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9 Advertising Trends to Watch in 2025 [New Data + Expert Insights]

Advertising
February 12, 2025/by
9 Advertising Trends to Watch in 2025 Advertising is an ever-changing beast — with those on ad and marketing teams working hard to stay ahead of trends. In 2024, we saw the expansion of AI in all forms of content, the rise of personalization, and continued use of short-form video. In 2025, advertisers will need to stay on top of trends, or their ad money won’t go as far. In this article, I’ll discuss upcoming advertising trends and how you can leverage these stats to increase engagement, value, and sales. Table of Contents Digital Advertising Trends in 2025 Social Media Advertising Trends in 2025 Other Emerging Advertising Trends in 2025 Digital Advertising Trends in 2025 While ad spending is forecasted to slow in 2025, it’s still predicted to increase in all categories except print. Teams will likely carry more responsibility for ad performance as companies tighten their budgets in anticipation of a recession. Knowing and using the latest trends to your advantage can help you get more value out of the money you spend on advertising this year. 1. Artificial Intelligence “One in four marketers plan to leverage using AI to turn text into multi-modal campaigns.”—HubSpot’s 2025 State of Marketing report In 2024, the HubSpot State of Marketing report found that 40% of companies have hired dedicated AI experts to support their marketing teams. This year’s report indicates that we’re using AI more and more as marketers — for brainstorming,...
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How Much Does a Super Bowl Ad Cost [& Does It Get ROI]? A Data-Backed Deep Dive

Advertising
January 27, 2025/by
How Much Does a Super Bowl Ad Cost ? A Data-Backed Deep Dive Whether you’re a diehard Super Bowl fan or, like me, prefer watching superb owls, you gotta admit: Super Bowl commercials are pretty great. They’re also pretty expensive. And still, Fox, which holds the rights to Super Bowl LIX, easily sold all the ad spots for the big game on February 9, 2025. Let’s take a look at what goes into the most expensive TV ads in the world, how much they’ve cost throughout the history of the big game, and what brands are really getting out of them. Table of Contents How much does a Super Bowl ad cost? How Super Bowl Ad Prices Have Changed Over Time Is a Super Bowl ad worth the cost? How much does a Super Bowl ad cost? It’s a little tricky to put a number to the cost of an average, non-Super Bowl TV ad, since the numbers can vary from a couple hundred thousand to several million dollars. But let’s give this question some context: In 2024 (Kansas City Chiefs 25 - San Francisco 49ers 22), U.S. and Canadian advertisers spent an estimated $69 billion on TV advertising. That’s the GDP of Costa Rica. The top 10 TV advertisers in the U.S. — we’re talking brands like Geico, Burger King, and T-Mobile — spent an average of nearly $7.5 million every...
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3 Point-of-Need Advertising Opportunities — and How to Tap Into Them

Advertising
September 12, 2024/by
3 Point-of-Need Advertising Opportunities — and How to Tap Into Them Are you hoping to bypass overcrowded channels and engage your audience at the perfect moment? If your answer is yes, you may want to learn about Point-of-Need paid advertising opportunities. Too many advertisers stick to the basics — they pour money into Google keywords, Facebook ads, maybe even a few billboards or podcast spots. But here’s the problem: these channels are overcrowded, and the competition is fierce. Ultimately, you end up paying top dollar for less impact, and the returns are dwindling. If you’re ready to set yourself further away from the competition and tap into advertising channels where your audience is actually engaged, it’s time to rethink your approach. As Kieran and I discuss in a recent episode of Marketing Against the Grain, one high-impact way to do that is Point-of-Need advertising. In this post, we dig into exactly what Point-of-Need advertising is and how you can use it to cut through the advertising noise and capture your audience’s attention when it matters most. What is Point-of-Need advertising and why does it matter? I’ll be honest: Point-of-Need (PoN) advertising is a term I made up. But it’s a potent, actionable strategy that Kieran and I frequently use to maximize our ad spend. Point-of-Need (PoN) advertising is a tactic that targets your audience at the exact moment they’re most engaged and in need of something — like getting online during a flight, waiting for a taxi ride,...
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The Worst Super Bowl Ads — Avoid These Blunders

