The End of Easy Growth: How Smart Brands Will Win in 2025

Rising costs, constantly evolving consumer behaviors, and rapid advancements in technology have created a turning point for DTC brands. Marketers can’t afford to rely on outdated playbooks—the strategies that once drove predictable growth are quickly losing their edge.

At Cannella Media, we’ve always been focused on what’s next. With 2025 underway, our leadership team has been tracking the key shifts that impacted the industry over the past year and what those mean for performance-driven brands in 2025. Staying ahead means knowing which strategies will deliver measurable growth—and which will leave you behind.

What do we think? Television, particularly CTV, isn’t just for awareness. AI isn’t just a buzzword. Innovative ad formats aren’t a nice-to-have. These are the growth levers defining this next phase of performance marketing.

Unlocking CTV’s Performance Powers

For years, linear TV has been the gold standard to deliver measurable results, while CTV has struggled to shake its reputation as just a branding tool. However this landscape has shifted and CTV and linear TV are now complementary forces in a performance-driven strategy maximizing reach and measurable impact.

“Marketers are rethinking how they grow because high CPMs on social and streaming—combined with the unpredictability of platform algorithms—are making digital-only strategies unsustainable,” says Bill Raymond, EVP Managing Partner. “TV advertising—especially CTV—is proving to be a powerful performance driver to incorporate in an omnichannel strategy.”

Brands searching for sustainable growth are discovering that CTV and linear TV together create a full-funnel strategy that drives results. This shift is forcing marketers to move beyond traditional branding metrics and focus on measurable outcomes that drive real business results.

“Look at measuring sales as outcomes rather than just buying impressions,” adds Steve Schachter, SVP Business Development and Distribution. “In 2025, ROAS isn’t just a digital metric—it’s the defining metric for every media channel, including TV.”

Shoppable Ads: The Direct Link Between Engagement and Sales

DTC brands don’t have time for branding exercises, they survive and thrive on conversions, and shoppable TV ads are making it easier than ever to turn engagement into sales.

“Shoppable ads are about to change everything,” says Chris Brombach, SVP Media & Strategy. “Passive viewing is becoming active commerce, where consumers can explore and buy—without leaving the content they’re watching.”

And this goes beyond just TV. Social platforms are rushing to integrate frictionless commerce with features like augmented reality try-ons and instant checkout. With AI-driven targeting, these ads don’t just reach people — they reach the right people at the exact moment they’re ready to buy.

The brands that invest in these frictionless commerce experiences now will gain an edge that late adopters can’t easily replicate.

AI: The Growth Engine That’s Only Getting Started

AI is no longer an emerging trend—it’s a powerful catalyst for brands that focus on efficiency and measurable outcomes. But it’s not a magic bullet. The brands that know how to layer AI into a holistic performance strategy will win. Those relying on it as a shortcut will be left behind.

“We’re only scratching the surface of what AI can accomplish in advertising,” says Eli Hartman, VP Short Form. “From creating content, building audience cohorts, and optimizing media buying, AI is now an essential part of how brands scale.”

For brands focused on efficiency and measurable outcomes, AI is already delivering on things such as:

• Automated content generation for high-performing ad creative
• Optimized media buying for maximum ROAS
• Hyper-targeted audience segmentation to drive more efficient conversions

In performance media, precision is everything. AI is just making it faster, smarter, and more profitable.

The New Premium: Unskippable, Unavoidable Ad Formats

Consumers are harder to reach than ever, but some ad placements are impossible to ignore. The most valuable ad placements aren’t always the most obvious ones.

“Pause screen ads are going to be the most valuable spots,” says Andy Calver, SVP Analytics. “Pre-rolls? Skipped. Mid-rolls? Bathroom break. But pause screen ads? That’s where you capture real attention.”

These non-skippable formats—pause screens, Roku interface ads, and in-program overlays—are about to become premium real estate with more opportunities throughout the year. Why? Because they command attention and drive action in a way that traditional ad slots can’t.

When there’s more vying for consumers’ attention than ever, the ability to capture that attention at the perfect moment will be the difference between wasted spend and high-performance media.

Bold Performance-Driven Brands Will Win—The Rest Will Struggle

The reality is simple: The era of easy growth is over. The DTC brands that win in 2025 will be the ones that embrace a smarter, diversified, performance-driven approach. The ones evolving NOW.

The future belongs to brands that optimize, experiment, and adapt faster than the competition. Cannella Media has always known that measurable, outcome-focused media is the key to sustainable growth, it’s in our roots and how we’ve built billion dollar brands.

Let’s make 2025 the year we win together.