For over forty years I get paid to find the words that make a product sound irresistible. Biggest, smallest, fastest, new & improved. Also: light, diet, low-fat, sugar-free, natural, organic. And now: sustainable, carbon-neutral, and, currently trending, AI-powered. Every generation of marketers invents its own magic words because every generation of customers falls for different bait. There’s nothing sinister in that. It’s just the business.

What’s changed is that nobody’s treating those words as just marketing anymore. They’re treating them as evidence. And evidence, unlike copy, has to hold up in court.

Recycled, Reused, Re-Litigated

In June 2026 the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority banned ads from Adidas, Calvin Klein and Uniqlo for using the word “recycled” in ways they couldn’t back up. 

Adidas advertised a “recycled shoe range” it turned out didn’t exist. Uniqlo’s fleece was recycled in the parts you could see and not recycled in the parts you couldn’t. Calvin Klein got dinged for implying an entire collection was made from preferred materials when the real number ranged from 20% to 100%. 

Six months earlier the same regulator had done the exact same thing to Nike, Lacoste and Superdry. Six brands. Two rulings. One word. The lesson isn’t about fashion. It’s about the word “recycled” no longer surviving close contact with a lawyer.

The Robot Reads the Fine Print Now

Here’s the part that really changed the game. The ASA didn’t catch any of this from a customer complaint. It caught it with an AI system called Active Ad Monitoring, which scanned nearly 60 million ads in 2025 alone and now accounts for close to half the regulator’s total workload. That intelligence helped resolve more than 40,000 complaints covering over 25,000 ads, resulting in more than 22,000 amendments or withdrawals. 

The old model was: someone gets annoyed, someone complains, someone investigates. The new model is: the machine reads every ad on the internet before breakfast and flags the liars. For decades marketers worried about focus groups. Now we should be worrying about a bot with better reading comprehension than all compliance departments put together.

Every Brand Should Take Notice

Lufthansa, Air France-KLM, Etihad and Virgin Atlantic have all had ads banned for implying that flying with them was somehow kinder to the planet than flying with anyone else. None of these airlines were faking their sustainability investments. Sustainable aviation fuel is real, offset programs are real. What wasn’t real was the insinuation that any of it added up to guilt-free air travel. Progress is not the same thing as permission to round up.

Healthcare Suffers the Same Scrutiny, with Sharper Teeth. In early 2026 the FDA sent Novo Nordisk two separate warning letters in the space of a month for misleading ads by Ozempic and Wegovy, their diabetes and chronic weight management drugs. One of them literally implied superiority over other GLP-1 drugs with no data to support it. Weeks later the agency issued warning letters to 30 telehealth companies for misleading marketing of compounded GLP-1 products, part of a six-month enforcement wave that produced more warning letters than the entire previous decade combined. Meanwhile in France, regulators fined Novo Nordisk close to €1.8 million and Eli Lilly over six figures for “disease awareness” campaigns that never named a drug but, according to the regulator, didn’t need to. Everyone in the room already knew which drug they meant.

Even the Category Name Is a Claim Now

Just to prove the trend has no borders and no mercy, India’s food safety regulator recently issued notices to Red Bull, Sting, Monster and several other brands for calling themselves “energy drinks” (a category that, as it turns out, doesn’t officially exist under Indian food law). Marketers get so comfortable with category language that we stop noticing it’s actually a claim. Apparently regulators noticed for us.

Patriotism, Audited

The FTC launched a “Made in the USA” enforcement sweep in April 2026, settling with sellers of flags, entertainment systems, and footwear for claiming products were American-made when they were partly stitched together in the Dominican Republic and Brazil. One company advertised boots as “handcrafted 100%” domestically while sourcing components from two other countries. “Made in,” “Built in,” and “Designed in” sound interchangeable in a brainstorm. They are not interchangeable to a federal regulator with a customs manifest.

The Cancel Button Is Also Copy

And it’s not just the ad anymore. The FTC’s $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon ($1 billion in penalties, $1.5 billion back to roughly 35 million affected customers) was about Prime enrollment and cancellation flows, not a single banner ad. The checkout screen, the “are you sure?” pop-up, the maze between “cancel” and “confirm cancel,” all of it is now marketing communication, and all of it is now litigable.

The AI Doesn’t Forget What You Deleted

Then there’s the part that actually raises the stakes. BCG found that shopping-related generative AI use grew 35% between February and November 2025. Capgemini found that a quarter of consumers already used generative AI shopping tools in 2025, with another 31% planning to. That matters because an AI assistant doesn’t just repeat your tagline back to you: it cross-references it. It notices when your sustainability page says one thing and your annual report says another. It remembers the claim you quietly walked back last year. Marketing used to compete for attention. It’s now competing for something much harder to fake: consistency across every document you’ve ever published.

Trust Is the New Adjective

Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer puts it plainly: 88% of consumers say trust is an important factor in deciding whether to buy from a brand. That’s not new information: trust has mattered since the first merchant sold the first not so fresh fish. What’s new is how fast it can now be tested, by a regulator, a journalist, a competitor or a chatbot, often within the same week the campaign launches.

What This Actually Means for the Work

The job hasn’t gotten smaller. It’s gotten more interesting. The old question was “how can we make this sound better?” The new question is “how can we make this true enough that nobody, not a regulator, not a rival, not an algorithm, can take it apart?” That’s a harder brief. It’s also, frankly, the brief we should have been writing to all along.

What Marketers Should Actually Do About It

• Treat every claim as something that will eventually be read by a regulator, a competitor, a journalist, and an AI model, because it will.
• Replace the adjective with the number. “Sustainable” is an opinion. “40% recycled polyester, independently certified” is a fact.
• Assume nothing about a fashionable word’s meaning. “Recycled,” “natural,” and “AI-powered” all mean whatever a regulator decides they mean this year.
• Remember that the checkout page, the cancellation flow, and the subscription terms are marketing copy too, and they get read in court.
• Build the proof before you write the headline, not after someone asks for it.
• Get legal and compliance into the room during the creative process, not after the campaign’s already shot.
• Write claims that will still be true in five years, not just until the next sales meeting.
• Stop asking how good your copy sounds. Start asking how fast someone else could prove it wrong.

Sources: European Commission, Green Claims / greenwashing study; UK Competition & Markets Authority; UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA/CAP), including the ASA and CAP Annual Report 2025 and Active Ad Monitoring briefing; U.S. Federal Trade Commission; U.S. Food & Drug Administration; France ANSM (Agence Nationale de Sécurité du Médicament et des Produits de Santé); India FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India); Boston Consulting Group (BCG); Capgemini Research Institute; Edelman Trust Barometer

I was reading a Fast Company article about Pirate’s Booty, the puffed rice-and-corn snack with the wonderfully ridiculous name, and its new rebrand. It reminded me that marketers never seem to learn one basic lesson: a successful brand can become sacred to the people who buy it. Maybe there were too many young mateys in the brand meeting and not enough weathered pirates who knew which treasure not to bury.

Pirate’s Booty, now part of The Hershey Co., was created in 1987 by entrepreneur Robert Ehrlich as a healthier alternative to other kids’ snacks.  It’s one of those brands whose charm has always lived partly in its own silliness. It is a cheesy puffed snack with a pirate, a treasure-chest and a name that sounds as if it was approved by a seven-year-old.

The original pirate had an expression that seemed to say, “Hi! I’m not wearing pants,” while the parrot had an expression that seemed to say, “Hi! He’s definitely not wearing pants.” That was part of the charm. Nobody was looking to Pirate’s Booty for maritime trouser compliance.

Now the artwork has moved from a flatter, more hand-drawn 2D style to a more dimensional, animated-looking 3D world. Yes, the new pirate is clearly wearing pants, in case you were wondering. But what I really want to know is why no one is talking about the fact that his eye patch appears to have changed sides? To me, that should be the major controversy. This poor man has somehow suffered the misfortune of gaining eyesight back in one eye while losing it in the other. Or worse, maybe he never had an eye problem in the first place, and the brand has been living with this lie all along.

My point is that the old packaging had a scruffy, lunchbox, treasure-map quality. The pirate felt like he belonged on a snack bag, not on a brand strategy slide. Then came the redesign: cleaner, smoother, neater, more modern, more polished and more professionally behaved. In other words, exactly the sort of thing that can sometimes make a brand worse while making every individual element look “better.”

When Better Looks Worse

This is where many companies get into trouble. They confuse modernization with cosmetic surgery. They take something familiar, loved and a little odd, send it away for expensive work, then act surprised when it comes back looking younger, tighter and somehow less itself.

A bad rebrand is a lot like the backlash a beloved actress gets after a nip and tuck. The public reaction is rarely, “What marvelous structural refinement.” It’s usually, “What happened to her?” That’s because people don’t fall in love with symmetry. They fall in love with expression, character and familiarity.

Brands work the same way. You can simplify a logo, polish a mascot, update the packaging, refine the colors and improve every visible element, yet still damage the thing people actually liked. The brand comes back from surgery looking more contemporary, but less familiar. Customers notice, even if they don’t describe it in the language of brand equity. They never say, “You damaged a distinctive memory structure.” They say something much more useful: “Why did you ruin it?”

