Seven in 10 Marketers Name AI as the Top Consumer Trend for Late 2025
Marketing professionals are clearly focused on generative AI as the key trend heading into the second half of 2025. A recent survey by Mediaocean, covering over 450 marketers, agencies, media companies, and tech platforms, found that 72% now identify AI as the most important consumer trend. This is a significant jump from 55% a year ago and places AI well ahead of connected TV (CTV) and streaming, which ranked second at 51%.
Meanwhile, TikTok and social video have seen a sharp decline in importance, dropping from 47% to 32%. Other rising trends include the growth of e-commerce everywhere, now at 36%, surpassing social video, and political and advocacy trends, which have increased from 15% to 20%.
The Growing Impact of AI on Marketing
Marketers are not just watching AI — they're preparing for significant changes. About 31% believe AI will cause major disruption in creative optimization within the next year, and 25% feel similarly about its effects on media planning and buying. Advances in multimodal AI tools and intelligent agents are reshaping how consumers expect to interact with brands.
Political and advocacy trends are also gaining momentum, pushing brands to stay alert to cultural, regulatory, and economic shifts more than ever before.
Current AI Applications in Marketing
Almost half of surveyed marketers are already using AI for data analysis (47%) and market research (46%), with the latter showing a noticeable increase from 40% last year. These numbers suggest marketers are integrating AI into essential marketing functions rather than treating it as an experiment.
Key areas with strong AI adoption include market research and website development. Creative optimization is poised for transformation through AI-generated copy, imagery, and content versioning. While AI-driven media planning tools may still lag, foundational work toward AI integration is clearly underway.
Why CTV and Personalization Matter
CTV retains its spot as the second most important trend, largely because it allows marketers to deliver dynamic, personalized ad creatives. Measuring reach, frequency, and outcomes across media buys also remains a priority.
CTV is evolving into a full-funnel channel with marketers emphasizing accountable measurement and personalized messaging. However, fragmentation challenges persist, and future success depends on better cross-platform visibility and connected tools that translate insights into action.
Advertising Investment Priorities
The survey shows that 60% of marketers continue to prioritize performance-driven paid media as their top advertising investment, followed by brand advertising at 51%. As 2025 closes and 2026 approaches, marketers face a critical moment. The phase-out of legacy IDs, rising demand for personalized experiences, and ongoing AI advancements will require flexible strategies and cross-team collaboration.
Brands that succeed will be those that proactively build marketing systems designed to be intelligent, connected, and ready for the future.
For marketers interested in expanding their AI skills to stay ahead, exploring specialized AI marketing courses can be a valuable step. Check out AI certifications for marketing specialists to deepen your expertise.
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