Tag: VM

Social media doesn’t hit pause.

What people are doing online is a constant stream of information that brand marketers should be processing. 

Yes, I know that sounds exhausting. We all have our mental health to protect (personal goal for 2025: use phone less, run around park more). But, if our jobs are to understand audiences and meet them where they’re at, well there’s no better place to do that than on social platforms. 

As we go into a new year, it’s always exciting to look ahead and see what might be big this year and where the opportunity could be to create great work. 

At VaynerMedia, we cut through the cultural noise to identify 15 game-changing trends set to shape 2025. 

These insights are tailored to help your brand connect with people authentically, adapt quickly to what they care about, and stay relevant. Let’s explore a few.

Fridgescaping

Everything is aesthetic on social media these days, even your leftovers. From curated fridges to coquette-inspired IG dumps, there’s a push to make the mundane beautiful. 

But remember, not everything needs to be perfect. You need to make a call – does your brand align with creating a great aesthetic everywhere? Or should you be kicking back against so-called perfection?

Pro Tip: Use storytelling formats like Pinterest collages or Instagram carousels to highlight both the polished and the chaotic sides of life.

Gatekeeping My City

Locals are fighting back against hyper-tourism, using social media to reclaim their spaces. This has led to secretive posts and a preference for niche over mass appeal. 

It could be a big year for secret community meetings, social clubs, and saving the best spots for your mates.

For Brands: Go local. Foster micro-communities that resonate with local audiences or tap into community spaces on Reddit, Pinterest or Substack.

ChatGPT, Make My Dream Life a Reality

We’re seeing normal people use AI – not just tech bros. While it’s not replacing us any time soon, it seems people are using it as what it was intended to do, help us.

People are using ChatGPT for everything from life advice to creating hyper-personalized experiences.

Why It Matters: While AI is powerful, don’t overlook how people want easy, relatable tips on how it can help them. If you have advice, share it in comments, DMs, and beyond.

Niche Costumes, Mass Virality

Quirky and hyper-niche content is redefining what it means to “go viral.” Whether it’s a Wetherspoons-carpet or a really, really specific halloween outfit, individuality is the new cool.

Actionable Insight: Dive deep into your audience’s micro-interests. High-volume creative aimed at niche groups will drive relevance.

Dopamine Menus

For young people, digital fatigue is real. They are making lists of when and where to be online rather than being a slave to their phones.

Popular choices? Joining sports clubs, getting into niche hobbies, embracing video gaming, etc.

Opportunity: Don’t just meet your audience online—craft real-world brand moments that are focused on what people want, rather than being heavily digital and heavily branded.

Boomers+ Reviving the Feed

Boomers, on the other hand, are loving their role as gurus on social.

They are the unexpected stars of raw, unfiltered content. They’re proof that authenticity never goes out of style.

Pro Tip: Feature older creators in your campaigns for a fresh, joy-filled perspective that breaks the algorithm fatigue.

At VaynerMedia, we understand that staying ahead means staying curious. Trends aren’t just shifts—they’re signals, showing where culture is headed and where your brand can lead. 

By embracing them, you can plan ahead on how to resonate with people and push your brand forward in 2025.

Want to know more? Download the full trend report here.

Sometimes numbers tell a perfect story. 

In 2024, VaynerX celebrated fifteen years with fifteen global offices – a bit of kismet that captures our deliberate path to scale. Over the last decade and a half, we’ve built our way into global markets through an unwavering commitment to doing things our way, and the “social shop” founded out of a conference room is now a global, integrated (and yet still independent!) agency of 2000+. 

And in true Vayner fashion, we had to celebrate in a big way – with social at the heart of it all.

🌎 Racing Across the Globe

To kick off the big birthday, we turned to where attention is today —social media. In a global challenge format, two Vayner teams raced across the map to visit all 15 VaynerX offices (in 15 days), inviting the world to watch. 

Here’s who took on the challenge:

• Team Go-Getters: Aengus Boyle and Nick Dio, a duo who earned their spot by racking up the most LinkedIn impressions in an internal contest. (Check out Aengus and Nick’s videos)
• Team OGs: Mimia Johnson and Hanna Park, two of Vayner’s longest-standing team members who’ve spent over a decade shaping our journey.

This dynamic social series that brought our community of marketers along for the ride. Each post, story, and reel showcased the excitement, teamwork, and twists between all the travel mishaps and special office moments with various Vayner teams around the world.

Want to see more of the VXXV world tour? Look back at the full journey here.

🎉A Worldwide Party (or 15)

Nothing says birthday like a party, and we threw 15 of them—one for every Vayner office. The festivities kicked off in London with a high-energy event that set the tone for the global tour. At our NYC celebration, Ice Spice made a surprise guest appearance, adding a little extra sparkle to where it all began.

Each VXXV event featured people who’ve been integral to our journey: employees, clients, and partners who have helped shape VaynerX. From New York to New Delhi,  every event reflected the unique culture of its region while celebrating the global spirit of Team Vayner.

🎙 #ThatsSoVayner

We took a walk down memory lane with our ‘That’s So Vayner’ social series, where team members shared behind-the-scenes stories from the OG days. From AJ Vaynerchuk recalling the lack of preparation during their first pitch to Melissa Moriarty reminiscing about the early days of the 6 second video format, these stories captured the scrappy beginnings and core values that are just “so Vayner.”

Catch the full series of behind-the-scenes moments on our YouTube playlist.

🧶 Merch as Marketing

Everyone loves merch. Including us! So, we obviously had to find the coolest up and coming design partner to swag out our Vayner employees. We partnered with Yellow Label to create special gifts: exclusive custom-embroidered merch for our 2,000+ employees and a few lucky partners. It’s been so cool to see the Vayner fam sporting these in our 15 offices, and zillion Zoom calls.

📰 VXXV In The Headlines

To make some noise in the industry, we secured an exclusive piece in Business Insider. The feature highlighted our proud independence and also showcased how we’ve scaled globally over the past five years, with a special focus on Gary’s incredible story as a business leader. “How Gary Vaynerchuk doubled his agency revenue in 5 years” sure has a nice ring to it 🙂 

Check out the full Business Insider article here.

And, our friends at Campaign covered the whole celebration with a lovely piece. 

🔮 Looking Ahead

Fifteen years down, but we’re just warming up. The dawn of the “organic social era” is just beginning; and we’re so ready for this next chapter of Vayner’s growth.

To everyone who’s been part of this journey—thank you. Here’s to 15 more years of growth, brand building, and making magic happen with our brand partners. 🚀