Ren Frise.
The AdNews end of year Perspectives, looking back at 2024 and forward to next year.
Ren Frise, Executive Director of Digital, Data & Technology, Enigma
It’s that time of year again: when everyone churns out a list of “Digital Trends for 2025.” More video. More social commerce. The ever-reliable TikTok creator partnerships. And, of course, more AI—AI in everything. It’s all fine, until you realise… hasn’t this already happened?
We have taken a different approach with predictions—ideas grounded in foresight and inspired by frameworks like CIPHER and Weak Signals. These aren’t quick wins or incremental upgrades. They’re provocations: concepts that stretch your thinking, spark new possibilities, and challenge you to reimagine the future of marketing, technology, and human behaviour.
Predictions are not about being right or wrong. They’re about shaping a vision, setting a course, and articulating the intersection of technology and human behaviour. And, maybe, they’ll even inspire the next big business idea. Let’s dive in.
Digital, Data & Technology Predictions (2027-2030)
1. Invisible Anticipation: The Predictive Ecosystem
The next era of technology will live quietly in the background, anticipating needs and acting before they’re spoken. Predictive ecosystems will move us beyond interaction into intuitive, invisible convenience. They’ll connect AI, devices, and behavioural data to make life easier—not just reactive, but truly anticipatory.
Example: Imagine a corporate travel assistant that detects a cancelled flight, books you the next best option, arranges transportation, and updates your schedule—all before you’ve even checked your phone.
Why it matters: Predictive ecosystems will transform marketing from customer acquisition to customer retention. Signals from Big Tech—such as Google’s experiments in contextual AI—suggest that this shift is inevitable. It’s not just personalisation; it’s total immersion in a brand’s ability to serve you proactively.
2. Trust-Scored Marketing: Loyalty in the Age of Ethics
Prediction: A brand’s success will no longer be measured by its customer base but by its trust score—a new form of accountability that evaluates data practices, transparency, and alignment with societal values.
Example: A bank prominently displays its trust score, showcasing encrypted data handling, ethical AI, and clear consent protocols. In contrast, a social media platform with low trust scores risks losing advertisers and users alike.
Why it matters: Privacy-first regulations like GDPR, the looming new Australian privacy regulations and legislation, and growing public awareness of data misuse demand a rethink of digital marketing ethics. Brands must earn consumer trust not through slick campaigns but through verifiable, ethical practices.
3. Dynamic Audience Assemblies (DAA): Marketing to Who You Are Now
The future of targeting isn’t just about who you are; it’s about who you are now. Dynamic Audience Assemblies will use real-time signals—location, mood, intent—to deliver instant, customised experiences. These audiences will shift fluidly, as creative assets and messaging adapt automatically.
Example: A music streaming app recommends an energising playlist to a user heading to the gym (knowing schedule patterns) and a calming playlist as they wind down at home—both dynamically adjusted in real time.
Why it matters: This evolution moves beyond static personas or demographic targeting, forcing brands to build flexible, adaptive campaigns. With real-time algorithms and scalable creative automation tools, marketing becomes more relevant than ever.
4. Human Connections, Local Impact: Social Neighbourhoods
Prediction: Social media will pivot from global megaphones to human-scale, purpose-driven platforms. The future lies in encouraging meaningful connections, where communities focus on shared goals, hyperlocal content, and collective action.
Example: A social community-driven platform connects local chefs, artists, and creators with their neighbours, letting them collaborate on events, content, and commerce opportunities that stay within the local economy.
Why it matters: Social media’s shift from performative virality to authentic, offline impact is already underway. This pivot will require brands to abandon mass appeal and focus instead on embedding meaningfully in micro-communities. Technology will make that possible.
5. Self-Sustaining Content Systems: The Autonomous Marketing Engine
Content marketing as we know it will no longer rely on human teams micromanaging calendars and platforms. Autonomous systems will generate, test, and optimise storytelling at scale, with AI continuously adapting to user engagement. Humans will guide strategy, but machines will execute it.
Example: A global outdoor brand launches a platform that generates real-time content for every region and climate—automatically adjusting tone, visuals, and product recommendations based on local user preferences.
Why it matters: Generative AI is already proving its potential. This prediction isn’t about replacing human creativity—it’s about scaling it to new heights, allowing marketers to focus on the big picture.
6. Predictive Experience Design (PxD): Anticipatory Customer Journeys
Forget static user interfaces. Predictive Experience Design (PxD) will use behavioural data to anticipate user needs, designing entire customer journeys before the first click. From discovery to checkout, every step will feel preordained.
Example: A luxury travel website predicts the user’s next destination based on past searches and interests, creating a curated journey complete with tailored itineraries, accommodation, and dining options.
Why it matters: PxD takes personalisation to a new level, leveraging predictive AI to create proactive experiences. It’s not just about what users want—it’s about what they’ll want next. It’s next level “demand-gen” without having to engineer it. Technology will know it is what the user wants.
7. Creator-Led Businesses: Platforms Within Platforms
The creator economy will evolve into creator-led businesses. No longer just partners, creators will become operators of self-sustaining platforms that rival traditional companies. They’ll leverage their expertise, communities, and tools to create new economies within existing platforms.
Example: A wellness creator turns their online following into a thriving platform offering subscription-based fitness programs, branded nutrition products, and live community events.
Why it matters: The rise of experienced professionals entering the creator economy will redefine collaborations. Brands will need to partner with these creators as equal stakeholders—not just sponsors. Creators as companies’ shareholders as ultimate “collabs”? That may be coming faster than we think.
8. Entertainment as Ecosystems: Active, Not Passive
The future of entertainment will shift from passive consumption to ecosystem engagement, where viewers interact, create, and even influence the content they consume. Platforms will blur the lines between creator and audience, creating dynamic, participatory experiences.
Example: A streaming service allows users to co-create episodes of their favourite series by voting on plot twists or submitting original character designs, which are integrated in real time.
Why it matters: As audiences demand more than passive viewing, content creators and brands must innovate to build participatory ecosystems that captivate and engage.
Why Predictions Matter
For decades, marketing promised a future of hyper-personalisation, seamless interactions, and meaningful connections. But these promises often fell short—not because they lacked ambition, but because the technology, behaviours, or societal conditions weren’t ready.
Predictions are not about certainties; they are visions. They help us articulate what’s possible when technologies intersect with human behaviours and charting the potential futures for brands and marketers.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.