This week’s issue examines how brands are responding to a shared tension: audiences are overwhelmed by volume, automation, and synthetic sameness, yet still deeply responsive to stories that feel intentional, human, and culturally fluent. Google turns AI adoption into nostalgic rivalry. Lego reframes AI fear through trust and education. Equinox rejects synthetic imagery by making the human body the proof point. Across categories, the strongest work does not explain technology. It contextualizes it, assigns it a role in the story, and makes a clear choice about what the brand stands for.

Let’s dive in!

This Week’s Marketing Stories

1) Google turns AI shopping into a nostalgic rivalry

Google’s “Try It On” campaign transforms an AI shopping feature into a familiar cultural conflict by reuniting Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union in a Bring It On-inspired showdown. The actresses compete to find New Year’s Eve dresses with a 2000s vibe without copying each other, mirroring the core functional benefit of the tool itself: comparison, differentiation, and confidence before purchase. Product education is embedded in the banter, with on-screen moments showing how the AI visualizes fit and style in real time, while Easter eggs reward fans who recognize the original rivalry.

Storytelling framework to steal: Cultural shorthand as UX. Use shared pop culture memory to reduce cognitive load and accelerate comprehension of new technology.

Key Takeaway: When adoption is the goal, familiarity beats explanation. AI products scale faster when they are embedded inside stories audiences already understand emotionally. Read more

2) Lego hands the AI conversation to kids

Lego Education’s “We Trust in Kids” campaign reframes AI anxiety by giving children agency in how AI should be introduced in schools. The work centers on a documentary-style film showing real children discussing AI openly, identifying risks, and collaborating with a teacher to co-create a classroom-safe AI policy. Backed by original research across multiple countries, the campaign makes a clear point: kids are not unprepared, they are unheard.

In the campaign, Lego positions itself as the steward that creates space for informed participation rather than panic. The work positions Lego as a facilitator of responsible progress rather than a promoter of technology. By letting kids articulate boundaries and values, Lego moves the debate from fear to preparedness while reinforcing its long-held role as a trusted educational partner.

Storytelling framework to steal: Authority through stewardship. Shift from thought leadership to guardianship by elevating the voices most impacted by the issue.

Key Takeaway: Trust compounds when brands speak last, not first. In high-stakes categories, credibility comes from creating the conditions for dialogue, not controlling the narrative. Read more

3) E.l.f. and Liquid Death build a sequel, not a stunt

E.l.f. and Liquid Death reunite after their Corpse Paint sellout with limited-edition lip balms (“embalms”) sold via TikTok Shop and supported by Roblox activations and narrative continuity. Inside the game, players navigate a multi-level obstacle course inspired by Liquid Death’s flavors, turning product lore into interactive play rather than passive branding. The collaboration leans fully into absurdity while remaining commercially disciplined, using platform-native formats and limited supply to drive urgency. This is a deliberate expansion of a shared universe, not a novelty extension.

Storytelling framework to steal: Franchise thinking. Treat successful collaborations as serialized IP with recurring characters, tone, and rituals. Use platforms like Roblox to let audiences step inside the story, not just watch it.

Key Takeaway: One-off collabs generate buzz. Repeatable story worlds generate revenue. The brands winning social commerce are building narrative equity over time. Read more

4) Equinox uses AI slop as the antagonist

Equinox’s New Year campaign “Question Everything But Yourself” contrasts grotesque AI-generated imagery with powerful portraits of real members, positioning the human body as the last un-fakeable truth. The campaign launched with deliberate misdirection via deepfake-style Reels before revealing a manifesto about belief, effort, and physical presence. It is a brand statement timed for maximum cultural relevance during January’s peak fitness moment.

Storytelling framework to steal: Villain framing. Define what the brand stands against so the value proposition becomes self-evident.

