PPCChat | 2025 PPC Predictions | 17th December 2024

Posted December 18th, 2024 by Amita & filed under PPCChat.

As 2025 draws near, PPC experts are gearing up to forecast the future of paid search and paid social advertising. Will the major PPC platforms solidify their position in 2025, and what are their predictions for the industry? Here is the screencap of the session which was hosted by Julie F Bacchini.

Q1: What are your predictions for paid search advertising (Google and Microsoft Ads)?

I think Google will continue to lean heavily into AI and will keep pushing it on us. I also think we are marching closer and closer toward keywordless advertising. 2025 might be the year it finally happens. And the push to share customer data will only intensify. @NeptuneMoon

It’s going to be easy & difficult at the same time. Easy for those who stick to basics and come prepared by doing work off the platform.Difficult for those who think ppc = money printer. @alimehdimukadam

Tempests in teapots will rise, but we’re still gonna be making campaigns like we did a decade ago, but easier. @ferkungamaboobo

Microsoft Ads I expect to continue to follow Google’s lead. Though I would love to see them blaze at least a semi-different trail! @NeptuneMoon

Just saw an update where LinkedIn is going to offer “boost posts” to users directly. Microsoft could win big if ChatGPT Search Ads are run via Bing/Microsoft’s Ad Network. @alimehdimukadam

I am so deeply uncomfortable with the idea of Open AI also having an advertising component. @ferkungamaboobo

Google Ads is going to clean up all the TikTok ad spend and marketers are going to be pushed even further on the video path. Both Google and Microsoft will push US advertisers to adopt more privacy-first practices. Also, Microsoft is going to lean more into its non-branded channels (LinkedIn, ChatGPT, Duck Duck Go, and others) @navahhopkins

I also think more advertisers are going to be squeezed out of search advertising and that will be interesting. The days of spend a little money and grab some business quickly are behind us. @NeptuneMoon

@ferkungamaboobo I am uncomfortable with AI being positioned as a search alternative – at least the LLMs and GPTs. They are not. @NeptuneMoon

I don’t know if I agree search advertising is going to be so exclusive – I think Google Search Ads will become PMax and advertisers will need to adopt visual content. @navahhopkins

Well, no 0-click results have been common for years. Search is that everything app that was foretold in the before times. @ferkungamaboobo

But this will be a still major challenge for smaller biz @navahhopkins even with the help of AI to make visual assets many will struggle and/or end up with generic-looking assets. @NeptuneMoon

WAY less targeting is coming, and I think we’re about to see Perplexity jump forward as the next new thing. @JuliaVyse

The rise of one PMax to rule them all will continue as Google works 2x to refine the tech to catch up to the hype. @duanebrown

I don’t think Goog will drop support for managed campaigns, that seems like a losing position. @ferkungamaboobo

@ferkungamaboobo They have the market share to do whatever they want though. @NeptuneMoon

I don’t know if I agree with that – visual content doesn’t need to be polished. I think advertisers who were used to ignoring video will be pushed out due to not being able to make video work along search. @navahhopkins

You want access to search inventory? You also take everything else. @NeptuneMoon

Microsoft is an option that not enough advertisers take. @navahhopkins

MS is an option that not enough consumers take too. @ferkungamaboobo

There is also a generational divide when it comes to video content that never gets talked about. Gen X is not about video content like millennials and Gen Z are. @NeptuneMoon

I think video will be less and less of a choice, not just an option. @JuliaVyse

Google killed it with their video model released yesterday & this is gonna be released any moment now. @alimehdimukadam

I think Microsoft will continue to run alongside/behind the scenes. I think their stake in OpenAI will bring more and more of that power to search GPT and Bing, but they’ll let Google do the big beta test and learn from it. @JuliaVyse

I just don’t see the point in fighting the rise of video – especially with all the enhancements to it. @navahhopkins

And Meta is planning Ray Ban Ads (Don’t know but I am sure). @alimehdimukadam

I’m not fighting it, I’m just saying challenges will remain despite AI. And that not everyone wants to consume video. But Google will most definitely all but require it. Especially if TikTok goes bye bye in the US. @NeptuneMoon

Voice Search as a medium could also see a big spike. @alimehdimukadam

I mean, we’ve been saying voice search since the dawn of Siri. @ferkungamaboobo

That said I think pmax and standard shopping being on the same playing field speaks to a potential weighting system that could be on the horizon so brands who truly can’t meet the moment with video aren’t forced to have it. @navahhopkins

Next question is about social ads. @NeptuneMoon

@ferkungamaboobo Apple Intelligence has been a letdown so far. But I won’t count them out just yet. @alimehdimukadam

