and multi-sensory experiences offer opportunities to personalize engagement and drive marketing spend. Emerging technologies like flexible LED screens and AI-driven content production will fuel innovative experiences.
Leverage Small Data: While AI relies on data, marketers should recognize the value of small data for actionable insights. Small data offers agility, cost-effectiveness, and a focus on specific customer preferences. This targeted approach can deliver relevant insights and drive more informed decisions.
Upskill and Adapt: As AI becomes pervasive, marketers need to develop both AI literacy and soft skills. Strategic thinking, problem-solving, and creativity will be essential for thriving in an AI-driven world. This also applies internally, as companies should invest in department-specific AI training and data strategies to scale impact and deliver customer value.
Explore Emerging Advertising Opportunities: Stay ahead of the curve by adapting to new advertising platforms like Perplexity Ads and optimizing remaining website traffic with advanced CRO strategies. Test methods for organic inclusion in LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude. Explore programmatic Connected TV (CTV) ads as they become more open to precise B2B targeting.
As AI continues to be top-of-mind, balancing technology innovation with human creativity and connection will be essential in 2025 and beyond. By focusing on building trust, and delivering personalized experiences, while embracing innovative technologies marketers can differentiate their brands and create lasting customer connections.
Businesses are built from the inside out, involving leadership and every facet of the organization. Agility and the ability to pivot are essential, regardless of size. Businesses are only as good as their people and products. Exploring enhancements and maintaining core foundations are crucial.
Creating a one-to-one relationship with customers is vital. Understanding both customer personalization and our own organizational personality is crucial. Authenticity is key, even amidst shifts. Anchoring in core beliefs attracts those who resonate with our authenticity. It's about finding and introducing ourselves to the right people.
Aggregating data across an organization helps build profiles and personify companies. Different roles have different needs, and understanding dominant personalities within organizations is essential. Adapting messaging to these personalities enhances success. Revenue and operations teams may have conflicting priorities, so understanding which is more dominant is key.
Invest in a killer copywriter rather than falling back on AI. Make sure that copywriter understands your unique selling proposition as compared to your competitors. A killer copywriter will be very curious and ask your product manager a lot of questions about what they are proud of and what they are hearing from VoC (voice of customer) interviews. They will also study your competitors' messaging and help you differentiate in an honest and memorable way.