The Marketer’s Storybook: Mascot Mayhem, Brand Value & Marketing Time Machines
This week, brands are tapping into the past and playing with the future. From Nike’s return to Amazon and Lancôme’s star-studded Juicy Tubes revival to CeraVe’s goat mascot and HBO’s latest identity crisis, we’re deep in the era of comebacks, characters, and comment-section creativity. Plus, new research from Kantar reveals that brand accounts for 33% of a company’s value. Also in the mix: Eurovision makeovers, weird wins on social, and Apple’s trillion-dollar brand.
This week’s lineup includes:
- Nike reopens its Amazon partnership to clear inventory and regain relevance
- ASICS taps a dog as its newest wellness influencer
- Eurovision artists now optimize content for TikTok
- CeraVe brings its ‘GOAT’ nickname to life with a new mascot
- Audible turns fan theories into full-blown campaigns
- Jimmy Choo reissues its most iconic ‘90s and ‘00s designs
- Kantar reveals the world’s most valuable brand is now worth $1.3T
- Lancôme recruits Paris Hilton and Gossip Girl for a Y2K throwback
- Nutter Butter shares how weird social media pays off
- HBO Max is back (again)
This Week’s Marketing Stories
A curated mix of breaking news, insights, and trends, each with actionable takeaways to inspire your brand storytelling.
1. Nike Returns To Amazon
Nike is selectively resuming its wholesale relationship with Amazon after walking away in 2019. The move could help Nike offload excess inventory and offer customers increased shopping convenience (hello, prime shipping!). However, this presents a potential business loss for third-party sellers, with Amazon giving them until July 19, 2025 to stop selling specific Nike products. While not all Nike products are impacted, many Nike re-sellers that built businesses on Amazon took to LinkedIn to reflect on their potential losses, plus offer solutions.
Key Takeaway: Nike’s return signals that even the most iconic brands must adapt to market realities. Cutting ties with a platform doesn’t mean you can ignore its influence, especially when your customers are still there. I would be curious, though, if Nike is getting any special privileges from Amazon to better own their customers, as my experience in selling on Amazon for high-growth consumer brands is that you can generate a high volume of sales, but the customer data you receive is very limited compared to selling on your own e-commerce platform.
It’s also important to call out for Amazon re-sellers that starting a business centered around a big brand can be risky given the rules on the platform. Brands can block and limit unauthorized resellers on Amazon by using its Brand Registry, transparency program and violation tools with very short notice. Read more
2. ASICS Signs A Canine Ambassador
ASICS has a new face of wellness – and he’s got four legs and a wagging tail. Meet Felix, a Samoyed turned “spokesdog,” who stars in the brand’s latest campaign celebrating movement-for-mind. Backed by research from King’s College London, ASICS found that dogs – not celebs or PTs – are the most powerful motivators for daily exercise and mental wellbeing. Felix flips the traditional athlete endorsement model on its head with warmth, relatability, and a lot of fluff.
Key Takeaway: When brand purpose meets unexpected storytelling, you get memorable marketing. ASICS turned man’s best friend into a science-backed wellness icon, reframing fitness as joyful, everyday movement – not elite performance. The campaign’s charm? A playful, emotionally resonant idea rooted in real human behavior. Read more
3. Eurovision’s Musical Creativity Now Shaped By Social Media
If you have never watched Eurovision (I am looking at my non-European readers), this is a cultural event that needs to be on your radar. A fabulously chaotic celebration of camp and quirkiness, it’s no surprise that Eurovision entrants are looking to social media as a method to test new songs while building an audience (voting is a key component of Eurovision). While some question the influence of social media on creativity, others celebrate it as a platform for discovery.
Key Takeaway: In chasing virality, don’t lose your edge. Creativity that’s been pre-optimized is rarely remembered. Eurovision’s weird is its magic, so my advice to contestants is to not filter yours out. Read more
Bonus: If you missed this year’s Eurovision or want to understand what all of the fuss is about, check out the below and thank me later :).
