The trends: Across 2025, marketers searched for clarity amid inflation pressures, artificial intelligence acceleration, platform volatility, and rapid shifts in consumer behavior. Clients increasingly relied on our coverage to explain where attention is moving, how commerce is changing, and which technologies are reshaping advertising outcomes.

Below are EMARKETER clients’ 10 most-searched topics of the year and the developments that made each one essential reading.

#10 Social commerce

What fueled interest: Shoppers blended discovery and checkout more fluidly across TikTok, Instagram, Amazon, and creator-led storefronts, raising expectations for frictionless product paths.

Key developments:

• TikTok Shop celebrated its second anniversary, then followed that up with its $19 billion in Q3 that put it within striking distance of eBay. Its US sales topped $500 million between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. TikTok accelerated AI-powered commerce tools, including Smart+, GMV Max reporting, and integrations that turn user-generated videos into shoppable ads.
• Pinterest partnered with Walmart for a shoppable recipe pilot.
• Later and Mavely drove more than $2.4 billion in annualized GMV as affiliate and link-in-bio ecosystems matured into full performance channels.

#9 Social media

What fueled interest: Platforms refined feeds around AI curation, remix culture, and short-form video as younger users spread attention across more surfaces.

Key developments:

• Instagram reorganized around Reels, personalization, and the CTV screen, with Reels accounting for half of all time spent.
• Meta introduced partnership ad tools that convert organic creator posts into paid placements, reinforcing creator-led engagement as a main ad driver.
• Australia’s youth-social restrictions prompted global discussion about age verification, online safety, and platform risk.

#8 Digital ad spending

What fueled interest: Buyers sought efficient reach as platforms shifted toward AI optimization, higher measurement expectations, and more outcome-linked pricing. Though tariffs roiled markets and forced a negative revision to our US digital ad spending forecast, the sector wound up being more resilient than many expected.

Key developments:

• In September, Google avoided a forced breakup, preserving a US search ad business still projected to hit $77.89 billion by 2027.
• The Omnicom–IPG megadeal, which finally closed a month ago, signals agencies adapting to weaker digital ad growth and rising automation pressure.
• A WPP-Publicis spat erupted publicly after the latter’s win of Mars’ global media business, reflecting how scarce high-value media accounts have become in digital-first advertising.
• Agencies pushed DSPs for transparency amid concerns over fraud, measurement accuracy, and volatile auction conditions.
• Advertisers recalibrated spend across Meta, Amazon, Google, and emerging AI ecosystems as CPM and CPC patterns diverged by category.

#7 Gen Z

What fueled interest: Gen Z continued reshaping cultural norms, from creator consumption to remix participation and brand expectations focused on authenticity.

Key developments:

• Gen Z favored video podcasts, creator-first content, and AI-enabled remix tools like TikTok Symphony and Sora.
• Younger users relied on peers and creators for product research, blending social discovery with brand credibility.
• Gen Z now watches far more TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram video than any traditional TV format—and may yield more purchasing conversions among younger Gen Zers.
• Fandom culture expanded across platforms like Discord and Roblox, strengthening participatory behaviors and collaborative storytelling.
• Though Gen Z prefers human input over AI-only outputs,  many among them now use chatbots at least weekly, and leads all cohorts in using AI to shop.