Believe it or not, the year is already halfway over. For advertisers, it's been a whirlwind with economic upheaval, massive AI adoption, Google upending search, and working hard to understand Gen Z. Oh, and remember when TikTok went dark for a weekend?
Here are some of 2025's biggest marketing stories so far.
Tariff-fueled price hikes threaten online Chinese marketplaces
Why it mattered: The tariff impact for marketers, retailers, and consumer sentiment continues to be a moving target as the rates for various countries seem to change week by week. Even if US allies are quick to strike trade deals, the tariffs have destabilized the landscape for marketers, leaving many to build contingency plans and guard their budgets.
As Amazon and AppLovin make TikTok bids, brands are reassured that hope is not lost
Why it mattered: Rumors of TikTok's demise continue to be greatly exaggerated. While the social media giant is currently in the midst of yet another extension of its US presence, the threat of its disappearance has inspired marketers to keep their reliance on the social network to a minimum. Many marketers who were previously investing heavily in TikTok Shop have begun to diversify their channels and look for other extenuating opportunities in case TikTok's plug actually gets pulled.
Advertisers blaze new trails as Google's search changes reshape the industry
Why it mattered: Google's ongoing changes to search have dramatically affected long-held best practices regarding SEO, display advertising, and many other standards of digital marketing. By expanding its AI initiatives, Google is keeping more consumers on the search page, with publishers seeing fewer visits. However, marketers have also identified many ways to work within, and around, this new reality. They're exploring machine-to-machine marketing, bigger influencer budgets, and retail media opportunities.
Marketers are challenging Gen Z assumptions with new research
Why it mattered: This year, marketers have raced to learn more about younger consumers and how to best appeal to Gen Z sensibilities. Identifying zoomer trends like drinking less alcohol, preferring rewarded video, and social media habits have let advertisers view the generation with fresh eyes to better target their campaigns.
Marketers embrace AI in the campaign process while struggling to navigate its complexity
Why it mattered: As AI continues to revolutionize the marketing industry, the frenzy to adopt the technology has given way to growing assessment of ROI and optimizing its incorporation into advertising workflows. This as big tech players work to build AI tools that promise to automate much of marketers' jobs.
Google’s second monopoly ruling will cause digital advertising upheaval
Why it mattered: The second antitrust ruling against Google—as well as Meta’s FTC battle—signals that regulators want to chip away at the ad duopoly’s market power. Google and Meta may remain the two largest players when the dust settles, but forced sell-offs would represent multi-billion-dollar opportunities for competitors to seize market share, creating a far less centralized advertising ecosystem.
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