4. CeraVe’s New Mascot, Sarah V.
CeraVe is leaning into its fan-given “G.O.A.T.” title with a literal goat mascot named Sarah V., a character born from comment-section culture. She stars in skits with creators like Keith Lee and Delaney Rowe, inserting herself into their signature content formats in playful, brand-aware ways. The campaign, led by Ogilvy PR, embraces the non-linear chaos of social media with a mascot built to move across channels and moments.
Key Takeaway: Don’t just read the comments, mine them for creative direction. CeraVe turned fan language into a social-first mascot that’s less corporate icon, more content co-star. It’s a masterclass in brand-building through participatory storytelling and creator-powered relevance. Read more
5. Audible Turns Fan Theories Into Campaigns
Audible is rewriting the rules of brand storytelling by leaning deep into fandom culture. From turning TikTok rumors of a love triangle into a viral moment to fulfilling fan requests for Yung Gravy to narrate an audiobook, the brand’s approach is rooted in agile creativity and cultural fluency. Rather than treating social as a broadcast channel, Audible uses it as a living, breathing narrative space – mining Reddit threads, TikTok rabbit holes, and comment sections to co-create with its community in real time.
Key Takeaway: Fan-driven content isn’t just engagement – it’s a strategic storytelling engine. Audible reframes itself not as a tech platform, but as a curator of immersive audio culture. By treating social listening as a creative discipline and elevating micro-moments into brand-defining stories, it delivers marketing that feels personal, participatory, and brilliantly timed. Read more
6. Jimmy Choo’s Nostalgia Drop
To mark its 30th anniversary, Jimmy Choo is diving into its archives and reissuing eight of its most iconic late-‘90s and early-2000s heels in a capsule collection. From the lavender suede pump made famous by Carrie Bradshaw’s “I lost my Choo!” line to strappy leopard-print sandals from the SATC opening credits, the drop fuses emotional memory, fashion heritage, and cultural cachet. Crucially, the campaign isn’t just a throwback, it updates names and styling while staying true to the silhouettes that shaped the brand’s DNA.
Key Takeaway: Smart nostalgia isn’t passive – it’s precision branding. Jimmy Choo uses its archive as a storytelling asset, reviving styles that still live rent-free in pop culture while reinforcing the eternal values of glamour, craft, and femininity. When legacy meets cultural timing, you don’t just tap into trends, you reassert relevance. Read more
7. Apple Tops Kantar’s BrandZ Report At $1.3 Trillion
Apple has once again claimed the top spot in Kantar’s 2025 BrandZ ranking, with a brand value of $1.3 trillion, up 28% year-over-year. The report highlights a major trend: brands now account for an average of 33% of a company’s total value. Disruptors dominate the Top 100, but legacy players like Coca-Cola and Louis Vuitton are still thriving, proving that long-term brand equity depends on meaningful differentiation and cultural relevance. AI integration is another standout, with brands like Nvidia, Zara, and Chipotle using it to drive operational and customer experience gains.
Key Takeaway: Brand is not a cost center – it’s a business multiplier. The most valuable brands today aren’t just big; they’re distinct, emotionally resonant, and constantly evolving. In uncertain times, the worst move you can make is going dark as visibility and brand investment are long-term growth levers. Read more
8. Lancôme Brings Back Juicy Tubes With A Y2K Icon Squad
To celebrate 25 years of its cult-favorite Juicy Tubes, Lancôme dropped a nostalgia-packed social campaign starring 2000s icons like Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Mischa Barton, and Ed Westwick. Each celeb shares their Juicy Tubes memories, complete with Gossip Girl quotes, The OC flashbacks, and Teen Choice Award shoutouts, all designed to tap into the emotional memory of early millennial beauty lovers. The campaign rolled out across TikTok and Instagram with a steady drip of reveals, memes, and kissable catchphrases like “kisses are better with Juicy Tubes.”
