Duracell's latest ‘Bitter Truths' campaign uses whimsical childhood illustrations to deliver a serious PSA about the dangers of lithium coin battery ingestion. The campaign juxtaposes playful, storybook visuals with sharp, unexpected headlines to highlight Duracell's bitter coating technology, which deters children from swallowing batteries. Clever copy adds humor without diminishing the gravity of the message. The campaign leverages a mix of traditional and 3D animation styles to stand out across OOH and social placements.
Mindshare marketing helps brands become the first name buyers think of by showing up consistently in the right conversations. The approach focuses on earning trust and mental real estate with the target audience long before they enter a buying cycle. Key tactics include sharing authentic and useful content, engaging in peer-led communities, and establishing authority through helpful insights. This strategy can drive sustained growth for brands playing the long game, but it is hard to attribute and measure.
Research shows that legacy media like TV tends to deliver much more stable levels of visual attention throughout an ad than online ads, so some experts suggest allocating a significant portion of ad budgets for TV.
A breakdown of demand capture vs. demand generation using blog post title examples.
Top B2B brands prioritize 3 content channels – executive social content, editorial newsletters, and flagship assets.
Advertisers can now buy Roblox's Rewarded Video and immersive formats via Google Ad Manager. Reaching millions of Gen Z users who play daily, these 30-second ads reward players with in-game perks and have shown over 80% completion rates during testing. Roblox also partnered with measurement providers like Kantar, IAS, and Cint to help validate campaign performance.
Beyond the Brief, launched by With Not For, challenges the creative industry to embed accessibility into storytelling and workplace practices rather than relying on token representation. With disabled professionals facing significant employment barriers, the initiative provides training, representation workshops, and inclusive hiring support to drive systemic change. Agencies are encouraged to integrate accessibility across all projects, not just diversity-focused campaigns.
60% of subscribers open welcome emails, but generic messages fail to drive action. Effective welcome emails align with a brand's strategy while using credibility, storytelling, and engagement paths to build long-term relationships. Strong campaigns include multi-email sequences that highlight product benefits, address concerns, and offer multiple calls to action beyond “Shop now.” Success should be measured by conversion rates, retention beyond 60 days, and revenue per subscriber.
Busy people prefer ads with clear, factual messaging, while relaxed people respond better to emotional, experience-driven ads. A study which analyzed over 570,000 mobile ad views found that busy consumers rated products higher when ads emphasized functionality while relaxed consumers preferred emotional appeals. Marketers should tailor ads based on when and where they will be seen—straightforward messaging for busy contexts like work hours and emotional storytelling for relaxed settings like weekends. The study was conducted in China, so results may not generalize globally, and it did not measure actual sales impact.
Satisfaction guarantees can significantly boost customer trust, reduce perceived risk, and increase conversion rates, particularly when aligned with a brand's positioning. This article outlines 11 examples from brands like Costco (risk-free returns, including membership refunds), REI (one-year returns for members), and Osprey (lifetime repair guarantee), illustrating how different industries tailor policies to fit customer expectations. Before implementing a similar strategy, it is critical to weigh ROI by tracking return costs, impact on customer acquisition, satisfaction scores, and repeat purchase behavior.
This Heepsy report ranks celebrity-owned brands by digital engagement, with Yeezy, Kylie Cosmetics, and Fenty Beauty leading. Fashion and beauty dominate, while lifestyle and entertainment brands like Dollywood also perform well. Luxury, wellness, and newer beauty brands rank mid-tier, while beverage brands score lower despite high valuations. The report shows that brand value doesn't guarantee engagement.
A walkthrough on how to use ChatGPT 4o to wireframe an ad template. The full prompt is in the comments section.
Committed to delivering a “wow” experience based on human connection, Trader Joe's has doubled down on its anti-tech retail strategy. Executives dismissed in-store retail media as a response to poor grocery experiences and confirmed the company's refusal to adopt tools like smart carts, self-checkout, or data-driven personalization. The brand's in-store model relies on knowledgeable crew members and shelf-level data to create a high-touch, personable in-store environment.
This year's April Fools' campaigns highlight a shift from pure pranks to limited-run products and satirical content. Some companies leaned into humor with actual products, like Dbrand's tactile “Touch Grass” skins and Razer's AI “Skibidi” translator headset. Others, like OpenAI's sarcastic voice mode “Monday” and Figma's cursor-trailing FigPals, highlighted how brands now blur satire and soft launches to test audience appetite for novelty in a lower risk context.
Sixty percent of marketers believe influencer marketing will become more important in the future, while 54% say they will be increasing the budget they allocate to it.
Rare Beauty and top beauty brands join Substack amid social media fatigue.
Duolingo's brilliantly written (April Fool's) world cruise landing page.
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xAI has acquired X in a transaction that happened in an all-stock deal, valuing the AI startup at $80 billion and the social platform at $33 billion. The merger brings together xAI's models and compute power with X's data and distribution. Investors in both companies include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding Co.
