08 Sep, 2026

Coca-Cola Leads Global Soda Interest Amid Rising Competition and Flavor Innovation

From June 2024 to June 2025, Coca-Cola maintained its dominance in global soda interest, with a 24% increase in trend index and the highest search volume. Competitors like Pepsi and Dr Pepper showed notable growth, while Mountain Dew experienced a decline, reflecting shifting consumer preferences and heightened competition. The Internationalist shares marketing insights through discussions, […]

3 mins read

What Does Better Marketing Look Like in the Age of AI?

By Deborah Malone, Founder of The Internationalist, Updated April 22, 2026 After reviewing the first wave of AI AWARDS FOR BETTER MARKETING work, I found myself asking a deceptively simple question: What does “better marketing” really mean in the age of AI? Today, that question feels even more relevant—and more urgent. Because AI is no […]

3 mins read

Winners in the AI AWARDS FOR BETTER MARKETING Signal a Turning Point for the Industry. Cases Offer an AI BLUEPRINT.

Twelve Brands Use AI to Achieve Exceptional Customer-Focused Marketing Success The inaugural Internationalist AI AWARDS FOR BETTER MARKETING revealed a striking truth: artificial intelligence is no longer just an emerging tool—it is fundamentally reshaping how marketers deliver relevance, resonance, and results. A BLUEPRINT FOR AI & MARKETING Twelve pioneering campaigns from around the world showed that AI doesn’t […]

10 mins read

The Trillion Dollar Blind Spot: Why Brands Are Ignoring Their 2025 Lifeline

By Lee Brody, Co-Founder and President at Openly Gray and Lee St. James, Co-Founder and ECD at Openly Gray Let’s be honest: Hitting your year-end 2025 goals is more of a pipe dream every day. The first half of 2025 has been unprecedented. Unstable global markets, pervasive downsizing, and shifting consumer sentiment have conspired against […]

5 mins read

TRENDING…. Purposeful Gaming: A Winning Combination for Brands and Players…

Gaming and Purpose may not immediately seem to go hand in hand, but the combination is making a difference to many categories of business, from consumer goods to nonprofits. In 2022, during an interview with the forward-thinking Pete Blackshaw, while CEO of the Cincinnati-based Cintrifuse, he foresaw the convergence of “Green and Gaming.”  Pete, a veteran of […]

6 mins read

Clarifying Purpose Amid Increased Uncertainty

Notions of purpose, like so many other concepts and ideals, have evolved over the past year. Currently, we are at a significant crossroads as our research points to a more sophisticated approach to adopting purpose. According to 89% of those surveyed, the challenge of getting purpose right lies in doing it meaningfully, systematically, and authentically.  The […]

7 mins read

Alignment at the Surface, but Many Concerns Run Deep

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of CLIENT-AGENCY-MARKETING PROCUREMENT Relationships Without question, the relationships among marketers, marketing procurement, and advertising agencies are crucial to the effectiveness of contemporary marketing initiatives. Each entity plays a distinct yet complementary role in achieving strategic business success. Simply said, marketers drive strategy, procurement ensures efficiency, and agencies deliver […]

4 mins read

The Inspiration Nonprofit Marketers Offer All Brands…

Few understand the challenges of effective marketing on a budget as well as nonprofit organizations do.  From budget limitations and ROI scrutiny to audience challenges and accountability pressures, every penny spent on nonprofit marketing must yield results, particularly when fundraising. As a result, nonprofits prize the value of compelling marketing—whether through original content and emotional […]

22 mins read

Marketing’s Moment of Truth: In an Era Where Anything Is Possible, What Should Brands Do?

By Sebastian Jespersen – making a difference with Globant GUT For decades, marketers have operated within a world of constraints—of media limitations, technological barriers, and an incomplete understanding of consumer behavior. The fundamental challenge was always the same: how do we reach the right audience, at the right time, with the right message, in a […]

10 mins read

Marketers Admit to AI’s CAPABILITY-MATURITY PARADOX

INSIGHTS Survey Results: AI implementation Success Depends More on Human and Organizational Factors than on Technological Capabilities From the ANA’s “Marketing Word of the Year,” to CES® to the World Economic Forum, businesses now recognize that the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence have reached a critical juncture in our relationship with technology. Yet, success in […]

7 mins read