1.1 AI-driven storytelling
Essence: AI is no longer just a tool for filters or automation — it’s now a mechanism for building emotional worlds, visual moodboards, conceptual depth, and atmospheric production.
Why it matters: Automation cuts timelines and budgets (AI-generated videos can be produced much faster, lowering CPM), while also boosting personalization and creative depth.
Macro-Trends
Fall–Winter 2025 (USA)
Deloitte forecasts that by 2025, 25% of companies using generative AI will deploy AI agents to optimize decision-making and workflows.
For example, AI-powered ads slash both cost and production time — brands like PUMA, Popeyes, and Coca-Cola have already launched such projects.
Cédo concept: At Cédo, AI is not a “filter” — it’s art design. AI worlds, capsule visual systems, and emotionally charged campaigns with meaning — that’s our signature.
1.2 Micro-campaigns (7–14 days)
Essence: Brands are moving away from month-long campaigns toward compact, impulse-driven activations that feel fresh, spark buzz, and hit cultural relevance at its peak.
Why it matters: Trends die faster than ever, and new ones take over instantly — brands must react in real time. Micro-campaigns allow agile adaptation and sharper engagement, but it’s crucial to keep the brand’s core values intact instead of blindly chasing every fad.
How it works in the US: Perfect for platforms like TikTok and Reels, where the attention cycle lasts only a few days.
Cédo approach: AR filters, short-form AI videos, instant hypothesis testing, and rapid trend adaptation under an Agile framework.
1.3 Community-driven activations
Essence: Marketing through local communities: pop-up studios, street events, IRL meetups, creator hubs.
Why it works: Audiences crave authentic, real-world engagement — not just digital. The point is not to ditch online platforms, but to build seamless bridges between digital and physical experiences.
92% of marketers say community-driven strategies are underrated yet highly effective for trust & loyalty.
Local communities — from sports clubs to book groups — are becoming key playgrounds for brands. Example: Sephora and WNBA launched pop-up beauty events with DJ booths (Sephora Sounds) and courtside beauty corners. Hoka built run clubs where both athletes and everyday wellness seekers participate.
Cédo approach: We design pop-ups, co-creation events with creators, and integrations that drive real engagement. Storytelling is built community-first, with event creation tailored to brand goals.
Essence: Visual strategies are returning to texture — grain, metallics, materiality, tactile design, depth, atmosphere — even in digital.
Design trends for 2025: textured grains, metallics, bold shapes — everything that feels tactile and deep. Online design increasingly embraces tactile visuals that look 3D, almost touchable: grain effects, shadows, material imitations.
1.3 Texture in branding
Cédo concept: We use “texture” as both a visual and strategic depth layer: AI-built material worlds, AR scenography, and tactile effects.
Moncler uses layering and shadows to mimic fabric textures.
macOS Sequoia introduces blur and shadowing for visual depth.
Why it matters: In a world dominated by flat, polished AI visuals, texture restores a sense of reality, depth, and humanity — the feeling of touch.
1.4 Personalization in digital marketin
Cédo approach: We combine next-gen AI tools with creative direction to design immersive brand worlds that adapt to each user’s behavior, context, and emotions. Every touchpoint — from product recommendations to interactive storytelling — becomes a tailored journey that feels personal, aesthetic, and emotionally valuable. This approach not only deepens loyalty and satisfaction but also drives measurable growth, ensuring personalization works as both a creative experience and a business accelerator.
Essence: Next-gen AI algorithms enable highly personalized experiences — from product recommendations to fully immersive storytelling worlds built around individual user interests, context, and behavior.
Seasonal Sparks
(What Brands Need for Fall–Winter)
2.1 Halloween 2025
Trends & techniques
Summerween: The season now kicks off earlier — Halloween marketing starts as early as July. 47% of consumers begin preparations in advance, with spending expected to hit $11.7B in 2025. Fear of missing out still rules.
Short-form advantage: Quick, punchy videos are the key to virality on TikTok and Reels.
TikTok Shop = impulse marketing engine: Social platforms are becoming direct points of sale, where instant engagement drives spontaneous purchases.
AR masks & filters: Big for Halloween, adding gamified and interactive elements.
Flash drops + TikTok Shop: Fast creator collabs, limited editions, and in-app convenience fuel impulse buys.
UGC challenges like “best quick costume” or “spooky transition” go viral quickly, driving mass participation.
“24-hour fear drops”: Creator x brand collabs that launch AR or product drops available for just 24 hours — engineered FOMO.
What Cédo brings:
Flash drops via TikTok Shop: Limited AR accessories/masks or UGC sticker packs co-created with creators, live for only 24 hours.
AI-powered spooky visuals: Instant creative generation (static/video) on Halloween themes, enabling brands to adapt campaigns on the fly.
Record-breaking sales: In 2024, Black Friday online sales hit $10.8B in the US, up 10.2% YoY (+96% since 2017).
Emotional storytelling: Thanksgiving and Black Friday are no longer just about discounts. Campaigns lean into gratitude, family stories, and the spirit of giving — building engagement and brand trust.
