The year 2025 proved to be turbulent for marketers, as macroeconomic shifts, technological advancements, and cultural influences dramatically transformed the industry. Amid numerous significant changes, several stories and trends stood out. Here are five of our top EMARKETER Daily stories from 2025. How tariffs are already transforming marketing and commerce Why it mattered: President Donald Trump’s extensive and fluctuating tariffs continued to push marketers into unfamiliar territory. As brands tried to adapt to changing costs, marketing budgets faced considerable uncertainty, placing many planned campaigns and expenditures in a state of flux. These budget shifts also impacted media platforms, which had to brace for variations in ad spending. Simultaneously, economic challenges made consumers more cautious, prompting some marketers to adjust their messaging to reflect this environment and forcing brands to rethink potential effects on their profits. Advertisers pioneer new approaches as Google’s search changes disrupt the industry Why it mattered: The introduction of Google Zero—referring to the disruption in ad performance caused by increased consumer use of AI platforms and Google’s own AI-generated Overviews—sent shockwaves through marketing this year. Publishers and marketers who experienced significant drops in clicks and traffic had to rapidly reevaluate how to design campaigns targeting all stages of the sales funnel. This reconsideration of SEO gave rise to new terms like generative engine optimization (GEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and machine-to-machine marketing (M2M), as marketers raced to establish best practices for reaching consumers in the AI era. AI at work: Managing employee resistance and implementation hurdles Why it mattered: AI dramatically altered marketers’ workflows across the industry in 2025. Creatives embraced new written and visual production methods, measurement specialists adopted advanced optimization tools, and strategists applied automation techniques.

Additionally, AI introduced new advantages, such as generating synthetic audiences for targeting. However, AI adoption has not been without challenges. As brands fine-tune what consumers will accept in AI-generated ads, some companies have attributed AI-driven efficiency to rounds of layoffs. LGBTQ+ safety report reveals how social platforms compare in their protections Why it mattered: Beyond tariffs, one of the most significant impacts from the White House this year was its strong opposition to DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives. This stance led companies like T-Mobile to abandon DEI programs, Cracker Barrel to restore a previous logo featuring an older man, while others recommitted to inclusion. Brands that distanced themselves from DEI faced backlash in 2025, including economic boycotts and criticism from the influential Gen Z demographic. How marketers can harness Gen Alpha’s spending power Why it mattered: While marketers focused heavily on formats, platforms, and messaging that resonate with Gen Z, they also invested efforts in planning to connect with Gen Alpha. As members of this younger generation enter their teenage years, their purchasing power—and influence over parental spending—has grown significantly. Now, with many entering the workforce, Gen Alpha members have emerged as fully-fledged consumers. Throughout 2025, marketers studied Gen Alpha extensively, exploring how they discover products, their use of AI, and which channels they trust most.