The Customer Owns the Feeling

Marketers should listen to that, because a successful brand is the love child of a company and a customer. The company creates the name, logo, package, mascot, color palette, tone and promise. But customers add the memory. They add the recognition, ritual, habit, trust, nostalgia, loyalty and emotional meaning. The company may own the trademark, but the customer owns the feeling.

That’s why changing a brand isn’t just a design decision. Its relationship surgery. And when companies operate without understanding what customers are emotionally attached to, they shouldn’t be shocked when the patient wakes up angry.

Inside companies, familiar brand assets often start to feel tired. The brand team has seen the logo too many times. The agency wants to make its mark. The new CMO wants proof of momentum. The board wants modernization. Someone says the current identity is not “digital-first,” and before anyone can say “distinctive assets,” a beloved mascot is being quietly made to walk the plank.

But customers aren’t in those meetings. They’re not tired of the brand in the same way the brand team is tired of the brand. They see it for a few seconds on a shelf, sign, app icon, aircraft tail, streaming screen or restaurant wall. Familiarity is not boredom to them. Familiarity is usefulness. This is where companies get dangerously stupid. They look at a familiar symbol and see age. Customers look at the same symbol and see home.

Clean Can Become Empty

Cracker Barrel learned that lesson the hard way. When the company removed the familiar old man from its logo, it may have thought it was simplifying. Many customers saw something else. They saw a brand removing one of the cues that made it feel like Cracker Barrel.

The old man wasn’t elegant. He wasn’t sleek. Exactly. He was rocking chairs, biscuits, road trips, country-store clutter, fake old-timey comfort and the promise that nothing inside would be too surprising. He wasn’t decoration. He was a shortcut to the whole experience.

The backlash became political, cultural and emotional almost immediately, but underneath the noise was a very simple marketing lesson. Customers had decided that the old man belonged to the brand. When the company removed him, customers behaved as if something had been taken from them. Eventually, the company reversed course. That is the thing about brand symbols: from the inside they often look decorative, but from the outside they may be foundational.

Recognition Is Not Decoration

The same mistake can happen with packaging. Tropicana famously replaced its familiar orange-with-a-straw image with a cleaner, more premium-looking carton. In a design presentation, it probably looked fresh. On a supermarket shelf, it became harder to find. The orange wasn’t just a picture. It was a shopping shortcut. It said, “Here I am. I am the one you already know and love” When Tropicana removed it, the brand didn’t simply lose a visual device. It damaged recognition at the exact moment recognition mattered most.

This is why distinctive brand assets matter so much. Logos, colors, mascots, slogans, package shapes and product cues are not merely aesthetic choices. They are commercial infrastructure. They help people recognize, choose and trust a brand without having to think too much about it. One study of brand codes found that only about 15% of tested assets were truly distinctive. That should terrify marketers. If your brand is lucky enough to own something people recognize, why casually sand it down until it looks like everything else?

The lesson isn’t that old is always better. Sometimes old is just old. Sometimes a logo really does need to be improved, a package really does need to be simplified, and a brand really does need to evolve. But there is a difference between removing clutter and removing character. There is a difference between modernizing a brand and making it anonymous.

The Meaning Test Beats the Taste Test

Coca-Cola learned an even bigger version of this lesson all those years ago with New Coke. The company thought it had a product problem. Pepsi was winning taste-test battles. A sweeter formula tested well. So, Coca-Cola changed the formula. On paper, it was rational. In real life, it was madness.

People weren’t just drinking a fizzy brown liquid. They were drinking memory, Americana, habit, family refrigerators, gas stations, ballgames and one of the most loaded pieces of commercial symbolism on earth. Coca-Cola won the taste test and lost the meaning test.

That’s one of the great traps in research. (There’s more than one, but don’t get me started!) It can tell you what people prefer in isolation, but not always what they are emotionally unwilling to lose. When testing a rebrand, companies should not only ask which design looks better. They should ask which design still feels like us, what customers would miss if it disappeared, what people will think we are trying to say, and what meaning we may be accidentally killing.

Even Temporary Changes Touch Memory

Poor Spotify. Its temporary 20th-anniversary app icon was glittery and disco-ball-like. It was not meant to be permanent. It was a campaign flourish. But plenty of users hated it anyway and wanted the familiar green icon back.

That reaction matters precisely because the change was temporary. If people can get irritated by a short-lived icon change, imagine what happens when a company permanently removes a symbol customers use every day to find, trust or emotionally decode a brand.

Global Brands Still Need Roots

British Airways once tried to replace its Union Flag-style tailfins with more international “World Tails” designs. Strategically, the logic was understandable. Airlines are global. Customers are global. Britain itself was changing. The company wanted to look more cosmopolitan. But many customers and critics saw a British airline removing one of the clearest visual signs of Britishness from its aircraft. The lesson isn’t that national symbols are always sacred. The lesson is that rootedness matters. A global brand doesn’t become more global by becoming less itself.

The Backlash Is Now Part of the Launch

The stakes are higher now because trust has become more personal and backlash has become more immediate. Roughly 80% of people say they trust brands they personally use. That’s not abstract corporate goodwill. That’s intimate, practical trust. It’s the trust of “I know this,” “I buy this,” “this has never disappointed me,” “my family uses this,” and “this is part of my life.” So, when a company changes familiar brand symbols, customers can experience it as more than a visual update. The company thinks it changed a logo. The customer thinks it changed the deal.

What’s more, a rebrand no longer launches quietly. Screenshots spread instantly. Critics pounce. Customers mock. AI search summarizes the outrage. Investors notice. Employees cringe. The launch video with the earnest voiceover suddenly looks like evidence at a trial. A rebrand is no longer a controlled announcement. It is an open audition for public ridicule.

The Real Sin Is Disrespect

None of this means brands should never change. Of course they should change. Markets change. Customers change. Channels change. Technology changes. Taste changes. A brand that never evolves eventually becomes a museum piece with a sales target. But smart change makes a brand more itself. Bad change makes a brand more generic. Bad change behaves as if the trademark certificate is the whole relationship.

That’s the arrogance at the heart of so many failed rebrands: believing that because the company owns the mark, it owns the relationship. A successful brand is the love child of a company and a customer. And nobody likes watching one parent give the child a facelift without permission.

What Marketers Should Learn

Before changing a familiar brand asset, marketers should ask what job it actually does. Does it help people recognize you faster? Does it signal trust? Does it carry heritage? Does it make you distinctive? Does it create affection? Does it make customers feel that you are still the brand they chose? If the answer is yes, treat it carefully.

Don’t start with what the brand team is tired of. Start with what customers would miss. Don’t mistake a cleaner logo for a stronger brand. Don’t assume “digital-first” means “personality-last.” Don’t let the strategy deck murder the mascot. And above all, don’t surgically remove the weird little thing people love just because it looks old in a conference room.

Maybe Pirate’s Booty will be fine. Maybe the new pirate will settle in. Maybe kids won’t care. But this lesson is bigger than one pantsless, eyepatch swapping pirate.

When customers love a brand, they don’t only love the product. They love the accumulated meaning around it: the oddness, the shortcuts, the signs, the rituals and the emotional furniture. Change those things carelessly and people may react as if something has been stolen from them. Because, in a way, it has.

Sources: Fast Company — Pirate’s Booty rebrand and packaging update, Reuters — Cracker Barrel logo reversal after backlash, Ipsos / Jones Knowles Ritchie — Distinctive brand assets research, Edelman — 2025 Brand Trust report.

Once upon a time, branding meant selling products. Now, brands are in the people business — elevating founders, leadership teams and even the intern with a breakout TikTok. Why? Because the combined social footprint of a company’s people can easily outstrip the following of a young brand.

Case in point: my friend with 1.6 million TikTok followers — mostly watching him eat — is now igniting his fashion brand almost entirely off that audience. It’s a reminder that if you already have reach, you can skip years of expensive customer acquisition. A single influencer with a loyal following can effectively kickstart a company and save a fortune in marketing spend.

Look at Grace Beverley, founder of TALA in the UK. She started with a modest personal following, parlayed it into a fitness ebook empire and then scaled TALA to 85 employees. Today, she’s as much a media property as her brand, proving that personal reach can be the most potent marketing channel. This isn’t unusual — in fact, with 5.2 billion people (64% of the global population) on social media, the brand account is often playing catch-up to the personalities behind it.

Why It Works (When It Works)

The psychology is simple: people trust people more than logos. Huda Kattan is living proof. Her beauty empire reaches 54 million global followers, each post a personal endorsement that moves product without the whiff of an ad buy.

This “parasocial ROI” is why Daryl-Ann Denner’s apparel brand Nuuds sold out its launch in seven minutes. Two million followers weren’t just shopping — they were buying from a friend they’d never met.

And in some cases, an influencer’s following can all but launch a company overnight. If the trust is already there, you’re not starting from zero — you’re starting from a built-in audience that can replace months of paid media spend.

