Commentary

2025: The Year Of Performance Reinvention

More than any other post-break return to work, I’ve always found the hard launch of the new year to be the biggest shock to the system.

Perhaps it’s the ad business's pent-up need to move past the post-pandemic hangover that has resulted in a wave of big industry swings. From Holdco mergers and AI’s takeover to the “ban” of TikTok, all this swirl has left marketers trying to figure out what it all means for their day-to-day work. Though trying to compete with the news of AI robots running your household seems impossible, I believe there is one, less splashy, transformation that promises meaningful impact on the success of every modern marketing program: the return and reinvention of performance.

Performance marketing has always been a core element of marketing campaigns, using highly measurable bottom-of-the-funnel channels and tactics to drive sales. Yet, in recent years, a new, more expansive model has emerged.

With rising costs of pure-play awareness media, the ubiquity of video storytelling, and the growing demand for marketers to deliver a return on “every” ad dollar (ROEAS!), brands are forced to rethink their campaigns to simultaneously deliver on brand and demand.

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Although it may sound daunting, over the last few years this model has proven to be highly effective in social channels -- particularly for native D2C brands who have found ways to strike a seamless balance between storytelling and action. Adopting this approach requires a real paradigm shift in how brands plan, buy, measure, and optimize every campaign.

It's not about short vs. long term – it’s about BOTH: The “new performance” is about going into every campaign thinking about both short and long-term impact and creating a balanced approach in messaging and media investment to drive measurable impact.

It is not stage-specific; it is stage-agnostic: Gone are the days when driving awareness was enough of a measure of success. Today, every ad unit has to find a way to advance the journey, no matter if it’s the first touch or the third.

Full-funnel measurement: In a world where every dollar invested has to prove impact, developing a full-funnel measurement framework that draws a line between every action and response must be priority #1.

It’s not about marketing KPIs – it’s about driving profitable ACTION: This is the year when every marketer and agency needs to face the simple fact that we are all in the business of driving revenue. We are responsible for identifying and unlocking high-value actions that drive revenue, rather than focusing solely on click-through rates or video views.

Our industry has weathered far greater disruptions over the past 30 years – from the commercial internet and mobile computing to our current AI obsession. Though many of these innovations had predicted the end of the ad biz, we are still standing, embracing the disruption and finding ways to drive new value for clients and brands.

Here’s to a high-performing 2025!

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