2025: The Year Marketing Stopped Being Linear

If this year made one thing clear, it is that digital marketing can no longer be thought of in silos, rigid funnels, or isolated channels. Throughout 2025, we saw how platforms, formats, and audiences redefined the consumer journey, forcing brands to rethink their strategies with a more integrated, flexible, and data-driven mindset.

From the explosion of social commerce and the consolidation of marketplaces as media channels, to the evolution of CTV, gaming, DOOH, and purpose-driven advertising, the ecosystem moved toward a single point: more relevant, measurable experiences connected to real user intent.

From funnel to ecosystem

One of the key learnings of the year was understanding that the traditional funnel is no longer sufficient. Today’s consumer discovers, compares, searches, interacts, and purchases across multiple platforms, often simultaneously. TikTok has established itself as a search engine for Gen Z, YouTube has evolved into an entertainment hub on CTV, and marketplaces—with Mercado Libre leading in LATAM—have shifted from sales channels to true full-funnel media ecosystems.

This fragmentation does not imply disorder, but rather a new logic: strategies that combine awareness, consideration, and conversion within the same environment, supported by adapted creativity and continuous measurement.

More data, more control, more transparency

Another key focus of the year was the evolution of measurement and advertising efficiency. Tools such as deals in DV360, the consolidation of brandformance, and initiatives like Meta’s A Suite of Truth signaled a paradigm shift: less reliance on the open auction, greater control over premium inventory, increased transparency, and better decisions driven by real data.

Efficiency is no longer measured solely by clicks or low CPMs. Today, the conversation centers on context, quality, incrementality, and brand coherence.

Retail, commerce, and social: when shopping becomes part of the content

Commerce has also transformed. The rise of Retail Media, the growth of Commerce Media in Latin America, and the integration of social commerce show that purchasing is no longer separate from content consumption. People buy while scrolling, watching a video, playing a game, or interacting with a community.

Cases such as Stanley, Unilever, BBVA, Vivo, Ray-Ban, or campaigns on Mercado Ads confirm that the most effective brands are those that understand user context and activate relevant messages at every moment of the journey.

New formats, new experiences

CTV, DOOH, in-game advertising, push notifications, geofencing, audience display native ads, branded missions, and socially impactful advertising (such as Good-Loop) expanded the range of possibilities. Not as “new channels,” but as new contact experiences, where creativity, data, and technology work together.

The year’s takeaway

The key learning from 2025 is clear: the brands that grew were the ones that simplified complexity, connected platforms, invested in relevant creativity, and used data as an enabler—not as an end in itself.

This recap does not mark an ending, but a starting point. Because if this year taught us anything, it is that marketing never stops—it evolves.