The economics are equally compelling. Brands earn an average of $4.12 for every $1 spent on Instagram influencer campaigns and the global influencer marketing industry will hit $32.55 billion by the end of 2025. No wonder 80% of brands have held or increased influencer budgets this year with nearly half raising them by more than 11%.

The Hidden Job You Just Took On

Of course, it’s not just charisma — it’s labor. A “low-output” founder still needs to keep a steady drip of content across multiple platforms. TikTok rewards daily posting. Instagram wants 3–5 posts a week. LinkedIn punishes you for going dark for more than seven days.

And this isn’t just product talk. The audience wants behind-the-scenes moments, failures, personal milestones, customer shoutouts and yes — a little controversy now and then. With 5.07 billion social media users spending an average of 2 hours and 20 minutes a day online, you’re competing for attention in a marketplace that’s both massive and ruthless.

But founder beware. Once you train your audience to expect you, disappearing feels like ghosting a relationship.

Why It Fails 

The same forces that make a founder-influencer valuable can also turn them into a liability and in some cases a serious business risk. For clarity a brand here means the sum of the company’s reputation identity and customer relationship — not just a logo or a product line. The ego tax happens when a founder starts chasing engagement instead of building that reputation. Likes get mistaken for loyalty. A post that racks up 100,000 hearts feels like validation even if it’s about a pet’s Halloween costume and has nothing to do with the business. Over time the content shifts toward whatever gets clicks rather than what reinforces the brand promise which leads to audience drift confusion about what the company stands for and eventually falling sales.

Overexposure is another trap. A brand tied too tightly to a founder’s constant presence can feel fresh at first then stale fast. Engagement spikes then collapses as audiences tire of the repetition. Beauty companies saw this in Q1 2025 when Instagram earned media value for the category dropped 28% year over year. Even strong content suffers when saturation sets in and the cost of maintaining attention rises while returns fall.

Burnout is the slow bleed that can take a brand down without warning. Lee Tilghman built a large following by sharing healthy recipes lifestyle tips and personal reflections but years of constant creation and personal exposure took a toll. She walked away citing exhaustion and returned only cautiously. When the founder is the primary marketing channel burnout doesn’t just mean a personal break it can mean losing the engine driving awareness and sales.

Follower inflation is another credibility killer. Daniella Pierson’s Newsletter claimed more than a million subscribers but reporting showed closer to 500,000 were active. In industries where perceived reach fuels sponsorships partnerships and valuations revelations like that don’t just dent reputation they can undercut revenue and stall growth.

Then there’s the succession cliff. When a founder sells, steps back or simply stops being interesting a brand that depends too heavily on one personality can lose value almost instantly. Investors see this as a structural weakness and treat it as a red flag in due diligence. Without a plan to bring other credible faces and voices into the public eye the brand’s equity becomes tied to a single person’s willingness to keep performing.

The Archetypes

Not all founder-influencers operate the same way and each style shapes the brand’s positioning risk profile and growth potential.

The Relatable Expert works for brands that trade on trust credibility and expertise. Vivy Yusof co-founded FashionValet, a Malaysian e-commerce fashion platform, and dUCk, a premium scarf and accessories brand. She blends entrepreneurship and personal life with more than a million followers posting selectively but with value. Her slower growth rate is offset by deeper audience loyalty which helps her brands hold steady over time and weather market fluctuations.

The Entertaining Tyrant suits brands that thrive on attention and cultural relevance but can tolerate higher volatility. Lorna Luxe founded her own namesake Lorna Luxe fashion label after building 1.4 million followers on bold style choices and unapologetic commentary. For her brand this drives rapid spikes in engagement and awareness but also means the brand’s tone and reputation rise and fall with her public persona.

The Evangelist is ideal for brands built on mission-driven or lifestyle positioning where energy and emotional connection convert directly into sales. Emma Grede co-founded Good American, the size-inclusive fashion brand, and later became founding partner of Skims. Good American launched with $1 million in day-one sales by leaning into inclusive storytelling and high-energy personal presence. The payoff for the brand is immediate demand and strong advocacy but it requires sustained personal visibility to keep momentum.

The Anti-Influencer works for brands that want to project exclusivity and scarcity. This founder posts rarely and maintains high mystique which can strengthen brand desirability and pricing power. The trade-off is slower awareness growth and longer timelines to scale. A clear example is Phoebe Philo, whose eponymous luxury fashion label debuted in 2023 after years out of the public eye and relies on her selective, almost invisible presence to cultivate desirability.

The Proxy Builder model stands out for brand longevity because it anchors growth beyond one personality. A strong real-life example is Phlur under Chriselle Lim. While Lim helped revive the brand and remains its creative director after TSG Consumer Partners’ 2025 acquisition, she has built the public identity of Phlur around its perfumers, collaborators, and community stories rather than herself. This deliberate shift means the brand can scale without being solely dependent on her personal visibility, preserving its indie credibility while ensuring resilience if her role changes.

The Strategic Playbook

The most successful founder-influencers operate like pros, not like people winging it on their phones. They set boundaries early — deciding what’s public, what’s private and what’s never going online. They integrate founder content into the brand mix without making it the entire marketing strategy.

They stage-manage authenticity, batch-shooting “spontaneous” moments so they can focus on running the company the other six days of the week. They use their reach to elevate others — customers, employees, partners — so the brand becomes bigger than one personality.

They also understand that reach doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Jones, a UK drinks brand, generated 300 million views by filming simple street interviews and podcast-style conversations — proof that a smart low-cost concept can outperform big-budget campaigns if it connects with the right audience.

The Future

AI is already in the mix and it’s moving fast. In 2025, 92% of brands say they already use or plan to use AI to streamline influencer content — from drafting captions and editing videos to cloning founder voices for rapid content production. This isn’t just about saving time; it’s about scaling a founder’s presence across multiple channels without physically being there.

The scale of the opportunity is enormous. The creator economy is projected to grow from $191 billion in 2025 to $528.4 billion by 2030, meaning the competition for attention will intensify and the tools that can amplify a brand’s voice efficiently will become essential.

One of the more experimental developments is the rise of synthetic founders — fully fictional personalities created to humanize a brand. For companies without a public-facing founder, this offers a way to craft a consistent, controllable brand ambassador. The downside is the looming trust problem; audiences can feel duped if they discover the person they’ve been following doesn’t exist.

There are also outliers who illustrate the power of merging tech entrepreneurship with personal brand equity. One clear example is Lucy Guo—as of 2025 she became the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire, thanks to her nearly 5% ownership stake in Scale AI, the data-labeling AI company she co-founded in 2016  . Her rise demonstrates how innovation and personal credibility can fuel each other in ways even AI can’t replicate.

The next frontier could be a backlash — a founder detox. Audiences asking for the product without the constant personality show. Smart brands will anticipate this and have an exit strategy ready, shifting focus back to product strength and other credible voices before fatigue sets in.

Walking The Tightrope 

Being a founder-influencer is a constant act of balance — thrilling when it works and unforgiving when it doesn’t. You are both the tightrope walker and the rope itself carrying the weight of the brand’s image while navigating the scrutiny that comes with being its most visible ambassador. The ones who win see their role not as a distraction from the business but as a growth engine for it. They use their visibility to build trust faster than a faceless brand ever could, turn their personality into a competitive advantage and create momentum that paid media alone would struggle to match.

The difference is intention. Successful founder-influencers approach their presence with the same discipline they bring to product design or strategy. They build a strong supporting cast to keep the story fresh, develop a deep library of ready-to-post content so the brand never loses its voice and stay focused on amplifying the brand rather than themselves. Done right the founder-as-influencer isn’t just a marketing tactic — it’s a brand asset that can shorten the path to relevance, deepen customer loyalty and drive growth that outlasts any single post or personality.

Sources: Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 – Trust in People vs Brands, Digital Marketing Institute – Global Influencer Marketing Market Size 2025, PR Newswire – Influencer Marketing in 2025 Report, Vogue Business – Beauty Industry Instagram EMV Decline Q1 2025, Smart Insights – Global Social Media Usage Data 2025, Glamour – Nuuds Launch Case Study, Financial Times – Grace Beverley and TALA Growth Story, Washington Post – Lee Tilghman Influencer Burnout, Business Insider – Daniella Pierson Newsette Subscriber Numbers, Wikipedia – Profiles of Huda Kattan, Emma Grede, Vivy Yusof, Chriselle Lim.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever been cool or if I’ve always been cool — which probably means I’m neither. Being cool seems like a lot of work, except the first rule of being cool is that it can’t look like you’re trying. So there are rules, but also no rules at all. What I do know is that cool is slippery. What’s cool to you might be cringe to someone else. Brands that were once the definition of cool aren’t anymore… or suddenly are again… or will be next Tuesday. The only constant? Vigilance. Cool doesn’t coast. If you’re not actively staying relevant, you’re already aging out.

The Life Cycle of Cool

This is what happens when brands grow up. Glossier, once beauty’s indie savior, struggles to regain its spark. Supreme, the New York streetwear icon that taught a generation the thrill of scarcity, now feels routine. Allbirds, the sustainable shoe brand once synonymous with minimalist chic, saw revenues tumble as the hype cooled. Peloton, once the darling of at-home fitness, saw engagement drop as competitors flooded the market. A global survey shows Gen Z are quick to disengage from brands they find out of touch.