The disconnect between companies desire to sell AI as the “it” thing and the general populace’s desire to embrace it is large. @NeptuneMoon

Metaverse, Web 3.0, Blockchain, NFTs, yadda. yadda. @ferkungamaboobo

Meanwhile bananas are unaffordable. solve a REAL problem giant companies! @JuliaVyse

Banana was sold for 6 million.@alimehdimukadam

Google is already pushing folks into video by creating videos with your visual assets if you do not make one in PMax campaigns. Google will continue to push PMax and other campaigns like that (Demand Gen being the other one). I do think search themes will start to be pushed more as we move away from a keyword-centric space. Google may need to make some changes though, because I feel like they are losing their footing as the “only” platform a lot of retailers use due to the poorer performance over the past couple of years. Microsoft made improvements this year and you could see it in the results vs. previous years. They actually got better returns for brands than they did previously vs. Google. @Ichasse

In case you were wondering about the $6m banana… https://www.npr.org/2024/11/21/nx-s1-5199568/a-duct-taped-banana-sells-for-6-2-million-at-an-art-auction @NeptuneMoon

Continued increases in CPCs, in part from all the automation that is putting far more people into the auctions… but hey! It makes more money for Google! @revaminkoff

Q2: What are your predictions for paid social advertising (Meta, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc.)?

I want BlueSkye ads so I can support the new home. @navahhopkins

BS for sure…uh oh, new acronym needed! I think LinkedIn is going to get bigger, and I see a lot more volume coming Pinterest’s way. @JuliaVyse

Well, hopefully Meta can get its act together and stop breaking its platform at key times of the year…@NeptuneMoon

Traditional social media – Meta, Twitter, etc is going to fade away in budget spend as less and less people use it. Twitter likes will fail to figure out monetization (eggbug my beloved, i wasn’t even on you but you were cool)Pinterest will continue to exist and either be invaluable to its niche or that annoying company that ruined image search to the rest of the worldSnap? That’s still a thing?TikTok will continue to be considered something different than YouTube, even though it’s like, quite literally the same thing. @ferkungamaboobo

But other than that – paid social will continue as it has – stubbing its toe on privacy regulation as it attempts to handle advertiser needs and not getting fined into oblivion. X has become a porn site and it’s no surprise that ad inventory prices are trending down – no one wants to be there.APIs for paid social are really shoddy so it’s harder for third-party tools to offer as much support and even for in-house/agencies who build their own tools to keep track. I think 2025 will be the year they invest in API infrastructure to ensure they can keep their big spenders happy. @navahhopkins

Newsletter Ads. CTV Will see faster growth rate compared to paid socialTikTok’s destiny will be a turning point if et all. @alimehdimukadam

Discord’s building an ad network. @ferkungamaboobo

In-app shopping experiences are expected to expand, streamlining e-commerce directly within social platforms. @AnthonyUgo

I LOVE Discord!!!!! It’s such an underrated platform @navahhopkins

This is local to me, but Canada’s regulations will shift and adjust. we’re having some parliamentary FUN this week, which will affect Meta, Snap, and the CRTC. funsies. @JuliaVyse

Fully agree CTV is the one to watch. @navahhopkins

TikTok does not sell and does not get banned. TikTok and Meta go head to head in an all out fight to win ad dollars. @duanebrown

TikTok was already banned though (in the US) @navahhopkins

Ooh, TikTok would win that if brands could figure out the right voice. But they won’t. @ferkungamaboobo

I had a separate question about the TikTok ban here in the US, but we can discuss here. @NeptuneMoon

I fully agree TikTok is the better platform and if it wasn’t so scandalous would be my #1 pick for investment and focus…but there’re a lot of things to worry about with it. @navahhopkins

I am on “vacation” mode this week… so missed that news. I thought it still had to get signed. @duanebrown

The ban has not gone into effect and won’t until new administration here in the US. @NeptuneMoon

They lost the appeal. @navahhopkins

They filed an appeal in the Supreme Court requesting hearing/injunction by 1st week of Jan. @alimehdimukadam

