This week’s stories show brands navigating a shifting power dynamic. Meaning is no longer assigned by scale, spend, or spectacle, but by credibility, authorship, and emotional truth. From Airbnb turning “home” into competitive advantage for Olympians, to Dollar Shave Club choosing defiance over censorship, to legacy brands remixing culture with humor, family, and self-awareness, the
This week’s issue is a tour of how brands win by matching story to setting. Duolingo turns a mascot into retail theater in Tokyo. LinkedIn rides the Wrapped wave and discovers the emotional risk of year-end scorecards. Instagram signals a shift from polished feeds to raw signals in an AI-saturated world. Louis Vuitton proves how
Boots puts pharmacists on standby in cafés and parks. Bradley Cooper defends football’s honor with a wink. A nine-year-old’s drawing powers a global creativity chain. Nike asks a hard question and hands athletes a simple next step. This week’s newsletter is about simple marketing ideas paired with serious distribution and proof that shows up on
This week, brands are getting cheeky, chaotic, and surprisingly clever. From Duolingo’s banana-peel facials to Estée Lauder duping sleep itself, marketers embraced the weird, the wild, and the wonderfully strategic. April Fools’ Day saw brands go all-in with pranks so good, some became real products (Duolingo cruise, anyone?). Meanwhile, Eventbrite is making search ads on
This week, brands are making bold, bizarre, and brilliant moves. Blue Diamond’s spokesnut is hitting the road (and posting thought leadership on LinkedIn), while KFC Netherlands leans into post-spicy-food regret for a hilarious campaign. Meanwhile, Lidl becomes the first supermarket to sell on TikTok Shop, Little Sleepies’ heartfelt ad reminds us why childhood is magical,