At the same time, formerly dead brands can come alive if they read the room. Abercrombie & Fitch, once a punchline, learned to laugh at itself. Its self-aware, inclusive TikTok strategy boosted engagement significantly. H&M saw declining relevance in Europe until pivoting to sustainability-focused campaigns, improving brand sentiment in measurable ways.

Reinvention Over Refresh

The reinvention stories are compelling. Burberry traded safe beige for Daniel Lee’s punchy new vision, reigniting cultural chatter. LEGO evolved from toy to entertainment heavyweight with collaborations spanning Netflix to Adidas, helping drive record-breaking revenue. Fenty Beauty keeps stretching what inclusivity means in beauty, fueling significant growth. Kia Motors rebranded with a future-focused aesthetic and influencer-driven EV campaigns, boosting social engagement noticeably. Brands taking creative risks see outsized engagement lifts.

Cool Isn’t Universal

Cool doesn’t translate the same way in every market. Shein, a Chinese fast-fashion powerhouse criticized in the West for its environmental and labor practices, has found massive success in the Middle East by doubling down on affordability, fast inventory cycles, and leveraging armies of regional micro-influencers who speak directly to local audiences. Starbucks China defends its market leadership not by pushing Western coffee culture, but by leaning into deep-rooted traditions, such as elaborate Lunar New Year campaigns and localized product offerings like red bean lattes, which resonate with Chinese consumers in a tightening coffee market. Lay’s stays relevant by creating hyper-local campaigns, like limited-edition flavors and influencer-driven activations in India and the Middle East, proving that snacks can be deeply cultural when they mirror local tastes and traditions. Netflix Korea mastered the art of exporting local culture globally — creating hits like Squid Game that blend Korean storytelling sensibilities with universal themes, turning regional content into global phenomena. In APAC, where 62% of consumers expect brands to tailor their approach to local culture, one-size-fits-all messaging simply doesn’t work.

How Not to Age Out

Staying relevant isn’t a matter of luck — it’s deliberate, ongoing work. The brands that manage to avoid becoming digital wallpaper are those that treat communications as a living conversation, not a static bulletin board. Here’s how to stay in the game:

• Audit honestly: If your engagement is flatlining, it’s not a blip — it’s an alarm bell. Use social listening, audience surveys, and performance data to figure out where you’re losing traction and why.
• Invest in cultural R&D: Don’t treat new platforms like TikTok or Discord as afterthoughts. Use them as laboratories for experimentation, testing unconventional content styles, formats, and voices without fear of failure.
• Co-create: Stop renting audiences through one-off influencer posts. Partner with creators who have earned trust in their communities and bring them into the brand-building process to develop authentic, culturally resonant campaigns.
• Balance your content: Your grid shouldn’t look like an ad catalog. Blend polished campaign visuals with in-the-moment storytelling — live streams, behind-the-scenes content, and unpolished posts that make audiences feel part of the process.
• Localize with intent: Avoid the trap of copy-pasting content globally. Tailor your tone, visuals, and product storytelling to local tastes and trends — because what earns likes in New York may fall flat in Shanghai.

Relevance Is Rented

Cool has an expiration date. You don’t own it — you rent it. Brands that thrive understand this lease needs constant renewal — watching culture closely, experimenting boldly and dropping what no longer works. Relevance isn’t a trophy. It’s a tab you keep paying.

Sources: Morning Consult, Sprinklr, SimilarWeb, Lyst Index, LVMH Earnings Report, WARC, Business of Apps, Edelman Trust Barometer, QSR Magazine, Kantar, Nielsen, HubSpot.

For those who know me, I tend to treat marketing like a cocktail party—equal parts clever, playful and unexpected. I reserve solemnity for things that actually warrant it: hospitals, courtrooms, hostage negotiations…maybe funerals. But even then, why let death spoil a perfectly good eulogy? So, no surprise—I have little patience for brands that think the height of luxury is whispering in a marble showroom.

It’s not that elegance is dead. It’s that playfulness, once taboo in luxury, is now a differentiator. And the brands that understand this are walking the line between exclusivity and delight—and cashing in on it.

Luxury has always had a bit of a God complex. Legacy brands were built on mystique, tight-lipped heritage and unapproachably smooth surfaces. But what once signaled value now risks signaling detachment.

A 2023 Bain & Company study found that 72% of Gen Z luxury consumers say a brand’s personality matters more than its exclusivity. Yet many brands still behave like we’re in 1992—launching products as if the internet doesn’t exist and smiling is beneath them.

Joy Is a Competitive Advantage

Take Loewe, the Spanish fashion house revitalized by designer Jonathan Anderson. Their balloon heels and pixelated clothes are as surreal as they are covetable—and their sales rose 20% last year, according to LVMH. The products feel like high-concept art school jokes with couture-level execution. That’s the formula: wit with weight.

It’s not just fashion. In hospitality, Baccarat Hotel in NYC blends crystal-dripping opulence with Instagram-bait maximalism. Their room revenue is up 18% from 2019, (Statista). Guests want elegance, yes—but also a little sparkle, a moment, a flex.

Even in design, India Mahdavi—the Iranian-French architect known for her candy-colored interiors—has earned cult status. Her redesign of Ladurée’s flagship salon in Paris swapped sugary pastels for bold jewel tones, mirrored walls and sculptural velvet seating, turning the iconic patisserie into a surrealist jewel box. It wasn’t just a facelift—it was a repositioning. According to WGSN, brands partnering with Mahdavi saw social engagement rise 43% between 2022 and 2023. She makes luxury that feels like dessert—rich, layered and impossible not to share.

Not All Mischief Lands

Let’s be clear: not every attempt at fun is a masterstroke.

Remember the Chanel $825 Advent Calendar? Released in 2021 to celebrate 100 years of No. 5, it promised luxury behind 24 glossy black-and-white drawers. What it delivered: stickers, keychains, an empty dust bag and a plastic snow globe that looked like a cheap department store giveaway. TikTok had a field day, led by influencer Elise Harmon, whose unboxing racked up millions of views and a collective gasp from Gen Z. According to Morning Consult, Chanel’s brand favorability among that demographic dropped 14% in the US after the backlash.

The problem wasn’t the concept—it was the execution: joyless, stingy and wildly out of touch with what $825 is supposed to feel like.

Then there’s the Rolls-Royce NFT drop—an attempt to dip a toe into the Web3 hype without offering anything tangible, useful or even particularly beautiful. It didn’t damage the brand outright but disappeared without a trace, like a press release nobody read. A 2023 YouGov study showed 44% of consumers now view brand collaborations and gimmicks as “increasingly desperate.”

Fun without intent isn’t fun. It’s just noise.

Consumers Want to Play—With Meaning

Jacquemus gets it. The French designer sells micro-bags that can’t hold a Tic Tac—and somehow that’s a strength. He turned a Paris fashion show into a lavender field fantasy and created a collection around inflatable pool toys. Yet his brand has one of the highest engagement rates on Instagram across all luxury fashion houses (Launchmetrics, 2023). Why? Because people aren’t buying function. They’re buying a vibe. And increasingly, that vibe is about being in on the joke.

Luxury homebuyers are changing too. A 2023 Houzz Global Trends report found that 47% of luxury homeowners under 45 described their design style as “bold” or “playful,” versus just 19% of Boomers. That generational shift is seismic.

Even Furniture’s Getting Funky

Interior design has caught the memo. Kelly Wearstler, the American designer behind Proper Hotels, fuses brutalism with whimsy—hotels designed for guests who Instagram their bathtubs.

Or look at Toogood, the London-based design studio founded by Faye and Erica Toogood, whose sculptural “Roly-Poly” chairs look like they belong in a Pixar film—but are priced and positioned as functional art. They sell out with waiting lists.

When Herman Miller, the American office furniture legend, collaborated with streetwear giant Supreme on a red logo-branded Aeron chair, it sold out in hours. That wasn’t about lumbar support. That was about cultural cachet.

The Future of Luxury Is Expressive, Not Impressive

Gen Z and Millennials will account for 80% of all luxury spending by 2030, according to McKinsey. This is not the era of quiet power. It’s the era of conspicuous delight.

A recent McKinsey survey found that 81% of Gen Z luxury buyers globally prefer brands with a sense of play. Not play as in childishness—but personality, story, contradiction. Something to connect to. Something to talk about.

Even The Macallan’s collaboration with Bentley wasn’t just about whiskey or cars—it was about shared craftsmanship and indulgent storytelling. The packaging, the narrative and the product all reinforced each other. It gave consumers something to drink, post and brag about.

Let the Others Keep Whispering

Let the solemn brands stay in their grayscale temples, worshipping at the altar of Seriousness with capital-S serif fonts. But don’t be surprised when the playful ones outsell, outbuzz and outlast them.

Because…fun isn’t the opposite of luxury. It’s the evolution of it. A brand that can make you laugh, spark delight or surprise you—and still charge $1,000 for it—isn’t diluting its value. It’s upgrading it.

