HubSpot dropped 50 pages of marketing data and we pulled 5 insights you can actually use 👀
What 1,200 marketers just said about your 2025 strategy
quick summary ⚡️
Strategy recs straight from the marketers doing the most in 2025.
Cultural gems: Not all young people want to be influencers, influencer ghost writing drama and more
The joys of working in social
5 marketing trends that have emerged in 2025
It’s that time again: another trends report, another chance to stress about whether you’re doing marketing “right.” But HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing feels less like a panic button and more like a permission slip, to rethink how you’re showing up. AI’s not the enemy, creators are your secret weapon, and Millennials are [still] the main character. Here’s what’s worth bookmarking before we blink and it’s Q3.
📊 Millennials are still your MVPs.
73% of marketers are targeting Millennials in 2025, making them the biggest decision-makers on both B2B and B2C sides. Gen Z gets the press, but Millennials are the ones swiping company cards. While GenZ isn’t fawning over the feature, Millennials are huge fans of the tailored experience and nostalgia of Spotify’s "Discover Weekly" playlists that curate personalized music recommendations based on user listening habits.
→ How to use it: If you're segmenting audiences, double down on Millennial-specific messaging [think values-led, time-saving, nostalgic-but-modern content]. Don't assume [you know what they say 👀] you need to sound younger to feel current.
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🎥 Short-form video isn’t optional.
Across the board, marketers say short-form video delivers the highest ROI. Live video and images round out the top three [text-only campaigns just aren’t cutting it]. Figma and GymShark are two brands that immediately come to mind as dominators of short-form in 2025 and the results speak for themselves [and if they don’t, check out this report].
→ How to use it: Build your content strategy around repurposable short-form. Take one long-form idea [a blog post, a podcast, a product demo] and turn it into a week’s worth of social clips. Use tools like HubSpot’s Content Remix, CapCut, or Instagram’s new Edits, to speed up your workflow.
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💬 Brand values > brand aesthetics.
1 in 4 marketers are creating content that reflects their core values, and 92% plan to increase or maintain their investment in brand awareness in 2025. The era of vibe-only branding is over. Heinz nailed this trend back in January with their “It has to be” campaign that highlighted the brands values and core messaging with a massive billboard takeover.
→ How to use it: Define your “why” and actually talk about it. Tie launches or product content to your mission, highlight team voices, and don’t be afraid to share behind-the-scenes thinking. Static values pages aren’t enough in 2025 [were they ever?].
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🧠 Authenticity is moving from strategy to structure.
Top-performing teams are infusing creator and employee voices into campaigns [and not just on social]. Personality-led content is now a must-have, not a nice-to-have. Starbucks has been in the headlines a lot lately, but their “To Be a Partner” campaign had people across the globe talking about the brand for weeks [complimentary].
→ How to use it: Audit your brand voice. Are you publishing with people, or at them? Start incorporating creators, founder POVs, or internal subject-matter experts into your content mix [like our expert Q&A series], especially on social and email.
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The AI-ification of everything is here.
From planning social calendars to repurposing long-form into snackable clips, AI isn’t just a tool [it’s a teammate]. Bonus stat: HubSpot saw a 99% increase in leads after six months using AI-powered content ops. Papa John’s is getting serious about AI this year, not just to help you order a pizza faster, but to make every step smarter. They teamed up with Google Cloud to bake [👀] AI into their digital ordering flow, using it to personalize customer interactions and speed up service [move over Domino's Pizza Tracker] .
→ How to use it: Start with one process—content planning, campaign briefs, or reporting—and test where AI saves the most time [without sacrificing quality]. Then scale. The goal isn’t just speed, it’s freeing up time for the kind of creative strategy that machines can’t do [and likely never will].
you can read HubSpot’s full report here
💎cultural gems💎
The moments and news catching our attention this week:
YOUNG PEOPLE DON’T ALL WANT TO BE INFLUENCERS, @eugbrandstrat on instagram
Young people want the freedom that comes with having a strong personal brand.
BETHENNY FRANKEL: TRUTH ABOUT RHONY, HER MILLION DOLLAR BRAND, WHY HARD WORK DOESN’T EXIST ANYMORE, the skinny confidential podcast
“Being on a television show doesn’t mean your business is going to be successful at all. It’s fool’s gold.”
UNPACKING TINX’S HOTTER IN THE HAMPTONS GHOST WRITING DRAMA, the cut
“What does it say about the publishing world when identity is only marketable when it’s filtered through someone already profitable?”
WILL A.I. SAVE THE NEWS?, the new yorker
“The continued spread of summarization could make human writers—with their own personalities, experiences, contexts, and insights—more valuable, both as a contrast to and a part of the A.I. ecosystem.”
iykyk
Smiling through the pain 😄
Wow such a great post full of golden nuggets. I’m a huge fan of hubspot however full transparency I did not read their report BUT I feel like your insights already gave me so much to think about. Thank you