HOT OR NOT IN 2025

It’s that time of year again... when marketers everywhere look ahead to anticipate what’s next, devising their plans to stay ahead of forecasted trends. But not all of what’s slated for 2025 deserves your attention. To conquer marketing in 2025, you need to be selective. No one has time for trends that fizzle out by February or don’t provide lasting value. 

We’re here to break down five hot trends you should keep an eye on, as well as how to make them work for your brand. And, because knowing what not to do is just as important, we’ll call out five not-so-hot practices that are best left in the past. 

HOT 

1. Hyperlocal marketing 

When global reach is the focus of many brands, it’s easy to forget that sometimes, the most powerful marketing happens just around the corner. Hyperlocal marketing zooms in on specific neighborhoods, cities or regions, tailoring campaigns for smaller audiences. When done right, it feels authentic and familiar, creating a sense of personal connection. 

Today’s consumers crave community and belonging, choosing brands that speak to their specific culture and values. For midsize businesses, this is your opportunity to stand out in ways that larger companies can’t. Instead of competing on a global stage, you can own the local market by becoming a recognized and trusted name in your area. 

Consider community event sponsorships, partnerships with nearby businesses or optimizing for local SEO with location-specific landing pages. With tools like Google Business Profiles, you can make sure your business appears front and center when locals search for the solutions you offer.  
 

2. Refreshes rather than rebrands 

You don’t always need a complete brand overhaul to stay relevant. Sometimes, a simple refresh is all it takes. A brand refresh focuses on updating elements like your logo or color palette or messaging while keeping your brand’s core identity intact. Think of it as getting a new coat of paint, not knocking down the house and rebuilding. 

Refreshing your messaging can be just as important as updating your visuals. As your business evolves—expanding your goals or refining your culture—your messaging should reflect that growth. It’s about making sure your voice aligns with who you are today and resonates with your audience’s current expectations. 

Refreshes modernize your look and voice without the risk of losing all the brand recognition you’ve worked hard to cultivate. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that it’s way less expensive yet is still effective in keeping your brand feeling relevant. For example, Spotify introduced their own font to shake things up earlier in 2024. This new typeface blends their classic style with something fresh, subtly evolving their brand while still sticking to their roots.  

Oh, and in case you haven’t heard, thunder::tech also refreshed our brand this past year. We updated our logo, fonts and core messaging to better reflect the energy and impact we bring to everything we do.  

3. Employee-generated content  

Employee-generated content (EGC) gives your audience an inside look at your company culture, showing authenticity and building trust. EGC is content created by your team, showcasing their experiences, passions and the unique perspective they bring to the company. 

Rather than only using polished marketing messages, try letting your employees take the spotlight in an Instagram Story or TikTok. Similar to user-generated content (UGC), content created by employees shows off the heart and soul of your business in a way that feels real and unfiltered. Whether it’s sharing a funny moment in the office, a project they’re proud of or their personal career journey, it makes your brand more relatable. 

4. Nurturing evergreen content 

Evergreen content is the gift that keeps on giving, but it needs a little maintenance to get the most value out of it. You can update your evergreen content by adding fresh statistics, fixing broken links or replacing outdated examples with newly relevant info to ensure it remains as useful as the day it was published.  



Not only does this keep your content relevant and engaging, but it also helps it perform better in search rankings. Google loves content that stays current, and updating your evergreen posts tells the search engine (and your audience) that you’re keeping up with the times. Updating your evergreen content can also reignite traffic, attracting new readers and re-engaging previous ones. It’s a simple way to maximize the long-term value of your content, all without having to start from scratch. 

5. Personalizing your AI tools 

AI can help get the job done, but only if you teach it the rules. Personalizing tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini means feeding them examples of your content, giving feedback and refining the results so they match your brand’s tone and style. It’s like training a new employee, but faster and with fewer coffee breaks. 

