SIGNALS
How Wide Is Your Swim Lane?
Nike, “Iron Nun,” and the growing tension between performance, participation, and belonging. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that don’t last very long that stay with you. A line of copy. A window message. Something that appears, sparks reaction, and disappears within a day. During marathon week in Boston—as the 130th Boston Marathon unfolded on Patriots’ […]
Where “Better” Becomes Real
It’s one thing to talk about how AI is reshaping marketing. It’s another to see it in action. Across a range of recent work, the most compelling examples don’t just demonstrate what AI can do—they show what happens when it’s applied with intention. Not just to move faster. But to connect more meaningfully. These examples […]
When Brands Know When to Step In—and When to Step Back
There are moments when brands are expected to act. And others when they simply have the opportunity. The difference isn’t always obvious. But how brands respond—especially in small, unscripted situations—can reveal far more than any campaign. Recently, a quiet story out of Japan captured global attention. A young macaque monkey named Punch, rejected by his […]
When AI Has All the Answers, What Happens to Us?
AI is becoming a guide—not just a tool. But guidance without experience may come at a cost. We are getting used to AI as a companion. Not just for work—where it is already reshaping strategy, analysis, and creativity—but for something far more personal: Guidance. People are beginning to ask AI questions they once reserved for […]
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 […]
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: […]
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 […]