By Sabrina Ortiz, 

Data and analytics leaders should take these nine trends into consideration in their strategies for the upcoming year.

Data is at the heart of most organizations, fuelling everyday business functions. To help digital leaders better prepare their data and analytics (D&A) strategies, Gartner has identified the top D&A trends for 2025.

“D&A is going from the domain of the few, to ubiquity. At the same time D&A leaders are under pressure not to do more with less, but to do a lot more with a lot more, and that can be even more challenging because the stakes are being raised,” said Gareth Herschel, VP analyst at Gartner. “There are certain trends that will help D&A leaders meet the pressures, expectations and demands they are facing.”

Out of the nine trends Gartner identified, unsurprisingly, AI-related technologies made up more than half of the list, including the biggest AI trend of the time — agents. Agentic AI has begun permeating every business sector, with organizations finding ways to implement the autonomous assistance that AI agents offer.

Gartner advised D&A leaders to use agents to access and share their organization’s data across applications. The analyst also recommended that D&A leaders use AI agents to automate closed-loop business outcomes, where data-driven insights continuously inform and optimize decisions.

When generative AI first became mainstream, the focus for many D&A leaders and their organizations was developing and implementing large language models (LLMs).

However, greater emphasis has since been placed on the value of small language models (SLMs). These small models are lightweight, tailored, cheaper, and faster to train, which is better for specific use cases. As a result, Gartner advised D&A leaders to consider SLMs for more accurate and contextually appropriate AI outputs.

As there are so many different tools that D&A leaders can use, Gartner also recommended composite AI, which is the process of leveraging multiple AI techniques to increase technological effectiveness. This approach means exploring technology beyond generative AI and LLMs to take a deeper look at related disciplines, such as machine learning and data science.

Some of the trends that Gartner identified are indirectly related to AI. For example, the analyst encouraged using synthetic data to supplement areas where insight is missing or incomplete. This approach is especially valuable when using data for AI initiatives, as these projects require organized, complete data foundations for training and deployment. Another advantage of synthetic data is that it can replace sensitive data, prioritizing privacy, which is especially important for AI.

Building on this conception, Gartner identified metadata management solutions as an imperative trend, advising organizations to implement tools that automate finding and analysing metadata. The analyst said various metadata types, including technical and business metadata, can then be used for data catalogues, data lineage, and AI-driven use cases. In its multimodal data fabric trend, Gartner advised collecting and analysing information at the metadata stage of the data pipeline.

Other key trends highlighted by Gartner include decision intelligence platforms, which help organizations shift from simply using data to making smarter, decision-focused strategies. The analyst said this shift is critical to success.

Gartner also pointed to highly consumable data products as a trend, emphasizing the need for organizations to create useful, reusable data products that different teams can access to optimize and improve business-critical use cases over time.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images/Eugene Mymrin

By Sabrina Ortiz, 

Sourced from ZDNET

By Jeff Beer

The Brandtech Group CEO David Jones explains how GenAI is revolutionizing advertising and brand building right now.

Feature Image Credit: Andres Garces/iStock/Getty Images Plus]

By Jeff Beer

Jeff Beer is a senior staff editor at Fast Company, and has been covering marketing, advertising, and how brands impact culture since 2006. . His coverage varies from in-depth features and interviews, to industry analysis and cultural commentary More

Sourced from FastCompany

By Griffin Kelly

Firms are building up their tech stacks with AI, according to a survey from Advisor360. They’re also expanding the C-suites.

Advisors are warming up to generative AI.

Some 85% of advisors said artificial intelligence has helped their practices, up from just 64% last year, according to a new survey from Advisor360. Around three-fourths of respondents said the benefits of generative AI tools were immediately noticeable. In fact, researchers found a “clear shift” in advisors’ attitudes toward AI compared with just a year ago. “Advisors are hungry for Gen AI-enabled tools that can boost their business,” Advisor360 President Darren Tedesco said in a statement.

And, wealth managers aren’t just dabbling with the tech to tighten up the occasional email, either. Some of the top use cases for generative AI include predictive analytics, marketing strategies, and administrative tasks, the survey found. It’s a major opportunity for advisors that can find ways to add the new tools into their workflows.

A Whole New World

Even with all the adoption, it’s still an understatement to call AI tools — like note-takers, copy-writing programs, and data analytics software —  game-changers. Today, only 8% of advisors see AI as a threat to their livelihood, quite the drop from 21% a year ago, the survey found. Meanwhile, just 9% said they don’t use AI tools at all.

