Imagine trying to describe a giraffe to someone whose never seen one.<\/p>\n
Maybe I’d say something like this: \u201cWell, it has brown patches that look a little like puzzle pieces; a long, 6-foot-tall neck, and skinny legs.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n This description is close enough, sure, but it doesn’t quite capture the sensation of seeing one in real life.<\/p>\n Which is how I feel about high-performing marketing teams: Hard to describe, but easy to spot.<\/p>\n The best way to improve, in any sport or category, is by learning from the best. So I\u2018ve uncovered the seven surprising ways top-performing marketing teams are winning in 2025, based on HubSpot\u2019s 2025 State of Marketing report<\/a> \u2014 and why others are missing the mark.<\/p>\n Plus, keep reading to hear from marketers at TikTok and Canva at how they incorporate these lessons into their own workflow.<\/p>\n In 2024, roughly 40% of marketers focused on their customer’s experience with their brand.<\/p>\n This year, they’re doubling down on these efforts, with almost one-fourth of marketers investing in content that reflects their brand values<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Why? Because we’ve seen younger audiences in particular prefer value-driven marketing \u2014 and many marketers are more interested than ever in reaching Gen Z and Millennial consumers.<\/p>\n Consider Patagonia’s \u201cUnfashionable\u201d ad, which launched in April 2024. The video goes against typical marketing best practices by actively asking consumers to stop<\/em> buying so much clothing. The video doesn\u2018t promote a new product. Instead, it promotes Patagonia\u2019s values.<\/p>\n I watched the video and found myself more drawn to Patagonia\u2018s products than before \u2013 because, in buying their clothing, I feel like I\u2019ll be investing in something meaningful.<\/p>\n That’s the power of value-driven content.<\/p>\n TikTok. IG. Facebook Live. Webinars.<\/p>\n Short-form video, images, and live-streaming videos were among the most commonly used formats in 2024.<\/p>\n This shows no signs of slowing in 2025.<\/p>\n Ahem, some quick stats: Almost 30% of marketers say short-form video<\/strong> is their most popular content format; and, when asked which format delivers the highest ROI, 21% said short-form video.<\/p>\n Additionally, I was shocked to see that images outpaced interviews, blog posts, and live streaming videos for the most-popular formats marketers are using.<\/p>\n (I mean, really. More than blog posts<\/em>? I’m biased, though. I know.)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n But this makes sense. The majority of consumers spend a good portion of their time on social media \u2013 and social is, by and large, visual.<\/span><\/p>\n I spoke with Nick O’Connor<\/a>, Monetization Product Partnerships at TikTok<\/a>. As he puts it, \u201cIn 2025, brands that embrace visual-first storytelling will win consumer attention and engagement. Short-form video, interactive formats, and dynamic creative optimization are essential.\u201d<\/p>\n O’Connor adds: “At TikTok, we see brands driving impact by leaning into native storytelling, tapping into trends, and creating content that feels organic rather than overly polished<\/strong>. The key is to prioritize authenticity and creativity while leveraging AI-powered tools to scale production without sacrificing quality.”<\/p>\n So good marketers will continue to lean into visual content in 2025. But they’ll also<\/em> invest in owned platforms (like a newsletter) to ensure they’re facilitating a space where they can continue to foster stronger relationships with prospects and leads.<\/p>\n This one is surprising to absolutely no one, I presume.<\/p>\n But it\u2018s still worth calling out: The highest-performing teams won\u2019t just occasionally dabble with conversational GPTs; they’ll fully integrate AI into their existing strategies, content, and processes.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that\u2019s clear in this rapidly evolving AI-augmented era is that marketing teams that fully embrace AI\u2014the ones that think of AI not just as a tool but as an essential collaborator\u2014will outperform the teams that don\u2019t,” Indy Sen<\/a>, an Ecosystem Marketer at Canva<\/a>, told me.<\/p>\n He adds, “AI, when implemented right, has the power to speed up workflows, shaving hours off your team\u2019s workload while keeping the talented humans you hired squarely in the loop<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n AI should be overhauling how you create content, how you report on campaign performance, and even how you send emails. It should change your to-do lists, your career chats with your manager, and your company-wide presentations.<\/p>\n In 2025, marketers plan to:<\/p>\n Use AI for multi-modal campaigns (20%) Almost 50% of marketers say they have a clear understanding of how they’ll use AI<\/strong> in their marketing strategies in 2025.<\/p>\n What does this mean? It\u2018s time to play ball. If you\u2019ve been hesitant to test AI in unique ways, this is your year to dive in.<\/p>\n 45% of marketers told us they’d found the most success in 2024 with micro-influencers<\/strong>, compared to 25% with macro-influencers (100k-999k followers) and just 6% with mega-influencers (1M+ followers).<\/p>\n Top-performing marketers are recognizing the power of micro-influencers \u2014 those with smaller but highly engaged audiences (typically between 10k-50k followers).<\/p>\n This comes down to authenticity and trust. Micro-influencers tend to have deeper connections with their followers, resulting in higher engagement rates and more genuine endorsements. Plus, they’re more affordable than mega-influencers, allowing brands to diversify their influencer portfolios.<\/p>\n\n1. High-performing teams will focus on value-aligned brand content.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. The best marketers are leaning into visual.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. The highest-performing marketers will use AI.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n Leverage AI agents to automate marketing (20%)
\n Create content using AI \u2014 including copy, images, and ideas (43%)
\n Brainstorm with AI (26%)
\n Leverage AI for data analysis and reporting (35%) <\/p>\n4. Top marketing teams will invest in micro-influencers.<\/strong><\/h3>\n