2025 didn’t just give us trends. It gave us tells.
From what people searched for at 2 a.m. to the content they rolled their eyes at, this year made one thing clear: Audiences are tired of noise and getting very good at spotting it. They want things that work, stories that feel human and marketing that doesn’t make them feel manipulated.
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Here’s a summary of what actually mattered this year — and what it means heading into 2026.
The year we searched for meaning
As the year winds down, Google’s 2025 Year in Search offers a useful snapshot of what actually held people’s attention: Not just the headlines or viral moments, but the questions, anxieties and curiosities people actively typed into a search bar. For marketers, that distinction matters. Searches reveal intent, not just awareness.
What stands out isn’t any single trend or celebrity, but the throughline: People spent 2025 trying to make sense of uncertainty. Searches spiked around breaking news, major cultural moments, lifestyle shifts and everyday “how do I deal with this?” questions.
Even entertainment and food trends reflected comfort, escapism and familiarity. In other words, audiences weren’t chasing novelty for novelty’s sake. They were looking for clarity, reassurance and relevance.
For digital marketers, including those in real estate, this reinforces a shift we’ve been watching all year. The content that resonates most doesn’t try to hijack pop culture. It meets people where they already are. Google’s Year in Search is less a list of trends to copy and more a reminder of how people behave when they’re overwhelmed: They search for answers they trust.
What this means for real estate professionals
Agents don’t need to comment on every viral moment, but they do need to show up as a reliable source when buyers and sellers are searching for guidance. Content that answers real questions, explains confusing changes and speaks to everyday concerns will outperform trend-chasing posts in 2026. The goal isn’t to be everywhere. It’s to be useful where it counts.
The year food had to do more
Grubhub’s 2025 Delivered Trend Report confirms what this year already felt like: Eating stopped being just about flavor. Welcome to Foodmaxxing, where meals, snacks and drinks were expected to deliver function, wellness and a little social credibility all at once.
Across millions of orders, one pattern held. Food had to earn its place. Protein-forward staples, gut-health favorites and small upgrades like cold foam and matcha surged because they promised energy, focus or comfort. Even convenience stores evolved, leaning into hot, functional foods instead of impulse snacks. People weren’t ordering more. They were ordering smarter.
The takeaway isn’t the specific foods. It’s the mindset behind them. In a year marked by stress and decision fatigue, consumers prioritized choices that felt efficient, intentional and worth it.
What this means for real estate professionals
That same “make it count” thinking shows up in housing decisions. Buyers and sellers are looking for spaces that support real routines, productivity and well-being. Marketing that clearly explains how a home works for daily life will land better than aspirational fluff. Practical value is the new luxury.
The year Wrapped went human again
After last year’s AI backlash, Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped made a clear course correction: More human, more personal and more communal. The retro design, revived fan-favorite stats, and new social features weren’t about novelty. They were about reminding users that data feels better when it reflects real behavior and shared experience.
Wrapped has become less of a product update and more of a cultural ritual, one that people expect to participate in and share. YouTube followed suit this year with its first-ever Recap, turning viewing habits into personality types and shareable cards. Meanwhile, brands across industries rushed to remix Wrapped for their own audiences (including LinkedIn), using humor and self-awareness rather than polish to join the moment.
The pattern is clear. Year-end recaps work because they feel earned, personal and human-curated, even when AI helps under the hood. When platforms leaned too hard into automation, users noticed. When they leaned back into identity, memory and community, engagement followed.
What this means for real estate professionals
Audiences don’t want more generic stats. They want reflection. Agents can borrow from the Wrapped playbook by sharing personalized, human-first year-in-review content: local market moments, lessons learned, client milestones or neighborhood highlights.
The win isn’t a flashy production. It’s showing you understand your audience and their year. Data matters, but context and humanity matter more.
The year the internet named the problem
Two words captured the digital mood of 2025, and neither was flattering. Oxford named rage bait its Word of the Year. Merriam-Webster followed with slop. Different definitions; same diagnosis.
Rage bait reflects a growing awareness that much of what performs online is engineered to provoke anger, not understanding. Slop captures the flood of low-effort, disposable content, much of it AI-generated, that filled feeds, inboxes and platforms all year.
Together, the terms point to a cultural turning point. Audiences aren’t just exhausted by the noise. They’re actively naming and rejecting it.
What’s notable is that both words signal increased media literacy. People recognize when their emotions are being manipulated and when content exists purely to fill space. Engagement didn’t disappear in 2025, but patience did. Attention became more selective and more skeptical.
What this means for real estate professionals
This is not the moment to chase outrage or volume. Content that feels reactive, generic or automated will be ignored faster than ever. Agents who focus on clarity, usefulness and restraint will earn more trust over time. In a year defined by rage bait and slop, thoughtful communication isn’t boring. It’s a competitive advantage.
The year steady marketing came out ahead
If 2025 felt chaotic, the best marketing campaigns didn’t try to overpower that feeling. They worked around it. In a year marked by political tension, economic pressure and cultural landmines, the most effective brands focused on relevance, restraint and return on investment.
Across categories, a few patterns emerged. Nostalgia was used as an anchor, not an escape. Celebrity wasn’t about spectacle, but familiarity. Value messaging mattered, both emotional and financial, as consumer confidence dipped. Social-first execution outperformed big, abstract brand statements, while purpose-driven campaigns became more selective and action-oriented rather than performative.
Most notably, brands that succeeded didn’t chase every trend. They showed up consistently, leaned into what they already owned culturally and avoided risky reinventions. The pendulum swung back toward performance, but without abandoning brand entirely. The throughline was confidence without noise.
What this means for real estate professionals
In uncertain markets, clarity beats cleverness. Agents don’t need to reinvent their brand every year or jump on every platform shift. Focus on consistent messaging, clear value and showing up where your audience already is. Marketing that works in unpredictable times isn’t loud. It’s grounded, recognizable and useful.
TL;DR (Too Long, Didn’t Read)
- Google’s Year in Search showed that people spent 2025 looking for clarity and reassurance, making useful, trust-building content more effective than trend-chasing for agents.
- Foodmaxxing revealed a “make it count” mindset where consumers prioritized functional value, a lens buyers and sellers now apply to homes that support real daily life.
- Spotify Wrapped and platform recaps proved that personalized, human-first reflections outperform generic stats, offering agents a blueprint for meaningful year-in-review content.
- With rage bait and slop entering the mainstream, audiences became more selective and skeptical, rewarding clear, restrained and genuinely helpful communication.
- The strongest campaigns of 2025 won by staying consistent, value-driven and grounded, reinforcing that in uncertain markets, clarity and reliability beat noise.
If 2025 taught us anything, it’s that attention isn’t won by being louder or faster. It’s earned by being clearer, more human and actually useful.
As we head into 2026, the opportunity isn’t to out-trend the algorithm. It’s to show up with intention, explain what matters and respect the moment people are in. The agents who do that won’t just keep up. They’ll stand out.
Each week on Trending, digital marketer Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it matters for real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform changes, she’ll break it all down so you know what’s worth your time — and what’s not.
Jessi Healey is a freelance writer and social media manager specializing in real estate. Find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.
