2025 Mid-Year Review: How Communication Trends Have Evolved Post-Covid
As we reach the midpoint of 2025, it’s clear that business communication—both digital and traditional—has continued to evolve in exciting and sometimes unexpected ways. While the digital transformation driven by the pandemic hasn’t slowed down, we’re also seeing a thoughtful resurgence in tangible, personal interactions that balance the screen-saturated world we live in.
This mid-year review explores what’s trending in 2025 and how it compares to communication behaviors in 2024 and the pre-Covid era.
What’s Trending in 2025?
Omnichannel is the Default, Not the Differentiator
In 2025, successful marketing and internal communication strategies rely on seamless integration across channels. From email and SMS to direct mail and personalized landing pages, today’s standard is omnichannel. Customers—and employees—expect messaging to be timely, personalized, and consistent, whether they’re checking their inbox or opening their mailbox.
2024 comparison: Brands were building omnichannel strategies. In 2025, they’re refining them.
Pre-Covid: Multichannel (but often siloed) approaches dominated, with email taking the lead.
AI-Driven Personalization is Table Stakes
Thanks to advancements in AI and predictive analytics, 2025 communication feels less like a broadcast and more like a conversation. Businesses are leveraging data to deliver custom-tailored messages, dynamic content, and behavior-based triggers across platforms.
2024 comparison: Personalization was growing, but AI integration was still in testing phases for many.
Pre-Covid: Personalization was mostly first-name-in-the-subject-line level. It was novel then—now; it’s expected.
The Rebound of Direct Mail (Yes, Really)
Direct mail is having a moment. Let’s be honest, direct mail never stopped having “a moment”—it has always been a vital channel for marketing strategies, creating awareness, driving conversions, and reinforcing brand value through retention efforts. It did see a sharp decline during Covid as marketers moved ad spend dollars to digital formats, meeting their audiences where they were. However, it didn’t take long for digital fatigue to set in, drastically dipping digital performance metrics.
In 2025, businesses are rediscovering the impact of tangible communication, especially when enhanced with Personalized QR codes, retargeting triggers, and trackable delivery metrics. Direct mail cuts through digital clutter and adds a sense of credibility and permanence. #CreateLastingImpressions
Integrating direct mail with digital efforts, also known as “expanded postal”, is also driving the industry’s growth. Smart marketers simply know that reinforcing messaging across channels, digital and traditional, amplifies results.
2024 direct mail advertising market value: 11.9 billion
Estimated 2025 direct mail advertising market value: 13.2 billion
Pre-Covid: in 2018, direct mail ad spend was at its highest peak totaling an estimated 41.5 billion
In the U.S., 61% of marketers increased direct mail budgets in the past year, and 72% of consumers actively engage with their mailbox
-DMmagazine
Short-Form Video is the Most Engaged Format
From internal updates to customer-facing content, short-form video dominates. Platforms like LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram Reels aren’t just for Gen Z anymore—they’re critical B2B communication tools, offering authentic, quick-bite, digestible content.
2024 comparison: Video was important; in 2025, it’s non-negotiable.
Pre-Covid: Long-form webinars, newsletters, and blog posts ruled the landscape. These are still important media, however, the ease of creating video
Employee Communications Gets an UX Upgrade
In 2025, companies are applying UX principles to internal communications. What does this mean? Teams are accessing interactive dashboards to measure project and KPI performance, chat-based updates, and customizable notification preferences to reduce overload and boost engagement.
Pre-Covid: Internal newsletters, email blasts, and static intranets were the norm.
Digital vs. Traditional: It’s All About Balance
While digital communication continues to dominate by volume, traditional channels have regained ground in quality. Print is now used strategically, for moments that matter—customer onboarding kits, high-touch donor campaigns, internal recognition programs, and premium prospecting.
At the same time, digital fatigue has made consumers more selective in what they click, stream, or scroll. This has pushed marketers to focus on intentional design and cross-channel continuity—ensuring that print and digital reinforce each other rather than compete.
Looking Ahead
As we head into the second half of 2025, one thing is clear: communication isn’t about choosing digital or traditional—it’s about using the right platform at the right moment. Personalization, integration, and data-driven strategy remain at the core of every successful message.
Need help navigating your 2025 communications strategy?
Let’s talk about how Ai can support your goals through smart, scalable print and digital solutions that make every message count.
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