A few weeks ago, the MasterJack marketing team attended, sponsored and, yes, even presented at the 2025 NZSOMO (New Zealand Social Media Optimisation) conference in Auckland. Every year, social media experts and marketers get together to talk shop, share what’s working now, and discuss where platforms like Instagram and TikTok are heading next.
For me, after listening to all the presentations and panel discussions, two principles emerged clearly as essential for success in 2025: the courage to take creative risks and the importance of fostering genuine relationships with your audience. In an increasingly saturated social media environment, these dual pillars offer a framework for cutting through the noise.
This is what else stood out.
Social media is changing rapidly, all the time
The panel discussion highlighted the reality that audience demographics and consumption preferences are shifting rapidly across platforms.
Loren Tomlinson from The Social Collective, Cynatra Major from BLUNT Umbrellas, and Travena Addenbrooke from Spark NZ all gave their tips into what’s working now, but also all unanimously agreed – what worked brilliantly a year ago might fall flat today.
Social media requires creative diversification – not just in message but in format. Your content must translate seamlessly across platforms while speaking authentically to each audience subset. The good news? Content variation isn’t as daunting as it seems.
BLUNT Umbrellas provided a great case study of adaptability. When entering the UK market, they didn’t simply replicate the existing strategy they used in New Zealand. Instead, they localised their approach by, for example, changing the word “umbrella” to “brolly” – achieving instant recognition with British consumers. They also complemented this by using a UK weather app that helped them to strategically push out marketing messages when it rained in different parts of the country, demonstrating how smart localisation can dramatically improve engagement.
The format revolution
If there’s one format dominating social media in 2025, it’s video, particularly short-form content. Instagram reels, a major driver of the trend, are, according to Liv McIvor of DoneBy, “blowing up” this year. Reels are currently the hub for viral challenges, music trends, comedic skits, and tutorials. Many users say they now open Instagram just to scroll Reels — similar to TikTok behaviour.
However, the panel emphasised that successful content follows a three-part formula regardless of format:
- Capture attention with a compelling ‘hook’
- Maintain that attention by teaching, surprising or being amusing
- Deliver a reward – whether that’s a call to action or an invitation to engage
Platform evolution
TikTok continues to dominate the conversation around short-form video. However, the conference highlighted that this platform is now “foundational rather than optional” for most brands i.e. it’s essential to use it as one of the main platforms to capture your audience.
Also, interesting fact, it’s also one of the few platforms where hashtags remain genuinely relevant, helping users to discover micro-communities around specific interests such as #BookTok or #EcoTok.
On the horizon, Meta’s Threads platform is gaining traction as an alternative to X (formerly Twitter). Meanwhile, Pinterest – often overlooked in trend discussions – continues to have a significant influence, especially for certain demographics and industries.
Reality vs algorithm: finding your voice
Perhaps the most thought-provoking session explored the tension between brand vision and algorithmic amplification. The speakers discussed how what we see on social media is increasingly influenced by the loudest voices rather than the most representative ones.
Social media now reflects what one presenter called a “reverse bell curve” — instead of amplifying the moderate middle, platforms give disproportionate visibility to extreme opinions at either end of the spectrum. This creates echo chambers that distort our perception of what most people actually think and believe.
“Are algorithms reacting to the loudest people? Probably,” noted one panellist. The challenge for brands is to maintain authenticity without getting pulled into this polarisation game. Do you chase the algorithm by being more extreme or controversial, or do you stay true to your core values even if it means less immediate visibility?
Branding fails
A cautionary tale, and perfect case study, about alienating your core audience stood out here: Jaguar’s ad campaign failed to incorporate any brand identifiers or heritage elements, thus falling short in its target audience. As Azee Branding says in its article, “The commercial Jaguar produced for this rebrand feels less like an ad for luxury cars and more like a rejected pitch for a Met Gala sponsorship. The tagline? “Create Exuberant. Live Vivid. Delete Ordinary”. I don’t even know what that means. But I do know it’s not selling me a car.”
Being brave
Cutting through in 2025 requires courage – the willingness to express opinions, embrace authenticity, and occasionally challenge conventions. The most successful brands aren’t afraid to take a stance and showcase personality, provided it aligns with their values.
Raw, unpolished content that feels genuine tends to outperform highly produced material that lacks character. As one speaker noted, “Kiwis are great at being creative” – and this natural creativity, when paired with the courage to deploy it, creates memorable social media moments.
Building connections
The ultimate goal of social media marketing isn’t just visibility – it’s community. Finding your tribe within each platform’s ecosystem requires understanding platform-specific communities and engaging authentically rather than broadcasting.
The pillar and cluster strategy (or hub and cluster approach) offers a structured way to create content ecosystems that nurture these connections. By identifying your brand voice, purpose, and target audience’s pain points, you can tailor content that resonates across platforms while maintaining consistency.
AI – now, not the future
Perhaps most striking was the consensus that artificial intelligence isn’t a future consideration – it’s a present reality reshaping social media marketing. From content creation to analytics, AI tools are empowering marketers to work smarter rather than harder.
However, ethical considerations remain, particularly around AI-generated imagery of people. The discussion highlighted the importance of transparency and integrity when deploying these powerful tools.
Looking forward, the conference speakers envisioned AI agents capable of executing complex tasks like booking entire holiday itineraries – a development that’s “not far off” and that will fundamentally alter how brands engage with consumers online.
Last but not least
Lisa’s great presentation focused on creating AI content with a human edge. While the NZSOMO conference offered numerous insights on social media strategy, Lisa’s practical approach to AI implementation stood out (I’m biased, of course!).
What resonated most was her emphasis on injecting personal stories and experiences into AI-generated content. The presentation highlighted how avoiding common AI language patterns (those telltale phrases like “delve into” and “in today’s landscape”) and incorporating your own anecdotes create authenticity that algorithms alone cannot replicate. Her pillar and cluster strategy for content planning was brilliantly simple: creating enough material for three years with minimal effort while maintaining the human touch that audiences crave.
Final Thoughts
The social media space in 2025 comes down to those two fundamental Bs: Being brave enough to express authentic brand personality and Building meaningful connections within platform communities. Those who master this dual approach will find themselves not just participating in conversations but shaping them.
The tools and platforms will continue to evolve, but these core principles will remain essential guideposts for marketers seeking to create impact in an increasingly crowded digital world.