Advisors’ enthusiasm for AI is only growing. Firms and organizations are expanding their C-suites to get ahead of the new technology and adapt to a changing landscape:

• Last week, Raymond James promoted Stuart Feld to the newly created role of chief AI officer.
• The position will be in charge of automating advisory tasks and providing advisors with better analytics tools.
• The Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America, investment firm AllianceBernstein, and even the Federal Reserve Board also appointed their own CAIOs.

There may come a day when humans are subservient to their AI overlords, but for now, advisors are using the tools to cut down time on grunt work and increase the time they spend with their clients.

Feature Image Credit: Markus Spiskevia Unsplash

By Griffin Kelly

Sourced from The Daily Upside

By Chance Townsend

Ads for the controversial gambling company are appearing on memes all across X.

As Elon Musk’s X continues its transformation into a right-wing fever dream, the platform’s dwindling population of irony-poisoned meme enjoyers has found a new reason to be annoyed: an onslaught of Stake gambling ads.

No matter where you lurk on X, it’s impossible to escape the flood of viral posts stamped with the Stake logo in the bottom right corner. Some of the biggest meme accounts, shamelessly recycling stolen content or churning out their own, have turned into walking billboards for the crypto-backed casino.

What is Stake?

Stake is an online sports betting and casino platform that lets users gamble with cryptocurrency. Founded in Australia in 2017 by Edward Craven and Bijan Tehrani, the company now operates out of Curaçao, a jurisdiction known for its lenient gaming regulations. But if you’ve heard of Stake, it’s probably not because of its product — it’s because of its relentless marketing machine.

The company has embedded itself deep in internet culture, striking lucrative deals with former Twitch stars like xQC and Adin Ross who now stream exclusively on Kick, the Stake-owned streaming platform. Beyond the gaming world, Stake is an official partner with the UFC, the main sponsor of Sauber Motorsport’s Formula One cars, and even has a deal with Drake, who’s responsible for this recent Stake ad.

In 2022, the company took its ambitions to the Premier League, slapping its name on Everton’s jerseys. That partnership didn’t last — by February 2025, according to The Athletic, Stake had pulled out of the UK entirely after the Gambling Commission launched an investigation into its advertising tactics.

The investigation was sparked by a Stake ad appearing on a video featuring English pornstar Bonnie Blue. A complaint filed with the Advertising Standards Authority argued that the placement violated UK regulations prohibiting gambling ads from being associated with “seduction” or designed to appeal to young audiences.

Why is its logo on all these memes?

First reported in late 2024 by 404 Media and Slate, Stake had struck deals with various content aggregators on X — paying them to slap its logo on all their posts. Thus, it’s created a low-effort, high-visibility advertising campaign for the crypto casino as X’s algorithm prioritizes content posted by subscribed users.

Making matters worse, Stake managed to squeeze even more free advertising out of X’s Community Notes system. Users attempting to call out the brand inadvertently boosted its visibility, as Notes explaining what Stake is — sometimes even linking directly to its website — spread across the platform.

The entire scheme appears to be a workaround for X’s own content policies, which explicitly ban undisclosed gambling ads and prohibit promotions for offshore casinos.

According to Slate, X user @FearedBuck was “ground zero” for Stake’s latest ad blitz. Once a Milwaukee Bucks fan page, the account pivoted to reposting clips from Kick, before abruptly stopping when it started drawing scrutiny for potential FTC violations. Now, meme accounts still slapping the Stake watermark on their posts have added a thin layer of plausible deniability, tacking on disclaimers like “Gamble Responsibly” or #AD.

In December, Musk took a brief stand, warning and suspending several accounts accused of manipulating the platform to push Stake ads. But the crackdown was more of a speed bump than a deterrent, as new accounts continue to surface, keeping the cycle alive.

And now, it’s getting even worse. Meme pages that first flooded X with Stake-branded content are taking their hustle cross-platform, reposting the same viral images — watermark and all — onto Instagram Reels and Facebook, spreading the crypto casino’s reach far beyond Musk’s already compromised platform.

Feature Image Credit: Mateusz Slodkowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

By Chance Townsend

Currently residing in Chicago, Illinois, Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones. In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and finds great enjoyment in Detroit sports.

Sourced from Mashable

Sourced from WATC

I hope you don’t feel like your brand presentations are falling flat and you are not struggling to capture the essence of a brand in a way that’s both informative and visually appealing.

But if so, believe me, you’re not alone! Crafting a compelling brand guidelines presentation can be a challenge. However, with the right tools and approach, you can transform your presentations from dull to dazzling. Therefore, let us explore how to effectively use this super clean and stylish brand guidelines presentation template from PixWork for Adobe InDesign. Are you ready to learn how to captivate your audience and solidify your brand’s identity? Let’s get into it!

By the way, with an Adobe Stock trial subscription, you can download this template for free. Sounds great, right?!