And if they do it while wearing pixelated pants and drinking out of a crystal goblet shaped like a duck?

Even better.

Now that anyone can churn out halfway decent content using the same generative AI tools—and, yes, that still a pebble in my shoe—your brand’s tone of voice may be the last defensible edge. Not the tagline. Not the logo. Not the claims on the packaging. The voice. Because that’s what makes people feel something—and more importantly, what makes them trust you.

According to Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer, 81% of consumers say they must trust a brand to buy from it. And while we’re still obsessed with what brands say, more and more, it’s how they say it that’s doing the heavy lifting. So maybe stop trying to sound like you think a brand like yours should sound (you know who you are).  And start crafting a defining tone for your brand that truly fits its personality.

Confessions of a CopywriterI’ve written for brands as different from one another as Coca-Cola, Sony, Volvo, Lavazza and TABASCO, and hundreds more. Each one spoke in a completely different voice—and needed to. Coca-Cola had to sound effortless, global and warm. It was always smiling, even when it wasn’t saying much. Sony was polished and deliberate—sharp without being cold. Volvo needed to be calm, thoughtful and reassuring, with the kind of language that made every sentence feel like it was wearing seatbelts. Lavazza was expressive—every word punctuated with an Italian hand gesture. TABASCO didn’t waste words. It was as bold as its sauce.

Writing for these brands (in English, Russian or Spanish) wasn’t about finding the right words—it was about finding the right voice, every time. Sentence length, vocabulary, rhythm, punctuation—everything changes when the tone is doing the heavy lifting. It’s not unlike writing dialog for a film. The products may be similar, but the characters are wildly different—and each one deserves a script that actually sounds like them.

It’s Not a Style Guide. It’s a Strategy.

Here’s the truth: if your tone is just a line in the brand book between “Pantone Red” and “don’t stretch the logo,” you’ve just ticked a box.  You haven’t defined your tone.

According to a Nielsen study, brand consistency across touchpoints—including tone—can increase revenue by up to 23%. This isn’t about your witty tweets or poetic product blurbs. This is about consistent tone building credibility over time, whether someone is reading your chatbot, your invoice or your CEO’s keynote.

Take Monzo, the UK-based finance upstart. While most high-street banks still write like lawyers, Monzo speaks like a human being. That tone—clear, friendly and smart—helped it amass over 7 million customers, largely through word of mouth and user love. No jingles. No billboards. Just tone.

When You Can’t Outspend, Out-Tone

Brands with big voices often start small. Liquid Death, for example, sells water. Just water. But it wraps that water in a tallboy can and a tone that screams death metal and dark comedy. Its slogan? “Murder Your Thirst.” Its copy reads like it’s been possessed by the ghost of a punk band’s marketing intern. And somehow, it works—brilliantly. The company hit a $263 million valuation in 2023. 

Then there’s Duolingo, whose irreverent, unhinged TikTok presence is a masterclass in strategic insanity. It doesn’t sound like a tech platform. It sounds like your emotionally unstable roommate who’s also somehow great at languages. The result? A 44% year-over-year increase in monthly active users as of 2023.

Or consider Oatly, which turned oat milk into a lifestyle by speaking with anti-corporate sarcasm and the confidence of a college radio DJ with a marketing degree. They IPO’d at a $10 billion valuation in 2021—on the strength of tone, not just taste. When the product is a commodity, tone is what adds the premium.

How to Create—and Codify—Your Tone of Voice

So how do you create a voice that actually earns attention?

1. Define what you’re not.

Every brand thinks it’s “authentic.” That’s not tone. Tell me if you’re not formal. Not cutesy. Not sarcastic. Boundaries are where tone gets teeth.

2. Translate values into language.

If your brand stands for empowerment, how does it sound in a product update? If you’re about innovation, what does your FAQ page read like?

3. Build a playbook, not a paragraph.

Tone guidelines should be long enough to prevent disasters and short enough to be read. Include real examples: a tweet, a support reply, a hero banner. Avoid tone that’s defined by adjectives alone—“bold yet warm” means nothing until you see it in action.

4. Localize like a native, not a tourist.

Tone doesn’t travel without translation. It transforms. A joke that kills in English might offend in Spanish. A humble brag that lands in Russian might sound like weakness. Global tone means emotional equivalence, not linguistic one.

5. Train everyone, not just your writers.

If your social media intern writes like a comedian and your CFO posts like a Bond villain, your tone’s dead. Product managers, recruiters and chatbots all need to speak with one “voice”.

6. Audit and adapt.

Even great tone drifts. Especially when AI gets involved. Use online tools to keep the language in line. And if you do use AI? Train it on your tone—not someone else’s.

The AI Effect: Why Voice Matters More Than Ever

AI can write a paragraph in three seconds. But unless you’ve trained it properly, it’ll sound like everyone else.

Klarna, the Swedish fintech company, uses an AI assistant to handle two-thirds of its customer service chats. But that’s only because it was trained on the brand’s own language and customer history. Otherwise, your chatbot sounds like a polite alien who once read The Elements of Style.

As more brands pump out AI-generated content, the world is drowning in functional blandness. Tone is your only shot at standing out—and being remembered.

Final Word: If You Don’t Define It, You Can’t Defend It

Your brand will have a voice—whether you choose it or not. And if you don’t choose it, you won’t recognize it when it starts slipping out of your control.

In a world of infinite content, attention is expensive and trust is fragile. Tone of voice is your soft power. It’s how you earn attention without shouting. So speak easy. But sound unmistakably like you.

Marketing through movies offers a dynamic way to enhance brand visibility and consumer engagement. By aligning products with compelling narratives and popular characters, brands can transform their presence and achieve significant visibility.

It is estimated that more than 30% of movies now feature some form of brand affiliation. This trend highlights the growing importance of leveraging entertainment media to build brands.

Successful integrations, product placements, promotions and partnerships leverage the storytelling power of films to create memorable and impactful marketing campaigns.

The use of movie marketing to drive consumer engagement and commercial success can be a game changer for brands searching for new ways to connect with their audiences.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie emerged as a cultural phenomenon, thanks to an extensive and well-executed marketing campaign that took brand integration to the extreme with over 100 brand partnerships. Warner Bros and Mattel collaborated on a robust strategy that included co-branding and licensing opportunities. The film’s marketing efforts spanned various platforms and products, including Barbie-branded merchandise, digital content, and immersive experiences such as the Barbie Dream House on Airbnb. The movie grossed nearly $1.5 billion globally, significantly boosting Barbie merchandise sales and reinforcing the brand’s cultural relevance.

This illustrates how strategic marketing partnerships and product placements in movies can drive significant commercial success and cultural impact. By leveraging the storytelling power of films, brands can create immersive and memorable marketing experiences that resonate with audiences.

This week we’ll discuss the basics of movie marketing and provide insights into effective strategies for integrating brands into films. We will explore various approaches to movie marketing, including integrated campaigns, exclusive sponsorships, event-based promotions, charity collaborations, and organic product placements, highlighting successful case studies and best practices.

Though we may use Hollywood blockbusters in our examples, these strategies are also applicable to films of all budgets. In fact, smaller films are often much more amenable to creative partnering with brands to secure financing or maximize profitability.

1. Integrated Marketing Campaigns
Integrated marketing campaigns leverage multiple platforms and channels to create a unified and immersive brand experience. This approach ensures consistent messaging and maximizes consumer engagement by reaching audiences through various touchpoints.

For a fully integrated campaigns around movies, consider the following:
• Identify the Core Message: Align the campaign with the movie’s themes, characters, and narrative.
• Cross-Platform Engagement: Utilize digital, social media, and physical experiences to engage consumers.
• Collaborative Partnerships: Work with other non-competitive brands and platforms to amplify the campaign’s reach.
• Creative Content: Develop unique and engaging content that resonates with the target audience.
• Track and Optimize: Monitor the campaign’s performance across different channels and optimize strategies based on real-time data.

The marketing campaign for Barbie (2023) is a quintessential example of an integrated marketing approach. Warner Bros and Mattel executed a comprehensive strategy that spanned multiple platforms and included a variety of engaging elements:

• Themed Products: The campaign featured Barbie-branded merchandise, including clothing, accessories, and even a special edition Barbie Dream House. These products were available both online and in retail stores, creating a tangible connection with the audience.
• Digital Content: Extensive use of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube helped in reaching a broader audience. Engaging content like behind-the-scenes footage, character interviews, and interactive posts kept the buzz alive.
• Social Media Engagement: Influencers and celebrities were involved in promoting the movie, leveraging their followers to boost awareness. The hashtag #BarbieMovie trended across platforms, generating millions of impressions and extensive user-generated content. No to mention the fact that many of our collective memories from the summer of ’23 are bathed in Barbie pink!
• Physical Experiences: The Airbnb collaboration, which allowed fans to book a stay at a life-sized Barbie Dream House, provided a unique and immersive experience. This not only drove media coverage but also created a buzz among fans.

