ANA Selects Agentic AI and Authenticity as 2025 Marketing Words of the Year

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has released its annual Marketing Word of the Year and in an unprecedented outcome, they have selected two Marketing Words of the Year for 2025: 'Agentic AI' and 'Authenticity.' This marks the first time the ANA has recognised dual winners, reflecting a marketing landscape simultaneously transformed by autonomous artificial intelligence and anchored by a heightened need for trust and transparency.

Since 2014, the ANA has selected its Marketing Word of the Year through a member-driven vote. ANA staff identifies a list of finalists and invites members to choose the term that best reflects the industry’s defining themes, along with the reasoning behind their choice. For 2025, recognising the growing complexity of the marketing industry, the ANA expanded the survey to allow members to rank their selections and provide deeper context for their decisions.

Why Marketers Chose Agentic AI and Authenticity

Marketers identified Agentic AI and Authenticity as the defining forces of 2025 because together they capture the tension reshaping the industry. Agentic AI represents the rapid shift from basic AI tools to autonomous systems that transform how marketing is created, optimised, and delivered. At the same time, as AI-generated content becomes more pervasive and harder to discern from the real thing, authenticity has become a critical marker of trust. Marketers noted that consumers still crave genuine stories, transparency, and human connection, making authenticity essential even as AI becomes central to modern marketing.

“The fact that our members selected two words this year is telling,” said Bill Duggan, group executive vice president of the ANA. “Agentic AI captures a transformative shift that is reshaping how marketing gets done, while Authenticity reflects the enduring human values that brands must protect as technology accelerates. Together, these words signal the new reality for marketers in 2025 and beyond: success will come from navigating advanced AI capabilities without losing the trust, truth, and transparency that define strong brands.”

Previous ANA Marketing Words of the Year include: AI (2024, 2023), inclusion (2022), diversity (2021), pivot (2020), personalisation (2019), brand purpose (2018), artificial intelligence (2017), transparency (2016), content marketing (2015), and programmatic (2014).

This announcement builds on the momentum from the 2025 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference, where leaders from top brands, tech platforms, and agencies gathered to turn insight into action, and where AI-driven transformation and brand trust dominated the agenda. As ANA heads into 2026 under its newly appointed board, the organisation remains committed to helping marketers navigate the dual challenges and opportunities ahead, equipping them with frameworks, tools, and collaborative direction to harness ‘Agentic AI’ while preserving ‘Authenticity.’