Key Takeaway: Belief is the new luxury signal. In an era of synthetic abundance (aka AI slop), brands that choose a side and articulate it clearly earn disproportionate attention. Read more

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5) Experian rewrites financial outcomes using fairytales

Experian’s “Better Your Story” platform uses classic nursery rhymes and fairytales to translate the abstract value of a credit score into tangible life outcomes. Created with BBH, the launch film reimagines the woman who lives in a shoe, showing how access to better credit could have changed the ending entirely, guiding her toward a mortgage that fits her growing family rather than a life of financial constraint. Across executions, Experian positions its tools as the small intervention that alters the story’s trajectory, not the hero itself.

By anchoring credit scores to recognizable narratives and everyday aspirations like housing, stability, and choice, the campaign shifts financial literacy from fear and judgment to possibility and progress. It shows, rather than tells, what “better credit” actually unlocks.

Storytelling framework to steal: Reframed archetypes. Use familiar stories to make invisible systems legible by tying them to real-world consequences.

Key Takeaway: Abstract metrics only matter when people can imagine the outcome. When brands dramatize what success looks like in real life, understanding turns into motivation. Read more

6) Fanatics uses AI to manufacture sports mythology and make it shoppable

Fanatics Collectibles spoofs Nike’s “Bo Knows” to imagine an alternate universe where Dan Marino becomes a two-sport superstar, and it uses AI as a creative engine to bring that impossible version of Marino to life on screen. The film leans hard into retro cues, sports lore, and business tropes, then pays the joke off commercially with a real product: special issue Topps Bowman cards depicting Marino as a Kansas City Royals player, a collectible that never existed in the real 1979 timeline. In other words, AI helps fabricate the myth, and Fanatics turns the myth into inventory.

Storytelling framework to steal: Synthetic mythology. Use AI to visualize the “what if” story, then anchor it with a physical artifact that fans can own.

Key Takeaway: AI is most powerful when it expands the story world, not when it replaces the idea. When generative tools create scenes reality never produced, brands can unlock new forms of nostalgia, scarcity, and fandom monetization. Read more

7) Gap formalizes entertainment as a growth engine

Gap Inc. appoints former Paramount executive Pam Kaufman as its first chief entertainment officer, signaling a structural shift from campaign-led marketing to entertainment-led brand building. With plans spanning film, music, and cultural collaborations, Gap is investing in long-term relevance rather than short-term reach. This move institutionalizes what many brands still treat as experimentation.

Storytelling framework to steal: Content as capability. Build infrastructure that sustains narrative presence beyond seasonal campaigns.

Key Takeaway: Cultural relevance does not scale without systems. If entertainment drives growth, it must live inside the org chart, not the brief. Read more

8) Pinterest turns inspiration into shoppable television

Pinterest’s “Bring My Pinterest to Life” CTV series on Roku connects viewing, saving, and shopping through creator-led transformations and integrated brand partners. The format monetizes intent by collapsing the distance between aspiration and action, positioning Pinterest as a platform for realization, not just discovery.

Storytelling framework to steal: Inspiration to transaction arc. Design content that moves audiences emotionally and commercially without breaking immersion.

Key Takeaway: Platforms win when commerce feels like a natural story beat. The future of retail media belongs to environments built on intent, not interruption. Read more

9) Tanqueray builds a brand platform around saying no

Tanqueray’s global campaign with Sarah Jessica Parker is built around a simple but disciplined narrative: the path to excellence is paved with refusal. The work traces the brand’s origin story back to Charles Tanqueray experimenting with (and saying no to) more than 300 gin recipes before landing on the final London Dry formula. The hero campaign video then mirrors that journey through Parker’s own career, shaped by roles declined, standards upheld, and shortcuts avoided. In the video, Parker speaks directly to the camera, recounting the “no’s” that defined her path, while visual storytelling reinforces restraint, craft, and intention over spectacle.

Rather than positioning Tanqueray as celebratory excess, the campaign frames the brand as a symbol of considered choice. The repeated motif of “There’s an N and an O in every ICON” ties personal discipline to product integrity, turning brand history into a modern philosophy about patience, taste, and standards.

