By Simon Woolford

Simon Woolford discusses how brand strategy distinguishes enduring brands from those easily overlooked in a fast-paced, AI-driven content landscape.

In a world of templates, brand strategy is what sets you apart

The digital age has lowered the barriers to launching a brand. AI tools, pre-made design templates, and plug-and-play platforms allow anyone to bring a business to life in days, not months. For startups and DTC players, the promise is speed and scale — launch fast, iterate later.

But in the luxury space, speed is rarely the goal. And iteration only works if the foundation is sound to begin with. At SUM, we work with brands that understand this. Strategy is not something they bolt on later — it is the architecture that holds the whole brand together.

Brand strategy is a creative act, not a business formality

Too often, strategy is mistaken for paperwork. A slide deck, a positioning statement, a tick-box exercise before the ‘real’ creative work begins. But in reality, brand strategy is the most creative part of the process — it is where decisions get made.

What does the brand stand for? What does it not stand for? Who are we really speaking to — and how do they want to be spoken to? These questions are not answered by visuals or slogans. They require a deep understanding of context, culture, and intent.

For luxury brands in particular, the answers are rarely obvious. It is not enough to be premium — everyone says that. The challenge is defining a point of view and building a brand world that expresses it in a way that feels both refined and distinctive.

Fast brands vs lasting brands

Today’s market is full of well-executed, visually pleasing brands that fail to make any lasting impression. The fonts are right. The photography is polished. But the substance is missing — because the strategy was never there.

The strongest brands we have worked with do not start with visuals. They start with questions:

• What space do we want to occupy in the market — and in people’s minds?
• What story are we telling, and how do we ensure it is credible?
• What principles will guide our decisions as we grow?

Without clarity on these points, it is all too easy to default to trends — chasing the aesthetic of the moment without ever defining what sets you apart. Strategy is what stops that from happening. It acts as both compass and filter.

The role of strategy in a post-AI landscape

The arrival of generative tools has changed the game. You can now create logos, packaging ideas, and social captions in minutes. But the question is not whether you can generate brand assets quickly — it is whether those assets actually say anything unique.

“AI is good at mimicking. It can remix existing data, follow prompts, and simulate voice. But it cannot define purpose.”

AI is good at mimicking. It can remix existing data, follow prompts, and simulate voice. But it cannot define purpose. It cannot craft nuance from lived experience or cultural insight. And it certainly cannot tell you what a brand should be.

This is where brand strategy becomes more valuable, not less. In a world where everything starts to look the same, it is the thought behind the brand that gives it weight. If AI makes design easier, then strategy is how you make it matter.

Strategy as quiet confidence

For luxury brands, being different does not mean being louder. In fact, it often means the opposite. The most powerful strategies are usually the most subtle — the kind that express themselves in tone, restraint, and consistency.

“We have worked with brands who have no tagline, no manifesto, and no overt claims — and yet they feel unmistakably clear. That is not an accident.”

We have worked with brands who have no tagline, no manifesto, and no overt claims — and yet they feel unmistakably clear. That is not an accident. It is the result of strategic discipline. A willingness to define what belongs, what does not, and how the brand should behave across every touchpoint.

Whether it is a fragrance bottle, a website, or an in-store moment, the role of strategy is to ensure all these elements feel coherent. Not identical, but aligned.

Strategy aligns teams, not just visuals

Brand strategy is not just a tool for designers or marketers — it is a tool for internal alignment. We have seen again and again how a strong strategic framework brings clarity to cross-functional teams.

When done well, strategy becomes a shared language. It gives everyone — from founders and investors to designers and developers — a way to evaluate ideas, solve problems, and protect the brand over time.

Without that framework, brand decisions become reactive. Messaging shifts. Priorities change. And over time, the brand drifts away from its original intent.

Why luxury brands need strategy more than ever

Luxury audiences are discerning. They expect more than product — they expect meaning, craft, and credibility. And they have an exceptional radar for inconsistency.

For these audiences, a weak strategy shows up quickly. It might be a jarring product line extension, an inauthentic campaign, or a tone of voice that feels off-brand. The result? Erosion of trust — and in the luxury space, trust is everything.

A strong strategy ensures this does not happen. It keeps the brand honest, consistent, and focused — not just in year one, but in year five, ten, and beyond.