Integrated marketing campaigns around movies can create a powerful and cohesive brand experience, driving both consumer interaction and sales. By leveraging multiple platforms and channels, brands can maximize their reach and impact, ensuring a successful marketing strategy.

2. Exclusive Sponsorships
Exclusive sponsorships provide brands with a unique opportunity to align themselves with major film releases, ensuring extensive visibility and association with the movie. This strategy may not be as immersive as a completely integrated program, but still involves a deep immersion into the film’s promotional activities, creating a symbiotic relationship that benefits both the brand and the film.

Consider these steps when creating exclusive sponsorships with movies:
• Identify Alignment Opportunities: Find films whose themes, characters, and audience align with the brand’s identity and values.
• Negotiate Exclusive Rights: Work with production studios to secure exclusive sponsorship rights, ensuring the brand is prominently featured in promotional materials and activities.
• Develop Cross-Portfolio Activations: Create promotional activities that span various platforms and channels, maximizing exposure.
• Leverage Behind-the-Scenes Content: Use behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive content to engage audiences and provide deeper insights into the film and the brand’s involvement.
• Measure and Optimize: Track the performance of the sponsorship campaign and optimize strategies based on feedback and data analytics.NBCUniversal’s upcoming film Wicked, set to release in 2024, showcases a strategic use of exclusive sponsorships:
• Cross-Portfolio Promotional Activations: NBCUniversal’s pitch for Wicked involves extensive promotional activities across its various media platforms. This includes behind-the-scenes specials, interviews with the cast and crew, and featurettes that delve into the making of the film. These activities are designed to provide sponsors with broad visibility and an association with a highly anticipated film release.
• Streaming Partnerships: Wicked also involves partnerships with streaming platforms, ensuring that the film’s sponsors are featured prominently in digital content. This approach allows for extended reach, particularly among younger, tech-savvy audiences who consume content online.

By leveraging its vast media network and streaming partnerships, NBCUniversal ensures that sponsors of Wicked gain extensive exposure and are closely associated with the film’s success.

Sponsorship. Exclusive Sponsorship. Look no farther than The James Bond franchise for a prime example of decades of successful exclusive sponsorships:
• Aston Martin’s Integration: Aston Martin isn’t the only car brand that has been featured in James Bond films (BMW tried to usurp Aston’s dominance during the 90’s) but is certainly the moniker most closely aligned with the franchise. Its nearly ubiquitous presence has significantly boosted its image. The association with the suave and sophisticated James Bond character aligns perfectly with Aston Martin’s brand values of luxury and performance. Each new Bond film features the latest Aston Martin models, often showcasing the car’s advanced features and cutting-edge technology.
• Brand Boost: This ongoing relationship has not only enhanced Aston Martin’s prestige but has also contributed to its sales and market positioning. The cars used in the films often become iconic, further embedding the brand in popular culture and driving consumer interest.

Exclusive sponsorships in movie marketing offer brands unparalleled visibility and association with high-profile films. By aligning with major releases and creating cross-portfolio activations, brands can enhance their image, drive consumer engagement, and achieve significant marketing success – sometimes even making them an integral part of cinematic history.

3. Event-Based Promotions
Event-based promotions revolve around creating engaging and memorable experiences that connect the audience with the film and the brand. These promotions can range from contests and giveaways to themed events and immersive experiences, all designed to drive consumer engagement and product exploration.

Here a few tactics to consider when building event-based promotions around movies:
• Align with Film Themes: Develop promotions that tie directly into the themes and elements of the movie to create a cohesive and immersive experience.
• Engage Through Contests and Giveaways: Use instant win promotions, sweepstakes, and other contests to drive participation and excitement.
• Create Immersive Experiences: Host themed events, screenings, and interactive experiences that bring the movie’s world to life.
• Collaborate with Partners: Work with retailers, media partners, and other brands to amplify the reach and impact of the promotion.
• Leverage Digital Platforms: Utilize social media and digital marketing to promote the events and engage with a broader audience.

Yamaha’s promotion for Trolls World Tour showcases how event-based promotions can effectively drive consumer engagement:
• Instant Win Promotion: Yamaha created an Instant Win promotion for the Trolls World Tour premiere, offering a variety of prizes and exclusive experiences. Customers who purchased Yamaha Home Audio products had the chance to win daily prizes, including Yamaha audio equipment and a grand prize trip for a family of four to attend the movie premiere in Sydney, complete with flights and accommodation.
• Consumer Engagement: This promotion not only encouraged product exploration but also generated excitement and buzz around both the movie and Yamaha’s products. The combination of instant gratification through daily prizes and the allure of a grand prize experience drove significant consumer participation and brand engagement.

Hershey’s famous collaboration with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a classic example of how event-based promotions can literally change the trajectory of a brand and significantly boost visibility and sales:
• Marketing Campaign: Hershey partnered with the producers of E.T. to feature Reese’s Pieces prominently in the film. This collaboration was supported by a marketing campaign that promoted both the movie and the candy. Hershey invested $1 million in advertising to promote the film, linking Reese’s Pieces with the heartwarming story of E.T. and his love for the candy.
• Sales Boost: The promotion resulted in a 65% increase in Reese’s Pieces sales during the movie’s run. The association with the beloved film not only boosted immediate sales but also cemented Reese’s Pieces in popular culture, demonstrating the lasting impact of well-executed event-based promotions. All of this was to the chagrin of Hershey’s fierce competitor, Mars, Inc. the maker of M&M’s, whom Steven Spielberg originally wanted to use in the film, but foolishly declined.

Event-based promotions are a powerful tool in movie marketing, offering brands the opportunity to create memorable experiences that drive consumer engagement and product exploration. By aligning promotions with film themes, engaging audiences through contests and immersive experiences, and leveraging digital platforms, brands can maximize the impact of their marketing efforts to significantly boost brand visibility.

4. Charity Collaborations
Charity collaborations in movie marketing not only enhance a brand’s image by showcasing its commitment to social responsibility but also create a positive association with the film. These partnerships appeal to audiences’ altruistic values, driving consumer engagement and fostering a sense of community.

Here are some guidelines to brands should follow to create charity collaborations around movies:
• Identify Relevant Causes: Choose charitable causes that resonate with both the movie’s themes and the brand’s values.
• Collaborate with Nonprofits: Partner with reputable nonprofit organizations to ensure the authenticity and effectiveness of the campaign.
• Develop Joint Marketing Efforts: Create marketing materials that highlight both the charitable cause and the collaboration with the movie.
• Engage Through Promotions: Use promotions, such as donations per product sold or special events, to drive consumer participation and donations.
• Measure Impact: Track the success of the campaign in terms of funds raised, awareness generated, and consumer engagement to assess its impact.

For the promotion of “Avengers: Infinity War,” Marvel Studios partnered with American Airlines and Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C). The collaboration included a powerful PSA featuring Marvel superheroes alongside real-life cancer survivors and SU2C researchers. This campaign aimed to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, showcasing the combined efforts of the entertainment, aviation, and charity sectors.

During the promotion of “Despicable Me 3,” Universal Pictures teamed up with General Mills and Feeding America. This campaign featured limited-edition cereal boxes with Minions and encouraged consumers to donate to Feeding America, highlighting how entertainment brands can support hunger relief initiatives.

These examples demonstrate how charity collaborations can effectively enhance a brand’s corporate social responsibility image while engaging consumers on a deeper, more meaningful level. By aligning with relevant causes and leveraging the power of popular films, brands can create impactful campaigns that drive both consumer engagement and positive social change.

5. Organic Product Placement
Organic product placement is the OG form of movie marketing where products are seamlessly integrated into the storyline. This approach subtly reinforces a brand’s image without overt promotion, making the product a natural part of the film’s universe.

In order to effectively utilize product placement in movie making, consider these obvious but essential points:
• Identify Natural Fits: Ensure the product fits naturally within the film’s setting and storyline to avoid feeling forced or out of place.
• Subtle Integration: The product should be a part of the characters’ everyday lives, enhancing realism without distracting from the plot.
• Leverage Key Scenes: Place products in pivotal scenes where they will be noticed but not overshadow the narrative.
• Maintain Authenticity: Avoid over-commercialization to keep the product placement authentic and believable.

In Avengers: Endgame, Audi cars were prominently featured, with Tony Stark (Iron Man) driving an Audi e-tron GT. This placement aligned with Tony Stark’s character as a tech-savvy billionaire and reinforced Audi’s image as a brand associated with innovation and luxury. The subtle yet noticeable integration helped promote Audi’s electric vehicles without overshadowing the film’s storyline.

In A Star is Born, a range of musical equipment and brands, including Shure microphones and Gibson guitars, were prominently featured. This organic integration enhanced the authenticity of the music scenes and helped promote the brands among both general audiences and music enthusiasts. The use of real, high-quality equipment reinforced the film’s credibility and connected with viewers who recognize these industry-standard products.

Organic product placement remains a powerful strategy in movie marketing, providing brands with an authentic way to connect with audiences. By integrating products naturally into the storyline, brands can enhance their image and visibility without distracting from the narrative. The success stories from these recent films demonstrate the enduring effectiveness of this classic marketing approach.

