This article is part of ADWEEK’s Marketing Vanguard program and was written in collaboration with one of its members. When I look at consumer spending patterns in this country, one statistic hits hard: the top 10% of households – those earning $250,000 or more annually—account for nearly half of all consumer spending. This isn’t just ..
Tag : Voice
“Do not punish your team for suggesting doors that would violate existing doors. Look for opportunities to be collaborative and creative.” This simple advice from podcaster Jonathan Fields, which he shared in a session at Brandweek last week in Atlanta, was not just a helpful tip for every leader in the room; it was symbolic ..
OpenAI’s recent ads for ChatGPT were everywhere—NFL Primetime, streaming platforms, outdoor, and beyond. Press coverage hailed the AI company’s biggest marketing push yet as a new chapter of AI brand building. But few pointed out just how incredibly poor the ads were. Set aside the irony of an AI company relying on traditional media to ..
Columbia Sportswear’s latest campaign, “Engineered for Whatever,” feels like a breath of fresh mountain air—the kind that slaps you in the face mid-adventure and reminds you you’re alive (and maybe slightly underdressed). It’s a bold new platform that doesn’t just showcase product performance; it wraps it in the brand’s signature irreverence and chaotic charm. The work, ..
Outrage spreads faster than joy. So it makes sense that we’ve seen a recent uptick in celebrity-driven campaigns generating not just attention, but firestorms. Sometimes the outrage is deliberate. Sometimes it’s collateral damage. Either way, one outcome is the same: free reach, fueled by algorithms that reward high-arousal emotion. The rage-bait playbook is simple: Elicit ..
A month or so ago, I was asked to take on the role of CEO at SMG, a global retail media specialist with offices in the U.K. and the U.S. Somewhat unusually, I was six months pregnant at the time. The reactions have been fascinating: congratulations, followed by congratulations again. There’s normally an accompanying smile ..
When I first saw American Eagle’s campaign with Sydney Sweeney, I couldn’t help but pause—not because the wordplay missed the mark, but because the context did. Tongue-in-cheek is a style of humor rooted in sarcasm and irony. It’s playful by design. But it works best when the tone, the brand, and the talent delivering it ..
Yes, this Sydney Sweeney x American Eagle campaign is blowing up across media and social media, snagging headlines left and right. Clearly, they didn’t sufficiently test the copy (among other things), and yet their stock price has surged despite the scandal. Which is going to lead some folks to claim all PR is good PR… ..
The saying that all publicity is good publicity isn’t always true, and yet there’s a whole slew of professionals out there seeking to make it their cause. After all, visibility is a high-stakes game. You can play and you can absolutely lose. And when your CEO is caught in a massive scandal of the extramarital ..
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath invented “heavy music.” Every metal and punk band today is a direct result of the creativity that began in that special group of talented weirdos. So without question, Liquid Death is a direct result of Ozzy’s influence that shaped the punk and metal music of my formative years, that had ..