Three predictions for how brands will work in 2035 (via 2025)

The challenges and opportunities for brands in 2025 are likely to be a small extension of what’s happening today. So, considering a core value here at Poppins is 'Translating tomorrow', this article looks further into the future, at what the next 10 years might hold.

If you dare, give your feed to a friend and let them scroll through. Based on the personalisation-power of algorithms today, the content will probably be very different to what they’re used to, even though you share similar interests. It's actually a very good way to get to know someone (and potentially a fun first date activity).

Algorithms give brands the opportunity to appeal to smaller but very well engaged groups of people. Which, unless you lead the market already, is what propels businesses forward quickly. Friends are starting to realise that they’re engaging with the same brands and deepen their connection over this discovery. “Sharing videos” is now the second highest action taken on TikTok, growing 25% in the past four years (GWI).

In 2025, more people will start to talk about the brands they commonly engage with online and offline, with rich communities appearing organically thanks to social algorithms and sharing functionalities. The brands that invest in social listening tools will notice this, but many won’t.

By 2035, the brands who are able to harness these new found communities will feel more like clubs. This is interesting, because it gives a brand a solid reason to exist other than to sell products. We can already see this happening in certain sectors, with GymShark springing to mind.

Content by Gymshark

If the recent Jaguar developments taught us anything, it’s that we’re living in an age where brands are willing to give up their identity to suit the needs of potential audiences.

More than anything else, Brits want brands to listen to customer feedback (GWI). Once they’ve bought, they expect to be rewarded and heard in exchange. Social media has certainly pulled brands and customers closer together, but it’s the customer whose life has got easier because of this arrangement. Brands have to work harder than ever to stop customers switching, to the point where many argue that loyalty campaigns just aren’t worth it anymore.

In 2025, we’ll see more brands create opportunities and outlets for customers to feedback, but also to learn about what their customers want next. Dove does a great job at this, using socials to collect inspiration for products and content output.

Content by Dove

By 2035, brands could take their buyers behind the scenes and fully into the business process. Imagine bringing customers with no product design experience into testing conversations, or non-marketers into creative sessions. Yes, there may be confusion, but also a fresh perspective that cuts through the corporate echo chamber. Teams would need to account for this and bin the jargon, but the customer endorsement would speak volumes in terms of performance.

If you’re one of the 87% of Brits who spend more than 30 minutes on social media per day (GWI), then brands probably don’t take the form of logos and taglines as much as they do real people in scrollable videos. 

With 16M creators employed in the UK (The FT), brands know that emulating native content, with a person on the screen, is a great way to feel authentic and get results. However, creators, ambassadors and influencers can’t be controlled as rigidly as a wordmark or a colour palette. 

In 2025, brands will develop guidelines with more weighting towards how they work with creators and ambassadors as they realise more and more that the individuals who represent them leave strong associations with audiences.

By 2035, large proportions of creative resources will be spent on people in front of the camera or microphone as the expression of brands become more human than not. To gain control of this chunky budget, the brand/creator dynamic could change dramatically. Just as actors are hired exclusively on films for years at a time, contracts could ensure that any “face” of the brand won’t work elsewhere, and may be liable for damages if their personal lives have a negative impact on brand perception. This will of course demand large fees and a high-paid employee status, which in the minds of CMOs will be worth it for the right to protect a single-minded brand image.

To summarise, in 2025 we will see customers spending more time with the brands they’re interested in. Now is the time to listen to what they think. The brands that do will be in better shape in 10 years' time.

If anything you've read here piques your interest, we'd love to hear from you at hello@poppins.agency