If you’ve ever worked in FMCG, you’ll know that by this time of year you’ve already planned Christmas, as depressing as that sounds. It’s a sunny day in August as I write this, and we’re working on Easter 2025 campaigns for a client.

There are three key things we’re talking to clients about at the moment to stop their marketing strategies in 2025 from failing. Whilst planning for 2025 before the start of Q4 might not fit with your new ‘brat summer’ agenda, I can assure you that it will pay dividends when the next social media trend hits in the not-so-distant future.

We’ve highlighted a few points that should help you plan better, and get some bigger results in 2025.

Broadcast Media is going to pasture

This doesn’t mean it’s dead, but (for most of you), it’s not achievable anymore and it’s not been achievable for quite a while. Think back over the past 12 months, and write down the key moments of entertainment or sport that you watched live.

How many are on the list? That few? Can you remember any of the adverts in the ad breaks? No? I bet you can remember the high frequency social ads you’re getting for Monday.com though? I also bet you can tell me more about the brand that’s hitting you non-stop on digital than you can tell me about those brands that are buying spots in the Premier League games.

For most of you, looking at new channels to showcase yourselves is going to be a key. YouTube boasts a global audience of 2 billion monthly users (who are logged in), so that should certainly make up part of your media plan. Similarly, look at Connected TV – more and more people are watching this way, and it offers huge opportunities for effective media space at a lower price, giving the illusion of a television ad.

Another consideration, if you’re not already using it, is TikTok. Not every brand on TikTok needs to have behind-the-scenes videos of their “Gen Z Boss in a Mini” (if you know, you know), but you can use this as an effective media space to boost awareness. 

You need to look at who your audience is, rather than who you want your audience to be

 I feel like this is something that anyone who’s ever worked at an agency has thought about when talking to a client. In fact, I think there are probably a lot of clients who think this about themselves too…

The key here is that people are too focused on who they think their audience is, but they’re missing the key signs. Digital platforms can give you brilliant insights into who’s engaging, clicking and purchasing your products, but you can also do this incredible thing: market research. Contrary to popular belief, you can start the market research project from your own desk. At Be A Bear we encourage everyone to look at competitors and contemporaries of our clients – if you run a wellington boot brand, we’ll look at the other brands in the market, but we’ll also consider the people buying waxed jackets and raincoats, or other boots they may have for less rainy days.

A few years ago, I worked on a project for a major supplement brand. We identified a whole audience segment for them that they hadn't considered previously, which changed their CRM strategy. This came from questioning the audience data we had. Too often, in my experience, “audience personas” are pieced together by people who are sitting in a lovely London office, drinking £4.00 flat whites and deciding that they know what people outside the M25 like. 

Communicate with the audience 

This is part 1 & 2 combined – you want to look at what you now know about your audience, and you want to consider the channels that you’re speaking on, simultaneously. Again, look at competitors – what are they doing that works, and what are they doing that’s failed? If their moody, artsy, premium offering is generating no engagement, you can probably assume that it’s not right for the platform. Alternatively, if you’re seeing things rocket, then maybe something is working very well for the platform in question.

Speaking to the audience is very different to speaking like the audience. For many brand teams, regardless of industry, I would heavily encourage you to get out in the real world and speak to your clients. Work out what they’re really interested in. You might find, unanimously, that none of them care about the Love Island influencers that you’re keen to book for your upcoming video campaign