Digital advertising is more sophisticated than ever: 57% of B2B buyers notice targeted banners and videos, but 39% believe that content is boring and uninformative. As businesses strive to cut through the digital noise and better engage prospects, nearly 40% of practitioners are planning to increase their investment in advertising solutions.
With that in mind, here are four trends you should take under consideration as you plan your 2025 advertising strategies:
Edit, Then Take Credit With Generative AI
With generative AI celebrating its second birthday this month, you’d be hard-pressed to find a technology that’s exploded on the scene quicker, as 95% of businesses already use or plan to adopt AI before 2025.
Despite a lack of complete adoption, it’s clear generative AI has its place in modern advertising strategies. In fact, a recent study found that 74% of ad agency decision-makers are using generative AI for creative ideation, while 59% and 49% employ these tools to condense consumer insights and campaign performance metrics, respectively.
Still, marketers are wary about fully embracing AI tools due to concerns around data privacy and quality control. To circumvent those fears, you can focus on:
- Becoming a prompt engineer, which includes focusing on crafting and refining input prompts to elicit specific responses or behaviors from AI models, particularly those based on natural language processing; and
- Editing, then taking credit, which involves scouring AI-created content with a critical eye to ensure relevance and accuracy, as well as tweaking any outputs to fit your brand’s voice and messaging.
2. Embrace The Growth Of Digital In OOH Advertising
While a static billboard will undoubtedly catch motorists’ attention, it’s a point solution that doesn’t necessarily lend itself to a full-funnel advertising campaign. While that sort of roadside attraction still has its place — as research suggests billboards are between 38% and 86% effective — there is a notable shift toward programmatic formats and digital screens. In fact, programmatic ad spend is expected to reach $235.7 billion in 2025.
As OOH advertising continues to break out of its highway silo, you should embrace these non-traditional advertising formats. With real-time bidding, it’s easy to optimize ad spend and adjust campaigns quickly in response to changing conditions. For example, take a high-rise office building: If you wanted to purchase a digital ad in the elevator, a programmatic approach would enable your ad to automatically adapt based on contextual relevance, which would account for elements such as time of day and weather.
3. Stack First-Party Signals Amidst Cookie Uncertainty
Consumers are aware of the need to share their data to provide better, more tailored experiences: More than two-thirds (66%) of buyers said they would share personal data if they thought it would elevate their CX.
As Google reverses its cookie stance (again!), 90% of B2B marketers agree that first-party data is crucial for their marketing efforts. With that in mind, there’ll be a notable shift toward signal stacking — aka combining multiple data signals to create a comprehensive understanding of the consumer — to better enhance targeting.
Instead of viewing each piece of data in a silo, you must identify all the firmographics, intent signals, behavioral information and engagement metrics needed to build a more comprehensive consumer profile and increase advertising relevance.
4. Embrace Authenticity With User-Generated & Influencer Content
One of the most reliable methods of advertising revolves around user-generated content (UGC), such as influencer posts, word-of-mouth referrals or even product reviews. While it’s easy to wax poetic around your own offerings, those musings come across as biased and untrustworthy — meaning you should tap into trusted voices outside your organization.
With 55% of buyers believing UGC is helpful, consumers worldwide look for real-world information that ensures their purchase is a worthwhile investment. Specifically, social feedback, analyst reports and community groups/professional networks were buyers’ top UGC choices.
This is where authenticity is key, and you must perform your due diligence to ensure you’re tapping into the most respected voices in the field. While a thorough LinkedIn search will drum up top influencers and thought leaders based on following size and engagement rates, those metrics could be misleading as some influencers are more polarizing than others.
The more reliable option is to talk to your peers and customers to determine what figures they trust. With an understanding of who consumers hold in high regard, you can leverage those voices to boost your brand and increase trust.