Conversion, retail, and activation are replacing creative-centric marketing

"For decades, marketing has revolved around a single assumption: creativity sits at the center of growth. Agencies built stories, media amplified them, and sales followed. That model is broken. Creative still matters. But creative alone no longer drives growth. Performance marketing has exposed the limits of awareness, retail media has rewired the path to purchase, and fragmented attention has made 'brand recall' an unreliable growth strategy. Moment of conversion Brands don't need more above-the-line awareness."

"Conversion environments - shopper, point of sale (POS), retail execution, packaging, displays, and on-trade activations - now account for the majority of brand marketing investment, often 55-70% depending on category. Data shows that in many categories, 70-80% of decisions are made at or near the point of sale. Yet culturally, the industry treats this as secondary. Sell, or else So, what should brands be prioritizing?"

Purchasing decisions are increasingly made at or near the point of sale, shifting power toward retailers. Creativity remains important, but creative alone no longer drives growth. Performance marketing and retail media have exposed the limits of awareness-based strategies and fragmented attention undermines brand recall. Conversion environments — shopper interactions, point of sale, retail execution, packaging, displays, and on-trade activations — now command the majority of brand marketing investment, often 55–70% by category. In many categories, 70–80% of decisions occur at or near checkout. Brands must build conversion infrastructure, retail-connected systems, and activation engines where decisions are made.

Read at The Drum