Marketing

Marketing

A silent migration across checking accounts is redrawing the map of customer stickiness. Customers aren't closing existing accounts or storming off after a bad experience. Instead, they're moving the greater part of their financial activity elsewhere while keeping their old accounts open. Their linked debit cards still exist in the drawer. Their credit cards still accrue small charges. But the nucleus - the 'primary account' - is relocating.

For years, marketing to the "general market" was a reliable path to growth. Broad reach, consistent messaging, and scale-driven efficiency helped brands build awareness and momentum.

Marketing generates attention, qualifies prospects, and creates excitement. But it doesn't matter how amazing your marketing campaign is-if someone tries your product and feels disrespected, encounters rudeness, or finds it doesn't live up to expectations, they won't come back, no matter how clever your next campaign is. Customer experience delivers on the promises marketing makes and creates continuity that lasts. Every touchpoint from pre-purchase to post-purchase provides evidence that people use to shape how they feel about you.

"In this upgraded role, Ayaz will lead a new internal organization comprised of all Disney marketing teams (including those in parks, sports and other sectors) meant to "support a more connected approach to how Disney reaches audiences, elevates its campaigns, and advances the business goals of each segment and the company as a whole," a Wednesday announcement said. Ayaz will report to Disney CEO Bob Iger, as well as vertical leaders Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, parks head Josh D'Amaro and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro."

At $8 million for a 30-second Super Bowl spot, celebrities are expected to maintain their monopoly on Big Game commercials this year, keeping influencers and creators in the wing for social and experiential campaigns. "It's just viewership demographics. You cast a really wide net of people watching it, and you want as many people as possible to recognize the person you're putting on the screen," said Jerry Hoak, chief creative officer at The Martin Agency.

UK businesses invest heavily in digital marketing. Yet many struggle to grow. The issue is not effort. The issue is disconnected systems. Ads, websites, and CRM often work apart. This makes it hard to track leads and sales or scale with confidence. This problem is common in: Home eCommerce brands, like furniture and home decor stores, that depend on online sales

The UK PR Industry is always transforming itself and that means that it looks much different in 2026 than it did even a couple of years ago, so if you are looking for a company to represent you and come up with campaigns that actually bring results this year, you are going to have to choose wisely. Not only that, but journalists are under more pressure than ever, news cycles move at breakneck speed, and generic press releases simply don't cut through anymore, and you're going to find it much more difficult to make an impression if you do not have the right PR agency on your side.

AI is coming for unprepared businesses. The tools that seemed futuristic last year are now mainstream. Your customers can access the same information, generate the same content, build the same websites. What if your business became obsolete because you didn't see what was right in front of you? The businesses that thrive in 2026 will be the ones that take action today. They'll build trust through human connection and prove their value beyond what any tool can replicate.

The design here is so visually dense that it commands your full attention. Every surface is covered in saturated oranges, hypnotic swirls, or bold cheetah spots, creating a total environment that feels completely detached from the outside world. This level of immersion is a deliberate choice, engineered to produce highly shareable content. The entire experience is a meticulously crafted backdrop for social media, and that's not a criticism; it's a recognition of a very shrewd and effective design objective.

In his telling, AI has yet to graduate from pilot programs into anything that materially reshapes how marketing departments are staffed, structured or paid. Until that changes, agency chiefs can stop bracing for a shift to outcome-based compensation. CMOs, he said, are still buying time and headcount. "Without naming names, I can remember a real situation where the marketer said 'of course we'll move to an output model' and then you get into a conversation with their procurement people and they're just worried about getting caught out," he continued. Which, in plain terms, means they're worried about paying agencies more than they have to.

In almost unprecedented fashion, Publicis blew away its rival holding companies by a gigantic margin, landing $9.5 billion in wins and only $1.6 billion in losses. And, well, WPP ended the year very much in the negative, having lost more than $2 billion relative to what it won or retained, according to Comvergence's provisional tally for the year. (The numbers reflect only media wins, not creative.)

That urgency comes after several challenging years for the company. Target has faced declining sales, shrinking traffic, and a loss of market share to competitors, compounded by backlash tied to several controversial business decisions. Among them were changes to its DEI initiatives, which sparked consumer boycotts and ultimately led to a class-action lawsuit filed by its own shareholders in 2025.

Marketers spend billions trying to persuade consumers that a product is right for them. But our research shows that sometimes the most effective way to market something is to say that it isn't for them. In other words, effective marketing can mean discouraging the wrong customers rather than convincing everyone to buy. We call this "dissuasive framing." Instead of saying a product is perfect for everyone, a company is up front about who it might not be for.

Nearly 6 in 10 US teens (59%) say they've used ChatGPT, more than double Gemini's 23%, according to an October survey from Pew Research Center. Beyond the chart: This chatbot preference is already shaping commerce habits. In fact, 61% of Gen Z shoppers have used AI tools to help with a purchase in the last year, according to a September 2025 survey from PayPal.

Mark Ritson, a leading figure in the world of marketing With a BSc and PhD in marketing, Mark has spent the past 25 years teaching his unique method to MBA students at some of the world's top business schools, including award-winning courses at London Business School, MIT and Melbourne Business School. Not only has he taught on these prestigious programs but his teaching has been widely acclaimed with Mark winning the teaching prize

The CMO role is under intense scrutiny and there has never been more pressure for senior marketers to claim their seat at the C-Suite table and do so in ways that ensure that marketing is directly aligned to business growth. It is no longer acceptable to do marketing for marketing's sake. Alongside this sea change comes a push from the C-suite for CMOs to be executive swiss army knives capable of doing everything from ensuring the ethical adoption of AI,

Beyond their spending, high-value clients typically engage regularly, remain loyal over time, and align with the company's core offerings. For example, a high-value client that engages regularly could be a regular shopper who purchases often but also always likes and comments on the business's social media posts. These comments and likes on social media can have a positive impact on the business, showing other potential consumers that the business is reputable and valued by others.

Brands love to insert themselves into cultural conversations or piggyback on buzzy current events, a strategy sometimes called newsjacking. But it can happen without seeking, or even wanting, the attention. The borderline absurd virality of a Nike tracksuit evidently worn by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as he was taken into the custody of American captors is the most high-profile recent example-but it definitely won't be the last.

Social media can offer advisors opportunities to connect with prospective clients while nurturing relationships with existing clients. Approximately 40% of advisors use social media as a marketing tool, according to a 2024 Kitces report titled "How Financial Planners Actually Market Their Services." A social media marketing plan template offers a starting point for developing, implementing and monitoring outreach campaigns. Add new clients and AUM at your desired pace with SmartAsset's Advisor Marketing Platform.

Brand builds long-term awareness, perception, and emotional connection. Performance marketing focuses on immediate, measurable actions and specific behaviors like clicks, sign-ups, purchases, or downloads which drives conversions and business goals. The most successful companies know that true growth happens when these two objectives work in harmony, not in opposition. The evidence is now clear: Brand and performance are not opposing forces; they are multipliers.

There was a Marathon gas station at the end of the street I lived on as a kid. Its big, glowing sign was a landmark for me-when I could see it from the window of my mom's car, I knew we were about to be home. Its iconic 'M'-on the rare occasion I encounter one these days-still brings up that old feeling, the familiarity of homecoming, and a twinge of nostalgia.