Effective marketing via movies involves strategic planning, creativity, and strong industry relationships. By aligning products with compelling narratives and engaging characters, brands can achieve significant visibility and consumer engagement. Larger partnerships offer even greater opportunities for integration and engagement, enhancing the viewer’s experience and creating lasting brand impressions.

The evolving landscape of product placement, especially with the rise of streaming platforms, offers new opportunities for brands to integrate seamlessly into entertainment content. This integration not only enhances the viewer’s experience but also solidifies the brand’s presence in popular culture.

Engaging professional agencies like Rose is crucial in navigating the intricacies of product placement. Our expertise ensures brand alignment and manages the various aspects of integration, sponsorship, co-marketing, and contracts to maximize the impact of your movie marketing efforts and effectively achieve your strategic goals.

As the digital age accelerates, so too do the expectations of consumers. They now seek more than just products or services; they crave experiences, stories, and brands that reflect their own values and aspirations.

Since, in the best of circumstances, brands are a love affair between a company and its customer, marketers must respond to these new expectations to remain relevant.

This shift demands that brands not only offer value in terms of what they sell, but also in how they sell it. For instance, the rise of experiential retail showcases how brands are transforming shopping into an immersive experience, as seen with Nike’s flagship stores that offer personalized workouts and fittings.

The emphasis on sustainability has never been more pronounced. As climate change becomes an increasingly urgent global issue, consumers are turning to brands that can demonstrate a commitment to eco-friendly practices. This isn’t limited to just the product, but extends to packaging, operations and the entire supply chain. Loop, a platform that partners with brands to offer reusable packaging, is a prime example of how sustainability is being integrated into the customer experience.

Technology has enabled brands to understand and cater to their customers like never before. Personalization, powered by big data and AI, allows brands to tailor their offerings to meet the unique needs of each customer. From personalized email marketing campaigns to customized product recommendations, brands are finding innovative ways to make every customer feel special. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign, which personalized bottles with names, demonstrated how personal touches could create a viral sensation.

Leveraging Social Media Beyond Marketing
Social media has evolved from a promotional tool to a critical component of brand strategy, encompassing customer service, engagement, and even product development. Brands are using social media to create communities, gather customer feedback, and involve their audience in the product development process. This two-way dialogue not only enhances customer satisfaction but also fosters a sense of ownership and loyalty towards the brand.

The Impact of AR and VR on Brand Engagement
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are opening new avenues for brands to engage with their customers. These technologies offer immersive experiences that can elevate the brand’s storytelling, making it more interactive and memorable. Since IKEA launched its Place app that uses AR to let customers visualize how furniture would look in their homes, other brands are also now similarly bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds.

A Renaissance for Logo Design
In 2024, the world of logo design continues to evolve at a rapid pace, mirroring the dynamism of our society, technological advancements, and artistic innovations. As we observe the latest trends, it becomes evident that logos are not just symbols but storytellers, capable of conveying a brand’s identity, ethos, and aspirations. Here are five logo design directions to keep an eye on.

1. 3D Logos: A Leap into Dimensionality
   The transition from flat design to 3D showcases a desire for logos to break free from the two-dimensional realm and engage with audiences in more dynamic ways. Examples like Reddit’s mascot, Snoo, and Android’s logo update exemplify this trend, bringing characters to life and paving the way for animated logos in digital environments. This shift highlights a move towards logos that can adapt and thrive in virtual and augmented realities.

2. Royal Blue Dominance
   Despite Pantone’s selection of Peach Fuzz for the color of the year and the continued fascination with Barbie pink, royal blue has made a significant impact in logo design. Esteemed brands like Nokia and Burberry have incorporated this rich hue, signaling trust, stability, and loyalty. The choice of bold colors, such as royal blue, reflects a trend towards designs that capture attention and make a strong visual statement.

3. Nostalgia with a Modern Twist
   In a response to rapid technological advances, and as I have previously reported, brands like Burberry and Pepsi are looking back to their histories for inspiration, blending traditional elements with contemporary flair. This trend reflects a desire for stability and continuity, with logos that honor the past while staying relevant in the present.

4. Artistic Typography
   Gone are the days of safe font choices. The current landscape favors whimsical and creative fonts, with exaggerated strokes and unique characteristics leading the charge. This trend is about logos with personality, breaking free from uniformity and embracing the unexpected. AI is also getting into the act and soon every brand can have its very own typeface.

5. Lowercase Logos
   Lowercase logos convey approachability and informality, appealing to consumers seeking personable and authentic brand interactions. This trend is exemplified by brands like Amazon and mastercard, which use lowercase typography to present a friendly, accessible image.

Embracing the Future
The branding trends of 2024 represent a shift towards more personal, sustainable, and technologically integrated brand experiences. As brands navigate these trends, the emphasis on meaningful engagement, transparency, and innovation will set the successful ones apart.

In this dynamic landscape, the evolution of logo design reflects the broader changes in branding strategies. By focusing on character, adaptability and a deep connection with consumer values, logos are becoming more than just a visual identifier—they are becoming a symbol of the brand’s ethos and commitment to its customers.

As we look to the future, the brands that thrive will be those that can adapt to these changes while staying true to their core values. The journey of branding in 2024 and beyond is not just about selling a product or service but about creating a brand that lives in the hearts and minds of consumers.

Let’s begin with a definition: a Positioning Statement is a strategic tool in branding and marketing that succinctly defines how a product or service uniquely addresses the needs of its target audience, setting it apart from its competitors.

Of course, there is a lot more to it than that. While a Positioning Statement, by definition, is expressed using an economy of words, I find it takes quite a few words to describe how and why to write one.

A Positioning Statement is the essence of a brand’s unique value proposition, encapsulated into a fun-size package that communicates the primary reason a product or service is suited to a particular customer segment. It guides marketing strategies and campaigns, ensuring consistency in messaging across all platforms and touchpoints. By clearly defining the brand’s position in the market, it helps businesses to focus their marketing efforts, align with their target audience’s expectations, and ultimately, carve out a distinct space in the competitive landscape.

The importance of a Positioning Statement cannot be overstressed; it not only informs the target audience about what the brand stands for but also plays a crucial role in building brand identity, fostering customer loyalty, and driving business success.

But it ain’t easy.

I’ve witnessed grown men nearly come to blows over which turn of phrase most effectively defines their brand of bathroom fixtures. It can be a daunting challenge for a company to crystallize the essence of its brand into a snappy sentence or two.

Of course, that is precisely the point. Reflecting on Blaise Pascal’s timeless insight, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter,” we grasp the significance of brevity and the painstaking process of condensing profound thoughts into compact, potent messages. This principle lies at the heart of branding and marketing, making the creation of a Positioning Statement not just an exercise in precision, but a strategic endeavor of paramount importance.

A Positioning Statement is the linchpin of a brand’s identity, a succinct declaration that articulates how a product or service uniquely addresses the needs of its target audience, distinguishing it from the sea of competitors. This is not merely about what a brand offers but why it matters, making the Positioning Statement a beacon that guides both marketing strategy and consumer perception.

The anatomy of a Positioning Statement is intricate, woven from six essential elements that together, create a tapestry of brand identity and purpose:

1. Target Audience
   The cornerstone of a Positioning Statement is a deep understanding of the target audience. Beyond demographics, this entails a profound grasp of the audience’s desires, challenges, and aspirations. While it is not essential to mention the audience by name in the Positioning Statement itself, this knowledge informs the entire positioning strategy, ensuring the message resonates on a personal level with those it seeks to engage.
2. Market Definition
   Defining the market, including the competition, sets the stage for the brand’s narrative. This involves not just identifying the category in which the brand competes but also integrating insights about the audience’s needs and the market’s ability to fulfill them. This clarity positions the brand not just within a market but as a leader within that space.
3. Brand Promise
   The brand promise is the narrative’s heart, encapsulating not only the functional benefits but also the emotional or transformative experiences the brand delivers. This promise goes beyond mere utility to touch on the unique, emotional impact the brand seeks to have on its audience’s lives.
4. Reason to Believe
   The foundation upon which the brand promise stands is the reason to believe. This element substantiates the brand promise with concrete evidence—be it through innovation, heritage, testimonials, or performance—offering solid grounds for consumer trust and loyalty.
5. Differentiation
   Differentiation hones-in on what sets the brand apart, addressing directly how it diverges from competitors. This essential element accentuates the brand’s unique qualities and capabilities, spotlighting why it is the superior choice for the target audience.
6. Brand Values and Vision
   Infusing the Positioning Statement with the brand’s values and vision adds a layer of depth and authenticity. This connection not only aligns the brand with its broader purpose and the impact it aspires to have but also resonates with consumers who share similar values, fostering a deeper connection and loyalty.

While Brand Promise, Reason to Believe and Differentiation form the foundational chords, the inclusion of Target Audience and Market Definition, coupled with an exploration of emotional benefits and Brand Values and Vision, compose a more resonant and comprehensive Positioning Statement. This holistic approach does not merely delineate where the brand fits within the market but results in a multidimensional reflection of its essence, mission, and the unique value it delivers to its audience.

