From the exponential growth of marketing automation, to a shift towards QR codes and data privacy, and AI's ever growing impact on strategy development, 2025 is going to see a lot of interesting progress in marketing.

In AMA’s November Power Hour, "2025 Marketing Trends," panelists Kelly Hopping, CMO at Demandbase, Leigh Choate, VP of Marketing at BL.INK, and Troy Beetz, CEO of How Strong Media and Chief Growth Officer at BreatheEXP!, spoke with Makayla Moore, AMA Austin Social Media Director, to discuss what the future holds for marketing, highlighting how technology is forcing marketers to be more intentional, data-driven, and focused on understanding their core brand and audience.

Five Things to Look Out For In 2025

1. AI: A Tool, Not a Replacement

As people jump to explore the capabilities of AI, some have developed an overreliance. AI is a powerful assistant, not a job replacement. It can’t think critically or creatively like an experienced marketer. Marketers should use AI to generate frameworks and automate repetitive tasks so that they can focus on developing new strategies, creativity and relationship-building. As we adapt for the future, it is important to leverage AI's capabilities for efficiency without losing the human touch:

• Use AI as a framework, not a complete solution
• Focus on strategic insights AI can't provide
• Leverage AI to automate repetitive tasks
• Prioritize creativity and relationship-building

2. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Evolution

ABM is shifting towards more sophisticated, scalable personalization strategies. Companies are moving beyond targeting just new business to focusing intensely on customer retention and expansion. The approach now involves tiered strategies that can personalize marketing efforts at scale across different segments and company types. Furthermore, many companies are expanding beyond traditional one-to-one ABM approaches, by including one-to-few and one-to-many strategies as well.

3. Investor Expectations Are Changing

Investors now demand much more rigorous and detailed go-to-market strategies that go beyond surface-level pitches. They want comprehensive market analysis, clear explanations of market positioning, and a focus on efficient, profitable growth with recurring revenue models. The days of securing funding with vague promises are over.

4. Emerging Marketing Channels

New marketing channels like QR codes are creating unprecedented opportunities for direct customer engagement. In the near future,  QR codes will continue to takeover, replacing the long held barcodes for product merchandising. Unlike barcodes’ one use function, these technologies enable brands to provide interactive experiences, real-time product information, and create ongoing communication channels directly on product packaging. Such innovations transform traditional product interactions into dynamic, data-rich experiences.

5. Customer Understanding is Crucial

Deep customer understanding has become the cornerstone of effective marketing strategies. Successful companies are prioritizing direct customer interactions, comprehensive research methodologies including qualitative focus groups and quantitative data analysis, and ensuring product development is driven by genuine customer needs rather than internal assumptions. Consider:

• Conducting focus groups
• Creating direct executive-to-customer interactions
• Gathering deeper customer research, particularly qualitative
• Understanding customer needs before product development

The future of marketing lies in strategic, data-driven approaches that prioritize customer relationships and innovative technologies.

Conclusion

As we enter 2025, marketing success hinges on striking a delicate balance between technological innovation and human insight. Marketers must embrace AI as a strategic tool while maintaining authentic customer relationships, leveraging sophisticated personalization techniques, and developing deep, research-driven understanding of their target audiences. The most effective strategies will prioritize efficiency, scalability, and genuine customer connection, transforming traditional marketing approaches into dynamic, data-informed experiences. By focusing on creativity, meaningful engagement, and adaptive technologies, businesses can navigate the evolving marketing landscape with confidence. The future belongs to those who can seamlessly integrate cutting-edge tools with nuanced, human-centered marketing approaches.

Are you a forward-thinking marketer looking for like-minded professionals to connect with in the new year? Join us for another AMA Austin event to network and learn!