We are barely more than a month into 2025, and it’s fair to say that 2024 already feels like a world away. A rambunctious and combative Donald Trump is back in the White House and seemingly hellbent on disrupting the global order more than ever.
While a sluggish UK economy has suffered yet another setback, with the Bank of England halving its growth forecast amid cryptic warnings of an uncertain world.
In such a rapidly changing political and economic global landscape what must chief marketing officers (CMOs) focus on in 2025 to ensure their brands remain stable and growing?
Speaking at the Advertising Association’s LEAD 2025 Conference in Westminster this morning (6 February), industry stalwart, Boots CMO and Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) president Pete Markey (above) gave his expert opinion on the year ahead.
Cross media measurement
No surprises here, measurement has always been a crucial cog in the marketing machine, helping to track the impact of, and ultimately justify investment in, promotional campaigns.
As we enter the second quarter of the 21st Century, the media landscape is undoubtedly more fragmented than it has ever been, and, as such, accurate measurements that can span multiple mediums will only become more essential for marketers looking to determine the right channels for their business.
“Cross media measurement is a massive priority. We all want to be able to measure better and see what’s going on so we can report back and get more investment, because after all, that’s what marketing is,” he explained.
The rise and rise of retail media
On par with 2023 and 2024, retail media is set to continue to play an increasingly important role in the industry, with the big players like Boots and Tesco already well versed in the immense benefits offered by personalised, targeted marketing facilitated by their respective loyalty programmes.
As Markey pointed out, the integration of retail media into the mainstream media landscape will become one of the defining threads of 2025 – with the channel now too big to ignore.
“[Retail media] is going to be really high on the agenda for [Boots], and the integration of that retail media within traditional media, it’s really starting to reshape the media landscape,” he said.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Commerce media arrives on the scene
Retail media isn’t the only new player in town, with commerce media due an awakening in 2025 as brands and agencies become more and more aware of its vastly important place within the customer journey.
“Another thing we’re going to hear loads more about is the expression of commerce media,” Markey said. “Organisations outside of the retail sector will begin seeing the potential of their own first party data being able to drive growth too.”
Whether this poses a threat to the big boys such as Tesco or Boots is another matter, but it certainly raises many interesting questions about the true potential of many smaller brands should they decide to truly leverage the power of their first-party databases.
Responsible marketing
Accessibility won’t be just a buzzword in 2025, according to Markey, who is involved with the Ad Accessibility Alliance which brings together some of the world’s biggest brands and trades bodies.
“I’m really excited about the Alliance’s work, I think it’s a massive step forward and a really important part of the work we do and how we make it more accessible for all.”
Markey also highlighted the importance of responsible media buying, ensuring that a brand’s product remains qualitative without bombarding consumers and eroding trust.
Generative AI
On a final note, it seems impossible nowadays to talk about marketing and advertising without discussing the ever-evolving technology around generative AI.
Many things have been said, but one thing is certain, it’s here to stay and it’s set to irrevocably change the way that all of us within the wider industry will operate day-to-day.
Data revealed at LEAD suggests that as many as 50% of marketers currently use AI without telling their boss. Having only emerged into the mainstream in 2022, it seems that AI is more ubiquitous than many are prepared to admit.
Markey himself admits to having used Microsoft Copilot to draft a marketing plan for a friend’s small retail business, saying that it was “80% correct” – who knows how accurate it’ll be in another 12 months’ time?
