2025 Predictions: Education, Branding, and Emerging Market Trends

As we enter the New Year and the Year of the Snake, we wanted to give our predictions for the year ahead. 

You will see how evolving academic partnerships, brand strategies, and emerging market behaviors are shaping the year. The University of Michigan announced earlier this month (January 10) that President Santa J. Ono decided to end a 20-year academic partnership with China, signaling changing priorities, and with shifts in government policies around the world and a new administration in the U.S. this will no doubt be a year where strategic decision making will be vital for future success. As Chinese students remain cautious about studying in the U.S., and as emerging markets see rapid digital growth, you will need to prepare for a 2025 where deeper localization, career-focused education, and a new era of social engagement. 

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US-China Academic Ties

Chinese students are expected to stay wary about enrolling in U.S. programs. Changing geopolitical dynamics and a desire for safer, more flexible study options drive this caution. This means universities that draw attention to partnerships with Chinese institutions or use Chinese social media platforms like WeChat, rednote, and beyond to express that they are safe and welcoming to international students will appeal to students seeking some assurance of familiarity. This will be more important than ever in 2025 to keep or grow Chinese student’s numbers.

Short Visits: Short-term study programs could grow as students look to test the waters.

Diversifying Options: More students might explore universities in Europe or Asia for balanced opportunities, and other big English language destinations could capitalize on this.

This indicates a shift in international enrollments and program structures that emphasize shared research and cultural exchange over long-term commitments, schools in the U.S. will have to do more to make sure they are still able to attract high Chinese student numbers as they still make up one of the largest and most important international student groups in the world and that wont change for a while.

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Deeper Localization for Overseas Brands

Foreign brands now face consumers who demand a genuine connection with local culture and values. Chinese brands have enhanced quality, and consumers compare foreign offerings more closely. Not only this, but increasingly in emerging markets, Chinese brands have much higher penetration and are succeeding in attracting a whole new generation of consumers.

Tailor Products: Adapt product features and messaging to local preferences.

Cultural Messaging: Incorporate local festivals and practices into promotions.

Community Impact: Build a local brand communication style, many brands who adapted their messaging and creative for China saw great success, apply your China strategies to other markets.

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work whether you’re selling a service, education, or a physical product. Brands must connect on a personal level.

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rednote’s Social Media Momentum

TikTok’s commercialization and very brief ban, have been prompting users to seek alternatives. Instagram is already awash with ads, and users are tired of platforms imitating each other. rednote (previously referred to as RED, Little Red Book) is a platform that offers lifestyle content, product reviews, and direct shopping, it’s had a spike in users, and has awoken rednote to its overseas potential as a powerhouse platform, expect to hear more from this platform if it can succeed in capitalizing on it’s current brand recognition.

Why rednote could succeed:

Transparent interactions and user-generated posts.

Simple, integrated shopping.

Younger demographics crave authenticity.

You will see more brands gravitating to rednote for their China marketing efforts, but beyond China, it could also be used for influencer campaigns, community-building, and e-commerce integrations. Brands who understand this platform now will be the ones to move quickly and succeed if it does become the next big global hit. 

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Authenticity Over Influencers

Large-scale influencer promotions have lost credibility. People now turn to genuine user stories. Brands aiming to build trust can:

Encourage Real Reviews: Offer products to everyday users and amplify honest feedback and not be scared of what users say, because users are very conscious when there is a brand promoted post.

Target Smaller Influencers: Work with micro-influencers whose values match the brand, yes this will require more effort, but the rewards are likely to be much greater in the long term.

Balance Promotions: Provide transparent labeling of sponsored content.

Be the Influencer: Brands are increasingly engaging with their own teams, customers and student to be a part of their creative content. Be genuine and authentic.

Social media audiences value relatable voices. Superficial endorsements are less effective than organic conversations, so be real.

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Career-Focused Education on the Rise

Practical outcomes guide students looking to study abroad. High tuition costs make a return on investment a priority. Ensure you have maintained engagement with your alumni, if you haven't then this is vitally important to craft localized success stories that resonate with students. It's also important to highlight trending topics and the rapid shifts that are happening in what students want included in their programs of study.

Field of study and rationale below:

AI - Rising automation and data insights

Data Science - Growing need for analytics experts

Cybersecurity - Mounting digital threats worldwide

Green Tech - Demand for eco-friendly innovations

Internships and clear employability are key. Universities that partner with industries and offer certifications can attract students eager for stable career paths.