Final Thought

There will always be faster ways to build a brand. But if you want to build something with depth, longevity, and real value — strategy still matters. Perhaps more than ever.

It is not about slogans or slides. It is about decisions. The ones that define who you are, what you stand for, and how you earn your place in the world.

Feature Image Credit: The Faces, YFS Magazine

By Simon Woolford

Simon Woolford is the founder of SUM, a London-based branding agency specialising in strategy-led work for luxury and design-led brands. With over 25 years of experience, he has helped position and scale brands across fashion, fragrance, hospitality, and lifestyle. His work combines strategic clarity with visual refinement – helping brands build lasting equity in saturated markets.

Sourced from YSF Magazine

By Janita Pannu

When was the last time you felt like a brand truly understood you? Chances are it wasn’t because of a statistic or product launch, but because of a story.

Neuromarketing proves that storytelling is not just a creative endeavour, but a scientific tool for building loyalty through emotion.

Storytelling images the limbic nervous system, which is where the brain makes emotions. A driving force for how we make decisions. Unlike facts and figures, stories can trigger feelings of joy, trust or nostalgia, creating long-lasting connections with businesses and brands.

• Emotional impact: Narratives can activate the amygdala and associate positive feelings with a brand.

• Memory enhancement: A structured story with an arc can make it easier to encode long-term memory.

• Trust and connection: When a brand tells a story that resonates with a customer’s value or their personal experiences, it fosters trust and can build a deeper relationship.

Marketing leaders today have the tools to measure the impact of storytelling on a neurological level.

• EEGs and fMRI scans can show us how consumer brains react to narrative elements in real time.

• Facial coding analysis can show us micro-expressions, so marketers can decode our emotional reactions to videos and images.

Great storytelling is not accidental, it’s engineered.

Creating characters that are relatable can evoke an emotional investment. Think of Apple’s iconic ad “Here’s to the crazy ones” that celebrates people who defy convention.

Emotional arcs with conflict, resolution and emotional highs and lows are easy to remember; think of Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign for personal moments to create emotion.

When was the last time you felt like a brand truly understood you? Chances are it wasn’t because of a statistic or product launch, but because of a story.

Neuromarketing proves that storytelling is not just a creative endeavour, but a scientific tool for building loyalty through emotion.

Storytelling images the limbic nervous system, which is where the brain makes emotions. A driving force for how we make decisions. Unlike facts and figures, stories can trigger feelings of joy, trust or nostalgia, creating long-lasting connections with businesses and brands.

• Emotional impact: Narratives can activate the amygdala and associate positive feelings with a brand.

• Memory enhancement: A structured story with an arc can make it easier to encode long-term memory.

• Trust and connection: When a brand tells a story that resonates with a customer’s value or their personal experiences, it fosters trust and can build a deeper relationship.

Marketing leaders today have the tools to measure the impact of storytelling on a neurological level.

• EEGs and fMRI scans can show us how consumer brains react to narrative elements in real time.

• Facial coding analysis can show us micro-expressions, so marketers can decode our emotional reactions to videos and images.

Great storytelling is not accidental, it’s engineered.

Creating characters that are relatable can evoke an emotional investment. Think of Apple’s iconic ad “Here’s to the crazy ones” that celebrates people who defy convention.

Emotional arcs with conflict, resolution and emotional highs and lows are easy to remember; think of Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign for personal moments to create emotion.

Feature Image Credit: getty

By Janita Pannu

Sourced from Forbes

By SCAYLE

The Abandonment Epidemic: 81% of Shoppers Turn Their Backs on Brands

The symptoms are unmistakable: plummeting retention rates, spiking customer churn, and brand loyalty flatlining across the US. The recent survey What’s Killing Conversions for Enterprise Retailers? by SCAYLE on shopping behaviour confirms the diagnosis: a staggering 81% of US shoppers have abandoned a brand in the past year.

In today’s retail battleground, the margin for error is microscopic. One sluggish page load, one confusing checkout flow, one delivery delay quickly turns into another lost customer.

The vital question: how do you vaccinate your business against this spreading contagion? The answer lies in understanding why customers are jumping ship – and how a healthy, integrated commerce approach works as preventative medicine.

The customer experience breakdown

The era of unconditional brand loyalty is clinically dead. Today’s shoppers will walk after just one poor experience – no second opinions needed. SCAYLE’s research reveals broken shopping journeys as a primary cause of brand abandonment.

