Advertising is a wild experience – tendencies flip in a single day, and it’s a relentless recreation of catch-up. In 2025 , it’s essential to know the place to focus and what roadblocks would possibly lie forward.
That’s why I dug into the largest challenges entrepreneurs predict subsequent yr and the right way to deal with them, utilizing insights from:
- 300+ world advertising and marketing leaders who took our Annual Advertising Technique & Tendencies survey
- 500+ U.S. advertising and marketing leaders who participated in our Government Advertising Management Survey
- Unique interviews and insights from Microsoft, ZoomInfo, and Sprout Social leaders.
Desk of Contents
The Greatest Challenges International Advertising Leaders Anticipate to Face in 2025
- Adopting a data-driven advertising and marketing technique.
- Integrating AI into advertising and marketing workflows.
- Mastering the transition to short-form video content material.
- Bridging the personalization hole in buyer experiences.
- Overcoming challenges with content material advertising and marketing.
- Aligning the suitable influencers together with your viewers.
- Optimizing content material by way of strategic pruning for higher search engine marketing.
- Discovering the stability between creativity and information.
- Pivoting throughout sudden shifts in shopper habits.
- Adapting to information privateness laws.
- Aligning product positioning throughout groups.
- Synchronizing campaigns throughout a number of channels.
1. Adopting a data-driven advertising and marketing technique.
Why It is a Problem
Entrepreneurs are leaning extra towards behavioral information, like content material consumption and purchasing habits, but it surely’s robust to stability that with conventional demographic data.
With 33.43% specializing in content material habits and 31.77% on demographics, it’s clear that understanding not simply who your viewers is however how they act is getting extra difficult.
What are you able to do?
To remain forward, entrepreneurs have to combine each behavioral and demographic insights into their technique. Perceive how your viewers consumes content material and outlets.
Microsoft’s International Head of Programmatic Evangelist, Daniel Godoy, instructed me that it‘s crucial entrepreneurs preserve first-party information in thoughts in the event that they’re aiming to increase their attain in 2025.
“Entrepreneurs really feel the strain to win the advertisements race in a wild WWW. Throughout this race, it is value mentioning that shopper media habits is altering, and promoting methods, too,” he mentioned. “With the cookies deprecation coming (though it has been delayed by Google), it must be on our radar that at the very least 40% of browsers immediately do not get alerts.”
Godoy provides, “Shaping your technique by leveraging 1P or 3P trustable information turns into essential to increase potential attain and begin piloting your information technique for the longer term.”
First-party information can finally enable you to make sure you’re reaching the suitable audiences together with your advertisements and turning these audiences into high-quality leads.
When you‘ve outlined your audiences and correctly segmented them, you’ll must develop distinctive messaging that resonates together with your prospects.
2. Integrating AI into advertising and marketing workflows.
Why It is a Problem
AI is a life-saver, however numerous entrepreneurs are nonetheless determining the right way to profit from it.
Despite the fact that 52.76% of respondents in our survey say they perceive the right way to use AI and 53.73% can measure its influence, related percentages point out a big hole in each understanding and making use of AI successfully.
Moreover, SurveyMonkey discovered that 69% of selling professionals are pumped about AI and the way it’s altering their jobs, whereas 17% really feel a mixture of pleasure and fear.
On prime of that, 60% are feeling actually good about the place the business is headed, and simply 1% are tremendous pessimistic. Total, the sensation is optimistic.
What are you able to do?
To shut the data hole, entrepreneurs must sharpen each their technical know-how and their capacity to trace and measure outcomes.
40% of companies have already made a proactive transfer by bringing in specialised AI consultants to enhance their advertising and marketing efforts.
Deal with studying the right way to implement AI and analyze its influence.
3. Mastering the transition to short-form video content material.
Why It is a Problem
Video is stealing the highlight in advertising and marketing, particularly short-form content material on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. LinkedIn not falls behind, too.
The true problem for entrepreneurs is maintaining with the shift towards social video, the place youthful audiences are turning to interact with manufacturers greater than on search engines like google and yahoo. So that you’ve bought to be fast and good about creating content material that captures consideration.
What are you able to do?
Ramp up your give attention to short-form video — it’s anticipated to see essentially the most progress in 2025.
Use social listening and sentiment analyzing instruments to determine the questions your viewers is asking, and have your content material crew develop content material that resonates.
Even higher, faucet into your model advocates to assist share the solutions, increasing your attain and credibility.
4. Bridging the personalization hole in buyer experiences.
Why It is a Problem
56.35% of entrepreneurs agree that advertising and marketing has modified extra prior to now three years than within the final fifty. That’s enormous.
The most important shift? The demand for personalised content material. Whereas 65% of shoppers say model content material feels relatable, solely 35% of entrepreneurs imagine their prospects are literally experiencing true personalization.
Despite the fact that 65% of entrepreneurs declare to have high-quality viewers information, it’s clear many aren’t utilizing it successfully to construct stronger, extra significant connections with their audiences.
