What's Next, Now: January 2025
This month, our crystal ball predicts new personal tech innovations, a health-conscious crackdown, the disappearance of trust, and more.
Tier One had boots on the ground this year at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, spending most of our time at the Venetian Expo where the focus was on digital health, home, and lifestyle technology. Every year, attendees look to CES as a crystal ball of what’s to come in the tech world. This year, three major tech trends emerged: Age Tech, Wearable Tech, and Pet Tech, centered on improving quality of life for different demographics.
In November, we predicted we’d see a new market open up for services aimed at older adults. At CES, we saw that come true. One of the most prominent trends at the show was Age Tech, with a wide range of products designed to help older adults live independently and manage their health. Innovations like AI-powered health monitors, smart mirrors for overall health tracking, and advanced hearing aids were displayed by companies like Nomo, Withings, and Cearvol. As the share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020, the demand for technology to support seniors' longevity and well-being is also growing, opening the door for more to come from Age Tech in the future.
In the realm of Wearable Tech, the focus expanded beyond fitness trackers to include advanced health tools like OURA rings, Gunnar smart glasses, and kid-focused devices from MyFirst. These wearables are evolving into critical health-support tools, improving the everyday lives of all different age groups. Meanwhile, Pet Tech made waves with luxury innovations such as PETO’s pet massagers, CATLINK’s automated litter boxes, and Tractive’s advanced dog health trackers, catering to the rising number of pet owners over the past few years.
What was most apparent at CES this year is that the tech world isn’t just pushing for better, faster gadgets. It's creating solutions that are more thoughtful and intentional, focused on improving our health, our relationships, and the quality of our daily lives. And if CES 2025 is any indication, the future is looking brighter for our aging population, our day-to-day health, and our beloved pets.
As one of the last acts of his presidential administration, former President Biden finalized a rule that will end the use of medical debt in credit scoring and ban lenders from including certain medical information in loan decisions. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), this act will remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans. The rule is set to go into effect in a few months, though the incoming administration has the power to upend it.
Rising healthcare costs have become an increasingly important — and relevant — topic as of late. According to the 2024 Milliman Medical Index, average yearly healthcare costs for an individual have increased to over $7,000, with more than $1,000 coming out-of-pocket. Total costs jumped nearly 7% from 2023 to 2024, and not just due to inflation. Over the past 20 years, the cost of medical care has risen at a far faster pace than the rate of inflation for other goods and services.
Because of growing costs, Americans are struggling to pay their bills. According to industry data, nearly half of hospital bills go unpaid in full. Some doctors and healthcare institutions are attempting to push medical credit cards onto patients, positioning them as a way to help make pricey procedures more affordable, but in turn are contributing to the growing medical debt crisis.
The constant chatter around rising healthcare costs isn’t just due to the numbers themselves. People are also becoming more willing to discuss the topic. In our Winter Trend Report, we highlighted how younger generations aren’t feeling shy around taboo topics anymore. New conversations are emerging on social media — especially TikTok — as creators develop platforms focused on discussing layoffs or their deep debt from credit cards and student loans.
Having these conversations out in the open means they can make a difference. For example, after health insurance provider Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced changes to its anesthesia payment policy in December, immediate online outrage had BCBS reneging on its plans. With the onset of the new presidential administration, we expect to see discourse around medical care costs continue to pick up speed — and with it, changes to come to the healthcare world.
Do you remember when renting a movie meant getting in your car and driving to the nearest Blockbuster? Or heading to the store to buy your favorite artist's latest CD? Back then, content was physical, and enjoying it required effort.
Today, things have changed. Streaming services like Netflix and Spotify have revolutionized how we consume media, offering instant access to millions of movies, shows, and songs, all from the comfort of home. These platforms have disrupted older models and made entertainment more convenient than ever before. But with this convenience comes the reality that the quality of content may have suffered.
As casual viewing and listening become the norm, people are less engaged with the content they’re consuming. It’s easy for Netflix to become background noise while we scroll on our phones or work from home. The same can be said for music. Spotify’s algorithm-driven playlists often feature songs that feel more like filler than fully realized art — especially as Spotify starts to turn to AI-generated tracks, designed to bypass royalties and sustain an endless stream of content.
This shift in content quality raises an important question: do people even notice, or care, about the decline in substance? The answer, it seems, is yes. In September 2023, Meta introduced AI-powered profiles like “Liv,” a virtual persona who invited messages from users. The experiment was cut short in summer 2024 due to public outcry. People want genuine human connection, not AI-driven interactions that feel hollow. Similarly, background content like the AI-generated music and endless Netflix titles leave many viewers and listeners craving something more meaningful.