According to the survey, one in three shoppers cut ties with brands over frustrating online or in-store experiences, slow deliveries, or missing discounts.

Consumers expect diagnostic precision across every touchpoint – seamless, consistent, and painless. When even one interaction fails, it creates an immunity to your re-engagement efforts that’s tough to overcome.

Commerce teams looking to diagnose their own system weak points do well to start with a full tech stack checkup – before symptoms start showing up in churn data.

The best eCommerce platforms treat this condition by connecting all touchpoints through a unified, modular architecture. The result? A commerce experience that flows naturally whether customers browse on mobile, purchase on desktop, or track orders through your app.

Pricing transparency: the heart of customer trust

“We lost them on price” is an incomplete diagnosis. With competitive analysis just a tap away, customers aren’t just comparing costs – they’re evaluating the entire health of your value proposition. And that evaluation happens under even closer scrutiny in a market rocked by tariff changes and economic uncertainty. Shoppers aren’t just asking if the product is affordable – they’re asking whether it justifies its price at a time when every dollar feels more precarious.

Price outweighs brand for 36% of shoppers – a signal that perceived value now matters more than familiarity. In moments of doubt, it’s not loyalty that decides – it’s clarity. Hidden fees, limited payment options, and convoluted return policies quickly trigger brand abandonment.

But even transparent pricing can’t compensate for disappointing products. Across all age groups, product quality ranks as a leading reason for abandonment – shoppers won’t pay unless the offering lives up to its promise: opaque pricing structures and inconsistent quality cause a severe allergic reaction in today’s buyers.

This isn’t about being the cheapest option – it’s about building pricing transparency and clearly emphasizing value, making shoppers less sensitive to price alone.

A flexible pricing setup helps maintain a consistent value proposition across channels – building the kind of clarity that keeps price-sensitive shoppers from straying.

The silent killer: tech stack fragmentation syndrome

Here’s a common infection pathway: A customer adds items to your mobile app shopping cart only to find them “unavailable” when they switch to desktop. Or their loyalty points mysteriously reset between digital and physical shopping experiences.

The underlying disease? Systems that can’t or won’t talk to each other. When core platforms like your ERP, CRM, PIM, and eCommerce engine operate in isolation, friction builds and customers walk away.

With 60% of shoppers mixing online and in-store interactions, even small disconnects between channels can break the journey. When experiences feel inconsistent, customers don’t wait for explanations – they disengage. While your teams apply band-aid solutions and manual workarounds, your customers simply leave.

A connected architecture that synchronizes systems in real time is essential for delivering seamless experiences across channels. When core platforms – from checkout to inventory to loyalty – share a single source of data, the result is less friction, faster responsiveness, and stronger customer relationships.

The prescription: unified commerce therapy for long-term survival

Cart recovery emails won’t heal brand fatigue. Loyalty points can’t bandage over broken experiences. And price slashing creates an untenable addiction, not sustainable health.

So the most effective treatment combines both prevention and cure: Building a commerce backbone that’s as agile as today’s market demands – one that’s unified, composable, and designed to evolve with changing conditions.

Ready for a full commerce health check? Learn what else is killing conversions for enterprise retailers – and how to overcome it. SCAYLE surveyed over 1,500 US shoppers about why they abandon brands, and what keeps them coming back for more.

Feature Image Credit: SCAYLE

By SCAYLE

Sourced from RETAIL DIVE

By Gemma Spence,

AI is changing the shopfronts of our favourite brands. VML’s Gemma Spence explains just how said brands can position themselves to benefit.

Let’s cut through the noise: we’re not just evolving into a new phase of digital commerce, we’re rewriting the rules. Success is no longer about showing up on shelf or executing your media plan to perfection. It’s about being relevant at the speed of thought.

Feature Image Credit: Adobe Stock

By Gemma Spence,

Get in touch with Gemma on LinkedIn.

Sourced from The Drum

By Tom May

Creative leaders discuss how generalists with depth and good taste are becoming the industry’s most valuable players.

The creative industry has spent decades celebrating the specialist: the typography virtuoso, the motion graphics master, the brand strategist extraordinaire.

But as AI reshapes how we work, platforms fragment faster than we can count them, and budgets tighten across the board, how long will that remain the case?