What are you able to do?
To shut this hole, double down on utilizing your information extra successfully:
- Enhance viewers segmentation by dividing customers into micro-segments.
- Scale up personalization — craft advert messages that talk to micro-segments’ needs and fears.
- A/B take a look at and refine creatives.
5. Overcoming challenges with content material advertising and marketing.
Why It is a Problem
Discovering contemporary concepts for brand new content material tops the record of struggles, with 16% of entrepreneurs agreeing on it. In flip, 16% of entrepreneurs outline it difficult to create content material that drives excessive ranges of on-line engagement — like clicks, shares, and feedback.
For 15% of entrepreneurs, creating content material that pulls extra site visitors to their web site is a serious problem.
What are you able to do?
Tip #1: Lean into E-E-A-T
To obtain extra clicks, “Your content material technique should begin with what customers want, not what’s most effective for you. If you happen to have a look at latest Google updates, you’ll discover that Google has been refining what “useful content material” means and prioritizing the “E” for “expertise” in E-E-A-T.
Your content material should be private, exhibit expertise, and deal with actual wants. And also you’re already enjoying catch-up.” — Ben Steele, Senior Editor at Search Engine Journal
Tip #2: Create higher headlines.
To drive preliminary site visitors from the net, work in your headline sharpness. A Danish information outlet, TV 2 Fyn, performed A/B exams to enhance CTR utilizing ChatGPT to generate headlines. Over three weeks, they ran 46 A/B exams. AI-generated headlines gained 46% of the exams, whereas human-created headlines gained 24%.
A terrific learn: Is AI-Generated Content material Good for search engine marketing?: 300+ Net Strategists Weigh In
Tip #3: Social listening.
To idiate, lean into social listening (aka examine thematic subreddits, X, Threads, LinkedIn feedback, and so on). It’s also possible to automate this work with AI instruments.
Plus, put your viewers’s wants first — a single matter may be lined in a number of methods with distinctive angles for every.
Take a look at new content material codecs with video embeds, infographics, or interactive quizzes.
6. Aligning the suitable influencers together with your viewers.
Why It is a Problem
Influencer advertising and marketing can backfire if the influencer doesn’t align together with your viewers’s wants. Maris Laatre, CMO of Bully Max, recounts a marketing campaign:
“Whereas we bought good engagement, the gross sales didn’t match up … we realized that the influencers weren’t talking on to our core viewers.”
The fitting message paired with the suitable viewers is essential for conversions.
What are you able to do?
Maris emphasizes the significance of specializing in influencers whose viewers matches your goal market, moderately than simply the dimensions of their following.
Additionally, the influencer’s message must be genuine and resonate with their followers in any other case it’ll simply be a waste of cash and vitality.
And bear in mind, micro-influencers will typically convey you far more advantages than the large ones.
7. Optimizing content material by way of strategic pruning for higher search engine marketing.
Why is it a problem?
Deciding to prune or merge a good portion of your content material is a high-stakes resolution for any advertising and marketing crew. It’s not nearly chopping low-performing pages — it’s about taking a calculated threat. Entrepreneurs should weigh the lack of present site visitors (even when small) towards the potential for long-term progress.
Emilia Korczynska shared a terrific submit on this matter. Userpilot eliminated 23% of their weblog content material, equal to $261,443 in manufacturing prices, and pages that drove over 24,000 guests in 2024 alone. But, this led to a 16% enhance in customer’s rely.
What are you able to do?
Take a data-driven method to determine what content material to prune. Emilia’s technique highlights key steps:
- Deal with underperforming content material — posts with low conversions, minimal site visitors, or outdated relevance.
- Consolidate duplicate or redundant posts to scale back cannibalization and enhance search intent alignment.
- Take away content material optimized for key phrases with zero or low search quantity.
- Consider backlinks and prioritize pages that add measurable worth.
8. Discovering the stability between creativity and information.
Why It is a Problem
The stress between creativity and information is a problem many entrepreneurs face. Roland Jakob from BlazeKin.Media explains: “Early on, I leaned closely into analytics, considering numbers alone would paved the way. However I noticed that creativity typically speaks a language information can’t quantify — at the very least not instantly.”
What are you able to do?
Mix information with storytelling. “Throughout my time at Pagnolia, our marketing campaign with a cultured message didn’t resonate with the viewers till we pivoted to a extra uncooked, story-driven method. This shift turned the marketing campaign into one among our most participating, leading to a 30% increase inside six months” continues Roland.
He additionally suggests utilizing so-called “buyer co-creation.” By bringing prospects into the method — not simply as patrons, however as collaborators — manufacturers can construct stronger loyalty and create campaigns that resonate extra deeply.
9. Pivoting throughout sudden shifts in shopper habits.
Why It is a Problem
17.54% of entrepreneurs say maintaining with quickly altering buyer behaviors is one among their largest challenges.
