Advertising Week New York 2025: Community, Creativity, and the New Rules of Connection

Advertising Week New York (AWNY) 2025 returned to Manhattan with unmistakable energy. More than 20,000 attendees packed into the reimagined Penn District, navigating 550+ sessions, 1,200 speakers, and dozens of activations spread across the city. The scale underscored the industry’s enduring appetite for in-person connection. But beneath the buzz was a sense that marketing’s next era will demand more focus, more intention, and more accountability than ever before.

Marketers, advertisers, creators, and influencers came ready to learn and eager to connect. The official programming shared the spotlight with side meetings, dealmaking, brand activations, and offshoot events spanning Midtown Manhattan. Across panels and impromptu conversations alike, a common truth emerged: creativity, technology, and trust now define progress in marketing.

Beyond the Buzz: Making AI Work with, Not Against, Creativity

AI dominated panel discussions and hallway chatter, but the conversation is shifting from “what it can do” to “how we use it responsibly.” Marketers explored how to harness AI’s creative potential while maintaining transparency and ethical standards. Disclosing AI use is quickly becoming a new industry norm, setting expectations for responsible innovation.

Commerce Gets Creative: Turning Every Channel Into a Marketplace

Commerce took center stage as brands redefined how and where consumers shop. Uber’s “back seat as media channel” and retail networks like CVS and Albertsons showcased how shopping, storytelling, and performance now intersect. The focus has shifted from reach to resonance with brands designing experiences that connect emotionally and convert seamlessly.

From Influence to Impact: The Creator Economy Grows Up

The creator economy is maturing from one-off influencer campaigns to enduring brand partnerships. Marketers are prioritizing authenticity, shared values, and cultural fluency over follower counts. Meta and YouTube’s sessions underscored a new truth: credibility has become the creator metric that matters most.

Main Character Energy: Gen Z Audiences Take the Lead

If any generation set the tone at AWNY 2025, it was Gen Z. Gen Z doesn’t dislike advertising; they ignore what feels irrelevant. This generation demands storytelling that reflects their communities, values, and sense of participation. To earn their attention, brands must act like creators, not corporations, building stories from within culture and letting them grow authentically, co-creating with the communities they serve.

Measuring Impact in an Era of Information Overload

With more data and tools than ever, marketers are recalibrating what real impact looks like. AWNY conversations emphasized transparency, verification, and data ethics as table stakes for credibility. The next competitive edge lies in turning insight into meaningful action.

Budgets and Business Reality

Marketers are entering 2026 with a sense of pragmatic optimism. As Adweek reported, most expect measured growth and a sharper focus on where every dollar delivers impact. The emphasis is on strategic, sustainable investment that fuels innovation without sacrificing efficiency or impact.

AWNY 2025 captured an industry in motion: ambitious, reflective, and ready for what comes next. The energy, experimentation, and dialogue throughout the week demonstrated that the future of marketing depends on how effectively creativity and credibility work together.

At DGC, we’re continuing to explore what these trends mean for brands, agencies, and communicators as we plan for the year ahead. Which moments or insights from AWNY resonated most with you?

AWNY 2025: Standout Sessions and Brand Moments

• Meta’s “Rewriting the Rules: Creators Disrupting the Marketing Performance Playbook” showed how authenticity and collaboration are redefining ROI.

• Digitas’ “Leveraging Moments to Create Moments” illustrated that timing and cultural fluency still drive impact, with data and creativity working in tandem.

• IAB’s AI and Audio panel revealed the tension between innovation and intimacy, as podcasters and advertisers discussed where to draw the ethical line in automation.

• Outside official programming, SiriusXM’s upfront and VaynerMedia’s Live Shopping Summit demonstrated how brands are extending AWNY’s reach across the city, blurring the line between conference and commerce.

• Gaming and immersive media continued to rise as new arenas for connection. Brands like PepsiCo, Marriott, and e.l.f. Beauty explored how gaming platforms and virtual experiences are becoming spaces for storytelling and authentic human engagement.

• The best brand moments blended storytelling with self-awareness. Panera’s “Croissant Clutch” collaboration with the Met Gala crowd, Pinterest’s positivity-driven presence, and DIRECTV’s humorous legacy refresh stood out for connecting emotion and entertainment. The common thread: relevance rooted in authenticity, not spectacle.