The 12 Marketing Trend Decks of Christmas

The final task on my to-do list before I log off for the holidays is to press send this newsletter. As my holiday gift to you, I sifted through all of the trend decks that appeared in my inbox and feeds over the last two weeks and curated your annual 12 Trend Decks of Christmas.

All of them included AI in some way, with many emphasizing the tension between AI's power and its impact on the craft of marketing. It's not surprising given the advances that we have seen over the past year. For example, the image below is from my last 12 Trend Decks of Christmas newsletter using Dall-E via ChatGPT.

This year, I'm using the new Sora model:

We’ll have to see what’s in store for us in 2025. Until then, I'd like to thank everyone who has read, shared, and replied back to this newsletter throughout the year. I’m grateful for your support. Have a fantastic holiday.

1. Year in Search (Google): A time capsule of what people searched in Canada and across the globe over the past year. Great for a quick snapshot of the zeitgeist of 2024, and how Canadian search interest differed from the rest of the world. For example, more searches about the LCBO strike and Canada Post strike, less for cricket tournaments and Donald Trump.

2. Life Trends 2025 (Accenture): Explores how people’s relationship with technology is changing and how brands can adapt by focusing on trust, authenticity, and human connection. Great for big picture thinking on the impact of technology in our lives. Highlight: Organizations need to ensure that people do not feel dehumanized as more AI technology is adopted, “if organizations fall into the trap of personifying AI agents, it could lead to a backlash and make people feel like their bosses see them and the bots as equals.”

3. IQ Download 2024 (Contagious): Highlights the top marketing campaigns of 2024, showcasing current creative trends and strategies. Great for marketers looking to refresh themselves on the most successful (or rather contagious) creative campaigns for the year. Highlight: Some brands will take overt non-AI stances for creating marketing communications, “it’s a bit like the organic-food labels that rose to prominence years ago, but for digital labour…certified 100 percent AI-free.”

4. Trend Report 2024 (D&AD): Presents six major trends in design and advertising, based on the award-winning creative work from the D&AD Awards 2024. Great for an inspiring scan of current design work across global marketing communications. Highlight: Examples of distinctly hand-drawn and hand-crafted work in response to the adoption of AI (only 10% of entries declared AI use in their work).

5. Media Trends 2025 (Dentsu): Discusses 10 media trends for the algorithmic era, emphasizing AI’s influence in media planning and buying. Great for marketers looking for a perspective on how digital media has changed, and what’s coming next. Highlight: Media planners need to develop a deep understanding of AI's capabilities and limitations, evolving into "algorithm planners" who can leverage these tools to create data-driven strategies

6. 2025 Media Trends & Predictions (Kantar): Analyzes the 2025 media landscape, emphasizing rebuilding trust, adapting to AI disruptions, and prioritizing human connections. Great for understanding how all media channels are evolving, and the implications for marketers. Highlight: “Nearly half of media companies say AI is already having a substantial impact on their operations, and 74% believe AI skills will be essential for future recruits.”

7. Trending 2025 (Foresight Factory): Identifies six consumer trends for 2025, focusing on “The Era of Initiative” and the growing desire to break free from algorithms. Great for exploring the tension between our use of technology and the impact that it has on our lives. Highlight: “As AI integration continues, consumers will take initiative to find joy in discovery outside the algorithm. This will also be accompanied by an active rejection of platforms that rely on soulless algorithms.”

8. 2025 Global Consumer Trends (Mintel): Explores how consumers and brands in 2025 navigate between control and chaos as they balance the human mind, nature, and technology. Great input for big picture brand planning, with lots of nuggets from across the globe. Highlight: “88% of Canadians who have lived in Canada for less than 10 years say they enjoy participating in Canada’s cultural traditions/pastimes (e.g. holidays, winter sports).”

9. Unveiling 2025 (NextAtlas): Analyzes three emerging trends—Muted Desire, Sentimental Inflation, and Hyper Rawness—and their impact on how brands connect with consumers. Great for exploring how disparate signals from social media may indicate bigger cultural trends. Highlight: Consumers are seeking out experiences and products that offer a more intense and visceral connection to the real world, gravitating to ‘rewilding’ in design.

10. Global Trends in AI (S&P): Examines AI adoption trends, focusing on generative AI’s potential to improve products and services and the challenges of scaling AI initiatives. Great for understanding the current state of adoption and the challenges facing large organizations. Highlight: “The average organization has 10 projects in the pilot phase and 16 in limited deployment, but only six deployed at scale.”

11. Trend Report 2025 (TrendWatching): Features 4 consumer trends for 2025—Loop Life, Sense Scaping, Worth Wise, and Humanifesto—and shows how brands can use AI to create innovative solutions. Great for anyone looking for examples of how brands are using technology to launch creative marketing campaigns. Highlight: A start-up with a focus on sustainability developed an AI-powered browser plugin that searches for cheaper second-hand shopping options while users are browsing stores online.

12. 2025 Trend Report (TrendHunter): Explores emerging trends across consumer categories, highlighting AI’s influence and showcasing innovative products, services, and campaigns. Great for anyone looking for some inspiration or fuel for an innovation-focused brainstorm: Highlight: Too many to choose from – give it a skim and I promise you’ll come away with a new product idea.