We asked creative leaders whether generalists are better positioned for the future than specialists. Their responses reveal a nuanced shift that isn’t quite the death of specialisation but rather its evolution into something more collaborative, adaptable and strategically minded.

The rise of the creative polymath

Kiser Barnes, partner and chief creative officer at Red Antler, believes we’re entering a new era. “We’re living in the age of the creative generalist,” he says. “Brands are more fluid; audiences are more fragmented, and the platforms we design for shift by the month. In this environment, the creatives who thrive are the ones who understand how all the pieces connect: brand and business, storytelling and touchpoints, culture and code.”

This sentiment echoes across the industry. Simon Manchipp, founding partner at SomeOne, puts it succinctly. “The future isn’t generalists vs specialists,” he says. “It’s generalists with a great point of view, who know when to go deep, and specialists who can zoom out and play nicely with others.”

The driving forces behind this shift are multiple and converging. Budgets are tightening, forcing agencies to seek creatives who can “hop from task to task,” as Barrington Reeves, creative director at Too Gallus, puts it. Meanwhile, the tools of creativity have become more accessible and more sophisticated, creating what Matthew Schneider, director of product marketing at LucidLink, describes as an unfair expectation. “Specialists are pressured more and more today to have a broader and wider skill set than you’d ever have expected before,” he says.

The AI accelerator

No factor is reshaping the creative landscape more dramatically than the rise of AI. And Cat How, founder and executive creative director at How Studio, draws this conclusion. “I think people who have the best taste, confidence and ability to decide what they like or don’t like will be better positioned for the future,” she predicts. “In the creative industry, AI will be all about curation.”

Barrington agrees. “With the integration of AI acting as the great leveller in technical skill, the main gap that remains is in taste and curation,” he believes. “It’s not unlikely that in a year or so, the gap for many specialist skills will be closed, as AI tools are built natively into software.”

Simon frames this shift with characteristic directness. “In 2025, AI can do the doing. Faster. Cheaper. It is more consistent than Steve in the corner with his ‘niche mastery of kerning’. So, just being good at one thing? Not enough. But being useful across things? Very attractive.”

The T-shaped creative

The consensus isn’t for shallow generalism, though: quite the opposite. What emerges from these conversations is the concept of the ‘T-shaped’ creative: someone with broad understanding across disciplines but deep expertise in one or two areas.

“Deep expertise is important, but it needs to be paired with range,” says Kiser. “You might be an incredible designer, but if you can also think strategically, understand tech implications, and speak to how an idea lives across channels, you become exponentially more valuable.”

Ashleigh Hansberger, co-founder and chief operating officer at Motto, describes this as “lateral mastery”; creatives who “go deep enough to earn authority in their craft but wide enough to translate ideas across strategy, design, tech and culture”.

And Paul Leon, creative director at U037, believes that this breadth actually enhances creativity rather than diluting it. “You want cross-pollination and different approaches, other skills,” he argues. “That’s where good ideas, designs and solutions live. Being able to learn, research, think and solve problems creatively and communicate all of that into something finished is what designers do.”

The collaboration imperative

Several leaders point to collaboration as the key differentiator in all of this. Creative director Charlie Bowden sees the future in smaller agencies where “generalists and specialists work more closely together,” rather than the traditional agency structure where “if you ask an ad agency to solve your business problem, they’ll make ads, a PR agency, PR, an animation studio, an animation, regardless of whether that’s the best thing for the client. I’ve seen this first hand.”

That’s not a slight at the specialists themselves, he hastens to add; more a criticism of the agency structure. “I think there could be a future in smaller agencies, some made of generalists and others of specialists working more closely together,” he muses. “The networks have tried a similar model in the past but have always been hamstrung by the politics of networks.”

Joachim Froment, founder and head of design at Futurewave, believes both generalists and specialists must remain “state of the art” in their approaches, but with different emphases. “As a generalist, you need to use tools and a methodology that enhances your holistic approach while keeping critical thinking,” he reasons. “As a specialist, you need to be curious and constantly update yourself on tools and knowledge.”

Not everyone is ready to write an obituary for traditional specialists, though. Tom Munckton, executive creative director at Fold7 Design, believes that, ultimately, it depends on where you want to go in the industry. “Some of the most memorable designers and creatives are known for doing something specific,” he reasons, “be that within a current zeitgeist moment or defiantly carving their own style regardless. Those who specialise also demonstrate a dedication and focus to become specialists. These are qualities that can be transferred if the tides turn on your niche.”