Advertising
March 17, 2024/by
The Worst Super Bowl Ads — Avoid These Blunders There’s a lot to be learned from the Super Bowl. While athletes gather new motivation and coaches pick up a few more techniques, the Super Bowl is also an excellent place for marketers to gain tips. How? The ads, of course. Between 80 and 100 ads run annually during the Super Bowl. Companies pay millions to have their commercials aired for 30 to 60 seconds. While many companies see success from their ads, others end the game, facing some alarming results. So, what makes a bad ad? I’ll highlight the basics of bad advertising and walk you through ten of the worst Super Bowl ads ever. These lessons apply to all forms of marketing, too, so whether you’re a blogger or a scriptwriter, you’ll gain some takeaways. What makes an ad flop? Super Bowl ads are some of the year's most widely discussed marketing materials. Some ads make a significant splash, while others are memorable for not-so-good reasons. As a marketer and as a consumer, there are a few things that make an ad flop, including: Offensiveness. While some argue that “all publicity is good publicity,” offensive ads can negatively impact a company’s bottom line. A reputation can affect between 3-7.5% of revenues annually. Confusing messaging. Confusing ads don’t always face the public backlash that offensive ads do, but they aren’t very effective. If viewers don’t know what the ad is or who it’s...
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Google’s Head of Technology Platforms On How First-Party Data & AI Will Transform The Ad Industry — For The Better

Advertising
February 13, 2024/by
Google's Head of Technology Platforms On How First-Party Data & AI Will Transform The Ad Industry — For The Better Welcome to HubSpot's Expert Edge Series, where we interview top execs at major brands to explore their perspectives on the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the industry.   Earlier this month, Google Chrome took another step in its plans to phase-out third-party cookies. And yet HubSpot Blog Research reports that 83% of marketers are still leveraging third-party cookies in some capacity. I get it – it takes time to shift both mindset and strategies. And change can be scary. But when I spoke with Steve Yap, Google's Head of Google Marketing Platform - Americas, he expressed his enthusiasm and excitement for the future of advertising. “We're at this inflection point, and we are working across the industry to rebuild advertising as we know it,” Yap says. “We will redefine it, and we'll do so with a consumer-centered, privacy-forward viewpoint and perspective — and that's pretty motivating.” Here, I spoke with Yap to explore what the current data privacy landscape looks like, how marketers can build consumer trust with first-party data, and the role of AI in a cookie-free world. Let's dive in. A Consumer-Focused Marketing Strategy Needs Privacy at the Forefront Privacy has become a top concern for most consumers. Not only are 81% of consumers worried about how companies use their personal data, but 72% say they're more likely to buy from companies they trust with...
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The 18 Most Creative Ad Campaigns in History

Advertising, behavioral targeting
January 18, 2023/by
The 18 Most Creative Ad Campaigns in History I've always been a little leery of proclaiming anything "the best." I never declared anyone my best friend as a kid because I was afraid my other friends might assume I thought less of them. So it was a little difficult for me to come up with just one "best" advertisement of all time—which is why there are 18 in this post instead. But why are these some of the best ads of all time? Because of the impact they had on brand growth and because they hit on some universal truth that makes them memorable years after they first began. In fact, some of us might not have even been alive when these campaigns first aired. But to know what makes an advertisement great, you must first understand what an advertisement is. Advertisements Types of Advertisements Advertising Campaign The Best Advertising Campaigns of All Time (And What Made Them Successful) Nike: Just Do It. Coke: Share a Coke Absolut Vodka: The Absolut Bottle Anheuser-Busch: Whassup (1999) Miller Lite: Great Taste, Less Filling (1974) Always: #LikeaGirl (2015) Volkswagen: Think Small (1960) Google: Year in Search (2017) Dos Equis: The Most Interesting Man in the World (2006) California Milk Processor Board: Got Milk? (1993) Metro Trains: Dumb Ways to Die (2012) Apple: Get a Mac (2006) Clairol: Does She or Doesn't She? (1957) De Beers: A Diamond is Forever (1999) Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like...
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How to Prevent Click Fraud

Advertising
April 23, 2022/by
How to Prevent Click Fraud When it comes to business, the old adage "You’ve got to spend money to make money," couldn’t be more true. Aside from the financial outlay to develop your product and manufacture it, and all the overhead that comes with owning a business, you are responsible for marketing your product so the public knows that your product exists. You’ve set aside some marketing dollars to spread awareness and attract people to your brand and your website. You’ve looked into a variety of advertising options, and determined that pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a sound way to spend your marketing budget. After all, you only pay when users click on your ad, so you only pay to advertise to people who are at least mildly interested in what you offer. PPC advertising can provide a healthy return on investment – unless you become the victim of click fraud. By understanding what click fraud is, and being aware of the tools that are available to protect yourself and your investment, PPC can be an excellent choice to market your business. What is click fraud? Click fraud happens when a person or a bot clicks on an ad, button, or hyperlink to trick the platform into thinking there is more interaction than there actually is. With PPC advertising, click fraud can happen for one of two reasons: The website owner who is hosting the ad will click...
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Quora Ads: Are They Right For Your Business?

