Top Marketing Issues of 2025

In the Sixties, when Duluth’s native son Bob Dylan famously sang “For the times they are a-changin’” he was spot on. As he declared on Another Side of Bob Dylan, "Everything passes, everything changes..." Fifteen years later, he sang, “Gonna change my way of thinking.” Twenty years ago he reiterated this sentiment in his Oscar-winning song, written for The Wonder Boys, “Things have changed.” In short, change seems to be the one constant in our world and in our lives.

So here we are in 2025 and what has changed in the realm of marketing? To answer this I thought I’d ask Google what the top marketing issues of 1985 were. To my surprise, though things were different, much actually appears to be the same. It’s as if we’re facing many of the same issues, dressed in different clothes, that marketers and ad agencies did forty years ago

1985 was the year of the "New Coke" Disaster, when Coca-Cola tried to replace its classic 99-year-old soda recipe with a new version called "New Coke." Fans of the original Coke went ballistic. Coca-Cola was forced to bring back the old recipe as "Coca-Cola Classic" just a few months later. Fast-forward to 2025 and we continue to see brands make missteps and offend fans. One difference is the megaphone of social media, which can create instant, deafening responses.

In 1985 people’s lives were getting busier and they had more product choices than ever before. Shopping habits began to change, though it’s nothing like today. Check out the toothpaste or deodorant options at Wal-Mart. For a variety of goods many people hardly go shopping at all, having everything delivered to their homes via FedEx, UPS, USPS or DHL, and—potentially soon—via drones. Now, as then, marketers had to figure out how to keep up with what customers want and stay relevant in this fast-paced world.

The rise of cable TV and viewer-side ad blocking, which began in the late 70’s, meant people could watch more channels and skip ads more easily. Marketers were forced to rethink how to reach audiences, as traditional TV commercials weren’t working as well anymore. That was before the web changed those rules entirely.

Back then new government regulations made advertising trickier, with stricter rules about what companies could say or do. Consumer advocates like Ralph Nader were getting louder, demanding better products and more honesty, which added pressure on marketers to play fair.

Adapting to evolving data privacy regs is another headache. Stricter privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA*) and the phasing out of third-party cookies limit access to customer data, complicating personalized marketing and ad targeting.

In our Internet age, people who build online businesses can be wiped out overnight by government rulings or platform decision makers. When online poker was made illegal in 2006, dozens of online businesses making millions vanished. Other businesses have been sent reeling by algorithm or policy changes at Facebook, Google, Amazon Marketplace or the Apple App Store.

As I see it, if you don’t own the platform, you don’t own the business. Or as the adage goes, “Don’t build your business on rented land.” The solution: your long-term strategy should involve building independent customer relationships (email lists, direct websites, diversified sales channels) so you’re not at the mercy of sudden changes beyond your control.

Two other issues that I’ve seen over the past 40 years are (1) the lack of alignment between sales and marketing teams, and (2) the issue of attracting and retaining talent.

In many companies, sales and marketing operate as separate departments with distinct leadership, budgets, and priorities. These silos discourage shared accountability and make it harder to coordinate strategies, leading to conflicting efforts or duplicated work.

Marketing and sales can become almost adversarial because they have different goals and timelines. The marketing mindset focuses on the big picture; sales teams live in the now.

Marketing teams typically focus on generating leads, increasing brand awareness, or driving website traffic, measured by metrics like impressions or click-through rates. Sales people prioritize closing deals and meeting revenue quotas. These differing objectives can create a disconnect, when marketing delivers leads that sales deems unqualified, or sales fails to follow up on marketing’s efforts effectively.

As for attracting and retaining talent, Stacy Johnston, founder of Audacity HR Solutions said, “I think an area of opportunity from a marketing lens is internal and external alignment with branding, mission, and core values.” She also stressed the importance of having a clear “why” message. That is, here’s why you should work for us.

“Many organizations spend lots of time and money on marketing. Harness that message not only to connect with customers, but also to connect with potential employees and current employees,” Johnston said. Having an authentic brand that resonates with candidates and employees will bolster recruiting and retention efforts, she explained.

Of course, the big “new thing” that has been rattling cages in 2025 is the integration of A.I. into all aspects of marketing today. In the digital marketing space A.I. is challenging traditional SEO strategies. If you have a question for Google, the search engine no longer begins with sponsored links and page links based on traditional SEO. Instead, Google’s A.I.-powered Gemini 2.0 will offer instant answers to your questions. Whereas Google was formerly a friend to help you promote your website, it seems that now Google is becoming your competition. On top of this

we’re being threatened by a flood of A.I.-generated low-quality content, making it even harder for brands to stand out.

 

On this topic, there’s more to say. With A.I., the times really are changing.

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*GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation; CCPA: California Consumer Privacy Act

Illustration: A drawing of mine modified with Gemini 2.5 Flash

This article originally appeared in my Marketing Matters column, Business North, October 2025