According to our survey, increased competition, inflation, and rising advertising costs will remain major challenges, with shifts in consumer behaviour adding to the complexity. These findings underline the importance of looking forward - not just relying on past data or standard practices.

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The reality is that the strategies that worked in the past may not cut it anymore. A brand which isn't innovating right now, will see their performance stagnate at best.

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AI, while a valuable contributor to efficiency and skill, is levelling the playing field, further increasing levels of quality competition. To gain an edge, brands will need to embrace experimentation and reject "best practice" thinking. We can expect:

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• Radical Creativity – A move towards distinctive, disruptive and humorous creative styles that break away from the AI generated sameness that will gradually begin to dominate.
• **Interrogating "Black Box" Advertising **– With trust in automated platforms being questioned, marketers will seek alternative ways to regain control as they allocate their budgets.
• **A Shift Into Organic **– As advertising costs rise, smart brands will pivot toward growth strategies that rely on organic growth, likely deeper investments in social, content and community-building.

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Optimistically, 85% of businesses expect revenue growth in 2025, with 61% planning to increase marketing budgets. However, the split in budget priorities - brand awareness, conversion, or retention - reflects the uncertainty we see in how to best drive this growth. This could signify a broader trend toward brands hedging their bets rather than committing to a singular focus. So once more - measurement is at the forefront for 2025. Expect to hear more and more about the "gold standard" of multi-touch attribution, incrementality testing and media mix modelling. I won't labour on that here...

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In summary, 2025 will favour the brave: those willing to challenge norms, test new strategies, and find unique ways to connect with audiences in an ever-crowded online sphere. The brands that thrive will be the ones that innovate - not just in tools or tactics but in the mindset they bring to their marketing efforts.