Advertising
April 15, 2022/by
Quora Ads: Are They Right For Your Business? When you think of online advertising, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind? Google? Facebook? YouTube? If you limit yourself to those digital media giants, you could be missing out on a more targeted market that is reaching 300 million users every month. What Is Quora? And Who Uses It? Quora is a social question-and-answer website, founded in 2009. Over the years, Quora has earned a reputation for crowd-sourcing the best responses to questions based on a Q&A engine of curious and highly engaged users. In June 2017, Quora launched its advertising services, and businesses are seeing significant ROI from advertising on Quora. Why? Quora users are 20% more likely to have authorized a business purchase. They’re 65% more likely to report a college degree. They’re also 37% more likely to be a manager. And they’re 54% more likely to report an annual household income of more than $100K. Even more interesting? 63% of Quora users conduct research before major online purchases. In the United States, Quora users are highly educated and primarily live in West and East Coast metropolitan areas.* With demographics like that, Quora Ads might be the perfect way to connect with your target market. Let’s dig deeper into why Quora makes sense for advertising, explore what advertising options are available, and delve into best practices for running ads on Quora. Quora Ads When you’re ready to launch your first Quora Ad campaign, you’ll be pleasantly...
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How to Prepare an Advertising Plan [Free Template]

Advertising, behavioral targeting
March 18, 2022/by
How to Prepare an Advertising Plan Turning an idea for an advertising campaign into reality isn’t exactly simple, but it always begins with creating a concrete and detailed advertising plan. Your plan will help you present a clear path for return on investment (ROI), get buy-in from leadership, and share your proposal with relevant stakeholders.  Follow Along With HubSpot's Free Ad Plan Template   In this post, we’ll explain what an advertising plan is and highlight the major sections you should include in your advertising plan so you can guarantee your next campaign is a success.  Advertising Plan Template Pro Tip: HubSpot created the following advertising plan template for you to download so you can organize your advertising campaign — it's broken down into relevant sections and can be shared with your stakeholders when it’s completed. In it you'll find: Advertising campaign outline,  Advertising campaign timeline, and  Advertising budget template. Download this Advertising Planning Kit Now let's dive into how you can prep your ad plan.  How to Prepare an Advertising Plan Before you jump into your tactical advertising ideas, the first step in the process is to provide those reading your ad plan with a high-level overview of your initiative. 1. Provide an overview of your advertising plan. Specify the following elements so anyone reading your plan will have a basic understanding of what your campaign is and what you're trying to accomplish: Campaign Name: Make the campaign...
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The Ultimate Guide to Advertising in 2022

Advertising, behavioral targeting
February 18, 2022/by
The Ultimate Guide to Advertising in 2022 When you hear the word advertising, what comes to mind? Do you think of banner ads on your favorite website? Those hilarious Super Bowl commercials? The billboards along the highway or posters in the subway stations? While most of us have a pretty good idea of what advertising looks like, we often struggle to nail down exactly what it means — and how to do it well. From the printing press to pop-up ads, advertising has certainly changed with the times. Despite this, though, the need for advertising hasn’t changed, and neither have the techniques and best practices that make for quality advertising. That’s what we’ll cover in this guide. Advertising is one of the oldest types of marketing and aims to influence the actions of its audience to buy, sell, or do something else. Good advertising is designed to be extremely influential, memorable, and, at times, risqué. But, how does advertising work? How does advertising work? Advertising has a simple principle — get people interested in a product being sold. After arousing interest, the goal is to persuade people to purchase the product, even if they hadn’t previously thought about buying it. Ads work by using psychology to influence the way people think and feel about a product or service. Depending on the goals of your ad campaign, advertising can go to work for your company in a variety of ways: To raise awareness of your brand...
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