The elegance of a proper Positioning Statement lies in its simplicity and clarity, echoing Pascal’s advocacy for brevity. While the formulation of such a statement may not adhere to strict rules of length, the peril lies in neglecting the power of conciseness. Distilling complex ideas into concise, impactful statements requires not just skill but strategic insight, ensuring that the brand’s core message pierces through the noise to touch the hearts and minds of its audience.

The art of differentiation is integral to the Positioning Statement, ensuring the brand’s unique place in the customer’s mind is clearly articulated. This process involves not just identifying but effectively communicating the brand’s unique selling points, ensuring they are both compelling and distinct.

Analyzing the Positioning Statements of iconic brands reveals the strategic thought underlying their crafting. These examples illuminate how effectively a Positioning Statement can articulate a brand’s unique value proposition, resonate with the target audience, and carve a distinct space in the competitive landscape.

Coca-Cola
Positioning Statement: “For quality beverage seekers, Coca-Cola offers a wide range of the most refreshing options. Each creates a great experience for customers when they enjoy a Coca-Cola brand drink. Unlike other beverage options, Coca-Cola products inspire happiness and make a positive difference in customers’ lives, and the brand is intensely focused on the needs of consumers and customers.”
Analysis:
• Target Audience: Individuals seeking high-quality, refreshing beverages.
• Market Definition: Positioned in the global beverage market, emphasizing a wide variety of refreshing drink options.
• Brand Promise: Delivering not just refreshment, but an enjoyable and happy experience.
• Reason to Believe: Coca-Cola’s long-standing reputation and commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
• Differentiation: The unique ability to inspire happiness, setting it apart from mere thirst quenchers.
• Brand Values and Vision: A focus on consumer needs and creating positive experiences, highlighting Coca-Cola’s dedication to spreading happiness.

Disney
Positioning Statement: “Disney provides unique entertainment for consumers seeking magical experiences and memories. Disney leads the competition by providing every aspect of related products and services to the world and appealing to people of all ages.”
Analysis:
• Target Audience: Families and individuals across all ages looking for enchanting entertainment.
• Market Definition: The entertainment industry, offering a comprehensive range of products and services.
• Brand Promise: Unique and magical experiences that create lasting memories.
• Reason to Believe: Disney’s legacy in storytelling and its expansive ecosystem of entertainment options.
• Differentiation: Its unparalleled ability to enchant and entertain audiences of all ages.
• Brand Values and Vision: Commitment to creating magical moments, reflecting Disney’s aim to be the source of joy and magic worldwide.

Nike
Positioning Statement: “For athletes in need of high-quality, fashionable athletic wear, Nike offers customers top-performing sports apparel and shoes made of the highest quality materials. Its products are the most advanced in the athletic apparel industry because of Nike’s commitment to innovation and investment in the latest technologies.”
Analysis:
• Target Audience: Athletes and active individuals looking for high-quality, stylish athletic wear.
• Market Definition: Athletic apparel and footwear, emphasizing performance and style.
• Brand Promise: The delivery of top-performing, advanced sports apparel and shoes.
• Reason to Believe: Nike’s innovation, use of quality materials, and technological advancements.
• Differentiation: Commitment to innovation and the provision of cutting-edge athletic wear.
• Brand Values and Vision: Empowerment through sport, highlighting Nike’s dedication to helping athletes achieve their best.

These examples showcase how each brand carefully pens its Positioning Statement to reflect its unique value proposition, targeting specific audiences with a clear brand promise, supported by solid reasons to believe, and distinguished by unique differentiators. They tie their statements back to overarching brand values and visions, ensuring their messaging resonates deeply with their intended market.

A Positioning Statement is far more than a tagline or mere marketing fluff; it is the crystallized essence of a brand’s identity, purpose, and promise to its audience.

In crafting a Positioning Statement, brands undertake a journey of self-discovery, distilling their essence into a message that resonates with clarity and purpose. A potent Positioning Statement has the power to reshape perceptions, distinguish a brand within its market, and connect deeply with consumers on an emotional level. It acts as the beacon of brand identity, guiding not only marketing strategies but also product development, customer service, and every facet of customer interaction.

It appears, in little more than a year, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged, not just as a buzzword, but as a cornerstone in redefining how brands interact with us, the consumers. Of course, the term “Artificial Intelligence” was first coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, a computer scientist who is widely considered to be one of the “fathers of AI.” So, it took nearly 70 years for AI to become the “overnight success” it appeared to be when ChatGPT took the world by storm.

In fact, AI-driven personalized shopping recommendations and dynamic customer service chatbots have increasingly become part of our everyday digital experience for some time now.

Yet, as we stand on the frontier of an AI revolution, a pivotal question looms large: Are we ready to embrace this digital co-pilot, or are we treading into a privacy quagmire?

The Digital Dance: AI’s Role in Personalizing Experience
At its core, AI in marketing and customer service is about enhancing our digital interactions, making them more relevant, more personal, and, ideally, more efficient.

Who wouldn’t appreciate a service that seems to understand our preferences better than we do ourselves? Indeed, a sweeping majority of us are open to the idea, with a whopping 81% nodding in favor of AI-driven personalization, according to recent findings.

But here’s the kicker: Our acceptance comes with strings attached. It’s not just about what recommendations are made but who is making them and how they’re derived. Our trust hinges on transparency and the directness of these digital interactions.

Navigating the AI Labyrinth: Consumer Insights and Anxieties
Dive a little deeper, and the waters get murkier. While we’re intrigued by the promise of AI, our enthusiasm is tempered by accuracy concerns and privacy apprehensions. The personalization that AI offers is a double-edged sword. On one side, there’s the allure of convenience; on the other, the shadow of surveillance. It seems we’re caught in a digital dichotomy, craving personalization yet cautious about the cost to our privacy.

This ambivalence is further complicated by our varying degrees of familiarity with AI. Those of us who’ve dabbled with AI tools and filled our homes with Alexa and Siri-enabled devices are more likely to view AI’s role in customer experience through rose-tinted glasses. However, for a significant chunk of the population, AI in customer service still misses the mark, failing to replicate the nuanced understanding of a human touch.

The Ethical Equation: Data Privacy and AI Transparency
The heart of our collective concern beats loudly for data privacy. With nearly 82% of us anxious about how AI might compromise our digital privacy, it’s clear that for AI to find its place, it must be anchored in ethical use. This brings us to the crux of the matter: AI transparency. Understanding the “how” and “why” behind AI decisions is not just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for fostering trust. Yet, achieving this transparency is no small feat, given the complexity of AI systems.

Bridging the Trust Gap: Towards Ethical and Responsible AI Use
So, where do we go from here? The path forward is paved with ethical considerations and responsible AI use. Brands have a pivotal role to play in demystifying AI for consumers, offering clarity on how data is used and ensuring that personalization does not become invasive. It’s about striking a delicate balance between innovation and integrity, where AI enhances our digital experiences without compromising our privacy.

Moreover, the dialogue around AI must evolve to include not just consumers and brands, but regulators as well. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in our digital lives, the need for comprehensive regulations and standards to ensure ethical AI use becomes paramount. It’s a collaborative journey towards a future where AI serves not just the interests of brands, but the values of society at large.

Regulating the Future: The Artificial Intelligence Act’s Role in Shaping AI
In a landmark move on March 13, 2024, the European Parliament brought the future of AI into a clearer, more regulated light with the adoption of the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). As the world’s pioneering comprehensive legal framework for AI, the AI Act is poised to usher in a new era of digital ethics and governance. By mandating EU-wide rules on data quality, transparency, human oversight, and accountability, the Act not only aims to safeguard fundamental rights but also to cultivate a trustworthy AI environment across the European Union. With its stringent requirements, significant extraterritorial effects, and the possibility of imposing fines up to 35 million euros or 7% of global annual revenue, the AI Act sends a clear message about the EU’s commitment to lead the global discourse on AI governance.

However, the AI Act’s ambitious scope and regulatory depth present both opportunities and challenges. While it establishes a much-needed framework to ensure AI technologies are developed and deployed responsibly, it also raises concerns about potential stifling of innovation and the burden of compliance, especially on smaller enterprises. The Act’s broad definition of AI and its risk-based approach—categorizing applications from unacceptable to minimal risk—reflects a nuanced understanding of the diverse landscape of AI technologies. This legislation aims to balance the immense potential of AI to drive economic growth and improve quality of life against the need to protect individuals and societal values from AI’s potential harms. As this groundbreaking regulation begins to take effect, its impact on the AI ecosystem will be closely watched by stakeholders across the globe, offering lessons and insights for future AI governance efforts worldwide.

As we navigate this AI-infused landscape, the call for brands is clear: Embrace transparency, prioritize privacy, and commit to ethical AI use. Only then can we build a digital ecosystem where AI is not viewed with skepticism but embraced as a trusted ally in enhancing our digital experiences. The future of AI in consumer-brand relationships is not just about leveraging technology for personalization; it’s about doing so with a conscience.

Source:
CDP.com
Dentsu Consumer Navigator