China's marketing expenses set to grow while AI showing great potential

According to the 2025 China Digital Marketing Trend Report, marketing expenses will continue to grow in China in 2025, though at a lower annual growth rate.

Mobile and outdoor marketing remains the focus of increased investment, and AI marketing shows great growth potential, according to the report released by Miaozhen Systems, a Beijing-based marketing research company, Global Digital Marketing Summit and Media 360, also a marketing think tank.

The report said that the growth rate for corporate marketing expenditure, including traditional and digital marketing, is expected to stand at 8 percent by 2025, with social marketing investments growing at an average of 10 percent.

As for the trend of marketing choice of media, mobile internet and outdoor platforms are the main mediums for increased investment, whose growth rates are expected to be 55 percent and 26 percent, respectively. The increase rate of both smart TVs and PCs will be 8 percent in 2025. Traditional media and smart terminals, however, are expected to see a flat or even declining growth rate.

Tan Beiping, head of Miaozhen Academy of Marketing Science, said that with the maturity of digital marketing technology, this year will be an important milestone for China's digital marketing industry.

"Generative marketing driven by AI is a fast-growing area of marketing technology currently, with mentions of AI marketing vendors up 55 percent year-on-year to 200," according to Tan.

Data from the report shows that on the advertisers' side, the weekly usage rate of AI is 54 percent at present, while the AI usage scenario is more concentrated in the office sector, and the application ratio of AI marketing is currently at a low level of 28 percent.

This trend indicates that AI marketing has great room for growth, which is expected to be more popular in the future. According to the report, 41 percent of advertisers said they will use AI marketing to solve problems, including the optimization of the efficiency of AI advertisements intelligent placement, user insights, data analysis, product innovation and distribution.

"Meanwhile, we need to do more on building up the brand image in the intense competition," Tan added. "Strong brand will survive the economic cycle which is also a reshuffle process."

Tan Guoling contributed to this story