By Greg Brunk, Head of Product, MetaRouter

The digital marketing landscape has been equally turbulent and transformative in 2024. As just one example, marketers originally anticipated a significant shift in data collection strategies with Chrome's planned third-party cookie deprecation, but those expectations have since evolved.

As we approach 2025, the industry is pivoting towards new strategies, with increased investments in retail and commerce media networks and AI technologies leading the way. Along those lines, here are the top digital marketing trends we're tracking as we move into the new year.

Consumer Protection Demands Robust Governance Strategies

Consumer privacy has become a critical focus for many businesses. The evolving regulatory landscape, exemplified by emerging frameworks like the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), is set to fundamentally transform how organizations collect and use customer data in the United States. While the specific legislative details may continue to shift, one thing remains clear: More rigorous consumer data protections are on the horizon.

The potential consequences of misusing consumer data are severe. Forrester predicts a 21% increase in legal investigations related to improper data governance and generative AI over the next year. Organizations without comprehensive third-party risk management strategies are particularly vulnerable to these significant legal and financial repercussions.

This challenge extends far beyond mere legal compliance-it's about building and maintaining customer trust in your core marketing practices. In an era of increasing data awareness, businesses risk losing customer loyalty if they mishandle personal information. Salesforce's research underscores this point: 72% of consumers report decreased trust in companies compared to just a year ago, and 60% emphasize that trust has never been more critical. The rise of AI has only intensified existing privacy concerns.

Robust data governance is the most effective strategy for navigating these complex challenges. By implementing compliant data collection methods and rigorously enforcing consent preferences at the point of collection, organizations can maintain regulatory adherence without compromising operational effectiveness. This requires a collaborative approach, bringing chief privacy officers (CPOs) into strategic discussions and developing compliance-first marketing pipelines.

Marketers Will Address Data Disorder to Improve AI Outcomes

The MarTech industry is at a crossroads, with over half of digital marketing investments failing to deliver meaningful results. A data-driven approach is proving to be the most reliable path forward, offering the potential to boost ROI by 15-20%. However, the pressure to show immediate returns has created a reactive cycle, where technology is adopted hastily, often without the necessary groundwork. The statistics are telling: While 98% of leaders feel compelled to adopt AI immediately, a mere 15% believe they are truly ready to do so.

Take AI-driven data enrichment, for instance. It promises hyper-personalized experiences, but its success depends entirely on the quality of the underlying data. Poor data doesn't just fail-it actively misguides AI, producing flawed recommendations and frustrating customers. Without robust governance ensuring accuracy and privacy, even the most advanced AI tools fall short.

Solving Attribution Challenges Through Intelligent Data Strategies

The challenge of failed attribution and data routing is particularly pronounced thanks to the explosive growth of retail media networks (RMNs) this year. In 2024, RMNs emerged as the fastest-growing advertising channel, with the overall market projected to surpass $60 billion by 2025.

Yet this growth comes with a major challenge: Fragmented data ecosystems make it difficult to track performance across networks, leaving marketers struggling with attribution. With 58% of U.S. marketers managing more than five RMNs, the inability to accurately assess campaign impact has become a critical operational bottleneck.

Looking ahead, cross-platform attribution and performance tracking will become paramount. Leading marketers will seek solutions that enable comprehensive data aggregation across multiple RMNs, providing a unified, real-time performance overview. This shift is already underway, with increasing numbers of organizations turning to platforms to optimize RMN investments and provide tangible ROI demonstrations to leadership.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As MetaRouter's Head of Product, Greg Brunk leads the MetaRouter team in setting the strategy and building out the Customer Data Infrastructure platform. Greg has a diverse and rich history in leadership, driving innovation through product in several industries, and is now blazing a trail in the marketing, advertising, and data space. He is well-connected with the industry's emerging trends and is deeply involved with MetaRouter's sales, CX, and partnership teams.