Alex Rexworthy, co-founder and design director at Outlaw, brings it down to basics. “We’re in the business of ideas, no matter the discipline,” he argues. “Skills can be transferable, but ultimately, everything begins with the idea.”

The integration advantage

What emerges from these perspectives isn’t the death of specialisation but its integration into a broader, more strategic approach.

The future belongs not to those who can do everything adequately but to those who can think across disciplines while maintaining craft excellence in their core areas. As Ashleigh puts it: “The best creatives aren’t locked into silos. They know how to zoom into the details and pan out to see the bigger system at play.”

So, what does all this mean in practical terms? Matthew offers this advice to young creatives. “Master one or two tools or workflows and have some capacity to use a few other tools. And tinker, always tinker. Carve out time to try new things and learn new skills. It’s fun to learn, and it’s healthy to know other workflows.”

In short, the age of the specialist may not be over, but it’s certainly evolving. And the creatives who understand that evolution, who can bridge disciplines whilst maintaining excellence, are the ones who’ll thrive in whatever comes next.

Feature Image Credit:  Adobe Stock

By Tom May

Sourced from Creative Boom

By Lester Mapp

As Google faces its biggest challenge yet, here’s how you can turn uncertainty into your next big win.

Google is cooked … cooked like a luxurious, rich, decadent, yet tender steak on the Fourth of July.

I know that sounds dramatic, but we could be witnessing the slow demise of Google as we know it.

Testifying in Google’s antitrust trial, Apple’s head of services, Eddy Cue, confirmed that fewer iPhone users are using Google Search on Safari and are instead turning to AI.

Cooked!

Now, before you think I’m writing Google’s obituary, let me be clear. Like I’ve said before, I’m confident they’ll figure it out, even if that means changing their business model.

That said, if your business depends on Google in any way, whether it’s your business profile, reviews, SEO, or products like Ad Manager to drive traffic, you needddddddddd to pay attention to what’s happening.

In today’s article, we’ll dive into what’s going on with Google and how it impacts you. I’ll also walk you through how we got here and what the future may hold, as well as share three things you can do to prepare.

If you’re new to my work, my name is Lester, but feel free to call me Les. I’m a founder with a successful exit, currently the executive chairman of a group of ecom brands, and an award-winning performance marketer.

My team has adopted AI to develop internal tools that allow us to stay ahead in a highly competitive space. We operate more like a tech and data company than a typical ecom brand, which gives me a front-row seat to how AI is reshaping the world of online business.

If you’re finding it hard to keep up with AI and want insights and opportunities in this crowded space, check out my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts. I share what’s working, what to watch for, and the AI innovations that are worth your time.

But enough about me. We need to talk about why Google losing its grip on search could be detrimental to small businesses.

Understanding the landscape

Before we jump into it, we need to understand why Eddy Cue spilled the beans on what’s happening with Google’s core business of search.

The Department of Justice and several states are suing Google’s parent company, Alphabet, arguing that its exclusive deals with companies like Apple are anticompetitive and potentially monopolistic.

Basically, Google is paying billions to be the default search engine on Apple devices, effectively shutting out any real competition. The ruling in this case could break up their reported $20 billion-a-year agreement.

On the stand, Apple’s Eddy Cue revealed that, for the first time in over two decades, Google’s search traffic on Apple devices actually dropped last month as users started turning to AI instead. Cue also mentioned Apple is considering revamping Safari’s search feature to incorporate more AI features … Yikes.

promise I’m not trying to be that guy, but the DOJ is about 10 years late. The reality is that AI is already changing the way people search for information organically. Search habits are evolving on their own, whether or not there is a courtroom battle.

Google’s position as the default search engine is starting to feel like a moot point when users are pivoting to tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. It’s kind of like going after Blockbuster today for being a video rental monopoly.

The world has already moved on.

What does this shift mean for you?

Long story short, the way people discover, research, and choose businesses is changing one AI update at a time, but it’s essential to note that people are still searching, just not in the same places they used to. That nuance is critical to understanding your next move.

As more users turn to AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity for answers, traditional search engines are no longer the only gateway to your business. This shift in behaviour over time will result in less traffic to your product or service. If you are buying traffic from Google in the form of search or shopping ads, you can expect those ad rates to increase.

