The Emergence of DeepSeek, New AI Platforms, and What It Means for Brands in 2025
As 2024 came to a close, there was a growing sense of optimism among marketers. Despite the initial shockwaves AI sent through the industry, it became clear that, rather than making us obsolete, it was actually empowering us to accomplish amazing things at warp speed. Many of us became more comfortable with tools like ChatGPT—refining our prompts, integrating AI into our workflows, and even building custom applications to maximize its value.
Then, 2025 hit, and the next wave of disruption arrived instantly.
The rapid emergence of DeepSeek—a Chinese-developed AI platform built at a fraction of ChatGPT’s cost—raised immediate questions. Beyond just politics and security concerns, the real eye-opener was the implication for the future of AI. Lower development costs mean one thing: we’re now heading into a world where plenty of AI platforms will exist, each offering different strengths, and the choices available to marketers and brands will multiply.
That leads to a few immediate and pressing questions:
- How do we differentiate between AI platforms?
- Will the quality of our work be impacted by which AI we use?
- Does smart AI-driven marketing require comparing outputs from multiple platforms?
At Moburst, VP of Strategy Mike Kresch explored these questions firsthand, running an experiment to compare DeepSeek and ChatGPT. The findings shed light on how AI platforms interpret strategic marketing concerns—and what this means for the future of AI-driven marketing.
We asked both ChatGPT and DeepSeek the exact same question:
What are the key strategic concerns that a digital marketer should address in building a 2025 marketing plan?
Both platforms quickly generated ten concerns, complete with supporting subpoints. Immediately, the differences stood out.
Recognizing that AI doesn’t automatically rank priorities, we followed up by asking each platform to prioritize its answers. And this is where things got interesting.
Which brings us to the bigger question—how do we, as marketers and brands, interpret these differences?
AI as a Team, Not a Single Source of Truth
ChatGPT and other AI tools are no longer considered just one “employee”—we suddenly have multiple AI “team members,” each bringing a slightly different perspective, experience, and analytical framework. The real challenge for marketers isn’t just using AI—it’s learning how to synthesize different AI-driven insights into something actionable.
Take our experiment as an example.
Both ChatGPT and DeepSeek agreed that Data Privacy & Compliance and AI & Automation were the top two concerns—validating their importance across platforms. However, ChatGPT ranked Omnichannel Experience higher, while DeepSeek prioritized Customer-Centric Strategies above it.
Which one is right?
The answer depends on context. Rather than blindly accepting AI-generated rankings, the smarter approach is to compare results, identify nuances, and make strategic decisions based on what aligns best with specific business goals.
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Our Top 10 Strategic Concerns for Digital Marketers in 2025
By blending AI-driven insights with our own expertise here at Moburst, here is our list of marketing priorities brands should consider in 2025:
Data Privacy & Compliance
Beyond the evolving global regulatory issues that will potentially change marketing behavior, the decline of 3rd party cookies is a definite game changer, and places even more value on first-party data.
Artificial Intelligence & Automation
AI will continue to reshape marketing workflows. Those who embrace automation and AI-driven analytics will be best positioned to optimize efficiency and performance.
Customer-Centric Strategies
Brands that prioritize hyper-personalization, audience insights, and customer-first marketing will have a clear edge in 2025.
Omnichannel Experience
A smart tactical approach to reaching consumers across multiple channels remains a critical piece of the marketing equation. Beyond performance, it’s equally important to maintain a consistent brand voice across all channels.
Performance Measurement & Analytics
Data-driven marketing is non-negotiable. Regular performance tracking, data analysis, and agile optimization will continue to be fundamental to success.
Content & Community Building
Good content can be repurposed, shared, and leveraged in multiple ways. It remains a core driver of engagement and long-term brand loyalty.
Sustainability & Social Responsibility
The shift toward values-based purchasing decisions means brands with authentic sustainability efforts will stand out.
Emerging Technologies & Trends
Whether it’s AR/VR, blockchain, or new AI-driven innovations, keeping an eye on emerging technologies will help brands stay ahead of the competition.
Influencer Marketing & UGC
As social media evolves, so do influencer marketing and UGC (user-generated content) strategies. The focus will shift toward authenticity, data-driven performance measurement, and more ROI-focused partnerships.
Talent & Skill Development
There is no better investment than in human capital! Make sure your team’s skill set is up-to-date and prepared for an ever-evolving AI-driven digital realm.
The Future of AI in Marketing: Decision-Making Over Dependence
This simple experiment highlights a second critical skill that marketers will need to develop as AI continues to evolve.
In 2024, we were told that strong prompt writing was the key to high-quality AI output. That’s still true—but in 2025, an even more important skill emerges:
Result Synthesis
Marketers can no longer rely on AI as a single source of truth. Instead, they need to treat each AI platform like a unique team member, ensure every “voice” is heard, and then make strategic decisions based on their own expertise.
As AI becomes more advanced, one thing is clear: it’s not here to replace human intelligence—it’s here to enhance decision-making. AI gives us instant access to massive amounts of data, but the brands who will succeed in 2025 and beyond will be the ones who:
- Compare insights across multiple AI platforms instead of relying on just one.
- Critically assess AI-generated information rather than taking it at face value.
- Synthesize AI-driven insights with their own experience to create smarter, more strategic decisions.
The arrival of DeepSeek is just the beginning. More AI-driven platforms will emerge, and each will offer unique advantages, methodologies, and biases.
The real winners? Not the marketers who rely on a single AI solution—but those who master the ability to extract, compare, and integrate insights across multiple platforms.
That’s the real competitive edge in 2025.
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