As we close out 2025, we’ve taken a moment to look back on a year that’s been one for the books. From major award wins to AI transformations and social media shifts that reshaped how hospitality brands show up online, it’s been a year of learning, adapting, and levelling up – and more than a few cuppas.
Brew’s 2025 award wins
This year, Brew was named Best Digital Marketing Agency 2025 at the Midland Marketing Awards. Our Social Media Manager, Julie Sherratt, was also recognised among Digital Women’s “60 Digital Women to Watch” and as a Digital Woman of the Year finalist.
“This recognition is about outcomes, not accolades. Our team partners with hospitality operators to turn attention into visits and visits into repeat custom. Winning Best Digital Marketing Agency tells us we’re on the right track.” – Matthew Bowell, director.
Each of these moments reflects the effort behind the scenes – building campaigns that genuinely move the needle for pubs, bars, and restaurants across the UK. For us, being the best digital marketing agency isn’t about a trophy cabinet; it’s about the work that fills venues, the teams that deliver it, and the data that proves it. That’s where we spend our energy all year.
Find out more: Brew: An Award-Winning Marketing Agency
Pints & Profits 2025: Hospitality Trends
2025 has reshaped the UK hospitality marketing landscape yet again. Our Pints & Profits 2025 update uncovered new consumer behaviours and trends that every hospitality business needs to know about, so make sure to download your copy.
Social media’s growing influence
In 2025, 51% of adults in the UK said they get their news through social media. That shift changed how people discover and trust brands, particularly pubs and restaurants. To help multi-location operators keep pace, we rolled out Brew’s award-nominated social training programme – designed to equip hospitality teams with practical skills to manage and grow social media at local site level.
The sector’s economic strength
UK hospitality continues to be a major employer, supporting 2.6 million jobs, around 7.1% of total UK employment. With such scale comes a need for smart, flexible marketing solutions. This year, we perfected pay-per-click (PPC) ads for seasonal hospitality staff, helping hospitality brands attract high-quality temporary hires exactly when they’re needed most.
Find out more: PPC Ads Strategy: Hiring Seasonal Staff
Measuring true ROI
Data-led marketing is only as strong as your ability to measure it. When Barclays reported a 2.5% increase in hospitality and leisure spend in August 2025, we asked the key question: how do you know what’s working? Our answer was booking tracking – a complete approach to how to track table bookings.
“In 2025, we introduced end-to-end booking tracking with ETM. From first view to seated cover, we saw the full path to purchase, delivering £1.01m revenue from £40.3k ad spend.” – Steve Hubball, data insight consultant.
That level of clarity has changed the conversation for our clients. When you can see every step of the guest journey, you can make smarter, faster, and more profitable decisions.
AI in 2025: From Experiments to Operations
AI has officially moved beyond the buzzword stage. Across UK hospitality marketing, 2025 has been the year it became operational.
In 2023, just 9% of UK firms used AI. By 2024, 22% were planning to adopt it, and by 2025 we’ve seen that ambition turn into action. Globally, Stanford’s AI Index found 78% of organisations now using AI in some capacity – a clear signal that the UK’s catching up fast.
Consumer behaviour is changing too. Ofcom reported that 41% of UK internet users had used a generative AI tool this year, while Deloitte found 11 million people in the UK are already using GenAI at work. That shift means we now optimise for AI answers as well as search – ensuring structured FAQs, menu data, and brand knowledge appear accurately when AI assistants respond to customer queries.
We responded with our own innovation: the AI Audit for hospitality. This process checks governance, prompts, data flows, and measurement before any automation begins. It’s built to make AI safe, strategic, and sustainable for operators.
Not sure how to do an AI audit? We can help.
Most importantly, we were selective about what we automated. We didn’t let AI write guest-facing replies without disclosure, make claims without evidence, or handle personal data without a DPIA and retention policy. The result? Faster content production with zero governance surprises.
“In 2025 we treated AI like any other production system. Audit first, automate second. We mapped permissions and data flows, kept humans in the loop, and proved ROI without risking brand, privacy or accuracy.” – Adam Cox, technical director
Social media in 2025: Personality over polish
Social platforms continue to evolve at breakneck speed, but one thing remains consistent: people connect with people.
Employee-generated content (EGC)
Posts shared by staff earn around eight times higher engagement than identical content published on brand accounts. Consumers see EGC and user-generated content (UGC) as more authentic, trustworthy, and persuasive. That’s why our clients have leaned into staff-led storytelling, supported by Brew’s tailored social media EGC training for multi-location brands.
“We’ve been teaching multi-location brands how to create EGC since 2023, turning local pub and restaurant teams into confident storytellers. We keep it tight: dos and don’ts, filming tips, a touch of content strategy, and how to share content legally and ethically. That balance keeps content human and on brand.” – Emmaline McAndrew, digital marketing training specialist
Short-form video and private sharing
Short-form video remains the top performer for reach and engagement in UK hospitality marketing. In 2025, Instagram doubled down on Reels and private sharing through DMs, pushing brands to get creative with behind-the-scenes content.
“Short-form and private sharing kept climbing in 2025. With Instagram’s focus on Reels and DMs, we build shoot days around vertical video and behind-the-scenes moments that feel native to that behaviour.” – Scott Barker, lead designer
We’ve helped operators capture authentic social visuals through dedicated pub photography and social content creation shoot days. Every frame is designed for scroll-stopping engagement and story-driven impact – because in hospitality, people don’t just buy drinks, they buy experiences.
Lessons learned in 2025
After a fast-paced year of campaigns, data, and discovery, we’re wrapping up with the lessons we’ll take forward into 2026.
1. Measurement beats myth
End-to-end booking tracking turns opinions into data. When you can see exactly how a click becomes a conversion, decisions become quicker and smarter. It’s why our ROI reports have gone from confident to verified – giving brands the proof they need to invest with confidence.
2. Video first, everything else second
Short-form video drives discovery across every major platform. Shooting with social in mind delivers months of reusable assets for Reels, Stories, and TikTok. We’ve learned that when you plan vertical first, you get more creative mileage and stronger results.
3. Audit before you automate
The rise of AI is exciting, but governance must come first. A clear audit of permissions, data flows, and ethics gives you speed without risk. For hospitality, that means staying compliant while still moving fast – and our AI Audit framework is built to deliver exactly that.
4. Creators on payroll
Employee-generated content continues to outperform high-gloss studio shoots. Empowering teams to tell their own stories drives reach, trust, and brand loyalty. We’ve turned this into a repeatable process through our bespoke digital marketing training, helping staff build confidence while staying within brand guidelines.
Across all of this, one theme stands out: the brands that win in UK hospitality marketing are the ones that mix human creativity with measurable strategy. The technology may evolve, but people and purpose remain at the heart of every great campaign.
Looking to 2026 in UK hospitality marketing
As we head into another year, we’re already exploring how to push performance further – from more advanced tracking to smarter AI integrations and even tighter creative processes. The goal remains the same: to help hospitality brands fill more seats, serve more guests, and grow their revenue sustainably.
If you’d like to see how we’re doing it, here are a few ways to take the next step:
- See how we tracked table-booking ROI the right way for 22x ROAS
- Find out more about our digital marketing training for multi-site hospitality brands
- Learn how to run an AI audit
2025 proved that the right mix of creativity, strategy, and technology can turn marketing into measurable momentum. Here’s to doing even more of it in 2026 – cheers!
Matt Bowell
Matt has been in marketing for 25 years, clocking up many years for institutions like the NHS, the BBC, Comic Relief, Goodyear Dunlop, and Lonely Planet in the UK and abroad. Matt leads the client service team as one of Brew’s directors.
