What's Next, Now: February 2025
This month, our crystal ball predicts a transformed insurance landscape, growth in women’s wealth, a consumer spending clash, and more.
In the world of marketing, the Super Bowl champs aren’t only the winners of the football game. For brands that pay millions of dollars to secure a coveted ad spot, they’re hoping for a win in more ways than one: boosted sales, positive reviews of their ad, or even virality. As The Athletic sports media columnist Andrew Marchand put it in his interview with Status’ Oliver Darcy: “There is no other place to reach 120 million people at once. In a fragmented world, these ads become even more valuable.”
These ads reveal an ever-evolving landscape of consumer interests and values. We saw five key themes emerge from this year’s Super Bowl ads:
AI: We saw AI promoted in various ways, both with promotion of the technology itself, with ads from OpenAI, Meta, Salesforce, and GoDaddy, and in the production of the commercials, with many speculating that Martha Stewart’s impressive dance moves for Sketchers perhaps had a little help from AI. Notably, OpenAI did not use AI in its Super Bowl commercial debut. The company’s CMO Kate Rouch confirmed that their spot was created entirely by human artists, suggesting even AI providers know the value of human creativity.
Financial independence: NerdWallet, Intuit, and Rocket Mortgage all echoed a financial independence message, reminding viewers to lean on them for help in managing their money. Rocket Mortgage’s spot was especially clever, as it was immediately followed by an in-stadium activation where the song from their ad, John Denver's “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” was played in real time. Fans were dancing along to the tune while the broadcaster again plugged Rocket.
Health awareness: An ad trend that was already being talked about before the Super Bowl aired was health. Hims & Hers released their ad, which promoted their weight-loss treatments, prior to Super Bowl Sunday, and given weight-loss drugs’ surge in popularity over the past few years, one may have thought the topic would stand out on advertising’s biggest night, too. But, it didn’t. It was cancer research and awareness that commanded the night with a tear-jerker from Pfizer, showcasing their commitment to achieving eight cancer breakthroughs by 2030, and a witty ad from Novartis encouraging women to prioritize their breast health.
Audience and fan engagement: Several ads attempted to harness fan engagement, with brands like Cirkul, T-Mobile, Fetch, and Taco Bell leading the charge. Cirkul, T-Mobile, and Fetch each offered enticing promotions — ranging from product sweepstakes and free services to a $1 million giveaway. Taco Bell took a different approach, showcasing real customers captured via Live Más Drive-Thru Cams in cities across the U.S. While the spotlight remained on everyday patrons, the ad still featured playful celebrity cameos from LeBron James and Doja Cat, subtly nodding to the brand’s famous fans, too.
Female empowerment: Nike, the NFL, and Dove rounded out this year’s Super Bowl ad trends with impactful messages on female empowerment. After a 27-year hiatus, Nike returned to Super Bowl advertising with “So Win,” showcasing elite female athletes defying societal expectations with narration from Grammy-winner Doechii. The NFL promoted its push to make girls’ flag football a varsity sport in all 50 states, while Dove tackled body image criticism in sports, calling for a shift in how we talk to girls about their bodies. With diversity and inclusion efforts facing setbacks in the U.S., these ads made a powerful statement on the importance of representation.
⭐ Special shout out: Angel Soft — yes, the toilet paper — made its Super Bowl debut with a playful 30-second spot before halftime. The brand’s mascot, Angel, urged viewers to take a bathroom break, complete with a countdown clock to ensure they wouldn’t miss key moments of the game or halftime show. It was a clever solution to a common game-day dilemma!
In January, wildfires ravaged over 50,000 acres of land across the Los Angeles area, killing 29 people and destroying thousands of structures — homes, offices, shops, and critical infrastructure. Beyond the human and structural toll, the financial impact is staggering; the University of California Los Angeles estimates the total property and capital losses could range between $95 billion and $164 billion, with insured losses estimated at $75 billion.
As natural disasters increase in frequency and severity, many insurance companies have made the decision to limit or completely withdraw coverage in fire- or flood-prone regions, leaving homeowners, renters, and businesses scrambling. Those who can’t afford to pay the high premiums that remain, or who live in areas where insurance companies no longer offer coverage at all, must absorb the full cost of recovery — often relying on personal savings, loans, or, in some cases, crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe to cover expenses and rebuild their lives.
As more people find themselves without insurance coverage and insurance companies continue to retreat from high-risk areas, there is a growing opportunity for new players to enter the scene to disrupt the market. Innovative solutions like micro-insurance for specific types of coverage or community-based risk-sharing models might be able to provide more flexible, scalable, and affordable options. And with rising construction prices, there could be an increase in DIY solutions or minimalist designs in an effort to reduce costs, shifting toward smaller, more functional homes and businesses.
Even with these alternatives, it is clear that a multi-faceted approach is needed to address the growing insurance crisis. It will take a concerted effort from all sectors — governments, businesses, and communities — to find sustainable solutions that protect those most at risk while also safeguarding the broader financial system from the escalating costs of natural disasters.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed the “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” executive order, effectively eliminating all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within the federal government.
