You know that feeling when you open Instagram and everything looks the same? Generic holiday posts, forced festive vivibes, and brands trying way too hard to be relatable. Yeah, we’re all tired of it.
But here’s what’s interesting. While most marketers are recycling last year’s playbook, a few are doing something different. And it’s actually working.
I’ve spent the past few weeks digging into what’s moving the needle right now, and I want to share what I’m seeing. Not the theoretical stuff or what some guru predicts will happen. The real tactics that are driving actual engagement and sales in December 2025.
Holiday Marketing That Doesn’t Feel Like Marketing
Let’s start with the obvious one. It’s December, so everyone’s doing holiday content. But the approach that’s cutting through the noise is completely different from what you might expect.
The smartest brands aren’t just throwing snowflakes on their graphics and hoping for the best. They’re tapping into specific cultural moments and sounds that already have momentum.
Instagram Reels using Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” are still everywhere, but the winners are treating them like actual gift guides. Think unboxing videos that feel like your best friend showing you what they got, not a company pushing products at you. The shareability factor is huge, and it’s translating directly into sales.
Over on TikTok, there’s this trend around “flow state” moments set to “Sweet Little Surprises” that’s resonating like crazy. People are showing those rare work moments when everything just clicks. No fake hustle culture energy, no toxic productivity worship. Just real people being honest about when work actually feels good. Brands that understand this vibe are building way deeper connections than the ones still shouting about grinding 24/7.
And then there’s the nostalgia play. Fleetwood Mac’s “Silver Springs” is becoming the soundtrack for end of year business recaps. Something about pairing that emotional, vintage sound with genuine accomplishments hits different. It feels earned, not boastful.
The Platforms Nobody’s Talking About (But Should Be)
While everyone’s debating whether Meta is dead or if Twitter will ever recover, some platforms are absolutely exploding in the background.
ReelShort is one of them. Monthly searches are at 135,000, and growth is up over 9,000 percent. It’s short form serialized drama content. Think Netflix shows but designed for your phone and your attention span. For marketers, this opens up a completely new way to tell stories. You’re not cramming a message into 15 seconds anymore. You can build actual narrative arcs.
Then there’s Clapper, which is surging with 450,000 monthly searches and 122 percent growth. It’s positioning itself as the mature, ad free alternative to TikTok. Creators can actually monetize through live streams without fighting an algorithm that feels rigged. If you’re targeting an audience that’s burned out on being sold to constantly, this could be your opening.
Backloggd is having a moment too, especially with gamers. Growth is up 2,225 percent. It’s basically where people track and review video games, like Letterboxd but for gaming. Super niche, but if you’re in gaming, streaming, or adjacent spaces, this community is engaged and growing fast.
AI Is Here, But It’s Not What You Think
Everyone’s freaking out about AI, and for good reason. Ninety seven percent of marketing leaders say AI skills are essential now. That’s not a future prediction. That’s today.
But here’s the thing nobody wants to admit out loud. Most AI generated content is terrible. You can spot it instantly. The tone is off, the phrasing is weird, and it has zero personality.
The brands using AI effectively aren’t replacing humans with robots. They’re using AI to handle the grunt work. Content ideation, scheduling, data analysis, the boring repetitive stuff. Then actual humans come in and make it sound like a person wrote it. Because, you know, people want to engage with people, not algorithms.
If your content sounds like it was written by a very polite alien trying to pass as human, you’re using AI wrong.
Why Small Influencers Are Crushing It
This trend is fascinating to me because it goes against everything we thought we knew about influencer marketing.
Micro influencers, people with 1,000 to 100,000 followers, are growing 33 percent year over year. Meanwhile, the mega influencers with millions of followers are seeing engagement rates drop off a cliff.
The reason is pretty simple once you think about it. When someone with 5,000 followers recommends something, it feels genuine. Like a friend giving you advice. When someone with 5 million followers does a sponsored post, it feels like a commercial break. Even if they actually like the product, the trust factor just isn’t the same.
Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword anymore. It’s literally more valuable than reach. People would rather hear from someone real with a smaller audience than someone polished with a massive following.
Social Search Is the New Google
Gen Z isn’t googling things anymore. At least not first. When they want to learn how to do something or check if a product is worth buying, they’re searching on TikTok or Instagram.
This isn’t a minor shift. This is a fundamental change in how an entire generation finds information. And if you’re not optimizing for social search, you’re basically invisible to them.
What does that mean practically? Your captions need to include the actual words people are searching for. Your video descriptions matter more than you think. The hashtags you use need to match real search intent, not just be clever wordplay.
Think about how people actually talk when they’re looking for something. “Best budget headphones” or “how to fix a leaky faucet” or “is this skincare brand worth it.” That’s the language you need to be using.
What Actually Matters Going Forward
I know this is a lot. New platforms, new trends, new ways of thinking about content. It can feel like you’re always playing catch up.
But when I zoom out and look at what’s consistently working across all these changes, there’s a clear pattern.
The brands winning right now are the ones that sound like actual humans. They’re building real relationships instead of just collecting followers. They’re making people feel something genuine instead of just trying to make a sale.
Production quality matters less than it ever has. A iPhone video with authentic energy will outperform a polished studio production that feels fake. Every single time.
The platforms will keep changing. TikTok might get banned, Instagram might pivot again, some new app we’ve never heard of might blow up overnight. That’s just how this works now.
But the core principle stays the same. Make stuff people care about. Talk to them like they’re friends, not targets. Build something real instead of chasing every shiny trend that comes along.
As we head into 2026, the marketers who will thrive aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the most sophisticated tools. They’re the ones who remember that social media is supposed to be, you know, social.
Real conversations. Real connections. Real people on both sides of the screen.
That’s not a trend. That’s just what works.
