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In an era where the world is moving rapidly, technology is advancing exponentially, and consumer behavior is changing at a fast pace, businesses are facing new challenges. These include economic volatility, technological development, and environmental changes that impact both nature and people. These changes affect every aspect of business. There are 3 key factors that can shift businesses from being leaders to becoming followers if they fail to adapt in time.
Factor 1: MarTech Will Become the New Standard
In 2025, “Marketing Technology” (MarTech) will become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. Intensifying competition is driving the continuous development of MarTech platforms and tools such as CRM, Marketing Automation, and AI, enabling organizations to reach customers more effectively and deliver superior customer experiences compared to competitors. However, while MarTech is a powerful tool, maximizing its benefits remains a challenge. Many organizations still face obstacles in integrating MarTech into their business strategies. Some may have the tools but lack personnel with the expertise to utilize them effectively.
Popular and essential MarTech tools that executives and marketers should adopt include:
• Content Management Tools: Support content creation to build and develop owned media
• Customer Data Platforms (CDP): Aggregate customer data for 360-degree analysis, advancing beyond CRM
• Marketing Automation Platforms: Reduce campaign setup time and improve precision
• AI-Powered Analytics: Data analysis is a key success factor, with a wide range of tools available today
Real-Time Marketing Automation will become the new standard in business. Adapting strategies to align with rapidly changing consumer behavior will be key to gaining competitive advantage. Although MarTech continues to grow, its complexity may become a barrier if organizations are not prepared. In 2025, MarTech will no longer be seen as something new or exciting, but as a fundamental requirement — businesses that fail to adopt it will not be able to keep up with competitors.
Factor 2: AI Will Turbocharge Business Growth
AI technology is clearly dominating the market in 2024 and has become a priority for all organizations. PwC reported that global investment in AI reached 3.4 trillion baht in 2023 and is expected to continue growing by the end of this year. From YDM’s perspective, adopting AI is not just about tools, but about enhancing overall operational efficiency — increasing competitiveness, improving customer satisfaction, and reducing long-term costs.
A key challenge for many companies is the lack of understanding of AI’s core objectives or the lack of practical experience in implementation, which leads to difficulties in planning and execution. These challenges can be addressed by upskilling and empowering employees to fully utilize available AI tools, such as using Google Gemini to perform tasks quickly and efficiently. This transforms the way employees work, as if they have an additional virtual assistant — for example, handling communication with international clients or summarizing and reviewing documents quickly.
At the same time, competition in the AI market is intensifying among major players such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, leading to lower costs and a growing number of use cases across industries. AI is no longer a luxury, but a necessary investment for organizations that aim to grow and compete in the digital era. Businesses that fully leverage AI will operate as if they have significantly more manpower driving the business forward, enabling them to outperform even larger competitors in ways that were not previously possible.
Factor 3: Data Will Be the Fuel of the New Competitive Landscape
In 2025, data-driven marketing will be the factor that separates businesses that use data from those that do not in both planning and execution. From YDM’s experience working with clients, one of the main challenges businesses face is managing vast amounts of data and being unable to utilize it effectively in a timely manner.
Modern technologies and AI, such as Google Looker (a BI platform, not Google Looker Studio), enable data management and processing at speed and accuracy. Using data in business is not just about collection — it must be analyzed and applied to timely decision-making. Businesses that can continuously update and leverage fresh data will be able to respond to opportunities and market changes faster than those relying on outdated or poorly managed data.
Accumulated data can also be used to calculate ROI for media investments effectively. Models such as MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) help reduce inefficiencies and eliminate ineffective advertising. At the same time, external data sources such as telco or retail data can be utilized to analyze consumer behavior accurately without violating data privacy laws. This enables businesses to target the right audiences, reduce unnecessary costs, and create new business opportunities. Effectively using data to drive business is the essential fuel in the new competitive landscape — leaving competitors far behind.
According to a report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), in 2024, as many as 74% of companies struggle to generate tangible business results from AI, despite it being seen as a key tool for transformation across industries. Companies that successfully implement AI tend to focus on core business functions such as operations, sales and marketing, and research and development — particularly in cost reduction. These companies are able to integrate AI into their workflows effectively, resulting in significant cost savings.
In addition, these companies prioritize generating new revenue streams from AI more than those in the early stages. They actively seek opportunities to expand AI usage to create long-term business value. It is also found that leading companies can adopt generative AI quickly and successfully, while many organizations still face challenges in integrating it into existing systems. This report clearly indicates that companies that fail to adapt and utilize AI appropriately risk losing competitiveness and missing opportunities to generate revenue and long-term value.
At present, many organizations still face challenges in maximizing the use of these technologies and tools, whether due to lack of understanding, lack of specialized talent, or difficulties in integrating technology with business strategy. One solution is to work with partners who have expertise in both technology and marketing, along with real experience in using modern tools. Such partners can help businesses adapt quickly, fill capability gaps, and achieve sustainable growth while delivering better customer experiences and enhancing competitiveness.
YDM Thailand is a leading expert in marketing and digital business transformation. Over the past 10 years, YDM has continuously expanded its services to cover all aspects of marketing — from strategic planning, content creation, media production, social media management, to performance analysis. The company emphasizes integrating new technologies with creativity to unlock new marketing opportunities for clients, while enabling businesses to fully leverage technology, AI, and data, and respond effectively to market changes.
In 2025 and beyond, YDM is committed to collaborating with business partners across industries to support organizations in becoming leaders in the new competitive landscape through the right and forward-looking solutions.
