All Marketing knowledge

TL;DR: Aligning your brand with a social or environmental cause can build real loyalty — but only when the commitment is genuine, specific and backed by action; otherwise it reads as greenwashing and invites a backlash worse than staying silent. Why purpose cuts both ways Consumers increasingly prefer brands that stand for something, and purpose can be a genuine differentiator. But the same audience is now fluent in spotting hollow gestures — a rainbow logo in June, a vague '

TL;DR: User-generated content (UGC) — the reviews, photos and videos your customers create — is the most trusted and most affordable marketing asset a small business owns, because people believe other people far more than they believe brands. Why UGC works when ads don't Shoppers have learned to tune out advertising, but they still trust each other. Decades of consumer research point the same way: recommendations from real people consistently beat brand messaging on believabi

TL;DR: Instacart is making its first-ever Super Bowl appearance at Super Bowl LXI with a star-studded, 'Avengers'-style cast of iconic grocery brand mascots, in a spot created by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA. A debut built on borrowed fame Rather than introduce itself from scratch, Instacart is renting the fame of the brands it delivers — assembling a line-up of instantly recognisable grocery mascots into one crossover spot. It is a smart shortcut: the app becomes the connective tissue

Global CMO Marcel Marcondes says the world's biggest brewer has shifted from being an advertiser to being a provider of experiences — and credits a culture of creative effectiveness for its growth.

Coca-Cola's long-overlooked Mr. Pibb is one of the fastest-growing soda brands of 2026, powered less by ad spend than by nostalgia and a new generation of fans.

Tito's Handmade Vodka marks three decades with 'A Moment of Gratitude', a four-film campaign from Arts & Letters that turns the brand's scrappy Austin origin story into a thank-you note.

For the first time, the Lufthansa Group is marketing its umbrella brand directly to travellers, with a Mother-made campaign built on the line 'Greatness is a Group effort'.

While many brands chase novelty, Storck's Merci is leaning harder into the single idea it has owned since 1965 — saying thank you — with an emotional festive film from agency Pahnke.

Rügenwalder Mühle is launching a second brand, Endori, in a two-brand plant-based strategy. Why splitting a brand can win more of a category.

Mars Wrigley's Extra used a song on Spotify, built on Culture Next insight, to reconnect with Gen Z in Germany. Why audio and culture beat the hard sell.

Aldi's Halloween campaign turns rivals' loyalty apps into monsters, extending its 'cheap without a bonus app' attack. The positioning lesson for marketers.

Lego has topped YouGov's Brand of the Year ranking in Germany, beating dm and PayPal across 961 brands. What its consistency teaches every marketer.

Havas' Meaningful Brands study finds most brands are seen as replaceable and few are trusted in France. The uncomfortable lesson for every marketer.

Does 'brand love' actually drive sales, or is it a comforting myth? A Marketing Minute analysis of what emotion really buys in 2026.

Little Moons marketing chief Ross Farquhar is leaving after six years of viral TikTok-fuelled growth. What his exit signals for challenger food brands.

Legal-AI firm Legora says a Jude Law-fronted brand campaign helped it scale fast by prioritising brand over product. The B2B marketing lesson.

Lovehoney is pushing sexual wellness into mainstream retail, treating intimacy products like any other wellbeing category. The branding lesson for marketers.

A Havas Prosumer report finds German Gen Z broadly open to brands in gaming, but on strict terms: add genuine value and reward performance rather than push merchandise, and expect tighter rules ahead.

Novo Nordisk signed Jurgen Klopp for a German disease-awareness campaign urging people to see a doctor, deliberately never naming Ozempic or Wegovy, a masterclass in marketing within strict regulatory limits.

Mercedes-Benz has hired agency creative Gun Aydemir into a newly created in-house Executive Creative Director role as it reviews its Team X agency setup, another data point in the agency-to-brand talent drain.