Client habits can change in a single day, and the pandemic was an ideal instance. Maris from Bully Max recollects: “When the pandemic hit, we noticed an sudden rise in pet adoption… we needed to pivot shortly and scale up our messaging.”
What are you able to do?
Keep agile throughout such shifts to grab new alternatives and scrutinize behavioral analytics.
10. Adapting to information privateness laws.
Why It is a Problem
Information privateness laws are continuously evolving as nicely, making it difficult for entrepreneurs to remain compliant.
One of the best instance is a latest state of affairs that occurred in a single Belgian firm. A former worker requested for her photograph to be faraway from the corporate web site six months after leaving.
The photograph included her title, place, and a bunch shot. Underneath GDPR Article 17, folks have the suitable to have their private information, together with pictures, deleted when there’s no legitimate motive for preserving them or if consent is withdrawn.
The employer didn’t comply, so the information safety authority stepped in and ordered the photograph to be eliminated straight away.
What are you able to do?
Keep knowledgeable on new laws unfolding and be further cautious with campaigns. Enormous articles might be buzzed about on social media, so your job is to get the gist and act on it.
Fines are excessive for violating these guidelines, so it is essential to remain vigilant.
11. Aligning product positioning throughout groups.
Why It is a Problem
I guess this level provides you shivers. Cus who hasn’t suffered from gross sales and advertising and marketing groups clashing over lead high quality, lead nurturing, you title it?
Our analysis additionally highlights that corporations with aligned gross sales and advertising and marketing groups are 103% extra more likely to beat their objectives than corporations that aren’t aligned.
However wait, there’s extra. Product groups may have their very own perspective, including insult to damage.
Altogether results in discrepancies in messaging and creates confusion each internally and externally.
What are you able to do?
A easy treatment is to have all groups on the identical web page by sharing insights, marketing campaign efficiency and gross sales outcomes and refining the message collectively.
12. Synchronizing campaigns throughout a number of channels.
Why It is a Problem
A significant setback in advertising and marketing campaigns typically occurs when different advertising and marketing channels don’t align with the first marketing campaign aims, which occurred to Kognic.
“Our web site marketing campaign designed to drive conversions didn’t succeed as a result of we hadn’t constructed concurrent messaging with sufficient scale on our earned and paid channels on the similar time,” shares Steven Spieczny, VP of Advertising at Kognic.
In brief, this lack of synchronization meant missed alternatives to create a seamless expertise throughout all touchpoints.
What are you able to do?
Whether or not it’s paid advertisements, social media, or electronic mail campaigns, every channel ought to ship the identical message with unified objectives.
Second, coordinate the timing and messaging throughout all touchpoints to construct a stronger, extra constant buyer expertise.
Prime U.S. Advertising Government Challenges
Whereas world and U.S.-based members from each of our latest research anticipate the same record of challenges, the best way they’re prioritizing them shifts when sampling simply U.S.-based executives.
Strategic blockers like making data-driven selections, maintaining with tendencies, and content material pivots are top-of-mind for entrepreneurs.
In the meantime, U.S. leaders polled in our Government Advertising survey are targeted on the underside line. They’re getting ready for monetary challenges like producing income, securing funds, and sales-marketing alignment.
This isn’t surprising. Whereas many international locations are in a time of monetary uncertainty following the pandemic, the U.S. has confronted plenty of contradicting information studies about whether or not we’re or aren’t in a recession.
With this in thoughts, advertising and marketing leaders are targeted on saving sources, guaranteeing they get the cash they want, and justifying their work, headcount, or investments by exhibiting income attribution or business-wide influence.
Fortunately, whether or not you are coping with any of the worldwide or U.S.-based challenges, lots of them may be navigated with the insights and takeaways above, reminiscent of:
- Gathering the most effective analytics doable to make data-backed selections, ideally by merging first-party information and GDPR-approved third-party information.
- Figuring out how your purchaser is continuous to evolve. It’s also possible to use information and sales-marketing alignment to remain in contact with what your prospects and audiences are specializing in.
- Guaranteeing that you just method advertising and marketing methods or investments strategically by asking your self, “What’s the ROI, enterprise influence, or income alternative right here?”
- Getting ready to pivot. The one fixed factor in advertising and marketing is change and many people have already began working backup or pivot-planning into our methods for when tendencies or circumstances round us change all of a sudden.
- Constructing a terrific employer model. By doing so, you will appeal to all types of selling expertise who can navigate most of the challenges above.
Get Contained in the Minds of At this time’s Advertising Leaders
As a marketer and partnership supervisor myself, I can let you know that there’s no scarcity of challenges. However, we’re employed to unravel the riddles.
All for different prime challenges, tendencies, and alternatives that advertising and marketing leaders are specializing in, or need to discover ways to construct ways that can get you visibility by fixing their ache factors? Verify our our newest report on govt management priorities.
Editor’s word: This submit was initially printed in October 2022 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.