TikTok is getting banned here too. it will just take a while. They’ve been ordered to ‘cease operations’ which means we can have the app, but offices are closing and folks are being let go. @JuliaVyse

mm. gonna be a WhatsApp situation. @ferkungamaboobo

This is where it gets exciting IMO. We have more options than ever as advertisers supporting brands. We can advertise on entertainment platforms like Hulu/Disney/Netflix, etc.. We can advertise on gaming platforms like Discord (mostly gamers), Twitch, even inside of games themselves with cosmetics, items etc.. We can advertise with podcasters and music services. We can advertise with social platforms and more.I am excited to see what comes this year with all these different channels and we can reach every demographic who makes purchases pretty much using all of them. The days of mailers and newspaper ads seem pretty dull compared to the options we have ahead of us in this market. I am excited as a marketer knowing what is ahead and the huge selection of options, we have available for our brands we support. @Ichasse

yes! there’s a huge landscape opportunity out there! @JuliaVyse

US Court of appeals denied a motion by TT to get the legislation reviewed. ByteDance plans to keep going in litigation: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2024/12/16/tiktok-getting-banned-why-when-trump/77022873007/#:~:text=On%20Friday%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Court,before%20Jan.%2019%2C%202025. @NeptuneMoon

So here’s an interesting question: will the US’s mediocre usage of What’s App matter given that the rest of the world uses it aggressively. @navahhopkins

I think some decentralization will definitely happen in the social advertising sector. @NeptuneMoon

I personally didn’t start using it till I started traveling a lot internationally for work and made friends who only use What’s App. @navahhopkins

I mean, I don’t know if WhatsApp has specific ad placements outside of Meta. I only knew it as a thing for some international clients I had. @ferkungamaboobo

Click to message and business messaging. No direct ad placements. @alimehdimukadam

And it was a contact channel more than anything else. @ferkungamaboobo

@ferkungamaboobo No, Meta will win against TikTok. Brands will continue to struggle to crack TikTok’s code. Gen Z dominates the platform, and brands will need to work harder to succeed there. @AnthonyUgo

It’s more buying the code than cracking it, but I agree. @JuliaVyse

Don’t forget other entities want in on advertising dollars too. So Walmart for example is offering advertising to reach their customer base: https://www.walmartconnect.com/solutions @NeptuneMoon

Coz then it would violate Zuck’s claim of end to end privacy, don’t think ads will come to WhatsApp.They make good money charging business owners per message – sort of like email Promotional & transactional. @alimehdimukadam

There will be more of this type of thing coming. @NeptuneMoon

Oh yeah, Walmart and Target have their own networks, but that’s just search. @ferkungamaboobo

YES! Retail media is HUGE up here. We (yes us) created the Loblaws (grocery) retail network, and best buy is definitely ramping up. …and not just search. @JuliaVyse

There’s no dearth of options for sure Retail definitely will get a lot more investments. @alimehdimukadam

I still feel like folks sleep on Amazon speaking of retail media. Amazon literally has video advertising on its Prime network w/ads plus it has most of the retail search volume in the market. I do a lot of volume with Amazon and the returns are amazing even after you factor in the % Amazon takes per order and for storing/shipping your product to consumers. I am also not too sure about WhatsApp, because you are right the rest of the world uses it very heavily compared to the U.S. who use Slack, Snapchat, etc… to communicate to friends/co-workers. @Ichasse

We watch a lot of Amazon here and the ads shown are some very big brand, but a lot that are not. @NeptuneMoon

Oh yeah, Amazon rolling their video into their ads suite is brilliant @ferkungamaboobo

Amazon is a hero ad channel @navahhopkins

I’m curious about non-audience-focused targeting there. @ferkungamaboobo

One of the reasons I’ve pushed hard at Optmyzr for us to build out the functionality for Amazon is because of how annoying the interface is to use and how huge the opportunity is. @navahhopkins

but I’m curious too about how having more and more and more ads is going to affect watch time. like i recently watched a 10-minute something on YouTube that was probably 5 ad breaks? @ferkungamaboobo

Their system is better than Netflix. @navahhopkins

Amazon is awesome. Have you seen a PPC ad network recommend reducing bids? Amazon does thatPlus they share all possible insights they can for a brand to succeed Downside obviously is high fees. @alimehdimukadam

And people have learned that 14.999 seconds is the ideal YouTube ad time. because it’s unskippable.. @ferkungamaboobo

Agreed that paid social seems to be on the outs, at least as far as performance is concerned- and a lot of places aren’t going to know what to do if TikTok is banned in the US. @revaminkoff

Q3: Are there any platforms that you think will gain ground in PPC in 2025 that we are not really talking about much in 2024?

