Brand Innovations and Marketing Updates You Can’t Miss (Sept 21–27, 2025)
The realm of digital marketing is advancing faster than ever before, with brands continuously evaluating new technologies, forming new partnerships, and trying new tactics to stay on top. Search engines are introducing features that give users more control over their results, while companies are launching campaigns that are purpose-driven. Overall, the way brands engage with their consumers is certainly changing quite dramatically. Marketers must not only understand these changes, but also adapt their strategies to stay relevant and relevant today.
For those interested in sharpening their skills in this fast-moving space, a top SEO course might give you some practical tips and hands-on techniques to inform your content optimizations and brand exposure. In this blog, we will share five updates from the end of September 2025 that will influence the digital marketing landscape, while showing what brands are doing to attract attention, build trust and drive engagement.
Google’s “Preferred Sources” Update
Recently, Google introduced a new feature called “Preferred Sources,” which enables users to choose the sites they find most credible when examining search results. Users can essentially indicate a preference toward specific sources in each search, which will provide more prominence to those sites in their personalized search results. This is particularly important for brands as it changes how traffic is distributed and creates value through credibility.
Marketers are receiving a clear message that proving authority and trustworthiness is even more vital than it has been previously. Smaller brands may need to implement extra marketing efforts to demonstrate marketing knowledge and to be noted among sites with authority, whereas larger brands may benefit from pre-exiting brand awareness simply based on their credibility as a trusted source of information.
Brands should generally focus on best practices of producing accurate and trustworthy content, while also maintaining links to other reputable sites. Brands should continue to monitor changes in their search performance, as shifts in preferred user sources could shift traffic. By continuing to focus on making informed content based on authority and trust, brands can stake a claim to their search results so rely on addressing a user perception that limits whether users will see the brand as a credible search result source.
Source: https://npdigital.com/blog/digital-marketing-industry-roundup-september-2025/
Instagram Launches iPad App
Instagram has launched a dedicated app for the iPad that aims to create a smoother, more enjoyable experience on a larger screen, instead of just an enlarged version of the iPhone app the way previous iPad apps did. The new design takes full advantage of the iPad’s display with features like multi-column feeds for more content at once, improved sharpness of images, and more streamlined video presentations. Not surprisingly, navigation is simpler, and the app overall feels more interactive and engaging.
This is a huge opportunity for brands. The new app allows for more creative, more visually rich content on a larger screen, as well as premium options for advertising that is valuable to capture Gen Z and millennial audiences that are accustomed to immersive experiences on digital devices. Ads, posts, and video, as examples, used to be hemmed in on much smaller devices, but with the larger screen of the iPad, they can be reintroduced in a new format.
The update also entails modifications in the content strategy brands employ. Instead of simply posting images, brands can take advantage of high-quality images and video-rich immersive storytelling which keeps the audience engaged for longer periods of time. Brands can utilize high-quality imagery in interactive content such as polls and swipeable showcases to capture attention.
To maximize the new iPad app capabilities, brands should think about their visuals on a bigger screen, try out several formats for content, and simply create more creative strategies to interface with their audiences online. This is a unique opportunity to not only be more meaningful with a brand’s storytelling but also create a unique and varied content in a crowded timeline.
Google’s Smart Bidding Exploration
Google has rolled out a new performance capability called Smart Bidding Exploration to its Performance Max campaigns. Performance Max campaigns offer advertisers the ability to execute across Google channels (Search, Display, YouTube, and Discover) with the focus of simply maximizing conversions. Smart Bidding Exploration allows advertisers to experiment with more flexible return on ad spend (ROAS) targets, while testing a variety of bidding strategies to understand performance.
The possibilities are immense. Advertisers can focus on managing conversions, budgeting, and adjusting strategies when attempting to meet performance goals. That flexibility allows brands to get more out of campaigns while ensuring they’re budgeting for the most operational improvement.