Key Takeaway: Nostalgia works best when it’s culturally fluent and platform-native. Lancôme turned a legacy lip gloss into a social-first, emotionally resonant moment, proving that old favorites, timed right and told well, can still create brand heat. Read more
9. Nutter Butter Proves Weird Wins On Social
Over the past two years, Nutter Butter has built a bizarre and brilliant social presence, where cookies sprout lips, abduct cats, and dance on bowling lanes. The brand’s absurdist content has boosted household penetration by 17% and consumer mood by 20%. But behind the weirdness is a sharp strategy: ditch the traditional playbook, follow the audience’s lead, and favor distinctiveness over logic. The “Nutterverse” is less a campaign and more an always-on, participatory brand world – one that fans shape through comments and community culture.
Key Takeaway: In a feed-first world, differentiation is strategy. Nutter Butter shows that weird, real-time content created with fans – not just for them – can outperform even the most polished campaigns. Throw out the rules, move at the speed of culture, and let the brand evolve in public. Check out the video below which got over 500K views and let me know what you think – it’s a far leap from a traditional conservative brand strategy! Read more
10. HBO Max Returns And WBD Unlocks Its Storyverse
In a bold (and slightly cheeky) move, Warner Bros. Discovery is rebranding Max back to HBO Max, a nod to the brand equity that never really left. But the bigger play is WBD’s new “Storyverse,” an IP-driven ad platform giving brands access to iconic franchises like Friends, Harry Potter, and The Matrix for creative campaigns. From White Lotus driving tourism to Hacks powering BMW spots, WBD is turning cultural relevance into measurable business impact.
Key Takeaway: Brand equity is a growth engine, not a relic. WBD proves that when you blend nostalgic IP, platform agility, and emotionally intelligent advertising, you don’t just entertain, you drive action. Read more
My Stories
When Storytelling Problems Aren’t Really About Storytelling
I’m often brought in as a consultant at companies when they feel like their brand story is not serving them anymore. However, what I find is that it’s not usually not a copy issue, it’s a business issue. As a result, I wrote a post outlining the five common business problems that often show up disguised as messaging challenges: unclear strategy, underperforming sales, internal silos, outdated perception, and scaling without evolving the story. The reminder? Storytelling is a reflection of business health – not just marketing polish.
Key Takeaway: Before tweaking your message, diagnose what’s behind it. The strongest brand stories are aligned with business strategy, you mission, vision, values, customer context, and internal clarity. Your story shouldn’t be a bandage to fix what is wrong with your business, it should be supporting your growth engine. Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7330623626980769792/
Chelsea In Bloom Shows The Power Of Real-World Storytelling
At Chelsea in Bloom 2025, brands turned floral installations into cultural storytelling. Penhaligon’s partnered with Highgrove to launch a fragrance rooted in royal gardens. Ralph Lauren hosted a Hamptons-inspired charity flower shop. Heidi Klein mirrored a new swimwear print in real blooms. PizzaExpress celebrated its 60th with a nostalgic fashion show. From operatic collabs to LED mask sculptures, each activation merged product, purpose, and creativity – with cameras (and crowds) ready to capture the artistry.
Key Takeaway: The best brand activations don’t just show up, they show who you are. Chelsea in Bloom is a reminder that when cultural context meets experiential design, even flowers can drive awareness, affinity, and sales. Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7331700664961486848/
The Neuroscience Behind Storytelling’s Power
We don’t just hear good stories – we feel them. According to neuroscience data, stories are 22x more memorable than facts, activate 5x more brain activity, and light up the sensory cortex, allowing us to taste, hear, and even smell the story in our minds. That’s why storytelling drives stronger recall, emotion, and behavior than features or stats ever could.
Key Takeaway: Storytelling isn’t just a creative tool – it’s a strategic lever. Whether you’re selling, leading, or inspiring, stories help your message stick and stir emotion. If your brand still leads with bullet points, it might be time for a narrative reset. Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7333150455868424193/
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.
📚 Books:
- 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.
📱 Social Media:
Let’s connect and keep the conversation going!
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.
Keep telling the stories that matter, Jessica