As FabCom focused on data-driven marketing strategies for its clients in 2025, the agency’s marketing team kept a close eye on the trends that shape how customers think, behave, and connect with brands. The past year delivered major shifts across culture, social media, AI, consumer psychology, and digital marketing performance. Before we charge into 2026, we’re looking back at the facts, patterns, and “only in 2025” moments that influenced brands—and will continue to shape marketing strategy in the year ahead.

Culture and Creativity

2025 marked a return to lightness, minimalism, and clarity in cultural aesthetics. Pantone announced its 2026 Color of the Year as “Cloud Dancer”, a soft, airy white that reflects the collective desire for simplicity after several fast-innovating, high-stimulus years. In entertainment, Taylor Swift remained the most-streamed global artist, surpassing 200 billion lifetime Spotify streams—a reminder of how strong storytelling continues to drive engagement across generations.

On the lifestyle front, cottage-cheese-powered “wellness cooking” dominated search trends, and digital crafting communities surged, with creators blending traditional handwork and AI-assisted tools. Together, these cultural moments reveal a shift toward intentional creativity—something brands should embrace in both messaging and visual strategy.

Social and Digital Behavior

TikTok continued to hold the top spot as the most trafficked social media platform in the world, with users now spending more than an hour per day on average engaging with short-form content. Meanwhile, LinkedIn experienced its fastest growth year on record, fueled by Gen Z professionals entering the workforce and treating the platform as a hybrid portfolio, networking hub, and content engine.

Influencer culture also hit new milestones. Charli D’Amelio became 2025’s most influential global creator after crossing the 200 million follower threshold and launching a creator-led DTC brand valued at more than $250 million. Viral behavior shifted as well, with the “Reverse Routine Challenge”—showing users performing their day backward—dominating short-form video trends.

Digital Marketing and Paid Media Shifts

For brands working with a full-service digital marketing agency like FabCom, the biggest trend of the year was unmistakable: automation and dramatic AI acceleration across paid media, creative production, and content optimization.

Retail Media Networks such as Amazon and Walmart Connect delivered the strongest ROI lift year-over-year, outperforming even top-tier search campaigns. Meanwhile, short-form vertical video cemented its position as the most efficient and most purchased ad format across industries. Marketers also saw budgets shift, with an average of 40% of digital spend allocated to AI-assisted creative and workflow automation. This investment solidified the rise of a new performance metric—Cost Per Engaged Minute (CPEM)—as brands look for deeper indicators of attention beyond impressions and clicks.

AI and Technology Innovation

No review of 2025 would be complete without acknowledging the continued acceleration of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT remained the most-used consumer-facing AI tool with more than 380 million monthly active users, reinforcing the need for brands to adopt conversational interfaces and scalable content personalization.

Apple Vision Pro 2 dominated tech headlines, introducing practical augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to everyday consumers with lighter hardware and more accessible pricing. And across industries, one job title rose faster than any other: AI Workflow Architect. This role became essential for organizations refining human-in-the-loop systems that balance creativity, compliance, and automation.

Cybersecurity and Data Landscape

While technology surged ahead, security threats escalated alongside it. The largest data breach of the year involved a major hospitality chain that exposed more than 400 million guest records, reigniting discussions around biometric privacy. AI-generated deepfake impersonation also emerged as the fastest-growing cyber threat to enterprises, with incidents spiking more than 300% compared to the previous year.

The workplace saw a rise in fully fabricated digital identities—including AI-generated applicants with fabricated portfolios—forcing HR and marketing teams to strengthen verification processes.

Consumer Behavior in 2025

Consumer psychology shifted in measurable ways. Online purchases under $20—small “dopamine buys”—became one of the fastest-growing ecommerce categories, driven by TikTok Shop and real-time social proof behaviors. At the same time, the “de-influencing” movement gained momentum, with creators building large followings by advising consumers what not to buy, highlighting the importance of behavioral targeting.

Across sectors, anticipation emerged as the top emotional driver influencing purchases. Brands that created a sense of “something new is coming”—without resorting to urgency or fear-based messaging—saw stronger engagement and higher conversion rates. Millennials also surpassed Baby Boomers in total spending power for the first time, reshaping target market priorities and long-term brand strategies.

Technology, Travel, and Everything In Between

Outside of marketing and analytics, 2025 delivered a series of trends that reflect broader shifts in how people explore the world and adopt technology. Off-season travel to Europe hit an all-time high, with winter tourism to Greece, Italy, and Spain up nearly 50% as travelers pursued affordability and authenticity. Foldable smartphones experienced a surprising resurgence, overtaking smaller traditional phone models in global sales.

Even pets entered the trend cycle: personalized pet DNA ancestry books became one of the year’s most unexpected breakout products. Building on the trend of treating pets as family members, owners drove demand for longevity supplements, early-detection wearables, and even experimental anti-aging drugs tailored for their animals. At the extreme end, premium cloning services also gained renewed buzz as some sought not just longer life spans but repeatable ones.

As We Look Ahead to 2026

One thing is clear: the brands that will “win” aren’t merely reacting to change—they’re anticipating it. The shifts we saw in 2025, from AI-driven workflows to evolving consumer psychology, signal a marketplace that rewards agility, authenticity, and strategic innovation. For organizations ready to elevate their marketing performance, these trends present new opportunities to connect with audiences in more meaningful, efficient, and measurable ways.

As a leading Scottsdale marketing agency, FabCom continues to help brands navigate the complexities of the modern marketing landscape, cut through the clutter, and build the kind of integrated marketing strategies that truly perform—today and in the years ahead.