Good too Late, but never forgotten.
We gather here today to mourn the passing of several marketing ideas that dominated our feeds, inboxes, and strategy decks for far too long. They lived rent-free, full of optimized lives, but 2025 finally pulled the plug.
Below we pay our respects.
The Perfectly Polished Feed
Born: 2016, at the height of the Instagram aesthetic.
Died: 2025, Suffocated under the weight of the sameness
Once celebrated for its crisp visuals and color-coded grids, The Perfectly Polished Feed couldn’t survive in the era of raw, lo-fi authenticity. Today’s audiences crave imperfection , with shaky camera angles, bad lighting, and unfiltered moments.
Survived by: The chaotic TikTok Reel, the accidental viral clip, and the “behind-the-scenes” iPhone snap.
The Traditional Funnel
Born: 1898 (yes, really), received every decade
Died: 2025, replaced by the almighty HubSpot Loop
Once the backbone of campaign planning, it focused on filling the top, narrowing in the middle, and closing at the bottom. But the marketing world changed: customers no longer move in straight lines, search ends without a click, and attention is everywhere.
Survived by: The Loop Marketing: Hubspot’s playbook for AI era. It meets customers where they are, uses AI to personalize at scale, and treats every interaction as a learning opportunity.
Corporate Jargon
Born: The same day the word “synergy” was invented.
Died: 2025, in a tragic collision with authenticity.
Corporate Speak spent its life in boardrooms, armed with buzzwords like “best-in-class” and “mission-critical.” Audiences grew tired of jargon and hollow phrases. They wanted real voices and real personality.
Survived by: Conversational tone, wit, and the occasional emoji.
The Monthly Newsletter Nobody Read
Born: 2010, fueled by company updates no one asked for.
Died: 2025, abandoned in inboxes everywhere.
Though well-intentioned, it confused “communication” with “connection.” Few will miss its lengthy paragraphs about internal events and new hires.
Survived by: Bite-sized, value-driven newsletters that deliver something people actually want to open.
Chatbots Without a Human Touch
Born: Early 2010s, automated to impress.
Died: 2025, after frustrating countless customers.
Bots that can’t answer real questions or escalate to humans are now ignored. People want assistance that feels helpful, not hollow automation.
Survived by: Hybrid AI-human support, conversational flows, and interactions that feel personal.
Cold Outreach and “Spray and Pray”
Born: Whenever marketers thought blasting everyone would work.
Died: 2025, ignored and deleted.
One-size-fits-all campaigns, Generic emails, DMs, and mass outreach no longer convert. Segmented, relationship-driven communication rules the day.
Survived by: Targeted campaigns, personalization, and meaningful engagement.
The Em Dash —
Born: Sometime in the golden age of corporate copy.
Died: 2025, overused, misunderstood, and banned by marketing humans everywhere.
Long celebrated for adding drama or sophistication, the em dash became the hallmark of corporate-speak overload. Audiences are tired of the “look how smart we sound” vibe. Marketing now favors clarity, brevity, and natural flow.
Survived by: Commas, periods, and sentences that actually read like humans wrote them
In Loving Memory
They came, they promised ease, efficiency, and reach, but in 2025, the old ways of marketing finally caught up with reality. From corporate speak to spray-and-pray campaigns, polished feeds to over-engineered funnels, audiences demanded more than noise; they wanted authenticity, clarity, and connection.
May we remember their lessons: marketing isn’t about perfection or blasting messages to everyone. It’s about showing up with purpose, listening, and creating experiences that actually matter to real people.
Amen!
Leave a Reply