Steel Recaps May’s Top Marketing News of 2025

As a service to our clients and partners, Steel summarizes the top stories in marketing and advertising each month. Please reach out to Kirsten Cutshall for more discussion on this month’s marketing news or with anything that is on your mind. We would love to hear from you!

Video Transcript

I’m Kirsten Cutshall with Steel Advertising. It’s May, and here’s your top marketing news in under 5 minutes.

Tariffs are triggering ad budget anxiety.
Amidst President Trump’s tariff negotiations, U.S. advertisers are bracing for disruption. 94% of advertisers express concern about possible impact on ad spend, and 45% are already preparing for the possibility of cutting budgets.

The real challenge isn’t rising costs, but the uncertainty. In response, some marketers are favoring more flexible media channels with easy placement and cancellation options, while others are releasing their budget in waves rather than annual commitments. 

Historically, brands that stay visible during economic downturns often emerge having won market share. Building awareness and relationships now can pay off in the long run, so here are things you can do to position your brand for the future:

• Check-in on your competitive set: Watch for changes in their spending that may leave opportunities open for your brand. Competitors often cut brand spend first—leaving emotional and long-term equity plays wide open.
• Invest in brand equity: This is a good time to tell your brand story, reinforce values, and build preference.
• Dominate High-Impact Placements: Secure premium inventory where competitors have scaled back to appear ““bigger” in your category.
• Capture market share: Proactively target disillusioned competitor customers with offers or improved customer experience.

Overall, its time to ask “Is there an opportunity for your brand if you act this quarter?”

Next, deliverable based pricing is gaining momentum with marketers. 

AI is transforming agency workflows with faster execution, sharper insights, and reduced outsourcing. Ad agency teams are operating more efficiently, and this acceleration means that time-based pricing is losing relevance.

Traditionally, ad agencies have priced projects based on the number of hours required to complete them. However, as marketing teams increasingly integrate experience, strategic insight, and AI tools into their work, they’re able to deliver higher-quality outcomes more efficiently. In this context, the hourly model often falls short of capturing the true value of the work being done and the long term investment required to get to operate at that level.  

Deliverable-based pricing offers a path forward. This creates a structured pricing system centered on tangible outputs, improving transparency for clients and aligning fees with results.

BeReal Opens Ad Platform as TikTok Faces Scrutiny

BeReal, the social platform known for unfiltered, real-time content, just launched its native advertising platform in the US. New offerings include in-feed ads and exclusive daily takeovers, with brands like Levi’s, Netflix, Nike, and Amazon already on board. 

BeReal has recently secured  former TikTok exec Ben Moore as managing director, tapping into his decade of monetization experience to lead revenue growth, ad-tech partnerships, and client strategy. He’s joined by Ian Lutfiyya, who previously held roles at Google, Meta, and Snap.

With 40 million monthly active users, BeReal is only 2% the size of Instragram, but with an audience that is 85% Gen Z, BeReal is making a play as an alternative amid the uncertainty surrounding Tiktok’s future in the U.S.

Thanks again for listening. If you’d like to chat more, I’m always happy to connect. Staying informed and adaptable will help you thrive in today’s evolving marketing landscape.

I hope this helps make your job easier. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk about these topics or anything marketing. 

Sources:

Tariffs are triggering ad budget anxiety

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/business/money-report/advertisers-look-for-flexibility-as-uncertainty-around-tariffs-swirls/4149918/?os=roku&ref=app&noamp=mobile 

https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2025/04/09/marketing-strategies-navigating-tariff-turmoil 

Deliverable based pricing is gaining momentum

https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/how-ai-is-impacting-marketing-agency-pricing/ 

BeReal opens ad platform as TikTok faces scrutiny

https://www.marketingdive.com/news/bereal-launches-us-advertising-platform-tiktok-uncertainty/744895/