Need to Know #34: AI and the Evolution of Brand Purpose in PR and Content Marketing

The Evolving Landscape of Brand Purpose in 2025

As we navigate into 2025, the conversation surrounding brand purpose remains vibrant. While commentators herald a “post-purpose” era, consumer interest in brands built around a genuine mission accelerates. Unilever’s pivot away from force-fitting purpose into its brands serves as a cautionary tale in the context of modern consumerism.

Fortunately, notable successes are emerging ithat refute the idea that purpose is no longer relevant. Brands like Tony’s Chocolonely and Who Gives A Crap thrive by placing their missions at the heart of their operations – challenging industry giants. The consistent growth of purpose-driven brands indicates a robust consumer demand for authentic and mission-led businesses.

Is 2025 set to be a year where purpose reigns supreme? While it is improbable that purpose will eclipse price and product in influencing consumer decisions, the continuous success of genuinely purposeful brands suggests a persistent and evolving consumer expectation. Marketers need to adapt to this landscape, balancing product quality with an authentic commitment to social and environmental causes.

As social media platforms integrate AI characters and the landscape of advertising and brand purpose continues to evolve, marketers must recalibrate their strategies. Embracing these changes while honing in on the authenticity and real human connection will be essential in fostering meaningful engagement and long-term success. 

The potential impact is tremendous, paving the way for innovative marketing approaches that align with consumer expectations. Read more here.

The Evolution of AI Characters

 For many, social media is the first and last destination in the user journey – there’s no Plan B. Marketers are realising that global ad spend is poised to reach $1 trillion by the end of 2024, with social ad spend increasing to make up nearly a quarter of that total.

Traditional media ad spend, meanwhile, is on the decline. This indicates that new generations are social-first consumers, although behaviours across all ages are emphasising the importance of social media.

The rise of AI characters marks a trend in how brands communicate and engage with their audiences. As platforms like Meta introduce AI-driven personalities to interact on their apps, marketers are faced with both opportunities and ethical dilemmas. Recent observations reveal that these digital personas not only foster user engagement but also shift the dynamics of online interaction, raising important questions about authenticity and human connection.

Meta’s ambitious plan to populate its platforms with AI characters that mimic real users is reshaping the landscape of online customer interaction. These characters engage in activities such as posting, commenting, and replying, often indistinguishably from human users. While this evolution presents intriguing opportunities for enhancing user engagement, it also elicits concerns about the nature of social interaction itself. The fundamental question remains: is replacing human interaction with AI-driven exchanges an inevitable and desirable evolution, or does it detract from the essence of social media?

The evidence suggests that many users may not readily differentiate between human accounts and AI-generated profiles. Early tests demonstrate that AI characters can generate significant engagement, indicating a willingness among users to interact with artificial personas. In fact, various initiatives from Meta have shown that the introduction of AI content can drive massive responses, even if the initial reactions from audiences may be mixed.

Moving beyond context, the lens of this ongoing development can also be expanded by looking at AI-driven engagement in other parts of the globe. For instance, in China, the use of AI characters for product promotion on platforms like Douyin is booming, showcasing not only their popularity but also their commercial potential. With nearly a million digital avatar firms registered in the Chinese market, businesses are leveraging fully AI-generated characters for continuous and cost-efficient engagement in live streaming environments.

The overarching trend underscores a larger narrative of embracing AI as a potent tool for social selling and enhancing app engagement. As companies like Meta invest in this technology, they appear confident that AI characters will elicit meaningful interactions and influence buyer behavior, even in the face of skepticism. While nervous governments – particularly in the case of Australia – are introducing laws to curtail younger teens’ use of social media as a way to limit exposure to vulnerable audiences.
Read more here.

YouTube’s 2024 Ad Campaign Insights: A Playbook for Success

Reflecting on advertising strategies, YouTube recently shared its key insights from top-performing campaigns in 2024. The findings illuminate the evolving landscape of advertising, where creative storytelling, influencer collaborations, and engaging formats shape successful outcomes. Notably, the integration of AI analytics through tools like Gemini has proven instrumental in identifying what resonates with audiences, expanding the toolkit available to modern marketers.

A standout trend from YouTube’s insights involves the efficacy of longer-format content including video podcasts. Campaigns, such as Volvo’s four-minute narrative, indicate that extended storytelling can create deep emotional connections with viewers. Similarly, the involvement of celebrities, as evidenced by an 11-minute conversation featuring Emma Stone with Louis Vuitton, further boosted watch times, reinforcing the idea that quality content can capture attention, regardless of duration.

The power of influencer marketing remains undeniable, with creator-driven ads proving to foster trust among viewers. YouTube found that audiences are more likely to resonate with lo-fi productions that prioritise authenticity. Engaging established fandoms, whether through K-pop themes or collaborations with popular franchises, also emerged as a strategy for building brand affinity.

In embracing these insights, marketers should prioritise creativity and storytelling in their 2024 advertising strategies. The takeaway is that successful campaigns will reward innovative thinking and adaptability to changing viewer preferences.

For what matters to marketers the most, click here to read all of our thoughts on the topics that affect you, or contact growth@makehoney.com