Danielle Martinez & Catey Darrow10.31.253 min read

Ad Week 2025: The Pulse of What’s Next

The era of interruption is over. The era of integration has begun.

AdWeek felt electric this year. AI was woven into every discussion, and not as a side note but as the lens through which people viewed media, measurement, and creative. Simultaneously, the pressure on brands to be authentic and culturally relevant was unmistakable. Creators and experiences weren’t afterthoughts: they were central.

Most brands have been operating in the digital space for well over a decade and know well: evolution is the constant. The question now is how quickly and how deeply brands can adapt to the next wave of change that’s already here, and which was the main theme of the week.

WHEN AI BECOMES THE CANVAS, NOT THE PAINTBRUSH

AI was, unsurprisingly, everywhere at AdWeek. Still, there’s a major disconnect between optimism and execution; everyone is eager to explore AI, but few have built the systems, approval structures, and trust to use it effectively.

What stood out most: audiences know when content is AI-generated—and they don’t care. What matters is whether the story resonates. If the emotion is real and the story compelling, the origin doesn’t matter. The spirit was: AI is here to amplify creativity. But AI's promise means nothing without the human element that makes content resonate—which brings us to the heart of what's changing.

AUTHENTICITY, CREATORS & CULTURE: THE TRIAD THAT COMMANDS TRUST

At every session, the persistent theme was authenticity (still!). In a digital world oversaturated with curated perfection, consumers are gravitating toward brands that feel genuine, unfiltered, and aligned with their values. They want to see the people behind the brand, the beliefs driving decisions, and the real stories behind products.

Speakers like Flavor Flav, Chad Ochocinco, and Bran__Flakezz embodied this perfectly. Their influence isn't driven by fame alone, but by their willingness to share unfiltered moments and genuine stories—building loyal communities and setting the tone for what consumers now expect from brands.

Creators are now the bridge between brand and culture. The strongest partnerships come when brands let creators speak in their own voice, not when they hand them a script. Audiences feel unscripted connection immediately and trust what's being said because it feels like it's coming from someone real.

This demand for authenticity extends into advertising strategy itself. Traditional formats like non-skippable pre-rolls, intrusive pop-ups, and autoplay takeovers are increasingly ineffective. In their place, integrated campaigns are resonating more deeply: influencer partnerships that feel like honest recommendations, experiential activations that invite participation, and branded content that adds value rather than noise.

The future of effective advertising lies in authentic integration, not interruption. Whether through immersive pop-ups, digital-to-physical tie-ins, or brand experiences that people can feel and share, the brands breaking through are those embedding themselves naturally within culture—transforming consumers into participants and giving them something emotional to connect to long after the moment ends. Today's audiences are tuning out anything that feels too polished, too salesy, or too disconnected from what they actually care about.

LOOKING AHEAD: WHAT WE’RE WATCHING, WHAT WE’RE BUILDING

At Stella Rising we’re building workflows and new tech that blends AI-driven efficiency with human creativity; technology should suggest, while people shape. We’re doubling down on creator partnerships that feel like collaborations, not campaigns, and using those voices to carry authentic storytelling across channels.

We’re also expanding how we think about brand experiences and treating experiential marketing as a content engine. At the same time, we’re embracing sprint-based, modular systems that turn content creation into an agile cycle of testing, learning, and reacting—helping us stay in step with cultural moments as they happen.

Most importantly, we’re anchoring all of it in authenticity. Because if there’s one thing AdWeek made clear, it’s that the future of marketing isn’t about being everywhere—it’s about being real everywhere.