In the late 1990s, the California Prune Board set out on a quixotic mission to amend this sales-flattening reputation. It would attempt to rechristen this ancient fruit in the hopes the prune could one day be as unencumbered as an apricot, a raisin, or a fig.
On February 18, Snapple's parent company, Keurig Dr Pepper, announced that the beloved tea brand is unveiling a refreshed visual identity designed to "return the Snapple brand to icon-status." The new look, which will roll out beginning this March, includes new graphics, a logo inspired by the brand's '90s look, and an updated bottle design that hearkens back to its original glass packaging.
Most entrepreneurs obsess over their competition. They study their competitors' pricing, analyze their marketing, and lose sleep wondering how to differentiate themselves. But what no founder wants to admit is the threat isn't competition-it's obscurity. Lack of interest may not be the problem My company has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs who are exceptional at what they do. These clients offer incredible products, game-changing services, and decades of expertise.
To achieve ambitious targets during continued economic uncertainty, marketing strategies must evolve and adapt. This begs the question: how do we need to adjust our plans to better serve our consumer's needs? Let's first hone in on the biggest challenges we're currently facing as an industry. Understanding your customer and their needs Consumer shopping behavior is vastly different now than in 2019 and, while looking back on past data is still essential, we can't use it as robustly to predict trends.
Although McDonald's remains a fast-food giant, even the most established brands are fighting harder than ever to stay relevant. In a crowded market shaped by economic uncertainty and intensifying competition, legacy companies can no longer rely solely on their name. In recent years, McDonald's has weathered some turbulent times, including declining sales and slowing consumer traffic. Yet the company has managed to reverse those falls, thanks partly to a strategy that reflects a major shift in consumer preferences.
At the same time, learning technology buyers are under pressure. Budgets are scrutinized. Buying committees are larger. Risk tolerance is lower. Decisions that once involved a single L&D leader now require alignment across HR, IT, compliance, procurement, and executive leadership. In this environment, vendors are not evaluated only on functionality; they are evaluated on credibility. This is where thought leadership marketing becomes a strategic advantage rather than a branding exercise.
Nike has been on a downward trajectory; its share price tanked under the previous CEO, John Donahoe, who was ousted last September in favour of Elliott Hill, a 32-year veteran at the company who was brought out of retirement to lead it back to growth. At the heart of its problems was Donahoe's hyper-focus on growing direct-to-consumer sales. Before Nike, he was a leader in the tech space (eBay, PayPal and ServiceNow) and came in with a vision to have more shoppers buy directly from Nike.com.
Social platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Facebook offer huge opportunities for marketers. They are the new de facto gatekeepers to huge audiences, and there are very few other means to reach younger audiences at scale with ease. But that access comes with trade-offs, and different platforms emerge and disappear rapidly. As part of our Predictions season, The Drum Network seeks to examine where brands and agencies fit into that environment.
For basketball fans, a new year means one thing: March Madness is right around the corner. This jam-packed month has historically been a goldmine for brand marketers. The three full weeks of the tournament, not including the lead up, is an opportunity to capitalize on a pool of highly engaged consumers - whether they are the lucky fans watching in-person, tuning in at restaurants and bars, or catching the highlights from their phones or couch.
Apple has spearheaded the Super Bowl halftime show since 2023, building a complex array of advertising, teasers, playlists, and other content across its many platforms for Rihanna (2023), Usher (2024), and Kendrick Lamar (2025). Since the start of this $50-million-per-year sponsorship deal, Apple has treated the halftime show like it might be one of its products, with all the marketing and advertising bells and whistles it has at its disposal for things like the iPhone and Apple Watch.
To view this video, please enable JavaScript and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Media Summit and Experiential Marketing | Nov 8, 2022 Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing Officer of Mastercard (US), explores how the world of marketing is embracing more sensory and experiential approaches. And looks at what all marketers can learn from this broader approach.
One of the first points is uncomfortable but practical: sometimes the fastest way into a new lane is a short, intentional stint working for free. Ranft frames it as an access trade when the door is locked, not a lifestyle, and he's blunt about using discretion so you don't get exploited. The emphasis is on choosing situations where the learning is real, the stakes are real, and the experience creates proof you can show later.
Marketing organizations are racing to adopt AI while simultaneously trying to contain it. About 76.6% of marketers now have AI policies in place, up from 55.3% just a year earlier, per the Association of National Advertisers' January 2026 survey (registration required). Investment is also surging. Nearly 89% plan to increase AI spending, and two-thirds would maintain that investment even during an economic downturn.
The brand sits right at the warm, gooey center of everyone's subconscious. That's how Hershey's bars can sell on American store shelves for 125 years, in the same boring candy bar wrapper - dull gray letters on a field of brown - without much emphasis on paid media at all. So when Hershey's takes the rare step of overhauling its brand marketing creative and communications platform, it is news. And this Wednesday marks the beginning of Hershey's first major brand marketing campaign since 2018,
