Digital Challenge
This week, we had the privilege of attending PurposeFest, an inspiring gathering of like-minded individuals and businesses committed to making a difference.
With over 400 attendees, more than half representing B Corps, it was incredible to see a room full of people united by the same values, working towards a more ethical, sustainable, and responsible way of doing business. The event was brilliantly run, and the energy in the room was infectious.
One prominent topic throughout the event was EDI, it’s disheartening to see how this important movement has been politicised in some parts of the world, there was a reassuring show of support (and a reminder) that despite the challenges, the BCorp community stands with inclusive, people-first values.
Unfortunately, there’s a glaringly obvious trend of ego-driven white males in power in 2025, in the face of recent events in the US, my heart goes out to President Zelensky as he continues to navigate an impossible situation between a rock and a hard place. On this, if you want to keep fake news to a minimum, 2025 might be the year to migrate from Twitter to Bluesky – this has become a trend in itself.
I don’t really like trends, maybe it’s because I was born in the 80s, and it just reminds me of my mum’s fashion advice, but fast-forward 30 years, and all I’m asked about are trends and tricks to help organisations win more business.
I suppose if we flip the narrative, “purposeful business” itself has become a bit of a trend, all be it, one that has the potential to drive long-lasting positive change.
Take TOMS’ one-for-one model as an example. What started as a simple, mission-driven initiative turned into a global movement, helping communities in need while making a fortune by creating a deep sense of customer loyalty.
Of course, in 2025, no business trend looms larger than AI. While we’ve put together a comprehensive list of trends to watch, AI is the big one.
We haven’t seen this level of disruption since the early days of the internet, and history tells us that businesses that fail to adapt could face the end.
Those of you who are old enough to remember Blockbuster needn’t look any further. For many of us Friday nights in the 90s meant an after-school trip to Blockbuster, a share size bag of peanut M&Ms (for one) and the latest Terminator movie.
I remember the balance of tangible excitement and subsequent frustration when hitting play was met with the end credits, followed by a five-minute rewind before we could actually start the film.
Of course, now we just stream everything. Netflix should have been “Blockbuster online”. It had a position on every High Street as well as a space in the hearts and minds of young and old as we settled down to a movie.
Yet, because they didn’t adapt, and presumed that everyone would continue to send DVDs through the post, they lost the market and weren’t too big to go bust.
AI today feels like a similar tipping point. The landscape is fragmented, with thousands of AI tools emerging it is impossible to predict where we are going, but my guess? A major player like Google, Meta, or perhaps an entirely new force will consolidate these fragmented tools into a fully interactive experience, ultimately replacing mobile phones as we know them.
It really does feel like we are heading into the realm of the last half century of sci-fi becoming a reality now. How we skipped by hoverboards I don’t know, but this week In the Independent there was an article about the world’s first biological computer that runs on human brain cells – pure fantasy surely?
I just hope robotics continues to progress at its remarkably slow pace, so we can avoid the inevitable Terminator-style ending of the world.
It’s hard to know what happens in the gaps between our request on chatGPT and the output delivered. One AI recently pretended to have a visual impairment to trick a human into solving a CAPTCHA for it.
Meanwhile, in the US, AI bots are now interacting with each other, carrying out multi-step tasks without human intervention. Though apparently it’s a lot quicker if you just let them speak gibberish.
All of this leaves us in a state of uncertainty when it comes to trends. The world is accelerating, technology is changing faster than ever, and that pace is only going to increase.
So let’s pan out a little over the last decade and consider what we’ve seen…
- The rise of social media and the power of visual content
- Shorter and shorter (and shorter) attention spans
- The dominance of clickbait, fake news and digital noise
In response, brands that focus on community, activism, fair wages, and ethical business models are not only surviving – they’re thriving. They are winning in loyalty, long-term sustainability, and financial success.
And the one thing that hasn’t changed? Businesses exist to serve customers.
Trends will come and go, but understanding what our customers truly need, solving their problems and delighting them is what creates real success.
So, as the world continues to accelerate, perhaps the most important trend we should focus on isn’t new technology, but how we use it to create meaningful, lasting value for the people we serve.
Because in the end, maybe those problems were always there, and we just have better tools to solve them now.
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