However, if you are selling traffic to Google in the form of Google AdSense, you can expect your ad revenue to decrease unless Google and others quickly overhaul how search integrates AI.

So, not only will these changes compress your margins when it comes to paid traffic, but they’ll also affect your revenue as your business gets less visibility overall.

But it’s not just traffic and margins on the line. Data is disappearing, too.

What’s also not discussed enough is that if users are going directly to AI to answer their questions, online business owners will lose insight into which keywords customers are using to find them. Even worse, we lose the ability to do competitor analysis since we can no longer see what’s working for them.

Yeah, this situation is less than ideal for us.

Feature Image Credit: Svetlana Repnitskaya/Getty Images

By Lester Mapp

Sourced from ZD Net

By Dr. Diane Hamilton

More than 800 million people are using ChatGPT each week, and one in five people use it for work, but most are barely tapping into what it can actually do.

I hear people say they use it to summarize articles or write emails faster, and that’s fine. But I’ve found that the real benefit comes when you use prompts to help you think. Not to replace your thinking, but to sharpen it, organize it, or speed it up when your brain is already juggling too much. It’s easy to underestimate how much mental space gets wasted just preparing for a meeting. That’s where prompts come in. They give you structure without slowing you down. I’ve been collecting the kinds of prompts that help with focus. Some of these might sound simple, but when you’re in the middle of a busy day, a good prompt can be the difference between momentum and burnout. I’ll share a few I’ve used and why they work.

Prompt: Help Me Prioritize These 10 Tasks Based On Impact, Deadline, And Visibility To Key Stakeholders

I have never loved Gantt charts. I’m sure they work wonderfully for project managers, but for many people like me, they can seem overwhelming. That is why this is such a great prompt. This one is great when your list feels never-ending and every task looks urgent. Instead of spending energy figuring out what to do first, you paste in your list and let the system help you rank it. I’ve found this especially helpful during weeks where everything feels like it is due yesterday. It helps me see what really matters based on who’s watching, what’s due right now, and what will move the needle.

Prompt: Turn This Idea Into Three Talking Points I Can Use In A Meeting

Part of developing our curiosity is to create interesting conversations that allow others to explore ideas they hadn’t considered. This prompt helps create interesting directions to take a meeting. You might have pages of notes or a vague idea you want to bring to a meeting, but it’s not clear how to frame it. This prompt gives you three focused bullets you can actually say out loud. It forces clarity. If you tend to ramble or over-explain under pressure, this gives you something solid to lean on.

Prompt: What Are The Most Common Assumptions People Make About This Topic, And Which Ones Should I Question?

Part of my research regarding curiosity found that one of the things that inhibits it is the assumptions we make. But, how do you know what people assume? This is a prompt I use when something feels stuck or when I’m about to launch something new. It pushes you to look at how you’re thinking and what others might be thinking. I’ve used this when creating new courses, writing articles, and advising teams. It brings to the surface the things you’re assuming are true but haven’t really examined.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Dr. Diane Hamilton

Find Dr. Diane Hamilton on LinkedIn and X. Visit Dr.’s website. Browse additional work.

Sourced from Forbes

By Rakuten Viber

A lot can change in ten years

The past decade seems to have disappeared in the blink of an eye, but our lives are almost unrecognisable from 2010. Then, we were obsessing over the Lost series finale and Lady Gaga’s meat dress, getting used to being annoyed by generic banner ads, and messaging like crazy.

What we weren’t doing though was sharing memes, gifs, videos, emojis or other digital media, or seeing highly personalized ad content – at least not on our phones. The most widely used data application was still SMS; we could reach one another quickly, easily and very briefly – no more than 160 characters thank you – but it was a pretty bland experience.

So let’s give thanks for progress. Because at the same time, the smartphone was overcoming its initial limitations and starting to gain ground, while IP telephony was about to make the leap from expensive corporate luxury to accessible consumer tool.

That’s really where messaging platforms began. If you can make a voice call over the internet without having to get tangled up with various mobile network protocols, why not use the same technology to send text and visual content to other devices as well? This is exactly what Rakuten Viber started to do a few months after its initial launch as a Voice over IP service.

Since then, messaging hasn’t looked back, while calls and ads have become a whole new experience as more and more functionality has been introduced to provide what consumers want and businesses need.

