#marketing

#marketing

The Lovie Awards recognise Europe's internet communities across culture, technology and business - and while they may not be as high-profile as the Oscars or Grammys, you've likely seen the winning work everywhere. Take Dazed Studio's Hinge: No Ordinary Love campaign, for example - last year, the stories spotlighting true dating app love stories were inescapable, especially to those who ride the New York City subway.

Gamification is one of those shiny objects that periodically captures companies' attention - a tactic that promises to boost engagement and revenue metrics. After all, everyone else seems to be doing it, so why not your company, too? At its core, gamification means applying game design elements in non-game contexts to tap into human motivation - boosting engagement and participation over time. In marketing, that can translate into higher revenue, stronger loyalty and longer customer lifetime value.

There's a parasite called toxoplasmosis that rewires the behaviour of cats (and even humans) so they act in ways that help the parasite spread. The cat doesn't know it's infected. It goes about what it thinks, is its business. But often, it is going about the parasite's business instead. Marketing, I suspect, is suffering from something eerily similar.

It began with the forging of the Great Roles. Three were given to the Product Designers - immortal, wisest, and fairest of all creators. Seven to the Engineers - great builders and architects of the digital halls. And nine... nine roles were gifted to the race of Marketers, who above all else, desire reach and engagement. For within these roles was bound the skill and the will to shape the modern web.

Sure it's nice to smell nice - but do we really need to douse ourselves from head to toe every day?

It's hard to overstate how important speed and experimentation are to finding marketing success. And that's not just good advice for brand-building on TikTok, either. These days, if you're fundamentally too slow and too scared, you'll find yourself always playing catch up, basically setting your marketing budget on fire. But with the right mindset, you'll not only earn success with TikTok audiences but also on whatever big platform comes next.

As Parker-Bowles puts it, devastatingly: Look, we have Belvoir and Bottlegreen. But they use concentrates. Why can't we make a really high-end British cordial? Mind. Blown. You didn't know about this. You didn't know about the grail of the not-from-concentrate cordial. You didn't know what we have here is a genuine seeker, product of a youth spent poring over the pans, face smeared with tears, bilberry reduction, seeking something that goes beyond cordial and into, well, art.

Nigel Newton asserts that We are programmed deep in our DNA to be comforted by the authority and the reliability of big brand names (AI can help authors beat writer's block, says Bloomsbury chief, 27 October). Hmm. Writers tend to see that certain authors being turned by publishers into big brands is a function of our economic system rather than our genetic makeup, a process backed up by the money that publishers spend on marketing and publicity.

Sharing his thoughts on the social media platform X on Saturday, the investor outlined Tesla's need for better marketing. "TSLA has the best product, but the product won't just sell itself," Black said in the post. He also highlighted that "influencers" sharing videos of Teslas on social media wasn't an example of "great marketing since it reaches audiences who already own Teslas."

Enter Sora 2, an AI-powered video generator that's changing the way we think about content creation. Whether you're a marketer looking to craft a standout ad, an educator eager to engage your students, or a hobbyist exploring creative storytelling, Sora 2 offers a seamless way to bring your ideas to life. Its ability to produce realistic visuals and adapt to diverse styles makes it a fantastic option for beginners and pros alike.

Do you remember the first time you heard of açaí berries? What about goji berries? Or coconut oil? All of these have been marketed at various times as superfoods - promising amazing health benefits that could cure your ills and make you better, stronger, and healthier. But the truth is that's just one of the many superfood myths you can stop believing. There's no real scientific reasoning, regulating body, or even a formal definition behind the designation of any one superfood.

"I'll binge the entire series with you." "I'll never leave dirty dishes in the sink." "I'll never bail on dinner plans."

Google Pixel's latest ad campaign, 'Vanilla,' follows people in their everyday lives, but instead of holding up their smartphones, viewers are met with a sea of identical ice-cream cones. The hero spot is part of the brand's 'Ask More of Your Phone' campaign, which launched in 2017. The spot was created by Google's creative teams and will run across broadcast, social and digital in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan and Canada.

The Drum Live 2025 is now in full swing - two days of debate and comment that bring our audience into the live workings of The Drum. In this live showdown of machine minds, we put four of the world's leading AI platforms (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Claude) through their paces. Forget the research papers. How about testing AI's marketing capabilities live on stage? In this session at The Drum Live, we have four large language models battling it out, responding to a series of marketing prompts to see which could deliver the sharpest ideas with the least amount of jargon.

That not your [family member]'s formula entered the vernacular in a 1988 US car ad, when it was directed at dads: Not your father's Oldsmobile. Now, though, it seems mostly to have defaulted to mothers. It's a lazy marketing brag or headline, a shorthand for new, directional and disruptive, and I've started to hate it. I'm not usually actively angered by reflexive sexism and ageism; I tend to let it wash over me in a dispiriting wave.

The month of September signals a fresh start, and experts say it naturally triggers our 'back to school' seasonal mindset. As schools reopen, a new productivity trend known as the 'fall curriculum' is going viral on TikTok. Gen Z and Millennials are replacing their endless social media scrolling to create structured learning plans called the 'fall curriculum' trend, which involves setting three-to-five personal subjects to master during the fall season.

Starting a business from scratch may feel overwhelming, but the journey becomes easier with clear steps. Begin by finding a problem to solve and making sure there's real demand for your idea. Create a simple plan that covers your goals, budget, and strategy. Secure the right funding, complete the legal formalities, and focus on building a strong brand presence. Start small, test your product or service, and improve based on feedback. Use marketing to reach your audience and grow steadily.

"Nike introduced 'Just do it' nearly four decades ago in 1988. Often used alongside the Nike swoosh logo, it became one of the most recognised brand assets in the world thanks to its authenticity and simplicity. So why mess with it? To clarify, this isn't a rebrand like some are making out. Instead, this stands as a one-off campaign that aims to relaunch the famous call to action by interrogating what it means."

Brand crossovers are everywhere right now - and getting weirder. Kate Spade released crossbody bags in the form of giant Heinz ketchup packets. Urban Outfitters released a back-to-school dorm collection with Chipotle that included a lamp shaped like a bag of chips and a metallic blanket that lets you wrap yourself up like a burrito. And Tecovas released $345 cowboy boots made with the same red vinyl used for Chili's restaurant booths and stamped with chili peppers, of course.

On the first day of this year's US Open, Alexandra Eala came back from 5-1 down in the third set to upset Clara Tauson in front of a rapturous crowd, Novak Djokovic rope-a-doped a fresher opponent barely half his age, Rebeka Masarova hit an overhead smash into the only racket-sized area inside the lines that would ensure she lost the point, and Daniil Medvedev all but incited a riot in the stands of Louis Armstrong Stadium while down match point.

Oreos are a staple of any grocery store's cookie aisle. Known as "milk's favorite cookie," the brand has used strategic advertising to stay relevant in the over one hundred years since its inception in 1912. Oreo's marketing has always changed with the times, and part of the reason the brand is still relevant today is because it relies heavily on the internet and social media, a very easy and convenient way to target specific consumers.