Please note that this template requires Adobe InDesign installed on your computer. Whether Mac or PC, the latest version is available on the Adobe Creative Cloud website—take a look here.

This is How You Unleash Your Brand’s Potential with a Stunning Presentation

A brand guidelines presentation is more than just a collection of logos and colour palettes. It’s a story! It’s the visual representation of a brand’s values, personality, and promise. And, of course, a well-designed presentation template can make all the difference in how that story is told. Think of it as the stage upon which your brand performs.

Moreover, a great brand guidelines presentation template provides a framework. Also, it allows you to showcase your brand’s elements in a cohesive and engaging way. It ensures consistency and clarity. And finally, it empowers your team and stakeholders to understand and implement the brand correctly.

Why Choose the PixWork Brand Guidelines Presentation Template?

The PixWork template offers a unique blend of elegance and functionality. But what sets it apart from other templates? Well, for starters, its super clean and stylish design instantly elevates your presentation’s visual appeal. Besides, the template’s modern aesthetic communicates professionalism and attention to detail.

In addition to its visual appeal, the template is designed for optimal usability. Furthermore, it has 16 pre-designed pages, providing a comprehensive structure for your brand guidelines. And the best part? Every element is fully customizable. That means you can tailor the template to perfectly match your brand’s unique identity.

Key Features & Benefits of the Brand Guidelines Presentation Template

So, let’s take a closer look at what this template offers and how it can benefit your design workflow:

• Optimized for Screen Presentations: Designed in 1920 x 1080 pixels, the template is perfectly sized for screen presentations. This ensures your presentation looks sharp and professional on any display.
• 16 Pre-Designed Pages: With 16 pre-designed pages, the template provides a comprehensive structure for your brand guidelines presentation template. In fact, it covers all the essential elements, from logo usage to typography and colour palettes.
• Fully Customizable: Every element in the template is fully customizable. That means you can easily change colours, fonts, images, and layouts to match your brand’s specific requirements.
• Adobe InDesign Compatibility: The template is designed for Adobe InDesign. That offers a seamless editing experience and access to powerful design tools.
• Placeholder Content: All images and texts are placeholders. This simplifies the customization process, allowing you to quickly add your own content.

Crafting a Killer Brand Presentation: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you know the benefits of using the PixWork template, let’s explore how to use it effectively to create a truly impactful presentation.

1. Start with a Clear Structure

Before you even open Adobe InDesign, take some time to outline your presentation’s structure. What are the key elements you want to showcase? How will you organize the information?

A typical brand guidelines presentation might include the following sections:

• Introduction: Introduce the brand and its core values.
• Logo Usage: Showcase the different logo variations and guidelines for their use.
• Colour Palette: Present the brand’s primary and secondary colours, along with their corresponding codes.
• Typography: Define the brand’s fonts and guidelines for their use in different contexts.
• Imagery: Provide examples of approved imagery and guidelines for photography style.
• Voice & Tone: Define the brand’s communication style and tone of voice.
• Do’s and Don’ts: Highlight common mistakes to avoid when using the brand elements.

2. Customize the Template with Your Brand Elements

Once you have a clear structure, it’s time to customize the template with your brand’s unique elements. This involves replacing the placeholder content with your own logos, colours, fonts, and images.

3. Tell Your Brand Story Through Imagery

Visuals are crucial for capturing your audience’s attention and conveying your brand’s personality. Use high-quality images that reflect your brand’s values and resonate with your target audience. This includes lifestyle shots, product photos, and even abstract graphics.

4. Use Typography to Create Visual Hierarchy

Typography plays a significant role in creating visual hierarchy and conveying your brand’s tone. Choose fonts that are legible, visually appealing, and consistent with your brand’s personality. Use different font sizes and weights to emphasize key information and guide the reader’s eye.

5. Keep it Concise and Engaging

Remember, your audience’s attention span is limited. Keep your presentation concise and engaging by using clear language, compelling visuals, and a logical flow. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Instead, focus on the most essential elements of your brand guidelines.

6. Ensure Consistency Throughout the Presentation

Consistency is key to creating a professional and cohesive brand guidelines presentation. Make sure that all elements, from colours and fonts to imagery and tone of voice, are consistent throughout the presentation. This will reinforce your brand’s identity and create a lasting impression.

Mastering the Art of Visual Storytelling for Brand Identity

One of the most powerful aspects of the PixWork template is its ability to facilitate visual storytelling. Each page is designed to tell a piece of your brand’s story, from its origins and values to its future aspirations.
But how do you use visual storytelling effectively?

