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As we approach 2025, it’s a great time to take a step back – consider the marketing trends you’ve seen or participated in throughout 2024, which ones were or were not successful, and how those may change or evolve in the new year. Be sure to take a look back at our Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2024  as a resource for this. In this blog, we’ll discuss some new or evolved trends to look out for in 2025. Let’s get started! AI Content and Strategy AI for marketers in 2025 has a few facets to consider. First is safety  – in a privacy-focused digital landscape, transparency in consumer-facing uses of AI is essential. While many marketers are eager to integrate AI into their workflows, they must first understand the impacts and what to watch out for. The next two considerations concern how AI will be integrated in 2025: content and strategy . According to Hootsuite’s surveys , 83% of marketers say generative AI helps them create significantly more content than they could without it. Despite the above-mentioned safety concerns, AI has been and will continue to be used for everything from editing text to generating images. However, AI is not just being used for content creation and execution, but also for strategy. According to the Hootsuite Social Media Trends 2025 Survey , even more social marketers responsible for strategy decisions implement AI tools than those responsible for execution. As we enter the new year, ensure you consider the safety of and uses for AI in your marketing team. Social Listening The next trend to look at is social listening . While marketers are aware that understanding the value of social media marketing needs to go beyond impression metrics, such as likes and follows, social listening takes the search for consumer engagement one step further. Social listening involves utilizing social media as a way to engage with your audience – not to drive a conversion, but to understand them. Social listening helps organizations better understand their audience, improve their strategies, uncover market gaps to guide product development, spot potential crises so they can quickly take control, and even drive sales . In addition, social listening can improve your social media content and effectiveness. Awareness of social media trends, how they resonate with your audience, and how they perform can help social marketers understand how to participate in them. It’s generally not about briefly going viral, but consistently connecting with your audience. Content Experimentation Third is content experimentation . To stand out from the crowd and connect with niche audiences, brands are experimenting with content and social media usage. The two key ways we are seeing this are brand in consistency and outbound engagement . Brand inconsistency involves using social media channels to step outside of the brand’s personality and comfort zone to push creative boundaries and entertain its audience. There is a move toward entertaining and educating, often without any direct promotion for the brand. This creativity goes against the consistent, trustworthy brand that’s been aimed for in the past, looking to capture and delight audiences instead. This is evident in the use of outbound engagement: brands commenting on other people’s posts. Especially on TikTok, you can scroll down to the comments section of almost any social post and find a brand or two chiming in on the conversation . These comments often have nothing to do with promoting the brand or even brand values. Still, they frequently capture and delight, cultivating community while putting their brand in front of new audiences. However, this trend still needs to be approached strategically - Social Element has found that two critical factors drive success for outbound engagements: timeliness and length. First-party and Zero-party Data As previously mentioned, privacy is a key factor in today’s media landscape. This means a shift away from third-party data and towards first-party and zero-party data. The desire for first-party data has resulted in the rise of Retail Media Networks as digital advertising platforms . Their abundance of consumer data allows brands to reach highly targeted audiences through personalized ads on retailer websites, apps, and even in-store digital displays. Kantar Media Reactions 2024  shows that 41% of marketers globally are planning to increase their advertising investment in retail media in 2025. On the other hand, zero-party data  is information that customers proactively share with brands and will also be crucial in 2025. Brands will need to focus on data-driven strategies and interactive experiences that allow them to gather this data directly from consumers. However, once obtained, this data can be used to create personalized and highly targeted campaigns , allowing them to more easily reach niche audiences, produce conversions, and avoid privacy concerns and regulations. Balancing Acquisition with Retention The final trend we will be discussing is balancing acquisition with retention . With the need for increasingly personalized content to resonate with consumers, retaining an existing customer is five times less expensive than acquiring a new one . Balancing acquisition costs with a strong retention strategy boosts profitability and results in high-value customers. This involves understanding what drives retention, such as post-purchase engagement and loyalty programs. Taking this into consideration will be a huge help to your marketing strategy in 2025.   While these are some key trends to look out for in 2025, the marketing landscape is constantly changing and evolving. Our experts are committed to staying on top of these trends so we can provide the most effective marketing services and the best results! Contact unLOCKEd  today – the one stop for all your marketing needs. Author: Sarah Murphy