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Shifts in Student Destinations

While the UK and U.S. still draw many students, Chinese enrollments have been struggling in the U.S. for some time, and the UK is reaching saturation, Canada and Australia are becoming less welcoming with caps and post-study working restrictions. Demographic changes, economic concerns, and competition from other countries accelerate this shift. Universities are broadening recruitment efforts in emerging student markets, and seeking students from other East Asian and South East Asian countries and GDP in these areas is borning a whole new middle class who is keen on Western education. Other emerging markets around the world will get and increase in interest from universities as outbound student numbers begin to rapidly increase.

Risk Management: Diversifying international student sources.

Scholarship Options: Adjusting financial packages to attract a wider range of applicants.

Localization: Expanding marketing activities to cover more regions and realizing increased yield rates to active engagement during the key offer holder stage on local platforms. Schools need adapt to emerging market needs and styles of communication.

This approach fosters a more diverse mix of students, reducing reliance on a single country.

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Understanding and Engaging Emerging Market Audiences

Emerging markets offer major opportunities for Western institutions and brands, but the approach must adapt to local realities. The growing middle class in East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America is reshaping global priorities. You can see parallels to China’s trajectory from the past decade, positioning us as a global leader in understanding emerging student and consumer habits, something we have already begun supporting our clients with.

Digital Transformation Redefines Market Entry

Many consumers in markets like Indonesia skip straight to mobile-based commerce. This “digital leapfrogging” creates strategies that must be mobile-first and region-specific.

Mobile Focus: Optimize websites and apps for low-bandwidth scenarios.

Short-Form Video: Platforms akin to TikTok thrive with younger demographics and some of the biggest TikTok user base markets in the world are in emerging markets, did you know that Indonesia and Brazil are the 2nd and 3rd largest TikTok user base markets globally?

Localized Platforms: Embrace channels that are popular in each market, embrace Line for Japan and Taiwan, Kakao for South Korea, Zalo for Vietnam, being less Meta centric will benefit brands greatly in emerging markets.

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The Rise of “Glocal” Content Strategies

Simple translation rarely works. Successful brands and universities practice cultural trans-creation, content localization and creative adaptation, retaining a global identity while respecting local nuances.

Contextualized Messaging: Include local festivals, local trending slang terms and words, and shared traditions.

Family-Oriented Focus: Address family dynamics and parental concerns in education marketing.

Research and Testing: Avoid cultural missteps and experiment with new platforms and new ways of communicating in various markets, in Japan you might need to be more formal with older audiences, in Indonesia you can be more casual.

Data shows content tailored to local customs can earn 3-4 times higher engagement than generic global content, investing in this will pay off.

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The New Era of Social Commerce

In regions like Thailand and Colombia, social media and e-commerce are intertwined. Social platforms double as marketplaces for products and services. This setup offers new options for integrated campaigns that blend brand-building and direct sales.

Content and Commerce: Combine engaging storytelling with shoppable links.

Live Sessions: Use livestreams where hosts demonstrate products in real time.

Peer Recommendations: Encourage users to share personal reviews, building trust.

Investment in Digital Infrastructure

Marketing in these fast-changing environments depends on robust infrastructure. Local content creation platforms and market localization are important in 2025, I know it feels like 2019 was a few years ago, but the world has changed a lot, and brands and universities need to keep up, otherwise, younger hungrier competitors will catch you off-guard. You can see significant returns if you support the backbone of digital marketing rather than only focusing on consumer-facing campaigns.

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Looking Ahead: Key Takeaways

Western institutions and brands aiming for growth in 2025 should adopt a mindset that respects new consumer behaviors, rapid digital leaps, and cultural nuances. Shifts in student decisions, brand loyalty, and social media habits will influence how you plan recruitment and market strategies.

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Key Strategic Considerations:

Market-Specific Digital Plans: Recognize that consumer behavior patterns differ across emerging markets and adapt to these.

Local Local Local: Think local when exploring emerging markets. These consumers are following a similar pattern to what we have seen in China, and China requires localization to succeed. 

Authenticity: Users across all platforms crave authenticity more than ever, so be authentic, set up direct communication platforms, and don’t be afraid to experiment with more personal and personalized content, AI personalization will help with this. 

Evolving Metrics: Track engagement in ways that reflect local buying habits and user interactions, and use local analytics tools like Naver in South Korea for more accurate data and insights.

As 2025 unfolds, the institutions and businesses that adapt to changing markets—both in China and across emerging markets—will see the rewards of their localized, authentic approach. By recognizing that digital habits, cultural authenticity, and career-focused perspectives drive 2025 decisions, you will be well-prepared to meet 2025 and the future with clarity.

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