Retail media for sure – not just amazon, but chain stores with customer data and in-store placements. CTV and addressable TV will continue to grow is my guess. Cool silliness like glasses and AR will continue, but on the ground in-store will grow fastest IMO. @JuliaVyse

With video streaming platforms showing more and more ads I think we will see and hear more about those options in 2025. @NeptuneMoon

And for just one platform that will jump, I think Reddit is about to be huge. @JuliaVyse

@JuliaVyse Well Google is cetainly pushing Reddit results hard. @NeptuneMoon

CTV, Retail Media. I want to see a newsletter ad network – beehiiv, kit Perplexity Ads, GPT Ads
Applovin (will be spoken about a lot more) Wonder if substack may also end up promoting ads for free users. @alimehdimukadam

I don’t like Reddit but I acknowledge it’s useful. I think there’s a huge content creator opportunity on CTV – not enough people understand how accessible it is. @navahhopkins

Substack is INTERESTING. I wonder if they’ll learn from Mediums experience and become more solid. @JuliaVyse

Yeah and we might see a lot of ‘B2B influencers’ @alimehdimukadam

I posted this yesterday, but here is the latest research on where teens spend their digital time: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/12/12/teens-social-media-and-technology-2024/ @NeptuneMoon

Newsletter ad network I can wait. @AnthonyUgo

Amazon will 100% gain market share. They have every single year. Results matter and brands are taking $$$ away from Google because it is doing worse and not sure I see them fixing that. Microsoft even gained ground this year. There are just too many options available for the brands advertising dollars and they will need to start testing some new markets. The younger generations just don’t use search queries like the older generations are doing. Both Millennials and Gen Z are not Google search first generations, so you have to go where they are if you want your business to grow beyond what Boomers and Gen X can give you. @Ichasse

omgd, the rise of influencers on LinkedIn – right now it’s right to be cautious, but LOOK OUT in Jan/Feb. @JuliaVyse

YouTube TV – already taken over and still untapped *relatively. @alimehdimukadam

CTV in general is overlooked. @ferkungamaboobo

Like I said before – video is the future and we need to help folks embrace it. @navahhopkins

Whatever bad acronym you want for “ads with streaming” @ferkungamaboobo

AVOD platforms. @alimehdimukadam

Remember just 3+ years ago YouTube “owned” the video market. Also remember Google owns it, so not sure we will see enough improvement over time to say they will continue to own the market. They will continue to increase the number of ads run on that network and effectively reduce the effectiveness. @Ichasse

Well, they owned it because the position of the streaming platforms was “pay for no commercials” And YouTube was like “lol 15 sec bumper? sure!” @ferkungamaboobo

YouTube charges customers to not show ads. Charges advertisers to show ads. House always wins. @alimehdimukadam

Kids love the YouTube and I think we need to also put into our thinking that the generation coming up has been exposed to YT and such for their entire lives. It hits different for them.I have a 12 year old and am surrounded by tweens. @NeptuneMoon

Google is notoriously lazy after they own a market. Then others can come in and start to chip away at it, because they get comfortable and start just trying to find more ways to charge vs. spending an equal amount of time trying to improve the service. @Ichasse

Pay attention to Nebula too – a lot of creators are moving there and I wouldn’t be surprised if they started adding ads. @navahhopkins

I know parents who can’t live without cocomelon and we are talking about toddlers being hooked to YT. Rumble ads have already started. The biggest winners are Ubers, Instacarts etc raking in from ad revenue. @alimehdimukadam

Q4: What are your predictions for the PPC industry?

More brands move in-house and want a lot of consulting and paid audits from agencies, which have not prepped for the next stage of agency growth. Some agencies won’t make it next year. @duanebrown

More confusion. Clients will have flat budgets for the next few years, so we’ll need to run on volume and deep relationships. rules and regulations will get confusing, and consulting will be deeply helpful. Get ready to prove your worth, show your work, and probably look for international clients along with locals. @JuliaVyse

I said this last year, and probably the year before. But there’s a big reckoning coming w/r/t digital spends. And it’s not that digital’s going away, But more that….. I think smart money is moving away from digital as a separate thing. @ferkungamaboobo

@JuliaVyse move Europe clients please! They are so chill to work with. @duanebrown

Your TV buy SHOULD include CTV.. @ferkungamaboobo

Yes! Omni all the way baby! yes google and Meta as a baseline, but wrap those cars. buy a billboard. local radio is meaningful to local clients. @JuliaVyse

yes, TotalTV is the way. @JuliaVyse

I saw this post from Mike Rhodes literally 5 minutes before the chat today… interesting food for thought: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mikerhodesideas_two-types-of-agencies-will-exist-in-20[…]134489346048-Z3GV?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop @NeptuneMoon

@NeptuneMoon thanks for hosting Julie. Off to fine me some food for breakfast in the Aloha state. @duanebrown

Yeah, I do not want to underestimate the amount of ChatGPT we will be force-fed. Which, switching to the SEO side of the room, it’s not like spinners weren’t par for the course earlier.@ferkungamaboobo