Rakuten Viber’s platform exists because humans like to share. First it was calls and messages to another person. But one-to-one soon became many-to-many with group messaging. No gang of friends or colleagues is without a group chat these days. All you have to do is stay on top of whatever the subject is that minute, and navigate the delicate politics of leaving a conversation. Rakuten Viber also hosts Communities for people with similar interests, and you can even run polls with your contacts to gather their opinions on life, the universe, or what the best biscuit is.

Messaging also gives us the means to express ourselves more, well, expressively. And that means visuals and moving content. We introduced stickers in 2012, and 1.3 billion are now sent on average by our users each month. We even celebrated Rakuten Viber’s first wedding in 2015 with a specially created pack, inspired by two customers who lived more than 10,000 km apart but kept their relationship growing over Rakuten Viber. Now of course, personalization is the thing, and what could be more personal than creating your very own stickers and GIFs?

Privacy and security have also become increasing concerns as our online world has opened up, which means we want our interactions to be protected. That’s why, as well as encrypting messages end-to-end so only those sending and receiving them can read them, on Rakuten Viber you can hide chats on shared devices, or set a self-destruct timer to make a message disappear after a certain time period – on both sides of the conversation.

It used to be the case that businesses led technology adoption and consumers would follow. With mobile and messaging however, it’s been the opposite. With consumers spending more and more time on their devices and in their messaging app, it makes absolute sense for brands to get in there and connect with them where they’re already hanging out. And so in 2016 Rakuten Viber also became a business business. With our messaging solutions, companies can reach out to a new audience, and communicate better with their existing customers in a native environment. They can send targeted offers and promotions to turn prospects into paying customers, and gain their loyalty over time by building deeper relationships. They can even do business with them, offering products and services that customers can use without having to leave their messaging app.

As for actually talking on the phone, while we do this less than we used to, it’s still easier (and cheaper) than before. Viber Out is an affordable way to make calls to any mobile or landline number, anywhere in the world, and has been around since 2013. Video calls followed the next year, and now you can have group calls with up to 20 people, which is ideal in our new stay-at-home, work-at-home reality.

The point is that by using the internet – which is pretty much limitless – along with other technologies like chatbots and artificial intelligence, it’s possible to keep on developing the services that help people and companies stay in touch on their own terms.

Imagine a world today without this type of messaging platform. How would we share all the things most important to us, from big news stories to the major events in our own lives? How would we stay connected and do the things we need to? It doesn’t bear thinking about. Seriously, would anyone choose to go back to plain text and 160 characters? No, me neither.

It’s almost impossible to say what the world will be like by 2030, but one thing’s for sure, and it’s that messaging platforms are only going to get bigger and better. So here’s to the next decade, and even better connections.

By Rakuten Viber

Sourced from The Drum

By Mark Mwachiro

Social media platform X, formerly Twitter, is introducing new features to its direct-messaging service, XChat.

Early Monday morning, X owner Elon Musk, fresh from his government service, posted that XChat will be built on the Rust architecture, providing it with “Bitcoin-style encryption.” He added that new features coming to the platform include vanishing messages, video and audio calling, and the ability to send any kind of file.

Musk’s “Bitcoin-style encryption” prompt garnered pushback from many within the Bitcoin community who noted that the cryptocurrency platform isn’t encrypted, according to Cointelegraph.

“Maybe Musk means like BIP-151 peer-to-peer communication encryption,” BitMEX Research suggested, which is a Bitcoin Improvement Proposal designed to encrypt Bitcoin node data.

XChat is already available in beta to select testers, and it is being rolled out to paid subscribers. Users will also have the option to use a four-digit passcode to access XChat.

XChat’s rollout is part of Musk’s grand scheme to make X the everything app. The social media company is also working on a payments feature, XMoney, which will be available to users later in the year.

Feature Image Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

By Mark Mwachiro

• [email protected]

Mark Mwachiro is a TVNewser contributor who has been writing for the blog since March 2022. Based out of New York, Mark has also contributed to ADWEEK.

Sourced from ADWEEK

By Kristen Dolan

Have you ever visited someone who recently moved into a new place? There are usually one or two furnished rooms where you can sit and connect, while the rest are still littered with piles of untouched moving boxes. You don’t linger in those unfinished spaces. You gather where it feels lived in.

