From Cause to Credibility
Why Care Is Personal—and Relevance Must Be Earned Cause marketing is being re-evaluated. In a more polarized, scrutinized, and performance-driven environment, brands are facing a harder question: Should they align with causes at all—and if so, what does it actually deliver? Recent research from Ipsos and Effie UK suggests the answer is more complex than […]
From Performance to Protection: How ROCKWOOL Is Reframing Marketing in a Changing World
In a market defined by pressure on costs, on supply chains, and on expectations, brand performance remains essential. But increasingly, marketing is being asked to do more than communicate performance; it must clarify what it enables and why it matters now. At ROCKWOOL, that shift is taking shape in a deliberate and meaningful way. With […]
Marketing’s Reset
A More Complete View of What Drives Growth … Marketing is not starting over.It’s stepping into a more complete—and more accountable—version of itself. At the center of that shift is something familiar, but newly urgent: trust. Across industries, leaders are being asked to deliver growth under new conditions—greater efficiency, faster cycles, and higher expectations for […]
Signals | When Effectiveness Meets Democracy
Effie’s new “Democracy” category suggests marketing is no longer just influencing consumers—it’s being asked to influence society itself. There are moments when an industry quietly redraws its boundaries.This may be one of them. At its Spring Conference in Lisbon, the European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA), together with Effie Awards Europe, introduced a new category: […]
e.l.f. and the Business Case for Cultural Fluency
We’ve spent years celebrating creativity and purpose. But we’ve spent far less time connecting marketing decisions to actual business outcomes. e.l.f. Beauty is one of the clearest examples that the two are not at odds. They are, increasingly, the same thing. Not Just “On Culture”—Built With It e.l.f. is often described as a brand that […]
Skechers and the Power of Aligning with Real Life
Not every brand reshapes culture loudly. Some simply align with it more honestly. Skechers is one of them. With nearly $9 billion in annual sales and strong growth driven in part by the 50+ market, the brand has built its success around comfort, accessibility, and everyday use—not aspiration. It has leaned into “comfort technology,” targeted […]
Burger King and the Shift from Brand to Participant
Burger King’s latest campaign does something few brands are willing to do. It gives up control. By retiring its long-standing King mascot and placing the crown on its customers, the brand signals a deeper shift—one built over years of operational change, listening, and response. Burger King is putting its guests in the spotlight with a […]
Paris, Texas—and the New Geography of Relevance
JCPenney has spent years trying to find its way back into relevance. Not through a single campaign, but through a series of decisions—each one suggesting a brand that understands it must change not just what it sells, but how it shows up in culture. Its latest moves are deceptively simple. And that’s exactly why they […]
What If Marketers Could Test Strategy Before Launch?
Synthetic personas offer a new way to model how different audiences interpret meaning — before investing in production and media. Marketing insight has traditionally been retrospective. Campaigns launch. Audiences respond. Researchers analyze what worked and what did not. But a new generation of AI tools may begin to change that sequence. Synthetic personas — computational […]
Signals of a Changing Media Landscape
Media Innovation Awards 2026 Finalists… This year’s finalists for The Internationalist’s 18th Annual Awards for Innovation in Media reflect more than strong execution—they offer an early read on how media is evolving. If recent years proved that media could perform, this year’s finalists suggest it can participate. Across markets, categories, and approaches, a few clear […]