Now, the effects are extending beyond Washington as many corporations reassess their own DEI commitments. While the executive order has caused some companies to accelerate their decisions to scale back or even dismantle their initiatives altogether, DEI programs were already under fire before Trump’s return. Companies like Google, Meta, Lowe’s, and Ford had begun rolling back their programs in prior years, citing political pressure, cost concerns, and economic uncertainty.
The executive order’s most immediate impact is on federally regulated industries — such as banking, healthcare, higher education, philanthropy, and nonprofits — that rely heavily on government funding. However, some companies in these sectors are standing firm.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has so far refused to back down, maintaining the bank’s robust DEI initiatives despite pushback from shareholders and Trump’s administration. Other major corporations are also resisting the anti-DEI wave. Apple and Microsoft have openly defended their DEI policies, and Costco shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal, with 98% voting against a motion to reevaluate potential risks associated with diversity programs.
While it remains to be seen if DEI efforts are deteriorating, thriving, or somewhere in between, the business implications are clear: Consumers and investors are watching. Some are pledging to boycott companies based on their stance on DEI — whether in support or opposition. Ultimately, corporate decisions around DEI will shape not just workplace culture but also brand loyalty, market positioning, and long-term profitability.
In December’s edition of What’s Next, Now, we discussed the new generation of girl bosses, with more women taking on business leadership roles and growing their influence over the business landscape. Now, a new report from Bank of America shows women are making their mark on the U.S. economy as well. Titled “What’s the power of a woman’s wallet?,” the study found:
Women’s discretionary spending growth has outpaced men’s by at least .2% for five of the last six years. (While the percentage might seem small, it can have meaningful implications over time, especially in macroeconomic analysis like this.)
For the past two years, women’s employment growth has been greater than overall employment growth.
Women’s median annual income has been rising faster than men’s since 2020, driven by dramatic pay increases for women changing jobs.
Older women are especially positioned to have a major impact on spending and wealth in the coming years. Currently, women over 60 control around $8 trillion of liquid wealth assets. And as the average age of Americans continues to rise (and as women continue to live on average longer than men), nearly $40 trillion of wealth is set to transfer to widowed women over the next decade.
Overall, women’s wealth is growing — since 2018, women’s wealth has grown nearly 20% more than overall wealth.
It’s no secret women have long been the power players behind the way the economy moves. Remember 2023’s summer of the female dollar? With a growing amount of income, wealth, and business influence, the female dollar is only set to get stronger.
But an opposing force could affect this forward momentum. The concentrated anti-DEI push from businesses and the federal government is just getting started, and its effects on the economy remain to be seen. Marketers have a role to play, too — will we see a shift in brands increasingly targeting women because of their economic power, or the opposite due to regulatory changes?
The tariff conversation has dominated the news cycle these past few weeks, and Americans are feeling the impact, particularly when it comes to everyday shopping. Add on the bird flu outbreak, and eggs have become a hot topic, with prices rising to an average of $4.15 in the U.S., a nearly 37% increase from the year before.
Because of these price increases, consumers are becoming more cost-conscious. This shift in behavior reflects a broader trend where many Americans are looking to spend less and minimize their consumption.
At the same time, however, brands will continue to focus on their goal: getting consumers to spend. When consumers are showing resistance, brands often get more creative, introducing options that make payments more convenient. For instance, JetBlue announced they will now allow travelers to use Venmo to book flights, making it the first airline to accept purchases through the payment app.
While making purchases has never been more convenient, that alone may not be enough to keep some consumers spending. Instead, trends like the "no-buy" movement are gaining momentum, thanks to platforms like TikTok, where users inspire each other to cut spending and pay off debt. Some companies are adapting to this more cost-conscious consumer mindset. Platforms like Pickle are gaining traction in major cities like NYC and Boston, catering to the rising popularity of rental culture. Rather than buying new, consumers are turning to peer-to-peer platforms that allow them to rent clothing and accessories (a cheat code to those following the “no-buy” movement) from others’ closets, making shopping more affordable and sustainable.
As consumers become increasingly mindful of their spending habits, brands will need to rethink how they engage and retain customers in 2025. Convenience-driven innovations like contactless payments will be sure to continue, but simply making transactions easier won’t be enough to keep consumers spending. Instead, brands should look for ways to weave what consumers are focused on — affordability, sustainability, and financial wellness — into their messaging in order to align better with their target audience.
Chinese AI model DeepSeek swept headlines this month as U.S. companies scrambled to respond to the impressively powerful open-source technology. While shares for tech providers like NVIDIA fell immediately, DeepSeek’s longterm effects on the AI market remain to be seen.
New York City office demand has returned to pre-pandemic levels, a win for real estate investors and downtown businesses.
Starbucks pledged to return to its cozy cafe days, and for many, its efforts are hitting the mark.
Want to hear more? Explore the Tier One blog, TOP TALK, for the latest digital marketing trends, tips, and insights.
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