How WFA Forums have brought clarity to a turbulent 2025

In 2025 marketers faced perhaps the most turbulent and dynamic environment in decades. From geopolitical uncertainty and economic volatility to the profound disruption and opportunity presented by AI, the game has changed for global brand owners.

With this transformative environment in mind, WFA’s forums helped crystalize what progressive marketers are focused on, and the actions they are taking. The following is a summary of some of those priorities and actions raised in our meetings.

Embrace true transformation, not just reorganisation

Real change is uncomfortable. It affects processes, structures, and people in fundamental ways. WFA marketers know they need to go beyond surface-level tweaks and deliver strategic, growth-driving change. The challenge is in creating momentum in the face of cost-reduction pressures and disruptive forces in technology and society. But these factors can also be drivers of successful change.

The discussions at WFA forums highlighted that brand owners were mapping out new marketing operating models to clearly define value for their organisation as well as for consumers and colleagues. Some were taking steps to prioritise organisational agility and responsiveness by flattening hierarchies and embracing cross-functional teams.

Champion AI, but keep people at the heart

AI is now “table stakes,” but its most powerful and responsible uses combine technology and human creativity. AI should be treated as an integrator and growth engineer, not as a standalone solution. Yes, AI can automate and optimise, but people drive strategy, innovation, and judgement.

Priorities brands raised at WFA forums included the need to audit your organization’s AI maturity and identify areas for upskilling. When deploying AI, ensure clear governance, human oversight, and ongoing training. Encourage a mindset where AI handles ‘back office’ tasks, freeing people for creative and critical work.

Being future fit requires not losing sight of the past

Much emphasis is currently placed on emerging expertise such as AI and influencer marketing. But when we focus purely on these new skills, to the detriment of the marketing fundamentals, we risk going backwards.

Being future fit for WFA members meant regularly updating capability programmes to keep pace with industry shifts. However WFA forums heard that ensuring marketing fundamentals were built into your DNA and your “way of marketing” was critical. These fundamentals need to be clearly and consistently communicated with the team.

Integration, now more than ever

Silos are an evergreen enemy of agility and innovation for large multinationals. Growth increasingly depends on marketing successfully collaborating with other functions and developing strong external partnerships. When teams co-create strategies and share KPIs, results improve, and transformation becomes embedded across the business.

Discussions at WFA forum events centred on the need to consider cross-functional project squads around business-critical challenges. While also defining and communicating shared metrics and outcomes.

Rethink measurement – focus on what matters

“What gets measured gets managed—and that's not always good.” Over-reliance on benchmarks from competitors often stifles true innovation. Marketers must define their own metrics, focusing on what drives both consumer value and business growth.

What ideas came out of WFA forums to manage this? First, identify and eliminate any KPIs that do not link directly to business success or consumer impact. Second, co-create measurement frameworks with finance and product teams to align marketing measurement with wider organisational goals.

Build empowered cultures

Organisations that succeed in transformation embrace a learning culture, where risk is rewarded, curiosity is cultivated, and teams are confident enough to fail and learn fast. Personal transformation and strong, cohesive leadership are prerequisites for strong, resilient culture.

For global brand management, this freedom can often be tricky, however lessons shared at WFA events suggested a path through. These include:

• encouraging informed risk-taking and rewarding curiosity.
• creating space for teams to experiment (and fail) as they learn.
• letting marketing lead enterprise-wide change management, co-owning growth outcomes with people, product, and finance leaders.

2025 presented immense challenges as well as opportunities for brand owners. Those who lead with clarity of vision, by combining technology, creativity and joined up measurement, will unlock the next wave of growth.

The priorities and ideas above, highlighted in WFA’s global forums, are not recommendations, they are peer actions using past learning to shape the future of marketing.

Join us at an upcoming WFA forum event, to exchange insight and engage with other global brand owners on your prioritiy issues.