People want to feel that what they’re watching, listening to, or interacting with has been thoughtfully created and designed to meet their needs, not just fed to them as filler. For brands, it’s essential to recognize this growing demand for meaningful, high-quality content. In an environment saturated with disposable, background noise content, standing out requires a commitment to producing content that resonates with audiences on a deeper level.
The start of every new year brings a new round of commitments to live a healthier lifestyle. But this year in particular, we’re seeing more than just New Year’s resolutions, as government agencies are getting in on the healthy living trend.
After months of speculation and public outcry, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, beverages, and drugs. Even if you’re not familiar with the name of the petroleum-based additive, you’ve most likely consumed it. Red Dye No. 3 is found in many red- and pink-dyed foods, including Brach’s iconic conversation hearts and Ring Pops, as well as Nesquik’s strawberry-flavored low-fat milk and even Kroger’s Neapolitan ice cream. Synthetic coloring, like Red Dye No. 3, was first found to cause cancer in male laboratory rats more than 30 years ago, sparking decades of concern regarding its effect on human health. The FDA’s ban goes into effect in 2027, when companies will have to start removing the dye from their products.
Also on the chopping block are ultra-processed foods and alcohol. Governor Newsom of California, who banned Red Dye No. 40 (yes, there are a few variations) at a state level in 2023, issued an executive order this month to crack down on ultra-processed foods and further investigate food dyes. A new study found ultra-processed foods make up about 58% of the calories that U.S. adults and kids consume in a day, adding to a litany of literature linking diets high in ultra-processed foods to several health concerns.
Regarding alcohol, U.S. surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a report just after the new year directly linking alcohol consumption to seven types of cancer and recommending that alcoholic beverages carry cancer warning labels. No wonder “dry January” is expected to have its biggest year yet.
Increased scrutiny of harmful ingredients and regulations like those targeting food dyes and processed foods should have largely positive effects. This action will hopefully lead to healthier lifestyles and maybe even reduced long-term healthcare costs. But health and wellness is a complicated and nuanced subject, and the sheer volume of warnings and “bad for you” narratives could lead to oversaturation and confusion, causing some to tune out or disregard important health messages entirely. For the healthcare industry and brands we consume, striking a fine balance between raising awareness and avoiding alarm fatigue will be critical to keep people engaged and help them make informed choices about their health.
At the beginning of each year, communications giant Edelman releases its annual trust barometer, reporting on the level of trust individuals around the world have in their institutions. While a growing lack of trust has been prominent in recent years’ reports, this year’s survey shows we’ve gone beyond distrust — now, there’s a widespread sense of grievance, anger, and hostility.
The lack of faith in businesses and governmental institutions is not new news. But there’s something a little different about this moment. Political commentator Kristen Anderson pointed out that this distrust is no longer a partisan issue. It’s coming from all sides — over the past year, Americans have shown unexpected alignment in their growing distrust, reflecting shared frustration across political divides.
There's plenty of reason to be skeptical these days. The booming growth of generative AI has made it comically easy to create fake news, images, and deepfakes. Fake reviews undermine what was once a dependable resource for product research. Scams and fraud are becoming increasingly common, and shoppers are growing hesitant to provide personal information out of fear. You can’t even trust a job posting anymore — research shows around one in five job listings are “ghost jobs,” or jobs that never get filled.
We don’t expect this trend to slow down any time soon, and as distrust grows, it will be harder and harder for brands to gain and keep the trust of their audiences. Building trust will require more than the usual calls for authenticity and transparency, as audiences are increasingly going on the offensive.
Consistency will be key. Trust takes time, so don’t expect one statement or action to prove your trustworthiness. Brands that maintain frequent and clear communication, stick by what they say and do, and showcase reliable leadership will come out on top.
TikTok and its users experienced whiplash on January 19 when the app was briefly banned in the United States, only to be reinstated hours later by President Donald Trump. In one of his first actions back in office, Trump signed an executive order allowing TikTok to operate for an additional 75 days, stating, “I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok.”
The rise of shoplifting is a common, though contentious, topic of discussion among retailers today. But some of the anti-theft measures retailers have put in place seem to be having the opposite effect.
As AI search continues to grow, brands are seeing an influx of traffic from AI sources like ChatGPT and Google’s search summaries. We have a few tips and tricks for how to optimize your content for this new world of search.
Want to hear more? Explore the Tier One blog, TOP TALK, for the latest digital marketing trends, tips, and insights.
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