Unboxing rituals:UGC drives virality. Brands encourage buyers to share “rituals of unboxing” with branded hashtags.
Thanksgiving & Black Friday
Trends & techniques
What Cédo brings:
AI-powered gratitude & gifting visuals: Capsule visual systems built around stories of thankfulness, family, and gift-giving — instantly scalable across brand channels.
Viral unboxing rituals: Mechanics that inspire users to share unboxing moments, from family traditions to TikTok creativity. Cédo acts as the studio connecting UGC with brand storytelling.
What Cédo brings:
Capsule visual systems infused with modern Americana
AI-powered “future Americana” scenes: reimagining patriotic visuals through next-gen aesthetics
TikTok Shop UGC challenges: Limited merch drops like “Red, White & Viral.”
2.4 Christmas & Holidays
Trends & techniques
Brands launch holiday campaigns earlier.
Capsule-visual systems allow instant creation of festive moods — adaptable across socials, email, pop-ups, TikTok/Reels.
AI-powered future Christmas. Brands are reimagining Christmas with AI worlds — utopian, retro-nostalgic, or futuristic. This creates wow factor while segmenting audiences (Gen Z → futuristic, Millennials → nostalgic).
Emotional storytelling: Christmas remains the prime stage for storytelling — centered on family, warmth, and community, but now in a digital-first format (short-form, UGC, interactive).
What Cédo brings:
Capsule-visual systems instantly adaptable to any format (socials, email, pop-ups, Reels/TikTok).
AI-powered “future Christmas” worlds: alternative universes (utopia, nostalgia) with product integration.
UGC + TikTok Shop challenges: “Unbox your future gift” or “nostalgic Christmas setup.”
Pop-up immersive spaces: holiday pop-ups with AR/AI scenography (digital fireworks, virtual trees, interactive zones).
2.3 Independence Day
(Pre-holiday campaigns)
Trends & techniques
Independence Day is no longer strictly “patriotic” — brands are reframing it with modern Americana: art direction through sports, music, digital fireworks, AI visuals, lifestyle products.
Pre-holiday campaigns launch early to capture summer consumption waves.
TikTok & Reels dominate with instant celebration content — short clips featuring merch, festive aesthetics, and meme culture.
UGC communities (picnics, festivals, fan events) are key entry points for brands to embed as “part of the moment.”
TikTok Shop — growth driver even for premium & luxury
TikTok Shop has solidified its role as a sales engine. In 2024, TikTok Shop’s GMV in the U.S. reached $9B, the largest contribution to its global total of $33.2B (+650% YoY). In H1 2025, U.S. GMV hit $5.8B, up +91% YoY. A massive network of 475,000 stores and 15.3M creators fueled this growth.
Even luxury brands are testing sales and creator collaborations on TikTok Shop.
For premium segments, it’s not just about selling — it’s about storytelling through creators: branded livestreams, capsule drops, and limited gifting.
U.S. Market-Specific Insights
End-to-end UGC studios: creator sourcing, scripting, production, and promo integration
Scalable creator pipelines with agency-level direction and peer-level authenticity
Cultural mapping to match creators with brand voice and audience values
Continuous optimization through analytics, ensuring both creative impact and ROI
Retail + Digital bridges -
pop-ups, capsule merch, limited events
The U.S. is seeing a strong phygital trend: brands are blending retail and digital.
Sephora, Glossier, Hoka are actively opening pop-ups with digital integrations (AR, livestreaming, UGC zones).
Capsule merch, Limited Edition Drops, and exclusive events amplify social buzz.
What Cédo brings:
Capsule campaigns where creators act as co-creators, not just promoters
UGC content at scale
AI-powered visuals
Trend scouting & cultural analytics to detect viral formats early
Data-driven insights to link storytelling with measurable sales growth
UGC as Studio — creator trust on the level of agencies
UGC is evolving. Brands now delegate entire campaigns to creators — from ideation to full production — not just single posts. Example: e.l.f. Cosmetics ran full-scale campaigns entirely through TikTok creators.
GoPro — Creator Challenge: GoPro invited users to submit stunning videos shot on GoPro. The best content was featured across the brand’s official YouTube and Instagram channels.
These cases go far beyond classic UGC (one-off posts or Stories). They represent deep integration. Brands are turning users into content partners, letting their audience co-author brand narratives through personal stories.
What Cédo brings:
Pop-up and limited event activations that live in digital: AR zones, TikTok-friendly installations, capsule merch.
Conclusion
Fall–Winter 2025 in the U.S. is all about how fast brands can tune into culture, build emotional worlds, and bring people together — from digital UGC to pop-up activations. The key drivers: AI creativity, micro-campaigns, community-first strategies, and phygital experiences. Brands that lean into these practices win not just in sales, but in lasting loyalty.
Why Cédo
We believe the future of marketing isn’t about mechanics — it’s about emotional experiences, where AI helps create meaning and visual worlds, and communities become true co-creators of the brand.