Marketing and communications leaders are facing another year of transformation, disruption, and uncertainty. From AI reshaping search and workflows, to video dominating attention, to the professionalization of influencer commerce and the critical role of social customer care, the next twelve months will give us plenty of challenges and opportunities. 

This definitive guide breaks down the 15 biggest trends that will shape the year ahead in marketing, PR, and social media. Each trend comes with clear action points and shows how Meltwater’s suite of solutions can help you not just keep up, but lead.

For years, SEO has been the buzzword. Everyone wanted to rank on Google, optimise keywords, build backlinks, and chase algorithms. But with AI, things are changing fast. Search is no longer the only way people discover content. That’s where RAO: Retrieval-Augmented Optimisation is trending.

What is RAO?

As we know earlier, AI was trained on a fixed set of data.

It could only give answers from that data, not from real-time information.

The industry is turning to AI to better understand the technology itself, all with the hope of capturing consumer attention. Consumers are increasingly using AI chatbots for shopping recommendations. The retail industry is working to catch up on generative AI as the technology evolves at a rapid pace. While plenty of companies are using it to drive efficiency, it’s also presented a change to how consumers discover new products.

Everyone’s talking about “AI search” ( AI SEO, GEO, AEO, or whatever you call it) – and everyone’s convinced they’re right. Some say SEO is dead. Others say nothing’s really changed (“it’s just SEO”). The truth? Search is evolving fast, but SEO fundamentals still matter.

What’s shifting is where people discover information – and how machines decide what to trust. Here are a few myths worth retiring.

Nearly 90% of businesses are worried about losing organic visibility as AI transforms how people find information, according to a new survey by Ann Smarty.

Why we care. The shift from search results to AI-generated answers seems to be happening faster than many expected, threatening the foundation of how companies are found online and drive sales. AI is changing the customer journey and forcing an SEO evolution.

For decades, search engine optimization (SEO) has been the cornerstone of organic discovery and the primary mechanism through which users found and returned to digital experiences. Brands have created entire marketing programs around these rules — acquiring traffic, guiding journeys, and measuring it all in clicks. But with the rise of generative AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Google AI Overview, the way consumers discover and interact with brands is fundamentally shifting.

Master the transition from traditional SEO to Generative Engine Optimization to stay ahead in the AI-driven search landscape. This comprehensive guide reveals how to optimize your content for LLMs and AI search engines, ensuring your brand maintains visibility and stays competitive.

Traditional ecommerce SEO strategies are being upended. Google’s AI overviews, declining click-through rates, and hyper-personalized search results are reshaping conversion paths, forcing ecommerce brands to rethink how they drive visibility, authority, and conversions. To stay competitive, ecommerce businesses must pivot toward more dynamic, AI-aware content strategies. Ultimately, success will favor brands that embrace change, publish quality content, and proactively position themselves for discoverability across both traditional and emerging digital surfaces