Brand, Marketing & PR Trends: Fall 2025 Cheat Sheet

The world of brand, marketing, and PR never sits still. What worked yesterday feels stale tomorrow, and the smartest brands are already looking for ways to stay ahead. Here are five key trends shaping the landscape right now along with real-world examples and questions to help you decide if they fit your strategy.

1. Brands as Entertainment Studios

Companies are acting like Netflix producers. Long-form content, docu-series, and podcasts are replacing traditional ads. People binge stories, not spots.

Real World Example: Dove’s Real Beauty platform has expanded beyond ad campaigns into short films and docu-style storytelling, including recent projects like Cost of Beauty and Toxic Influence. By tackling social media’s impact on body image through film, Dove has blurred the line between marketing and cause-driven media, proving that brands can create entertainment with cultural weight, not just commercials.

Ask Yourself: Do we have a story worth binging, or are we just making a long commercial?

2. Collab Culture Still Ascending

Unexpected mash-ups like Nike x Skims or Crocs x 7-Eleven drive cultural buzz. The weirder but still “right” the collab, the bigger the lift.

Real World Example: Absolut Vodka x Heinz teamed up for a limited-edition Pasta alla Vodka sauce, combining a spirits brand with a pantry staple. It was unexpected, a little cheeky, and it sold out almost instantly, showing how collabs can spark buzz even outside their core categories.

Ask Yourself: Which brand partner would make our audience say, “I never saw that coming, but it works”?

3. Values with Receipts

Purpose-driven campaigns need proof. Recycling for rewards, transparent sustainability data, and tangible local impact matter more than lofty promises.

Real World Example: PepsiCo Australia’s QR-code recycling program turns empty bottles into a tangible incentive system. Consumers scan a QR code when they recycle, instantly unlocking small cash rewards or digital credits. It’s not just a feel-good sustainability message, it’s a measurable, trackable behavior shift that closes the loop between brand, consumer, and environmental impact. By gamifying recycling and rewarding people directly, PepsiCo makes “purpose” feel practical and personal instead of abstract.

Ask Yourself: Can we show clear, measurable outcomes, not just intentions, behind our purpose claims?

4. Events as Content Farms

Events are staged with TikTok and Instagram in mind. The goal isn’t just to wow the people in the room, it’s to generate a year’s worth of clips that live online long after the lights go down.

Real World Example: H&M’s London Fashion Week takeover wasn’t just a runway show, it was engineered as a social content machine. The brand created H&M&180: The London Issue, blending high-fashion spectacle with music, panel discussions, and celebrity appearances. Every moment, from backstage styling to front-row reactions, was designed for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

Ask Yourself: Are we designing events to impress people in the room or the algorithm afterward?

5. Dark Social Rising

Engagement is moving to private channels: WhatsApp, Discord, DMs. PR strategies now aim to seed meme-able, whisper-worthy content that spreads off-grid.

Real World Example: Starbucks’ secret menu drinks — like the “Pink Drink” or custom TikTok Frappuccino recipes, often spread in private group chats, text threads, and local Facebook groups before they ever hit mainstream feeds. People share the “insider code” with friends, which makes the drink feel exclusive and keeps Starbucks culturally relevant without the brand even running the campaign themselves.

Ask Yourself: Is our content designed to spark group chat gossip or only rack up likes?

The Takeaway

The strongest brands aren’t just keeping pace with these trends, they’re asking hard questions about how each one fits their DNA. Not every brand needs to launch a docu-series or create a viral secret menu item, but every brand needs to know why they’re choosing to lean into (or pass on) these opportunities.

Ready to put these trends to work? Let’s talk about how we can help your brand find the right mix of creativity, strategy, and cultural relevance to stand out in Fall 2025 and beyond.