That’s what brand marketing can feel like today. The boxes? Those are the direct brand ads—functional, present and often overlooked until necessary. The rooms that are lived in are where the community gathers—that’s where creators thrive. When creators enter the space, they don’t just unpack the boxes. They bring personality, connection and people with them. Over time, they help turn a marketing plan into something that feels like home. I call this the “new house” effect. And for the first half of 2025, we’ve seen some strategies help brands move in faster than others. And the common thread? Letting creators lead.

Here are four influencer marketing strategies that are helping brands make themselves at home in today’s landscape:

Balancing Speed And Substance Through Short- And Long-Form Video

The long and short of it all: What lengths are winning? The answer is both. Video content is expected to make up 82% of global consumer internet traffic this year. And as video rises internet tides, in the social media pool, platforms are optimizing and incentivizing for longer watch times. This means creators are playing the long game, experimenting with multiformat content across platforms.

The appetite for long-form creator video content isn’t limited to social. Streaming platforms are eyeing creators in growth manoeuvres. For instance, Netflix is testing video podcast content with Ms. Rachel and Kill Tony standup specials. And speaking of streaming content, YouTube achieved a new platform record: two consecutive months with 12% of total TV watch time, according to Nielsen.

Key To Win: Marketers embracing both long- and short-form creator-led video are positioned to futureproof marketing strategies in the wake of economic headwinds.

Creator Commerce Is Having A Growth Spurt

Both the sun and consumer trends move east to west, and now, in the west, we have finally seen brighter days for creator commerce.

The global live commerce market size is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32% over the next five years. Currently, social media holds the largest market size for live commerce at 42.1%.

As 77% of companies have increased their influencer marketing spends this year, it’s only natural to expand efforts to commerce strategies. And according to a recent survey, over 9 in 10 U.S. marketers plan to promote creator partnerships across retail media networks in 2025. Creator content is no longer a one-off transaction but a consistent strategic engine to power and influence all stages of the purchase journey. Influencer strategies are expanding in the form of storefronts, affiliates, lives, retail media extensions, immersive retail experiences and unexpected collaborations, to name a few.

Why? As effective storytellers, creators invoke emotion and can influence purchase decisions with relevant and engaging recommendations. They are a trusted mediator for brands that are looking for ways to reach certain audiences.

Key To Win: Creator-led commerce is the engine of modern marketing.

Chasing Growth Where Others Aren’t

Once you’ve acquired most of the world as your user base, where do you go? Social media’s reach among the U.S. population is at least seemingly reaching a plateau.

And with TikTok’s uncertain future, Meta’s antitrust trial and Google’s monopoly ruling, this has opened an opportunity for less-adopted social platforms to capitalize. Platforms like Bluesky, Patreon and Substack are starting to see more adoption as users open-mindedly investigate other ways to connect. Creators are diversifying their presence across platforms to futureproof against platform volatility.

For brands looking to build a presence on emerging social platforms, please don’t ask your agency teams about running traditional paid ads. This is never something immediately available. Even Threads, which amassed 100 million signups in its first week of launch in 2023, just rolled out advertising in April (almost two years later).

Key To Win: While traditional paid advertising may not be an immediate option on emerging social platforms, the ability to pay a creator to post is.

Binge-Worthy Influence

I started writing about this back in September, and the convergence of brands and creator upfronts is finally coming to fruition. We know a few things to be true: that younger people prefer creator-led content over premium TV and movies, that the streaming platforms are under pressure to win original content (and, therefore, attention), and, finally, brands are sponsoring episodic content.

Most recently, Vimeo opened the ability for creators to launch their own subscription streaming service.

These shifts in culmination have created a new opportunity for creators to pitch themselves to brands and create deeper, more lucrative partnerships. We are now inevitably seeing formal creator upfronts following the Forbes inaugural Creator Upfront last October. Companies like Spotter and LTK are following suit and hosting formal Creator Upfronts during the time of year when brands are looking to commit video ad dollars.

Key To Win: Cultivating longer-term creator partnerships is mutually beneficial to the brand and the creator, promoting speed to market, higher quality content and upleveled innovation.

Whether you are just starting to unpack or have fully moved in, these strategies offer a blueprint to help transform the box-filled spaces into inviting spaces or homes for communities to dwell and connect.

Feature Image Credit: Getty

By Kristen Dolan

Sourced from Forbes