In 2025, the opportunity for brands lies in aligning with consumers’ evolving desires for authenticity, empowerment, and meaningful connection. BMF’s 2025 Trend Forecast identifies five macro trends shaping this shift—escapism, arts & crafts, cultural rebellion, integrity, and wisdom. By embracing these cultural dynamics, brands can foster trust, inspire loyalty, and thrive in a world seeking purpose-driven experiences. Get a preview of what’s behind these transformative trends below, and access the full report here.
Deinfluencing: Honest Influence In An Age Of Overconsumption
As economic pressures rise and consumers fatigue of content that tries to convince them to buy something, deinfluencing has emerged as a countercultural escapism redefining influencer culture. Emphasizing radical honesty, creators will increasingly spotlight products that fail to deliver—encouraging more intentional, mindful consumption. Deinfluencing rejects overconsumption and advocates for quality over quantity, giving consumers an escape from the pressure to keep up with fleeting trends, while resonating with their desire for transparency and authenticity.
Key Takeaway For Brand Marketers: Build trust through honest communication, authentic creator partnerships, and campaigns that emphasize quality and long-term value over fleeting trends. Find ways to promote your product or brand that are less transactional, and more culturally relevant.
The Rise of Crafted Spaces: Redefining Design
The era of millennial gray floors and sterile white spaces is followed by a desire for spaces that reflect individuality and personal taste. This shift extends beyond the home—consumers now seek personalization in every aspect of life, from fashion to hospitality. Spaces are no longer just functional; they are crafted to tell a story and mirror the identity of the person inhabiting them.
Hotels, restaurants, and retail spaces are evolving to meet this demand, offering increasingly over the top aesthetics that allow consumers to choose environments that align with their personal style, and give them a reason to experience a brand IRL in addition to digitally.
Whether drawn to bold, statement-making designs or tranquil, minimalist interiors, people are seeking out crafted spaces that feel like an extension of themselves and the brands they love.
That doesn’t mean technology can’t play a role in creating crafted spaces—take Icon’s Vitruvius, an AI architect who can design and personalize your house in minutes in a way that is anything but cookie cutter.
Key Takeaway For Brand Marketers: Embrace the demand for crafted spaces by offering soulful experiences and environments. Focus on craftsmanship in brand narrative storytelling or how consumers can co-create with your brand.
Recasting Brand Characters: From A-List to Back Office
In 2025, influencer marketing is turning a cinematic corner. Big brands like Starbucks and Lexus aren’t just selling products and celebrity endorsement deals—they’re spotlighting their social media teams, turning “marketing girlies” and “Gen Z interns” into digital stars. These “brand characters” mix personal charm with corporate strategy, forging deeper connections with younger audiences.
Legacy brands are already in on it, creating viral moments in comment sections and giving their digital faces a front-row seat in culture. From “The Starbucks Guy” to “The Walgreens Girl,” the next wave of influencers isn’t just representing brands—they are the brand.
Key Takeaway For Brand Marketers: Start nurturing talent on your social teams now. By 2025, these in-house personalities will drive engagement, loyalty, and relatability. Let them humanize your brand and become the influencers audiences follow next.
Mainstream Media’s Mea Culpa
2024 shook the foundation of mainstream media. As wars raged and political battles intensified, trust in traditional news crumbled. Disillusioned audiences turned to social media figures and independent voices—some credible, others not—as mainstream outlets failed to keep pace. Figures like Bethenny Frankel are becoming unexpected news sources, filling the gaps left by slower, more cautious networks. In a world where TikTok outpaces the news cycle, audiences prioritize immediacy over pedigree.
Now, traditional media stands at a crossroads. Winning back trust means more than reporting—it demands honesty, transparency, and a commitment to integrity. In 2025, the fight isn’t just for ratings—it’s for relevance, in a landscape that no longer waits for the evening broadcast.
Key Takeaway For Brand Marketers: Marketers must prioritize authenticity, speed, and transparency, leveraging real-time platforms and trusted influencers to build trust and relevance.
Wisdom in Wellness: The Rise of Restorative Social Clubs
Who needs another cocktail lounge when you can bond over breathwork and ice baths? A new wave of social clubs is redefining luxury, drawing inspiration from the ancient wisdom of holistic health. From the communal bathhouses of ancient Rome to the hammams of Morocco, wellness has always been a cornerstone of human connection. Today’s spaces—like Remedy Place and The Well—are reviving these ancient practices, blending community, holistic healing, and personal rejuvenation.
As burnout rises and self-optimization becomes a new status symbol, where consumers are trading velvet ropes for wellness pods. These clubs aren’t about exclusivity—they’re about restoration. Networking happens post-yoga, friendships form in infrared saunas, wisdom is inspired by guest speakers, and “going out” means coming back feeling better than when you arrived.
Key Takeaway for Brand Marketers: Tap into the shift toward wellness-driven social spaces by aligning your brand with experiences that foster connection and care. Collaborate with emerging wellness clubs, curate events centered around holistic health, or craft products that seamlessly fit into this new wave of mindful luxury.