Brand loyalty is, of course, very important for companies to turn customer acquisitions into customer retention. However, it is increasingly difficult to appeal to consumers through traditional advertising and to differentiate yourself from other brands. Despite this, one key element that tends to drive this brand loyalty is customer engagement. Rather than just reaching your audience or gaining impressions, fostering engagement with your customers tends to be more memorable and emotionally connected. But encouraging this engagement can be difficult, too. That’s why we’ve put together five key strategies for unlocking brand loyalty through customer engagement to keep your audience coming back for more. Let’s get into it!  1. Branded Content Branded content differs from traditional paid  media advertising in that it is a company’s owned  media, often created to generate earned  media. This is important in a few ways. First, there is no need to worry about what your content is next to, since it is on your page or platform. Second, it bypasses the ever-growing trend of ad blockers. And, most importantly, it alleviates audience fatigue. Consumers see ads everywhere, and many are annoyed by their constant presence. They have learned to scroll past, turn to other content, or click skip as fast as possible – and can you really blame them? Branded content avoids this issue by looking like and appearing next to other media content that your audience wants to see. In addition, it serves a function for the customer, independent of a sales pitch. Whether it is entertaining, educational, informative, or just engaging, it must be content that the audience would look for or be attracted to anyway. This can range from web content to mini-films and everything in between! This creates more of a brand ambience or brand awareness than a hard sell, benefiting and hooking the customer. 2. Purpose Marketing Purpose or activist marketing is another way to appeal to the fatigued consumer and differentiate your brand. Purpose marketing involves supporting a social cause through brand activities. This can be through products, educational content, financial support, and more! The key reason this engages customers is because it appeals to their emotions. Consumers these days care about social and political causes, especially if your target audience is Gen Z. They want to see that your brand is more than just a product for profit and is something they can connect with. Creating that emotional bond makes your brand more memorable and trustworthy in a consumer’s eyes, encouraging them to pick your brand over another and keep coming back to support you. 3. Personalize Interactions This strategy is also about creating that emotional connection. While many tasks can be streamlined through automation, customer interactions are not always the best place to do this. While chatbots can answer basic questions, creating a quick, seamless, and helpful brand experience can sometimes be more beneficial for your brand. Many customers value good customer service. Personalizing and improving your interactions with them makes your brand stand out and may even be the difference between a customer choosing you or your competitor in the future. Overall, connecting to your customers and showing them that they are valued is a key strategy to gaining their loyalty. 4. Guerrilla Marketing Guerrilla marketing is a great way to think outside of the box and break through that audience fatigue we discussed earlier. Guerrilla marketing involves using unconventional and often offline spaces to market to your audience. Avoiding traditional ad spaces or strategies makes your marketing stand out from other brands and is usually interesting. The element of surprise in seeing these forms of media in unexpected places also makes them more memorable. Stickers in urban spaces, branded graffiti, or ad space used in unconventional ways are just a few of the possibilities guerrilla marketing offers. While it is usually offline, it often provides shareable content that can go viral and gain organic media attention. This is a great way to generate excitement or interest in your brand through engagement with your content! 5. Loyalty Programs While these first four strategies were more innovative, newer ideas, we should not forget the tried-and-true classics. Loyalty programs can be a significant factor when customers are deciding where to buy from. Whether it’s a points system or member discounts/benefits, let’s face it – people like free stuff! Simply offering a loyalty program can really drive, well, loyalty! In addition, a membership card or something similar can create a familial or connected feeling for customers. They feel like they have a more exclusive connection with your brand. This feeling can even make them more likely to promote your brand through word of mouth. Whether it’s posting about the deal they just got or telling their friend about it over dinner, this customer engagement provides their brand loyalty, and maybe even attracts more customer acquisitions! Standing out in an oversaturated media environment can be difficult, but implementing these strategies can make a big difference. For marketing advice or services, contact  unLOCKEd today! Author: Sarah Murphy

As part of unLOCKEd’s 10th Anniversary series, we wanted to discuss some notable marketing trends from our ten years of business! A lot has changed and evolved since 2014, and looking at these trends can help refocus current marketing strategies. So, let’s get into it! 1. Content Marketing The first trend is content marketing. Content marketing has become increasingly popular over the last decade, focusing on creating valuable, relevant content to attract and engage audiences. Alongside companies’ traditional advertising, blogs (like this one), videos, infographics, and podcasts have become valuable tools! 2. Influencer Marketing The next trend is influencer marketing. While we saw some of this when we started unLOCKEd, it has picked up exponentially. Collaborating with social media influencers has become a way for companies to reach target audiences. As this trend has gained speed, it has moved from simply asking influencers to promote a product to associating it with influencers’ lifestyles to appear more authentic and relatable, traits audiences increasingly value. 3. Social Media Advertising This trend has become essential for the majority of B2C companies. Increased investment in paid social media ads on platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn, is many companies’ primary means of reaching audiences. As consumers spend more and more time looking down at their devices rather than at billboards or even their TVs, it is vital to a company’s success that they follow this move to maintain their audiences’ attention. 4. Video Marketing Video marketing is another trend that has become increasingly prevalent throughout the last ten years. As technology advances, there are ever-increasing possibilities for digital marketing. Video marketing has become more attainable for even small businesses, and it is a great way to capture your audience’s attention. Video content is a key component of marketing strategies, including live streaming, stories, and short-form video content like TikTok and Instagram Reels. 