With that being said, it can also bring challenges. Switching targeting bids without attention to data in a timely manner can negatively influence efficiency, conversion volume or cost per acquisition. In order to minimize the unintended effects of switching to a bidding strategy, marketers should be testing and analysing the results.
To be clear, marketers should approach this new feature thoughtfully: Try A/B testing to compare the two strategies, track ROAS and conversion rates carefully and treat automation as a tool, instead of a substitute for supervision. Doing this will still allow campaigns to use Google’s new flexibility while ensuring they deliver strong performance and predictable results.
Netflix and AB InBev Global Marketing Partnership
Netflix and Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) will work together in an international marketing partnership that aims to integrate entertainment with consumer products. Together, they will run campaigns that cross-promote Netflix shows and use special limited-edition beer packaging. Brands like Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Corona, which all belong to AB InBev, will also advertise in live events, including major sports broadcasts and support major events, including the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
This partnership demonstrates how companies are moving beyond traditional advertising formats. Rather than just placing ads, brands are developing experiences that engage an audience on multiple fronts. Netflix viewers will see the beer branding in the content promotion, while AB InBev customers will learn about Netflix shows in the campaign. This way, the experience provides a more authentic connection and also allows folks to remember it more easily.
There are some clear implications for marketers. Partnering with other brands to access new audiences, drive engagement, and create more meaningful campaigns has never been easier. The real work is identifying prospective partners that share the same values and can serve as a trusted source to your same audience. Engagement and awareness are heightened with campaigns that flawlessly join digital campaigns with tangible activations in-person, giving the audience a seamless experience that continues long after the campaign wraps.
PepsiCo Enhances Purpose-Driven Marketing Initiatives
PepsiCo has launched two initiatives that extend beyond advertising and involve real social change. The first initiative is Gatorade’s “Fuel Tomorrow,“ which focuses on a rising teenage dropout rate in sport. In Australia, the statistics suggest that about 40% of young people stop playing sport because of a lack of confidence. In response, Gatorade has partnered with La Trobe University to develop a suite of resources for parents and coaches to help support children’s confidence, including the production of ‘Confidence cards’ for coaches and parents, and a ‘Coaches Hub’ for an expert-generated repository for coaches and parents to develop skills. The Gatorade initiative also included tailored practical events focused on sport with a take on a backyard cricket program in partnership with Cricket Australia, to keep teenagers active and engaged.
The second initiative specifically focuses on sustainability. Pepsi is working on an environmentally focused re-cycling initiative in New South Wales, in partnership with Tomra and Return & Earn. Customers are encouraged to scan QR codes inside their recycled beverage bottles for a chance to win prizes, providing motivation for customers to take part and along the way, demonstrate society’s responsibility to the environment. This initiative is set to trial expansion on a national scale, if it proves success locally.
A common theme seen in both promotional campaigns is how PepsiCo connects marketing with meaningful engagement. Rather than simply promoting its products, PepsiCo is addressing issues that resonate with communities and consumers it serves. For marketers, the two campaigns remind us that social and environmental causes, if aligned with campaigns, can result in trust, loyalty and create long term value. The connection of brand messaging to real meaning creates more brand recall and brand respect.
Conclusion
Recent developments in digital marketing underscore the pace of change in the industry. From the new features rolled out by Google and the introduction of an Instagram iPad app to new adaptable bidding options, partnerships with brands such as Netflix and AB InBev, and PepsiCo’s purposeful marketing campaigns, it is clear that technology, personalization, a focus on social issues are ways brands are connecting with their audiences. Marketers who are nimble to the changes, and who experiment with their creativity but have a sense of their audience, have a better chance of keeping up.
For professionals looking to improve their skills while staying on top of the trends, a digital marketing certification in Mumbai can offer valuable insights and hands-on learning experiences to be implemented in their next campaign. Engaging with the material and continually learning will help marketers create brands that matter and remain relevant in a digital age that seems to change on a daily basis.
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