Brand Insider

In the 90s, video games shifted from a niche hobby into mainstream culture.  The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past first won my heart. Then there was GoldenEye 007 that revolutionized first-person shooter games. I built amusement parks in RollerCoaster Tycoon and conquered fantasy lands in Heroes of Might and Magic II, all while fighting my dad to end his Civilization game. I liked all these gam...

The US Open is a vibe like no other and this week’s brand knows it. They’ve been with the tournament for 40 years. This year, it’s also celebrating its 200th anniversary and they’re celebrating with Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Jeff Koons and a host of activities from Las Vegas to New York. But big live moments come with big uncertainty, especially in sports. You can't control how athletes...

There are two kinds of men in the shower. The first are those with a washcloth and a bar of soap. The second are those who assure you he’s fine with what he has. He doesn’t need you to buy him body wash. He likes his stuff. Then he uses yours. Your very expensive, very specific stuff. All of it. And he doesn’t replace it.  For a long time, that was the men's grooming aisle: the do-it-all bottl...

Halloween is eight days away, and this is the candy aisle's time to shine. Lately, though, candy has been cast as the villain. Wellness has become a full-on identity, and it’s easy to get sucked in. It seems like everyone is on a wellness journey, but go too far down the social media rabbit hole and all of a sudden sugar is poison, birthday cake needs a disclaimer, and spinach has become an ingred...

Every restaurant has a personality. Some are loud, some are cozy, some you only visit at 2 a.m. That’s the thing about restaurants. We don't always remember the menu, but we remember how the place made us feel. A lot of casual dining restaurants forgot that. Brands tried to be everything to everyone and ended up being nothing to no one. The category is at a crossroads: adapt or die. TGI Friday...

Like many kids, I was convinced that if you swallowed gum, it would sit in your stomach for seven years. That myth sat right alongside the other greatest hits of '90s parenting. Wait 20 minutes after you eat before swimming. Keep making that face and it'll stick like that.  For the record, none of it is true. Gum passes through normally, but frankly seven years in my stomach was the least...

In the south, college football is our religion, and for 13 weeks every fall, Saturday is our holy day. Weddings are planned around them. Strangers become friends, and friends become enemies during them. And every single one of them starts with a tailgate and a cooler. I met my lifelong friends at University of Florida. I also met friends who I never learned their names. Friends who I stormed Unive...

Fandom is universally understood no matter what language you speak, what tax bracket you’re in or how you define football. Fans are just built differently because we all know what it means to love a little team so much it hurts. Fandom like that has existed for generations, but the way fans show up is drastically different now. Fans aren’t just tuning in anymore. They want to be inside the moment,...

My toxic trait is that I do not replace things on any sort of schedule. Cars, phones, sunscreen past its expiration date. I live and die by frugality’s motto: “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”  This is not my husband’s motto. He is routine, schedule, and order though and through. He changes air filters every three months and knows when to change the batteries in our smoke detector before it start...

I went to college at University of Florida from 2005 to 2009, which was one of the single greatest eras in the history of college athletics. Tim Tebow. Urban Meyer. Billy Donovan. Two football national championships. Two basketball national championships.  We were insufferable – we had every right to be – and we took our celebrations very seriously. We stormed University Avenue. We painted ourselv...

My parents were strong believers in after-school jobs. If I wanted something, I was expected to earn it myself, not ask for it. I cleaned a fabric store, I scooped ice cream at Bruster’s, but my favorite job was working at American Eagle. Shout out to Store 885 at North Point Mall.  Sure, the $10 per hour was great, but what does a 16-year-old girl like more than money? Clothes. And the 40% employ...

I'm Southern through and through, which means I take my comfort food seriously. Fried chicken. Cornbread. Sweet tea.  A simple mayo and tomato. And of course, mac and cheese. When I was a kid, homemade mac and cheese wasn’t always an option, so I found my way to the boxed variety. You know the one: blue box, orange cheese, one flavor. It was my go-to when I was on my own for dinner when my cul...

