Marketing trends: 3 strategies to stay relevant and ready for what’s next

Marketers are always in motion—adapting to new trends, navigating shifting consumer behavior, and figuring out how to make the most of AI. The landscape is constantly evolving, but so are we.

Our latest SurveyMonkey research on the state of marketing uncovers the biggest challenges marketers are facing right now and highlights key strategies to help stay sharp, build stronger customer connections, and make the right moves with confidence. Because in marketing, staying ahead isn’t just about keeping up—it’s about leading the way.

Here’s what we learned from our latest studies on marketing professionals¹ and consumers², including insights to help you stay agile and unlock more wins in 2025.

Let’s talk about the artificial intelligence in the room. 

Marketers report that AI is helping them stay competitive, meet performance goals, and understand their target audience. And a third use AI to generate content, the most popular use case. But here’s the thing: consumers are paying close attention to how brands leverage AI, and they have strong opinions.

Nearly half (45%) of consumers say that AI-generated content doesn’t feel authentic, and 38% say it lacks personalization. A staggering 79% believe a human understands them better than AI. Yet, interestingly, only 52% of marketers feel they understand their target audience better than AI does. Consumers, it turns out, have more faith in marketers than marketers do. 

The takeaway? Now is the time to double-down on human-centric marketing. People engage more with content that feels personal—like it was created by someone who understands their needs and experiences—rather than something that feels generic or overly AI-generated. In fact, 43% of consumers say they’re less likely to do business with brands that rely on AI-generated content.

That doesn’t mean avoiding AI altogether. The smartest marketers are using it to work faster, spark new ideas, and analyze data more efficiently. But the best marketing still relies on human creativity and empathy. AI can help generate content, but it’s the marketer’s job to make it resonate.

When we asked marketers what they’re prioritizing to drive business growth, the top answer wasn’t more budget or bigger teams–it was improving their own skills. 

This is telling because it reflects actions being taken at the personal level. In contrast, the next most common answers—boosting brand awareness, cross-team collaboration, and refining strategy—are broader, company-driven efforts.

Marketers recognize that skill development is a competitive edge. Four in ten (41%) believe they’re ahead of their peers in learning new skills or adopting new technology. And more than half (55%) think being both a generalist and a specialist is equally important, showing they’re open to continuous learning.

All of this makes a lot of sense. With budgets, economic conditions, and leadership decisions outside of marketers’ control, improving knowledge and skills is one thing they can control. Marketers need to stay adaptive, curious, and open to learning. While it won’t solve every challenge, it helps marketers tackle them with greater confidence and context.

So where should savvy marketers focus? One clear opportunity is AI adoption. Only 33% of marketers say they’re staying ahead of their peers in learning how to use AI in their roles. From my perspective, this goes beyond content creation to what I mentioned above—using AI to work smarter.

Have you experimented with how AI can help you beat writer’s block, whether it’s kickstarting ideas for ad headlines or organizing your thoughts into a clear executive summary or creative brief? Have you investigated how it can be used to process intimidatingly large data sets, surfacing insights you may have otherwise missed? By learning how to use AI for inspiration and data analysis, you can move faster and focus on strategic and creative work where you can really shine. You’ll also have more time to improve other skills. A win-win for upskilling.

Our research revealed that social media is the top strategy for three out of four marketers. And if your team is refining its social media strategy, influencer marketing has likely been part of the conversation. 

So what do marketers need to know about the state of influencer marketing? For one thing, it may be time to reconsider who’s actually influential—and who isn’t.

Half of consumers see neither influencers nor celebrities as credible. Instead, they trust industry experts more—validating the 41% of marketers who prefer working with experts over traditional influencers.

Target audience matters, too. While just 21% of consumers overall say they’re influenced by social media personalities, that number jumps to 30% among Gen Z and Millennials.

The bigger trend? Consumers are looking for authenticity. Whether it's customer testimonials or influencers with credibility in their niche, trusted voices matter. In fact, influencers who’ve built their own reputations on social media are seen as more authentic than celebrity or athlete influencers by a margin of 10+ percentage points.

For brands, this means shifting focus from follower count to credibility. Your most effective “influencers” might be industry experts, thought leaders within your company, or even your own customers. More than half (58%) of consumers say user reviews, stories, or testimonials resonate most with them—a stark contrast to the 17% who say the same about influencer recommendations.

These takeaways are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the state of marketing. Explore our research to discover more marketing trends and insights that will help marketers adapt, innovate and lead the way in 2025.

Methodology

¹ This SurveyMonkey study was conducted on January 9-16, 2025 among a sample of 416 self-identified marketing professionals in the US. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on our platform each day.

² This SurveyMonkey study was conducted on January 9-16, 2025 among a sample of 2,329 adults in the US. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on our platform each day. The modeled error estimate for this survey is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.