The Three TikTok Trends Every Marketer Should Know in 2025 81% of users have stated TikTok has introduced them to new topics and trends they didn't know they liked.

By Aalia Mehreen Ahmed

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TikTok, the globally recognized social media platform, has released its annual trend forecast for 2025. Titled What's Next 2025 Trend Report, the study offers marketers with the insights needed to cater to TikTok users' evolving wants and needs.

The report also states that in 2025, "the TikTok community will unite to create unique, transformative, and year-defining content, reshaping how the industry thinks about 'marketing' and the future of business growth—a movement called Brand Chem."

It then goes on to highlight that the traditional process of telling consumers what they need is outdated, and that the contemporary consumer landscape calls for brands to join forces with creators and communities, working hand-in-hand to build content that "resonates, drives impact, and aims to redefine cultural relevance."

"In 2024, we saw brands push creative limits, lean into trends, and connect with their communities in powerful ways, but 2025 is set to take it even further," said Shadi Kandil, General Manager, Global Business Solutions, Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Central and South Asia - TikTok, in a statement. "The creative storytelling opportunities on TikTok are endless, and this year brands and creators will come together to continue shaping culture, sparking fresh ideas, and accelerating business growth by tapping directly into what matters to the TikTok community."

The What's Next 2025 Trend Report has demarcated the most impactful and sustainable factors -which are referred to as Trend Signals- into three key groups: Brand Fusion, Identity Osmosis, and Creative Catalysts.

Brand Fusion

A key tenet of Brand Fusion, defined within the study as "a dynamic state where a brand gains renewed vigor, becoming more responsive and ready to build lasting bonds," is that two out of three TikTok users like it when brands partner with a variety of creators. Adding custom codes and exclusive offers is said to further amplify this reach, thus allowing brands to create personalized connections while driving business results.

Additionally, 40% of TikTok users find brands that showcase personality more relevant, while 45% of social and video platform users feel brand relevance comes from feeling understood — this, as per the study, reiterates the importance of and need for "consistent, supportive, and joyful content." Through TikTok's Creative Exchange, brands can strategically partner with creative experts across specialized niches, thus making their connections with audiences even more meaningful.

Identity Osmosis

Defined as a state where "brands are organically integrating evolving consumer values, allowing these shifting ideals to reshape their identity," Identity Osmosis highlights that an open, empathetic exchange between brands, creators, and community is supported by features like TikTok Symphony Dubbing, which enables global brand communication in native languages, enhancing accessibility and emotional resonance.

Indeed, 81% of users have stated TikTok has introduced them to new topics and trends they didn't know they liked, thereby building a globally connected, engaged community.

Creative Catalysts

These are referred to as "untapped tools for marketers to ideate, build, learn, and take more exciting creative risks than ever before."The report shows that TikTok users are 1.4 times more likely than users on other platforms to look forward to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in ads, highlighting a growing enthusiasm for the advanced technology among its users. With Symphony Assistant, brands can leverage real-time data on trending content and transform it into creative, ready-to-film concepts, making AI an integral part of TikTok's vibrant, discovery-driven community.

Next Steps

Additionally, as content demand rises, the repost notes that brands are noticeably shifting from "short-lived marketing assets to multifaceted storytelling strategies." TikTok-provided formats such as Image Ads allow brands to quickly hop into trends and tell new stories by shaking up the format. This approach aligns with the platform's user base, where 76% of users have been shown to enjoy seeing a mix of images and video, enabling brands to maintain relevance and continuously engage audiences.

Real-time feedback in TikTok's comment sections further enhances this strategy, allowing brands to innovate alongside consumers—with 68% of users saying brands should leverage comments to better understand their audience.

The full 'What's Next' report can be accessed by clicking here.

Aalia Mehreen Ahmed

Features Editor, Entrepreneur Middle East

Aalia Mehreen Ahmed is the Features Editor at Entrepreneur Middle East.

She is an MBA (Finance) graduate with past experience in the corporate sector, and was also co-founder of CyberSWIFTT- an anti-cyberbullying campaign that ran from 2017-2018 as part of the e7: Daughters of the Emirates program.

Ahmed is particularly keen on writing stories involving people-centric leadership, female-owned startups, and entrepreneurs who've beaten significant odds to realize their goals.

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