Storytelling framework to steal: Parallel journeys. Align brand origin stories with human experience to make values feel lived, not declared.

Key Takeaway: The strongest brand platforms do not invent meaning. They surface it by connecting heritage to human behavior in ways that feel culturally relevant now. Read more

10) The AI content reset exposes the real job of modern B2B marketing

A CMSWire roundtable of B2B leaders makes one thing uncomfortably clear: AI did not disrupt content marketing, it exposed how little strategy many programs had to begin with. As generative tools flood the market with competent, interchangeable output, advantage has shifted away from volume and toward strategic storytelling and decision-making. The leaders argue that winning content in 2026 is built around buyer moments, semantic clarity, and strong human judgment governing what gets created at all.

By semantic clarity, they mean content whose purpose, audience, and meaning are immediately legible to both humans and machines. Content that clearly signals what it is about, why it exists, and how ideas relate, rather than relying on cleverness, keyword stuffing, or volume. In this environment, storytelling becomes the organizing system. Not embellishment, but the structure that gives content intent, hierarchy, and emotional coherence.

Several contributors point to the same failure mode: teams automating production without aligning story, structure, and ownership across marketing, sales, and product. The result is content that technically exists but functionally disappears, skimmed by buyers and increasingly ignored by AI systems trained to surface signal over noise.

Storytelling framework to steal: Editorial governance. Treat content as a strategic system with standards, hierarchy, and narrative intent, not a publishing calendar.

Key Takeaway: AI did not eliminate differentiation. It eliminated excuses. In 2026, content performance will reflect leadership clarity more than tooling sophistication. The brands that win will publish less, decide more, and mean it. Read more

My Stories

3 Proven Ways Brand Storytelling Drives Memory, Emotion, and Sales

I revisited one of the most persistent questions I get from CMOs and senior marketers: does storytelling actually drive business results, or is it just a creative nice-to-have? Drawing on neuroscience research and real brand examples, this piece breaks down three proof points that show why stories outperform facts in memory, trigger deeper emotional engagement, and materially increase purchase intent. From Capital One’s wallet stories to Refinery29’s sequential storytelling ads, the data is clear: when story leads and product follows, brands win attention, trust, and conversion. Read more

Boston Guide Update: 5 New Hotels + Restaurants to Try

In 2025, my blog passed 100,000+ views, and it continues to be one of my favorite creative outlets. I love using it as a space to slow down, notice details, and document places that are actually worth your time. This latest update to my Boston Guide adds five new spots I’ve personally tried, including two hotels I reviewed in depth and a few meals that still have me thinking about them long after the flight home.

If you’re planning a trip to Boston, I hope the guide helps you plan something special. It’s built to be genuinely useful, with hotel options for different travel styles, restaurants that live up to the hype, and ideas for what to see and do depending on how you want to experience the city. Whether it’s your first visit or a return trip, consider this a well-edited shortcut to a great Boston stay. Read more

Christmas at Kew: Is It Still Worth It?

Christmas at Kew has become one of my favorite annual London traditions, so this year’s visit felt especially interesting because the trail was redesigned due to Palm House renovations. In this video, I walk through what’s changed, what still works beautifully, and what you should know before booking, from the new entrance experience to the revised finale, food stops, accessibility, and timing tips. If you’re planning a festive London trip or deciding whether Christmas at Kew belongs on your winter calendar, this is an honest, practical watch. Read more

Unlock More of My Stories

🌍 Website: JessicaGioglio.com Your one-stop shop for all my books, speaking engagements, and blog posts on marketing and storytelling.

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• The Power of Visual Storytelling: Learn how to shape a visual story around your brand using images, videos, GIFs, infographics, and more. Get your copy here.
• The Laws of Brand Storytelling: The definitive guide to using storytelling to win over customers’ hearts, minds, and loyalty. Grab it here.

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Until Next Time

Thank you for being part of this journey. Whether you’re here for marketing trends, storytelling inspiration, or both, I’m so grateful to have you along for the ride.