In December 2014, I matched with a guy on Hinge that I had 19 mutual friends with. Back then, Hinge was built on matching you off of your Facebook network. They only matched you with friends of friends, so there was some built-in reassurance that whoever you were meeting wasn’t a total stranger. We got drinks, and we had a great time. We kissed, said our goodbyes, and went on our way. We tried to...

People don’t like talking about their finances. I’ve been with my husband for 11 years, and I still give him the side-eye when he asks how much is in my savings account. For many people, it’s uncomfortable talking about money because they don’t know what they’re doing. They were never taught how to manage their finances, the difference between saving and investing, Roth IRAs and 401(k)s, good debt...

I honed my marketing chops at The Home Depot. I spent six years of my life in an orange apron. Six years reflighting media, plussing up paid search, and trying to predict the exact week spring will arrive so we can flip end caps from snow blowers to mulch.  If you've ever worked retail, you know brand loyalty doesn't end when you clock out for the last time. Brand loyalty like that is tatt...

There is something truly therapeutic about sweating it out, but my fellow yogis out there know that after a couple of big sweats, those leggings are never quite the same. No amount of laundry detergent can restore them. Which is exactly why I have two separate legging categories in my closet – yoga leggings and lounge leggings – and never the twain shall cross. I can't subject my lounge leggin...

The World Cup Finals are this Sunday in New York. The 5-week saga that has taken over North America is coming to end this Sunday. There’s been something genuinely electric about watching this tournament unfold. Entire neighborhoods turn out in jerseys, half-a-dozen languages are heard at any given restaurant, and strangers hug over penalty kicks. It’s been a real reminder of what a shared obsessio...

Some drinks are symbols of celebration and reflection, handed down from one generation to another. Drinks when someone decides you are worth the good stuff. The Macallan has built an entire campaign around. It started with a social listening insight: People are often introduced to The Macallan by someone older — a parent, an uncle, a mentor — to mark an occasion, like a first house, a birthday, or...

Volition America is a patriotic lifestyle brand built around a simple, stubborn belief that the American flag is a symbol of passion and pride, not politics. They’re building brand partnerships across categories and providing scholarships to children of fallen soldiers and first responders. They believe “patriot” doesn’t belong to one party, and it doesn’t mean you agree with every decision being...

Prime Day starts Tuesday, and Chamberlain Group is using it as the first real commercialization moment for a repositioned brand, a new product story, and a marketing organization that has completely rebuilt how it connects creative to conversion. We sat down with CMO Elina Vives to hear how. This episode is supported by ⁠Wunderkind Ads⁠ .

Sports fans are another level of loyalty, and smart brands are figuring out how to show up authentically in that space. Lowe’s is doing just that with the NFL and Lionel Messi. We sat down with Gerardo Soto, VP of Media and Sports Marketing, to hear how. This episode is supported by ⁠Wunderkind Ads⁠ .

Everyone has a Nordstrom story. Stories about the shoes they wore down the aisle, the suit that started a career, the tomato soup that turned a hard day around. To celebrate its 125th anniversary this year, Nordstrom is putting those stories on screen. Their “Based on a True Story” campaign is the opposite of every three-second scroll-stopper we’ve been told marketing has to be right now. It’s lon...

In the last couple of years, the casual dining industry has decided the goal was to get you in and out as fast as possible. Or better yet, they’re skipping the “in” part entirely. Third-party delivery. Curbside pickup. Drive-thrus of the future. And after 70 years, a few ownership changes, and a pandemic that forced the entire industry off-premise, Shakey's Pizza Parlor is doing something genu...

Godiva turns 100 this year, and they’re celebrating their centennial leaning into the Treat Yourself mentality with small indulgences, celebrating the moments that don't have a bow on them but probably should. We sat down with CMO Ahad Afridi to hear how they’re honoring a century of history without becoming a nostalgic act, balancing premium with accessibility for all. This episode is support...

The Dallas Cowboys aren't just a sports team; they are a global entertainment brand that happens to play football on Sundays. Love them or hate them, you can’t argue with the brand. The star. The cheerleaders. The stadium. The cultural footprint that extends from Texas to Tokyo. This week, we sat down with Senior Director of Brand Marketing Rob Sender to talk about growing an already passionat...