Driven by increased digital content consumption and the mainstreaming of online culture, the creator economy is currently valued at $250 billion and is projected to hit $500 billion by 2027. Influencer marketing has proven highly effective, with 92% of marketers reporting that creator-led content outperforms organic brand content. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok dominate creator partnerships, while LinkedIn and Snapchat offer growing opportunities for niche audiences. AI is streamlining influencer discovery and content creation, making it easier for brands to manage partnerships and improve content quality. Moving forward, brands are shifting toward co-creating products with creators, expanding beyond social media content to build deeper, long-term consumer trust.
A 4-year study of 150,000 A/B tests showed that most optimizations fail, with clarity consistently outperforming conventional best practices. Companies like Brex improved conversion by removing trust-building elements like customer logos, which unintentionally caused doubt or distraction. Direct copy, single-message layouts, and simpler user journeys were more effective than emotional appeals or social proof. The study found that eliminating or reducing carousels and using neutral phrasing on CTAs drove better results.
Creative marketing can be effective without large budgets. Examples of this include wrapping a nearby train station instead of renting an expensive conference booth, using real social proof on websites, and renting a Times Square billboard for a short period to capture social media content. The focus is on being quick, creative, and executing in ways that capture attention while keeping costs low.
Granola transcribes meeting audio and refines the notes. It offers customizable templates for different meeting types, helps with email follow-up tasks, and integrates with Zoom and Slack.
Sales often gets more budget because it is directly tied to revenue, but overspending on sales without enough marketing support can hurt pipeline growth. The general rule is to allocate 30% of the combined sales and marketing budget to marketing, though this varies based on company size, contract value, and growth rates. Smaller companies and fast-growing companies often spend more on marketing, while companies with higher contract values allocate more to sales. It's important to use the 30% rule as a starting point but adjust the ratio based on company-specific factors.
Figma's pricing evolved to balance simplicity and growth while staying true to its vision of making design accessible. Initially, it charged only Editors and kept Viewers free to encourage adoption, later introducing FigJam and Dev Mode with separate pricing. By 2025, it streamlined its model into 3 paid seat types: Collab, Dev, and Full, bundling access to all products and aligning pricing with user needs. This update raised Full Seat prices by 20%-35% and reduced complexity, making it easier for customers to choose the right plan.
Gen X marketers and creatives are facing a career meltdown as industries shrink, devalue expertise, and replace them with younger talent, AI, and social media creators. Once essential in journalism, design, and advertising, many now struggle to stay relevant as marketing shifts toward automation and influencer-driven trends. Job cuts, outsourcing, and declining pay are forcing them to rethink their careers in middle age.
Beyond Bluesky, there are dozens of apps built on the AT Protocol that are redefining the social web. New tools like Pinksky (a classic Instagram clone), SkyFeed (a no-code feed builder), and Smoke Signal (an Eventbrite alternative) demonstrate a shift toward modular, user-driven platforms. The movement prioritizes open standards, discoverability, and creator control over content and data.
Captions, dubbing, and translation are the top AI video features, with caption usage alone increasing 6x since 2021.
Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki has condemned AI-generated art, calling it “an insult to life itself”.
Research shows that people are 20% more emotionally engaged with content on platforms they perceive as positive and spend 15% more time looking at ads. Ads in these environments are also twice as trustworthy and 1.5X more likeable. Platforms viewed as positive can increase purchase intent by up to 94%. Media-buying strategies that incorporate viewability and positivity can boost sales by 24%.
Gen Z now prefers social media creators to traditional entertainers, with about half reporting stronger connections with influencers than with TV or movie personalities. Despite six hours of average daily screen time, viewers are not spending more, which forces traditional studios to compete with platforms offering free, personalized content. At the same time, frustrations with rising streaming costs and fragmented services are pushing younger audiences further toward creator-led videos.
Companies with strong cultures have a turnover rate of 13.9%, compared to 48.4% for those without. Engaged employees who feel a sense of purpose positively impact customer experience and become brand advocates, a concept called “internal marketing.” Employee-generated content, like social media posts and blogs, boosts authenticity and strengthens the brand. Companies that prioritize culture, empower employees, and lead by example create stronger brands and outperform competitors in profitability and customer retention.
Disruptive storytelling is built around changing the narrative, the medium, or the messenger. Disrupting the message involves crafting unconventional narratives that challenge industry norms or provoke strong emotions. For example, e.l.f. Cosmetics launched music videos instead of magazine ads and Nutter Butter mimicked horror movies on TikTok. Disrupting the medium means meeting audiences where they are through immersive platforms like Roblox, interactive tattoos, or QR-enabled AR experiences. Disrupting the messenger means stepping back and letting fans, employees, or niche communities become your storytellers.
