At the end of 2024 and the start of 2025, the web was awash with predictions and trend pieces. Everyone had a take on how AI would reshape marketing, how Gen Z would change the way we search, and what platforms would dominate the year ahead.
Now that we’re halfway through the year, it’s a good time to pause and take stock. What’s played out as expected? What’s shifted faster than anyone thought? What should we be preparing for as we head into the second half of the year, and what might 2026 hold for the digital industry?
Whether you’re already a client or exploring how we can help, consider this a pulse check on the digital landscape and how Climb & Conquer is helping businesses stay competitive in a world that’s constantly evolving.
In this post, Anna Tsagkari explores the trends predicted, our current standing, and what we might anticipate for 2026.
Looking Back at 2024: When AI Went Mainstream
The widespread adoption of generative AI in 2024 completely reshaped how marketers approach content, targeting, and optimisation. AI tools have become a go-to for everything from brainstorming and campaign personalisation to data analysis and performance scaling. They’ve allowed brands to grow faster and more efficiently, and those who embraced them early are already ahead.
At Climb & Conquer, we recognised this shift early on and made it a priority to integrate AI across our service offering, from paid and organic search to CRM, email, reporting, and more. And we’re just getting started in adopting other AI and automated processes to boost our efficiency and give us the time to focus on what really matters: delivering exceptional client results.
Search is Evolving: From Keywords to Conversations
Generative AI is also transforming how consumers search. People are shifting away from keyword-led queries and opting for full questions instead. Search is becoming conversational and answer-focused, powered by large language models (LLMs) that pull and synthesise information from across the web.
We’re already seeing users turn to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity as search engines. Meanwhile, Google’s AI Overviews are starting to change how search results are delivered, providing users with summarised, AI-generated answers rather than traditional ranked listings.
Google’s AI search mode is currently optional and US-only, but all signs indicate it will become the global default. That’s why businesses need to be ready now, not later, with AI-first content and campaigns that can stand out in a zero-click, answer-first landscape.
At Climb & Conquer, we’ve already helped clients appear in AI Overviews, and our team is constantly upskilling to stay ahead of what’s coming next.
Social Search and the Rise of Short-Form Video
Alongside AI, another significant shift has emerged in how younger audiences, particularly Gen Z, discover new brands. According to Forbes, 46% of Gen Z now use social media as their primary search engine, turning to platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram for everything from fashion inspiration to restaurant reviews.
This is also driving a massive move toward short-form video. Rather than reading long blog posts or written reviews, people want to see content, and ideally from real, relatable people.
User-generated content (UGC) and micro-influencers play a considerable role here. Gen Z in particular values authenticity over polish – they want honest reviews from people who aren’t being paid to promote products. According to Vogue Business, 70% of Gen Z and 69% of millennials say they trust a brand more after doing their own research, and much of that research is now happening on TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts.
TikTok has even integrated Apple Pay into its TikTok Shop, making it easier than ever to go from discovery to purchase without leaving the platform.
For e-commerce brands, this is a significant development. It means social content isn’t just a branding tool, it’s now a fully-fledged performance channel, and should be targeted and strategised as such.
What Does This Mean for Paid Media?
As part of the paid search team at Climb & Conquer, I’ve seen firsthand how fast things are moving. Our job now is to adapt media strategies to meet consumers where they are – with content that feels native, formats that are engaging, and targeting that cuts through.
That means testing platforms like TikTok and leveraging new creative tools that allow us to turn static assets into dynamic videos, rethinking audience targeting around intent and behaviour, not just demographics, and being ready for the changes coming to Google Ads, like the rollout of Veo, its new video management tool, which will allow advertisers to turn images into dynamic video ads, drawing from content across websites, YouTube and social channels.
We’re already helping clients prepare for this, ensuring their paid strategies are built for the next generation of visibility.
What Today’s Consumers Care About
Affordability is now just as important as brand ethics. Gen Z and Millennials still care about transparency, sustainability and cruelty-free credentials, but they’re also realistic. In a cost-conscious climate, price plays a big part in purchase decisions.
Brands like The Ordinary and e.l.f. Beauty have nailed this, offering high-quality, transparent products at accessible prices. They’re cruelty-free, use simple ingredients, and speak in a language their audience understands.
For marketers, the takeaway is clear: values still matter, but they must be paired with effective pricing, compelling visuals, and credible messaging.
The Changing Role of SEO
Search today is about content that answers questions clearly and comprehensively. Google’s AI Overviews prioritise authority and usefulness, and that means brands need to shift their SEO focus.
At Climb & Conquer, we’re helping clients optimise for both traditional search and AI-driven platforms like Bing Chat, Perplexity, and Google’s AI results, which means focusing on:
- Expert-led content that demonstrates authority
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Clear, question-led copy that aligns with how people actually search
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Technical SEO that ensures AI tools can crawl and understand your site
We also help brands reframe how they measure success. In a world of fewer clicks and more AI-generated summaries, metrics such as brand mentions, visibility in answer boxes, and topical relevance are becoming just as important as traffic.
AI-Powered Email Is Thriving
Email isn’t going anywhere! In fact, it remains the top marketing channel in terms of purchase frequency. In the 2024 European Consumer Trends Index. rep. Marigold, 80% of consumers say they enjoy receiving personalised emails with birthday offers or product suggestions based on past purchases.
We deliver strategic Klaviyo management to help clients build CRM strategies that feel genuinely personal and effective. AI enables us to predict customer behaviour, automate the delivery of relevant messages at the right time, and foster long-term relationships with users.
So what about 2025 and Beyond?
With so much changing, it can be hard to know where to focus.
But from where I sit, here’s where I’d place my bets:
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AI-first content: Prepare for Google’s AI mode and conversational search by creating content that answers real questions. It’s never too late to start preparing for the constant daily deluge of shifts and updates, but those who don’t will find themselves left behind quickly.
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Smart video strategies: Invest in short-form video that works across paid, organic, and social platforms, resonates with buyers, and engages them, while also showcasing what you have to offer.
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Multi-platform visibility: Don’t rely on one channel! Build a presence across email, search, social and video to meet users wherever they are.
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Human + machine = the dream team: Combine the power of AI with the creativity, perspective and instinct of great marketers. Tools help, but people are still the driving force here, so don’t let your output become bogged down with formulaic AI-speak, because we can all tell.
At Climb & Conquer, we help clients with insight, creativity, and performance strategy to navigate fast-changing and complex shifts in their industry, caused by changing consumer behaviours and, of course, the technology that rules our lives.
If you’re not sure how these changes impact your business or what to do next, reach out to the Climb & Conquer team.
