2025 Marketing Trends + Priorities for 2026 Across Industries

Over the past year, we’ve watched the following patterns emerge across seemingly unrelated sectors: rising consumer expectations, demand for authenticity, growing complexity, and the tension between automation and human connection.

We interviewed multiple marketers from an array of industries in our blogs below, and we discovered consistent trends across the board. Check out all of our industry blogs throughout 2025 from leaders at Blackbaud, Hiscox USA, Mimedx, MONPURE, Kimberly-Clark Professional, and more.

Industry Blogs, Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersDecember 12, 2025industry blog, marketing trendsComment

Now Is the Moment: A Call to Shape the Future of Agency–Brand Partnerships

A call for marketers and agencies to participate in the 2025 Marketing Relationship Survey, before it’s too late.

AIMS 2025: The Event for Atlanta’s Marketing Community

On November 19, 2025, Atlanta’s vibrant marketing community united under one roof for the first-ever Atlanta Integrated Marketing Summit (AIMS) — a remarkable experience that turned inspiration into action, focused on meaningful connections, and highlighted incredible leaders from UPS, Kellanova, Edible Brands, and Papa Johns who are actively pushing the industry forward.

Denim Wars: How American Eagle + Gap Battled for Dominance in Fall 2025

Explore the denim duel between AE’s Sydney Sweeney campaign and Gap’s Milkshake-fueled comeback—and what marketers can learn.

Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersNovember 3, 2025commercial, ads, nostalgia marketingComment

Don’t Wait for the Fire Drill: Building Agency Relationships Before You Need Them

Most agency searches begin with urgency: a priority shift, a launch date appears, and suddenly, you’re writing an RFP at midnight. In that scramble, you invite too many firms, ask the wrong questions, and end up choosing based on pitch theater instead of day-to-day fit. The fix isn’t a better RFP template. It’s time - specifically, the time you spend getting to know agencies before you need one.

Marketing in the Nonprofit Sector: Lessons from Blood Cancer United’s Chief Experience Officer

Marketers are grappling with how to make their strategy feel more impactful and human in 2025, but in the nonprofit world, that challenge comes with the added pressure of limited budgets and expansive missions. For Lynn Godfrey, Chief Experience Officer at Blood Cancer United, the solution lies in staying intentional, deeply segmenting audiences, and adapting quickly in a constantly evolving landscape.

Industry BlogsSetup - marketing matchmakersOctober 15, 2025healthcare industry, nonprofits, non-profitsComment

Navigating Marketing as Fintech Advances

Private wealth marketing is built on personal relationships, which can make the advancements in technology more and more challenging. In an industry where discretion and relationships reign supreme, marketers must learn how to integrate data, automation, and innovation without losing trust.

To explore this balance, we spoke with Cathy McLagan, Managing Director of Growth Enablement at CIBC Private Wealth US.

Industry BlogsSetup - marketing matchmakersOctober 1, 2025fintech, financial industry, financial services industryComment

Why Atlanta Needs AIMS (and Why Now)

Joe Koufman, the Founder and CEO of Setup, explains the benefit of reviving the Atlanta Integrated Marketing System (AIMS). Bringing AIMS back to Atlanta is a chance to unite our community, foster new connections, and share practical insights from across the spectrum. Read about how AIMS benefits the Atlanta marketing community:

Setup News/EventsSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 19, 2025networking eventsComment

Best Data-Driven Media Strategy Practices

“Data-driven” marketing is about proactively leveraging insights to make strategic decisions. But what defines a truly data-driven media approach?

Industry Blogs, Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 16, 2025media company, media, MPA CampaignComment

How Top Brands Are Fixing Media Complexity on Multiple Platforms

If your media strategy feels tangled and unclear, you’re not alone. Here’s how smart brands are simplifying the chaos and getting real results.

Marketing Industry/Trends, Industry BlogsSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 8, 2025media company, media, MPA CampaignComment

CMO Spotlight | Ron McMurtrie - Honeywell

Setup CEO + Founder, Joe Koufman, sat down with Ron McMurtrie, the CMO of Honeywell, to talk about purpose-driven leadership, having a team-focused mentality, starting with why, and more.

CMO SpotlightSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 5, 2025CMO SpotlightComment

Media Strategies That Drive Results: How Marketing Leaders Measure + Maximize ROI

Whether you’re managing campaigns for a national brand, a franchise QSR, or a B2B tech company, the challenge is the same: how do you build smarter media strategies that actually tie back to real business outcomes? We spoke with top experts from Sagepath, Goodway Group, and Look Listen to dig into what’s working, what’s changing, and where media performance and analytics are headed next.

Industry Blogs, Marketing Industry/TrendsSetup - marketing matchmakersSeptember 2, 2025paid media, brand media, mediaComment