The BAM Connection

🔍 2025 Social Media Predictions 🔍 Here are some of the most compelling trends and predictions I've seen people talking about heading into next year... 1. "AI: Your New Co-Creator" Generative AI is moving from experimentation to full integration, streamlining content creation, strategy, and campaign execution. From personalized experiences to improved workflows, AI tools are empowering social teams to deliver highly engaging content at scale 2. "Comments Are The New Content" Proactive engagement via commenting on creator content is emerging as a potent strategy to build visibility and community. Brands that add genuine value and time comments strategically see stronger connections and engagement 3. "AR and VR Take the Stage" Augmented and virtual reality are transforming social interactions, from immersive filters to interactive ad experiences. Platforms like Meta are investing in AR glasses and advanced spatial tools to bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds 4. "Community-Centric Marketing" Communities are at the heart of successful campaigns, as brands prioritize genuine interaction over mass reach. This trend emphasizes quality over quantity, particularly among Gen Z, who value authenticity and connection 5. "Sentiment-Driven Strategy" Social listening tools are critical for gauging audience sentiment and adapting strategies. By tracking real-time trends and consumer moods, brands are refining their messaging and maximizing ROI

Anyone, Out There?   How many times do we send emails or texts and get no response? The frustration, the “fill-in-the-blank” stories we create. It has become far too common not to respond. Is it the easy way out of a conversation? Leaving the sender feeling uncertain, devalued and that they have wasted their time….and yours. I understand “No” is an often-difficult word to use as a response. “No, I am not interested.” “No, now is not the right time.” “This is wonderful to learn, but not ready to do right now”. These types of responses might leave some people feeling uncomfortable. But what is the alternative, silence? It’s hard to know what to say, and how to say it. But maybe being considerate, kind and honest is a good start. We talk about these values as a society yet in the simplest of interactions, we don’t apply it. This lack of basic courtesy seems to contradict the values we claim to uphold.   Emily Post, the queen of etiquette from years gone by, said, “The letter you write, whether you realize it or not, is always a mirror which reflects your appearance, taste and character.” I challenge you to think about the letter you don’t write; the response you don’t have time to give. Is that the impression you want to leave of yourself in business and life?

There’s always a gap between expectation and reality. But last week’s election result showed that for some marketers, that gap was significantly wider than they’d previously imagined. Creative agency strategists predict that marketers might turn to more cautious, conservative messaging as they try to mend that gap. President-elect Donald Trump won by more than 3.2 million votes. Embracing a shift in U.S. popular culture that preceded the election, Hollywood studios are playing to the Yellowstone crowd in its wake, with producers greenlighting a swathe of Westerns and Biblical epics. It’d likely be a mistake for marketers to hew too closely to faith-and-family messaging simply to appear more conservative now, according to agency strategists that spoke to Digiday. “The industry is probably out of touch to a certain extent,” said Greg Andersen, CEO of Bailey Lauerman, an indie agency in Omaha, Nebraska. “But the industry has also trained marketers and agencies to pursue difference. Difference inherently becomes a niche idea in a mass market.” In this piece by Sam Bradley, we also speak to Jason Sperling of INNOCEAN, James Kirkham, Maureen Maldari of The BAM Connection, Chad Waetzig of Crunch Fitness, and Craig Elimeliah of Code and Theory.