The great AI shake-out is coming. Be ready for an era of a lot more DIY with the help of AI. And needing to make a case for why a business even needs an expert in PPC. @NeptuneMoon

Consolidation, AI-Agentification, Enshittification. @alimehdimukadam

This year has been really tough on brands. Some brands have been able to grow and others have 1.5 feet in the grave. I don’t expect budgets to increase very much, unfortunately. I do expect brands who are willing to embrace the newer platforms will see more success and those who are still unwilling to create video content and venture into new waters will either stay pretty flat or start to decrease. The brands this year I saw doing better were the brands who embraced the newer platforms and new(er) media types. If your business is all Google it will continue to follow the Google Ads results of decreasing performance for increased cost. @Ichasse

I think this is going to be the year that the trust vs value conversation really comes to a head and consumers give marketers the permission structure to look beyond the normal buys and move to up coming channels. I also think this is the year where everyone who slept on privacy is going to lose their data. @navahhopkins

Just to be THAT person, and also share our research with the group: https://mediacatmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/2025-media-trends-with-dentsu-and-iprospect/ @JuliaVyse

So, basically the whole industry is gonna lose their data. @ferkungamaboobo

Yup. and we’ll see how much folks were actually using it..@navahhopkins

@navahhopkins there is a conversation already starting where people are going to insist that they do not need to give away all their personal data in order to buy a burger. more savvy and skeptical consumers are going to change the convo. @JuliaVyse

@navahhopkins Do you mean lose access to data in the platforms that they are used to seeing/having? @NeptuneMoon

Less consumer data, certainly, and less cookie provided data, but I’m looking forward to the allegedly little more transparency we’ll be getting on PMax from Google…@revaminkoff

Yes @NeptuneMoon – Microsoft followed Google with Consent Mode requirements and given the DOJ language around search terms I wouldn’t count on keeping data the way we used to. @navahhopkins

@JuliaVyse exactly – we need to get buy in. @navahhopkins

It won’t be 2025 but I am chomping at the bit for the day that audiences, especially behavioral ones, are gonna drop out. @ferkungamaboobo

We will also become more dependant on our SEO brothers and sisters to do a good job as AI takes a bigger foothold on the advertising industry. If your site is not well done with SEO in mind, we are going to take even bigger hits.I can already see that in the results with companies with great SEO and some that hired sub-par SEOs (to save $$$). @Ichasse

Marketing & Capitalism have to coexistIf marketing gets impacted, growth & capitalism does too.The capitalists will find a way. @alimehdimukadam

I think we’ll still be here — not to jinx anything but almost every year there is a panic and at the end of the day, you adapt. I think it’ll be key for agencies to focus on why they add value and provide strategy and heads up to their clients, versus just quietly going by the book. @revaminkoff

The industry as a whole has been built on the idea that digital attribution is all knowing and that has been slowly unraveling over the past couple of years. But I agree that we will see an acceleration on that front from platforms who want to stay half a step ahead of regulators and lawsuits. @NeptuneMoon

PPC has to integrate with other functions to drive meaningful growth. Can’t operate in silos anymore. @alimehdimukadam

We will have to change our value proposition. @NeptuneMoon

honestly – I feel like we’re all going to become data agnostics. @navahhopkins

Marketers are not going anywhere, lol. If anything we have more options than ever before. The landscape is crazy right now with options and brands need us to find the right ones to reach their audiences. @Ichasse

Were we not already? @JuliaVyse

Well, that’s not the way either, and I agree there’s gonna be a push against data. like my post on the PPCChat site said, we’ve been doing data-based marketing for over a century. @ferkungamaboobo

@JuliaVyse data (especially specific data points) are a religion to some brands. They need to have their weekly ritual of hearing the same numbers. @navahhopkins

This is a good a time as any to mention the following: Make sure you have liability language for data in your contracts – that is you are not responsible for what clients share w platforms. And strongly encourage advertisers to get their privacy policies in order! Be transparent about what you may do with customer data. @NeptuneMoon

Hey, I’ve been banging the “GA4 freed us from the tyranny of the pageview” for 8 years now. but what’s interesting is that I talk to more and more organizations that don’t care about their analytics, even if it’s installed. @ferkungamaboobo

@ferkungamaboobo this is the point I was getting at – I might have phrased it badly. Folks cling to data as ritual instead of pragmatically. @navahhopkins

Oh yeah, some people don’t log in to their GA for weeks and they run an online platform/business. Had a client who said – we thought you will keep checking and let us know if there are any issues. @alimehdimukadam

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