Marketing
fromFast Company
1 day agoBrands are getting more physical
Marketers are increasingly focusing on physical experiences to foster human connection and emotional engagement with consumers.
With the recently launched MacBook Neo -Apple's cheapest laptop yet-the company is once again betting on intrigue over explanation. It does not seem especially worried about being too vague, showing too little of the product or leaving viewers asking, 'What am I watching?' After all, that same creative risk helped make 'Silhouettes' iconic.
With brands increasingly looking to mixed reality (AR, VR, contextual) technology to create engaging event experiences, the inaugural ExM Live Forum brings together industry thought-leaders to share insights in an events sector ripe for digital transformation.
It's our job to be translators of science so people understand what's happening and why it's so important. It's a global ocean. Just because something's happening in one place, doesn't mean it's not going to have an effect elsewhere in the world.
They are natural, organic conversations that are happening between real people about, you know, what's the right pair of running shoes to get, or, what restaurant are you going to, or whatever. It's a really unique place, because the most engaged audiences are already on Reddit talking about your business and your brands. So for comms people, that's a tailor-made opportunity.
As the year has continued to be a guessing game of who will reign supreme amid an uncertain market, Generation Z research and strategy firm DCDX's latest report looks at the top 50 "magnetic brands" of 2025. The company defines such brands as those that have the "power to attract conversation, measured through organic user-generated content (UGC)." It looks at "brand magnetism" measurements by how much the brand is talked about and how often it is talked about online.
When it comes to healthcare, these conversations have a real impact: helping people make better decisions, build deeper understanding, and find meaningful support from their trusted communities. In fact, every minute, a user makes 1 post in Reddit's wellness communities asking for a recommendation.
Taylor Swift posted an announcement of her engagement to Travis Kelce at around noon E.T. on August 26. By 12:30 p.m., Sour Patch Kids, Duolingo, and Buffalo Wild Wings had all tweeted about it. In today's era of reactive digital marketing, brands with wildly successful social media presences tend to echo the same mantra: It's all about speed. Companies like Duolingo, Amtrak, and Heinz have scored some of their most successful posts by chiming in on whatever discourse is currently dominating X feeds.
Swift's tour appearances have become economic events. The singer's Eras Tour two years ago was the first such tour to cross the billion-dollar mark, according to Pollstar's 2023 year-end charts.
At a round table held by the UK Advertising Export Group and Marketreach in Cannes, panellists discussed and analyzed why direct mail may have been overlooked in the media mix historically, but why it's increasingly becoming the go-to channel by brands.