The 2025 Marketing Playbook for DTC Brands

The gifts have been unwrapped, the tree has been put back in the attic, the hangover is gone and it’s a new year. 2025 is going to be ‘make or break’ for many brands out there, especially for DTC (direct-to-consumers) ones.

The competition has never been higher, and let’s not even get started on the cost of acquisition. Given our experience in the digital space we can help you navigate the right strategies and paths for the new year.

Our New Year's banquet includes:

• How to properly target Gen Z
• Why you should consider rebranding
• The new way to work with influencers
• The social media content that will keep dominating
• Using a new platform to drive actual sales

Let's begin...
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Get Z are growing up

Brands will need to stop ignoring Gen Z. They’re often seen as youngsters who don’t have a say or buying power. Whilst for the latter may be true, they surely have a say when it comes to brands and their products.

Why should you market towards Gen Z?

In 2025, the oldest Gen Z will be 28 years old (that's wild). In fact, the majority of this generation will be in their 20s this year. They have given up on the idea of buying a property and swapped it for experiences and ‘living life’. It goes beyond travelling, they chase ‘experiences’ in their daily lives and purchases. [For example] Going to the latest cute cafe for an Iced Matcha Latte ($8+) or purchasing vintage clothes through DePop. One last consideration for you: they approximately represent 30% of the global population (not a small slice of the cake hey).

Brands’ Goal should be acquiring fans not clients

However, when you dive deep into their buying decisions and behaviours, it forces brands to rethink the objectives of their marketing campaigns. Whilst most of your competitors focus on ROI and CAC, you should prioritise acquiring fans rather than clients. Loyal fans amplify your reach in ways that are difficult to track. This generation values its relationships with brands and can become die-hard fans—even of soft drinks like OliPop.

Chaos Packaging & Rebranding

We’re all familiar with rebranding, but what is chaos packaging? In short, it’s a bold choice designed to surprise consumers. A great example comes from the folks at Graza—you see a squeezy bottle and a silver can. Is it mayo? Is it a beer? Nope, it’s olive oil. This ‘chaos’ is part of the experience, as the brand wants you to ‘drizzle’ their oil. This startup recognised the power of standout packaging and skyrocketed their revenue to $48 million in 2024. The result is simple: consumers LOVE it!

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Why chaos packaging work?

In such a crowded market, you want to stand out rather than looking predictable (please stop having a picture of the ingredient on your packaging). People want to buy experiences, and it starts from the way they interact with the packaging of a product. Chaos packaging leverages the element of surprise, which becomes a visual hook that catches shoppers' attention, and that's what you want. It will remain relevant for most of 2025 with two other packaging trends set to take over: clever cut outs and gradient colours (Gen Z tend to love that).

Should you rebrand in 2025?

The good ol’ rule of thumb is to rebrand or do a freshen up every 7-10 years. However, in 2024 we have seen multiple brands anticipating that timeline. The months ahead will still be characterised by a cost-of-living crisis. Which brings us back to the core concept for your product: it must stand out. Consumers don’t only look at the price tag; they are selective on what to buy also based on look, feel, and design. Striking packaging could mean an increase in revenue. People will always want to have what other people have, it's in our nature. Even when it comes to olive oil.

Influencers Marketing Reengineered

Are you already working with AI models and live shopping creators? I possibly lost some of you and the reason is simple; when it comes influencers or UGC creators, brands have been doing it with a throw-the-kitchen-sink approach. This is due to the complicated nature of working with creators but also with the (often) unrealistic ROI expectations from a single video.

Why won’t influencers within your niche work?

DTC brands need to work with influencers that will deliver a sense of authenticity to their audience. THIS has become the cornerstone of successful influencer campaigns. Today's consumers—especially Gen Z—demand transparency from the creators they follow, looking for individuals who genuinely use and appreciate the products they promote. Therefore, the search for these creators will be greater when

But you are still puzzled by the mentioned live shopping creators right? For brands with an online store, partnering with a live shopping streamer/creator will be the talk of 2025 and beyond. This space is still new in the West but wildly adopted in the East… and we all know what happened with TikTok a few years back. But what is it and why it will work? In short: think of it as those infomercials you used to see on TV at 10am. Here are the top platforms at the moment but we like WhatNot. Have a browse, people are literally selling anything (plants, cards, shoes etc.).

The robots are (or have) taking over...

AI models are a reality and definitely on the rise. This is still a grey area, and often they are within adult industries. BUT, there are brands who have started working with these non-human creators. Is this the future? Or is this another NFT? Only time will tell. What is SURE is that real people truly interact with them, despite their bio stating AI model. A great example is Miquela she? it? has amassed a whopping 2.5m followers, and has already collaborated with brands like BMW. Our take? AI models will turn into influencers more and more as they will look more and more real. Should a brand partner with one? It depends on the product, consumables probably not, but home decor definitely yes.

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Short-Format Video will keep dominating but…

Rewind back to the year 2018 and think about your social media feed and your strategies. Now answer the question: did it include videography? Very likely the answer is no (crazy to think about it). Brands were sharing photos and graphics. That’s it. Maybe here and there you would see some videos on IG stories. Now, fast forward to 2025 and we are into the thick of the short-format video revolution.

Why short-format videos will still work?

We ALL love it. It’s (sadly) a dopamine kick. It’s fast and sweet. You can consume more content, that becomes a digital buffet. The predictions for 2025 here are two: the rise of higher-value production (for bigger brands) and EGC to keep growing.

High-value videos are highly valuable

In a time where iPhone makes sensational videos (plenty of YouTubers use just an iPhone), it would seem counterintuitive to think that fancy cameras will come into the frame (pun intended). However, the differentiator between an AI-generated video and a human-made one will be quality and creativity. Many brands will lift their video game and move away from trendy phone-based videos to elevate their position.

EGC is the way to go

If you haven’t heard of EGC (employee-generated content), you would have likely slept under a rock for the past 12 months. This style of content was firstly seen on TikTok but vastly adopted by brands and brought to their META platforms. The reason why it works so well connects back to the concept of authenticity (that’s why AI won’t fully take over creativity). People feel drawn towards companies that show that human touch.

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The most underrated social media platform

We said it in 2024 and we are saying it again: Pinterest! In 2024 the platform saw an 11% increase in active users (pretty big), bringing it to a global total of 537 million, not too shabby. The reason why direct-to-consumer brands should focus more on Pinterest is simple: direct clicks. It's one of the most performing platforms for online sales. Consumers love it, and the interaction with your posts can directly land them on your product page. Plus, it's wildly female dominated, great for brands who market to women.

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There you have it folks! This is the 2025 digital playbook for your brand, so now it's up to you which actions and directions you shall take.

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Ciao for now,
Mirko

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