5. Artificial Intelligence and Automation This trend is another result of technological advances. AI-driven tools and automation have become popular for tasks such as chatbots, customer segmentation, predictive analytics, and personalized recommendations. These technologies can help save time and eliminate human error for both companies and customers. While that isn’t to say that these tools do not have certain downsides, they have certainly become quite popular! 6. Voice Search Optimization As voice search has become increasingly popular and sophisticated, marketers have had to optimize their digital content to keep up. As early voice search technologies like Siri progressed to smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, optimizing content for voice search has grown into a necessity to reach audiences. 7. Mobile-First Marketing This trend is vital to any marketer’s success. As mobile usage surpassed desktop usage for internet browsing and e-commerce, prioritizing mobile-friendly content and experiences become a front-and-centre priority. From mobile-friendly websites to e-commerce apps, companies must ensure their content is easily accessible on mobile devices to stay in the game. 8. Social Commerce This trend is a little more recent than some of the others we have discussed. With the increase in online shopping and social media influencers, shoppable content through directly integrating e-commerce features into social media platforms has allowed users to shop without even leaving the app. Not only can an influencer say, “Check out this cool product,” but now they can encourage their audience to buy the product on the spot! 9. User-Generated Content This is a trend that has had both success and created publicity nightmares for companies. User-generated content is when brands encourage customers to create and share content related to the brand, leveraging authenticity and community engagement. However, leaving your marketing up to the public also releases your control of the content. A successful user-generated content campaign should be about the audience to increase participation and include a screening process to avoid unwanted messages associated with the brand. 10. Sustainability and Ethical Marketing Our final trend is companies’ movement towards sustainability and ethical practices. Consumers have become interested in more than just a product’s convenience, but also the impact of creating it. Consumers’ growing demand has encouraged brands to adopt sustainable practices and promote ethical values in their marketing efforts.  These trends have really put into perspective how much marketing has changed in the last decade! At unLOCKEd, our marketing experts are up-to-date on current trends and advances in the field so that we can provide the best marketing assistance for your business! Author: Sarah Murphy

As Canadians in any industry, there is a balance of collaboration and differentiation with our neighbours to the south. While sharing a border with the USA is often a great strength for our country, we also have to make clear that we do not simply live in their shadow. This is not a boast of national pride (though we certainly have that), but more, it is because we are  an entirely different nation with our own customs, beliefs, and strengths. We differentiate ourselves because Canadians are  different. In a marketing sense, this is extremely important to understand. Depending on your audience, you may only be interested in targeting Canadians. This means you need to understand their behaviours as a separate entity, rather than grouped in with the USA. Using these generalizations may result in skewed strategies and results that could be avoided with the proper data. While there are certainly many similarities between our two countries, in this blog, we will explore the differences regarding Canadian marketing behaviours. Trends To start, the penetration rate of social media in Canada is 91.3% , making it one of the most connected countries in the world. This means that social media is an ideal means of reaching the population. Although platform and social media usage vary across demographics, it is an excellent way to reach Canadian audiences in general. However, a couple of Canadian behavioural trends make social media a less beneficial marketing tactic. First, Canadians tend to be “ social media introverts .” They are less interested in sharing their personal lives with the world than using private messaging apps. As of December 2023, instant messengers were the second most-used social media platforms after social networks . The second trend is advertising fatigue. Canadians tend to get annoyed by overbearing advertisements  and ads based on their search history. However, this does not mean social media advertising is a fruitless cause in Canada. There are many less in-your-face options, such as native advertising and branded content, that can help avoid this issue. We’ve discussed some of these tactics in previous blogs  to help you get the most out of social media advertising. Platforms Platform usage varies between Canada and the United States. Understanding which platforms work best for your content and to reach your audience is essential. While Facebook is still the most popular social media platform in both countries, the runner-up platforms reveal more variation. As previously mentioned, instant messengers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat, tend to beat out other media-sharing platforms for second place in Canada. In contrast, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest  compete for second place in the USA. Additionally, there is the global phenomenon of TikTok. Although its usage has significantly grown in both countries, it is much more prominent in the United States. While TikTok has less than half the Canadian users that Facebook does, the rise of video-centric platforms has resulted in TikTok being US internet users’ preferred social media platform for viewing short-form videos and the platform upon which US users spend most of their time . Although TikTok is best for reaching American audiences, it is still useful for reaching younger audiences in Canada.  As you can see, specific trends and preferences set Canada apart from the United States and can be integral to marketing to its population. No matter who your audience is, unLOCKEd can help make your marketing effective and impactful by utilizing our experience and expertise. Contact us  today! Author: Sarah Murphy