Billie Eilish — 9 Grammys, 2 Oscars, 100M+ Spotify monthlies. Born 2001, signed to Darkroom/Interscope, produced by brother Finneas. The anti-endorsement brand playbook: Nike vegan AF1, Gucci, Apple Music — plus the deals she refused.
Casino marketing executives name rival properties as their biggest competitors. Their guests say "I just stayed in." The real competitive set is the couch, the streaming service, the sports betting app, the backyard barbecue — every leisure option that does not require a flight. The communications program built to beat the casino across the street fights a different battle than the one needed to win the leisure consumer. The pivot, and what it costs.
Creating memorable customer experiences that convert continues to operate as one of the more substantial recent corporate communications disciplines across multiple categories. The substantial brand voice consistency emphasis, the substantial surprise-and-delight discipline, the substantial customer service emphasis, the substantial loyalty program development, and the broader physical experience design.
PepsiCo has launched Starry — a substantial new lemon-lime soda brand introduced in January 2023 to replace Sierra Mist. The Sierra Mist replacement positioning, the Gen Z-targeted positioning, the regular and zero-sugar formulations, the substantial U.S. retail distribution including Walmart, Kroger, and convenience channels, and the broader cohort-driven product development approach.
QR codes died in 2014 and came back in 2020. Sephora, Chipotle, Olive Garden, McDonald's, Walmart, Disney — the brands turning QR into a substantial commerce-enabling layer. Lead generation is one of the smaller uses now.
Positioning, Purple Cow, Hooked, Crossing the Chasm, StoryBrand — the marketing books that rewrote how brands are built and how products get sold.
The 2020 question — should brands speak on contested public events — has been replaced by a sharper 2026 question: which events trigger a real silence penalty, and which trigger a speaking penalty. After Bud Light, Target, Disney, Harley-Davidson, brand activism has fragmented.
Maverick Apparel sent Logan Paul a cease-and-desist on Jan 4, 2018, demanding he stop using the Maverick name on merchandise. The case became a reference point in trademark, influencer marketing, and crisis communications.
The UK ASA's gender stereotyping rule is the operative regulatory standard for advertising — and a forecast for other major markets. A 2026 playbook for mid-market CMOs, CEOs, and general counsel.