Known for its elegance, adaptability, and analytical mind, the Snake symbolises wisdom and transformation. In 2025, the Snake is paired with the element wood to bring balance, harmony, and order to our world. But what does this mean for marketing? As businesses navigate a world filled with technology, AI, and digital innovation, could this be the year traditional marketing finally sheds its skin for good? Or does the Wood Snake reveal a different path—a coexistence of old and new?
Let’s dive into the predictions for the Year of the Wood Snake and what they mean for marketing strategies, trends, and the age-old debate:
Is traditional marketing dead?
Known for their resourcefulness and ability to shed old skin, snakes are nature’s ultimate marketers—always evolving to stay ahead of their surroundings.
The Snake pairing with the wood element offers key lessons for marketers:
Wisdom and Strategy: The Wood Snake’s careful planning reminds us of the importance of intentional, data-driven strategies. While AI might be taking over tactical tasks, it’s the human insight that ensures campaigns resonate.
Adaptability: Like a snake slithering through different terrains, marketers must embrace an omnichannel approach, tailoring messages to suit each platform.
Transformation: 2025 calls for brands to transform—incorporating sustainability, inclusivity, and authenticity into their narratives to remain relevant.
For years, we’ve debated whether traditional marketing is obsolete. The truth? It’s not dead; it’s evolving. Take the example of television ads.
More specifically, think about how to combine the best practices of both worlds:
Integration of Traditional and Modern: The Wood Snake’s harmonious element, wood, teaches balance. Traditional tactics like direct mail, print ads, and outdoor advertising can complement digital campaigns, creating a cohesive brand experience. While traditional TV viewership has declined, connected TV (CTV) advertising has emerged as a hybrid solution, blending the reach of traditional channels with the targeting capabilities of digital platforms. Similarly, physical mail is experiencing a renaissance through augmented reality (AR) integrations, turning simple flyers into interactive experiences.
Nostalgia in Marketing: Just as the snake honours its history, consumers still crave the familiarity of traditional methods. Handwritten notes, billboard ads, or tactile experiences can evoke powerful emotions, driving brand loyalty.
Localised, Personalised Outreach: Grassroots marketing is experiencing a revival, with brands returning to community engagement. Traditional methods like workshops or sponsorships are now enhanced with digital amplification.
In Chinese astrology, the Snake represents growth, creativity, and resilience while the Wood Snake is grounded yet flexible, weaving its way through challenges with wisdom and ingenuity. For marketers, this means 2025 is a year to observe, calculate, and act with precision. Focus on data-driven strategies that align with customer behaviour. It is the time to let go of outdated marketing practices. Think personalised digital campaigns. The wood element´s emphasis on harmony encourages marketers to achieve breakthroughs from challenges. These could be through innovation or simply to embrace complex, multi-channel approaches.
What are some trends we can expect to see in 2025?
User-Generated Content Will Become Increasingly Effective: The power of authentic, user-generated content (UGC) will reach new heights in 2025. As consumers increasingly value peer recommendations over traditional advertising, brands will rely on UGC to build trust and engagement. Advanced AI tools will help marketers curate impactful user-created content, turning customers into active brand ambassadors. Collaborating with customers instead of influencers will foster deeper community connections, as seen in initiatives like REFY’s exclusive retreats for loyal customers.
Social Channels Will Be the New Internet: Social media platforms are evolving into comprehensive ecosystems, integrating e-commerce, entertainment, news, and communication. Marketers must master a variety of content formats, such as short-form videos, live streams, and interactive posts, to thrive in these “super apps”. Successful navigation of these platforms will yield significant advantages in reach, engagement, and customer loyalty.
The Rise of Sustainable and Purpose-Driven Marketing: Consumers demand brands that prioritise sustainability and social responsibility. From eco-friendly packaging to transparent supply chains, purpose-driven initiatives will dominate marketing strategies. Authentic alignment with meaningful causes will foster stronger connections with ethically-minded consumers.
Voice Search and Voice Commerce: With smart speakers becoming mainstream, voice search optimisation is crucial. Brands must adapt their SEO strategies to align with conversational queries, using long-tail keywords and natural language to capture this growing audience.
Outdoor Advertising and Spectacular Trends: Outdoor advertising continues to grow in importance as the perfect partner to your online communications. Out of Home (OOH) helps to raise awareness in the real world by reaching new potential customers who may not have heard of your brand and product offering before. The digitisation of the medium now allows smart planning by location, time period and more efficient long term visibility during key moments that are relevant to your brand. Access to spectacular sites is now possible including dynamic billboard campaigns where brands can set monthly target impressions by rotating sites and times to optimise their advertising plans. Brand to consumer relationship requires a degree of trust and as a public medium, OOH has the ability to build trust like no other media channel. Traditional formats like Bus and Tram wraps also remain strong as they drive Brand Impact and Awareness due to their sheer size, scale and city centre coverage, transforming everyday transit into mobile billboards that capture attention and tell a brand’s story. These innovations make outdoor advertising a powerful complement to digital strategies.
Combining AI and Human-Generated Content: While AI tools can streamline research and content generation, human creativity remains irreplaceable. A blend of AI- and human-generated content will ensure quality, engagement, and trustworthiness. Download our free eBook on Crafting Irresistible Product Ideas below and discover your incredible human creativity.
Be Agile: The snake’s ability to adapt quickly is a reminder to stay flexible. Experiment, learn, and pivot as needed.
Invest in Long-Term Growth: Like the snake shedding its skin, marketers must evolve their strategies for sustainable success, focusing on value-driven narratives over quick wins. Check out our Free Marketing Resources to beef up your marketing know-how.
Embrace Duality: The blend of tradition and modernity mirrors the snake’s balance between its primal instincts and refined elegance.
In 2025, the Year of the Snake encourages marketers to embrace wisdom, adaptability, and transformation. Traditional marketing is far from dead; instead, it has found new life in its integration with modern techniques. The key lies in understanding your audience, experimenting with innovative strategies, and staying true to timeless principles of connection and authenticity.
As we navigate this year’s marketing challenges, let’s channel the elegance and intelligence of the Wood Snake to create campaigns that truly resonate. After all, the most successful brands don’t just sell—they connect, transform, and grow with their audience.
Are you ready to shed old strategies and slither into a transformative marketing era? Start your year strong by downloading our free eBook on 5 Tips to Plan for Revenue Growth.