Whether it’s a blog post, social media caption or email campaign, AI can create content that sounds like you—without the time it usually takes to write it all yourself. Now, this still doesn’t mean you can just copy and paste what AI spits out, but it gets you closer to where you want to be. With some fine-tuning, you can shape that raw output into polished, on-brand content. 

NOT

1. Chasing every social media trend 

When a trend starts making waves, it’s tempting to dive in headfirst. But if it doesn’t fit your brand’s identity, it might come off as trying too hard. Not every trend suits your voice, your audience or your goals. It also takes a lot of work and resources to keep up with every viral moment.  

Rather than hopping on trends just for the sake of it, focus on ones that align naturally with your brand’s identity and audience values. If a trend isn't something your viewers will genuinely care about, skip it. Staying true to your brand’s identity while exploring the right trends will help you maintain a strong, consistent voice that stands the test of time. Trends will come and go, but your authenticity will never go out of style. 

2. AI-generated creative content

AI-generated visuals can be a great starting point, but they aren’t a substitute for true creativity. Sometimes, the results can get a little weird, like giving your model an extra finger or an arm that looks... off. 

Most consumers don’t exactly embrace AI-generated visuals either. Take the backlash from CocaCola’s holiday ad. While they aimed to blend nostalgia with technology, the AI-generated scenes left viewers feeling uncomfortable, with the uncanny valley effect making the content seem more eerie than heartwarming. 

Ultimately, AI can’t replicate the nuance, emotion and unique perspective that human ingenuity brings to the table. Use AI as a tool to spark ideas or streamline repetitive tasks, but don’t rely on it to carry the entire creative load. The real magic happens when AI supports your creativity, empowering you to explore new possibilities and refine your vision with ease. 

3. Flooding email inboxes 

No one likes a cluttered inbox, and when you flood your contacts with emails they don't need, it’s just a matter of time before they opt out. When you bombard your contacts with excessive, irrelevant or repetitive emails, you're doing more harm than good. The more you send, the more likely they’ll tune you out or hit unsubscribe. 

Instead, try sending fewer emails, but make them count. Segment your audience and deliver content that speaks directly to their interests or needs. When your emails are targeted and valuable, your subscribers will look forward to hearing from you. By focusing on quality over quantity, you'll have stronger interactions and keep your brand top of mind without overwhelming their inboxes. 

4. Shallow campaigns 

Audiences are growing tired of brands that claim to be inclusive or eco-friendly without any real action to back it up. These superficial efforts might generate some short-term attention, but they won’t build the lasting trust your brand needs. In fact, these shallow campaigns can backfire, leaving your audience feeling more disconnected than ever.  

To make an impact, pair your campaigns with genuine commitments. Whether it's supporting diverse communities or taking actionable steps toward sustainability, make sure your efforts are consistent, measurable and deeply embedded in your brand values. When your actions match your messaging, you'll not only inspire trust but also nurture meaningful connections with customers who care about your values. 

5. Over-automating customer interactions 

While automation can speed things up, overdoing it can make your customers feel like they’re talking to a robot (because they are). Chatbots are great for quick responses, but when customers need help or have questions, they don’t want to get stuck in an endless loop of automated responses. Nobody wants to chat with a bot when they’re dealing with an issue that needs a real person’s attention. 

Let automation handle basic tasks like order confirmations or FAQs but leave room for humans to step in when a personalized touch is needed. Your customers don’t always just want answers; they want solutions and empathy. A well-timed, thoughtful response from a real person can go a long way in building loyalty and trust. Combining automation with real-time human support creates a seamless experience where customers feel heard and valued, not just processed. 

Preparing for 2025 

Don’t worry too much about trying to predict the next big thing in marketing. Instead, focus on what you can control—your brand's identity and goals. 2025 is about playing the long game and ensuring your strategy remains adaptable and reflective of your growth as a company. Embrace the trends that resonate with both your brand and your audience, and you’ll be sure to crush it this year. 
 

And remember, you don’t have to do it all alone. Let’s chat and create a plan that will set you up for success in 2025 and beyond.