Python can automate repetitive SEO tasks like checking for broken links, analyzing rankings, and scraping metadata in minutes. Tools like Replit, Google Colab, and VS Code make it easy for beginners to get started without complex setup. Key concepts to learn include variables, loops, functions, lists, and dictionaries, along with using libraries like requests, beautifulsoup4, and pandas. Essential SEO-related Python skills include making HTTP requests, parsing HTML, handling CSVs, and using APIs. Beginners can quickly build useful scripts that check HTTPS status, identify missing alt attributes, scrape metadata, and pull backlink data using APIs.
This free Chrome Extension summarizes YouTube videos and web articles using ChatGPT, Claude, Mistral AI, and Google Gemini. It provides video transcripts, and customizable summaries with timestamps and supports multiple languages. Users can highlight transcripts, add notes, and export them to apps like Notion.
Forever 21's decline stems from its failure to evolve alongside shifting consumer trends. Zara and H&M adapted by investing in new identities or collaborations, while Forever 21 stuck to its outdated model of fast fashion. It was unable to keep pace with changing customer expectations. As trends became more consumer-driven, the brand missed the opportunity to reimagine itself, losing its relevance.
Mastering the rules of copywriting allows for breaking them effectively. Long-form copy can be powerful when the audience is deeply interested, making length less important than relevance and engagement. Avoiding excessive CTAs to prevent a hard-sell tone while trusting that motivated buyers will take action. Reinforcing the buyer's decision after purchase builds confidence, while anchoring perceived value makes the price feel like a bargain. Offering high-value bonuses can eliminate doubts by making the deal feel too good to pass up.
Apple's marketing for Severance demonstrates how multimedia storytelling and creativity can elevate a campaign without relying on traditional methods. A fake product listing in the Apple Store, real-world installations in New York, in-show artifacts like “The You You Are” book, and even keyboard replicas created a narrative universe that fans wanted to explore and engage. Unlike ad-saturated platforms, Apple leveraged its own ecosystem to invite audiences into the story, creating buzz through fun and creativity rather than traditional targeting and repetition.
A feed-only setup with no headlines, descriptions, images, or videos, forces PMax to prioritize Shopping placements, which typically drive the highest e-commerce conversions.
A step-by-step guide to creating infographics in 9 different formats.
A before vs. after of Buffer's newly revamped weekly report card email.
The rise of solo living is reshaping consumer behavior, with more individuals embracing solitude for self-care, creativity, and independence. By 2050, 35% of European households will be single-person. Solo activities like travel, dining, and self-dates are gaining popularity. Brands are adapting, from IKEA's small-space solutions to travel companies catering to solo adventurers.
U.S. ad revenue growth forecast is now at 4.3% for 2025, down from earlier estimates of 4.9%, amid economic uncertainty and potential disruptions from tariffs. Traditional media is expected to decline overall, with linear TV down 5.9% and local TV down 3.7%, while streaming TV ad revenue is projected to grow 14.3%. Most of the market's growth is concentrated in digital channels like social media and search, as advertisers prioritize near-term performance.
This report shows three music trends shaping 2025 advertising: Y2K nostalgia, classical compositions, and vintage tracks from the 1950s–1970s. These styles are being used to create emotional responses and strengthen brand association, supported by data showing stronger response and better engagement. The shift reflects a broader move from generic stock music to more intentional soundtracks.
Most SaaS pricing pages underperform by focusing on payment instead of showcasing value, leading to missed conversion opportunities. Headlines should emphasize customer benefits and frame the solution as a painkiller, boosting recall and priming action. Plan descriptions should highlight which audience each plan suits, reducing cognitive load and helping prospects decide faster. Strong offers should address objections, reduce risks, and differentiate from competitors. Persuasive social proof — testimonials, specific outcomes, and quantitative results — should be prominently placed to reflect customer success and nudge visitors toward conversion.
Skip generic event recaps and focus on capturing guest insights or a standout moment instead. Instead of basic BTS, create engaging shoulder content, which includes supporting material like interviews or highlight clips that extend the main campaign. For OOH, invest in professional capture if possible, or ensure social assets launch alongside placements. Prioritize content that educates, entertains, or resonates rather than just documenting.
YouTube is updating how it counts Shorts views, now tracking every play or replay instead of requiring a few seconds of watch time. This change, effective March 31, aligns Shorts metrics with TikTok and Instagram Reels, helping creators better gauge reach and inform content strategies. Earnings and eligibility for the Partner Program remain based on “engaged views,” which creators can still access in YouTube Analytics' Advanced Mode.
GPT-4o's image generation can now create precise, context-aware visuals. It renders detailed text and generates creative content like infographics and diagrams. Users can refine images through conversation, ensuring consistency across iterations. This tool is ideal for generating useful, practical images in various contexts, from logos to educational materials.
Brands create passionate believers by developing a clear ideology that resonates emotionally with customers. This ideology shapes perception, builds loyalty, and even drives people to defend and promote the brand. To establish this, brands should identify a unique perspective in their industry, turn that into a manifesto, and package it with a memorable name. In competitive markets, buyers are drawn not just to what a brand offers but to what it believes in, giving brands with strong ideologies a serious advantage.