036: 5 ‘New School’ Advertising Trends Leaving Old Head Marketers in The Dust

Hello, you lovely Creatives!

Welcome to Volume 3️⃣6️⃣ of Creative Cuts 🔪 - your weekly dose of creative strategy from your friends at Creative OS.

And today on the cutting board…

Your creative or paid ad agency will drop dead in 6 months - IF you can’t adjust to these advertising trends in 2025. 

I’m totally kidding.

But not entirely…

You see, with the drastic changes in we’re seeing in consumer behavior, things have changed. 

~ The average consumer gets bombarded with generic ads 24/7. (and they're sick of it)

~ TikTok, IG, and every platform under the sun is gunning their firepower into short form content. (and it’s fried our attention spans)

~ Ads feel far too intrusive to the common consumer. (and brands now have to sneak their way into the headspace of their audience) 

All that in mind…

The modern consumer is completely rewriting the script of what works in advertising.

And today, we’re going to get into exactly what these ‘new rules’ are. 

5 advertising trends every marketer needs to be aware of heading into 2025. 

Let’s roll. 

Chase

Trend #1 - AI 🤖

Marketers are using artificial intelligence for almost EVERYTHING. 

And while it isn’t the complete answer, (yet) it is a huge part of the equation. 

Brands are using AI to do all sorts of things.

They’re able to NAIL their messaging by taking a peek inside their target audience's brain by:

Identify burning pains…

Dream outcomes…

Friction points to buying

And easily finding relevant marketing statistics to back up data.

With all that, brands can now be more precise than they’ve ever been, and start:

 - Making better offers
 - Converting more with email
- Creating better landing pages
- Making better ads with a high CTR

Etc, etc. 

The level of efficiency and convenience AI provides to marketers is scary. 

And it’s only getting better.

P.S. Who didn’t see this one coming?

Trend #2 - The Rise of Shorts 🩳

No one can deny it.

All this short form content is turning our brains from high-powered computing machines…

Into bite sized pea brains that decide they aren’t entertained after .3 seconds of watch time.

Okay - that’s not all of us. 

But it certainly is the direction a LOT of people are headed, and advertisers are adjusting for it. 

Dynamic, captivating, and straight-to-the-point short form videos have quickly become one of the best routes to more conversions.

A brand’s ability to:

Immediately display what their product does…

Who it’s for…

And what benefits it provides…

ALL in a super short and engaging manner…

Is ultimately the determining factor for success nowadays. 

One research article from Hubspot suggests the following: 

~ 36% of marketers say short form has the highest ROI

~ 83% of marketers say optimal video length is <=60 seconds

Trend #3 - Native Advertising 👻

The best ads blend in. 

And that’s because users are sick and tired of getting plastered by pedal-to-the-medal direct response ads on their feed 24/7.  

For a quick second…

Think about what works for organic TikTok:

- Controversial hooks

- Thumb stopping “WTF” moments

- Out of the ordinary pattern interrupts. 

Things you’d see on all the most viral videos if you were scrolling the feed.

This is what native content looks like. 

And if you want your ads to perform going into 2025…

They better ‘look’ like they belong.

Implementing aspects of a platform that users are accustomed to your ads will make them perform much better. 

They might even turn a blind eye to your content being a paid advertisement if it blends in enough. 

Another great form of native advertising we’re seeing pop up is in the world of gaming. 

With a market worth over 500 billion, this is one of the best ways brands are trying out to connect and sell to their audience. 

Product placements that feel natural, and are culturally implanted into the game create a super authentic experience. Key Takeaways 💸

This ad does an excellent job at presenting a problem-solution narrative, but the lack of social proof and actionable CTA’s is holding it back. Implementing these recommendations will likely increase engagement, compliance, and conversion rates, making the ad more effective across Meta platforms.

Trend #4 - Authenticity 🧐

Nowadays, consumers can spot ‘fake’ within an advertisement in a blink of an eye. 

In fact, 39% of consumers say that authenticity is THE most important thing to them when it comes to engaging with a new brand/product.

That said, this needs to be a priority in all of your ads going forward. 

A few tips:

~ Make sure your UGC creators ACTUALLY fit the vibe of your brand…

~ Leverage REAL customer stories and testimonials

~ Highlight your brand’s TRUE identity in all of it’s media

Trend #5 - Soundless Ads 🔊

80% of Facebook users don’t turn on their sound when scrolling (according to Teads research). 

That said, brands need to get clever with how they get their message across.

Since they can’t lean on sound to do it…

Here’s what some of the best are doing to adjust: 

~ They’re using strong imagery

~ They’re making ads SUPER direct and to the point

~ They’re using crafty headlines and copy to engage viewers

Anything that gets your message or narrative across without needing sound. 

Final Thoughts… 💭

If any of this scares you…

Don’t worry. 

You’re not far behind, at least not yet. 

Most haven’t completely caught up with these trends, but the average brand is slowly inching its way there. 

So what should you do?

Don’t run from modernity. 

Embrace it. 

Hating on new trends and refusing to change your ways as an advertiser is the QUICKEST way to kill your brand. 

And if you’re having trouble putting that into perspective…

Think Blockbuster getting demolished by Netflix…

Blackberry missing out on the touchscreen revolution…

Sears overlooking e-commerce…

The list goes on. 

And I want to see all of you crush it next year.

So, the biggest lesson here today? 

Adapt or die, baby. 

See you guys next time,

Chase

That’s all! If you’re looking to find inspiration or get the best ad templates out there, come hang out with us at Creative OS and tell your friends!