• Start with a Compelling Narrative: Develop a clear narrative that outlines your brand’s purpose, mission, and values. Use this narrative to guide your visual choices and create a cohesive story.
• Use Emotionally Resonant Imagery: Choose images that evoke emotion and connect with your target audience on a deeper level. This will make your brand more relatable and memorable.
• Create a Visual Journey: Design each page of your presentation to flow seamlessly into the next, creating a visual journey that captivates your audience and keeps them engaged.
• Use Visual Metaphors: Use visual metaphors to communicate complex ideas in a simple and memorable way. For example, you might use an image of a bridge to represent connection and collaboration.

So, This is How You Elevate a Brand with a Professional Presentation

In conclusion, the PixWork brand guidelines presentation template for Adobe InDesign is a powerful tool for creating visually stunning and informative presentations. Its clean design, customizable features, and focus on visual storytelling make it an excellent choice for designers looking to elevate their brand’s identity. So, use the above tips and start crafting a presentation that will wow your clients and strengthen your brand!

Check out other amazing graphic design templates for different creative needs on WE AND THE COLOR.

Sourced from WATC

BY ROBIN LANDA,

Here’s what makes a great marketing stunt—and how to turn a moment into momentum.

Feature Image Credit: Illustration: Inc; Photo: Courtesy Duolingo, Getty Images

BY ROBIN LANDA,

Sourced from Inc.

By Al Sefati, Edited by Chelsea Brown

Rise above the noise and turn content saturation into your competitive edge with these key insights.

Key Takeaways

• To cut through the noise, you need to create insightful, experience-based content, focus on original thought leadership, prioritize interactive and engaging formats, refresh and repurpose high-performing content and leverage niche, long-tail keywords.
• It’s also important to improve readability, build authority with data/research and invest in personal branding, user-generated content and employee advocacy.
• Also, be sure to measure and adjust — track what’s working and get rid of what isn’t working.

he internet is flooded with an ocean of content — blog posts, ads, videos, infographics, user-generated content (UGC), social media posts — the list goes on. And what it means is that it is getting more and more challenging to stand out, be unique and ensure your brand’s voice is heard.

Content saturation is a real threat, especially in competitive fields such as B2B, SaaS and ecommerce. Unoriginal content can overwhelm your audience, drive down engagement and make it even more harrowing to climb the search engine rankings.

Considering that situation, the knee-jerk reaction might be to scale back or become more conservative in sharing information. However, that would be wrong.

Instead of pumping the breaks, it’s time to rethink your approach and get more thoughtful about how you cut through all of that content clutter.

The key factors fuelling content saturation

Content saturation isn’t a coincidence nor entirely out of left field or unexpected. Instead, it results from several forces converging in the digital world — a “perfect storm,” if you will.

Here’s why it’s happening:

• The copycat culture: Too many brands and entrepreneurs are cutting corners and taking the shortcut of replicating what works for others, often without bringing anything fresh, original or insightful, while slapping the label of “Thought Leader” on themselves. This leads to an endless cycle of vanilla sameness, making it harder for any voice to stand out … even when they might have something to say.
• Platform preferences: Search engines, like Google, and social media channels, like Facebook and LinkedIn, are built to favour content that drives engagement — enabling the cream to rise to the top. This means that well-crafted, albeit generic, content gets buried underneath an avalanche of content begging for attention.
• Audience fatigue: Our brains are flooded daily with blogs, emails, ads and social media content. This constant barrage leads to content burnout, leaving consumers less inclined to engage with any brand that doesn’t immediately grab their attention (and let’s face it … combine that fatigue with very short attention spans … and Houston, we have a problem).
• The rise of AI-generated content: There’s no use in beating around the bush. AI is both a blessing and a curse to content creators. And the people using it without thinking about how they’re using it are at fault. By simply churning out AI content without a focused intent, the content that is spewed out reads like the back of a cereal box. It lacks personality, empathy and depth. All things that actual human audiences crave and desire.

Cutting through the noise

When you’re neck deep in the content saturation swamp, the first thing to remember is this: It’s not about stopping content creation; it’s about elevating it.

So, how do you rise above the noise?

Here are some actionable ways to cut through nonsense and reclaim your place in the spotlight.

1. Create insightful, experience-based content: Generic content isn’t going to get you far anymore. To stand out, infuse your writing with unique insights from real-world experiences, proprietary data or expert opinions. People are looking for authentic, genuine, emotional and entertaining content. A reader wants to hear about actual challenges and solutions — not about some random, abstract, fictionalized situation.

• Example: Instead of a post titled “X Social Media Tips for B2B Businesses,” offer something more unique, such as “How This Social Strategy Led to a 300% Increase in Engagement in 3 Months.” This provides real-world value, a fresh perspective and a barrier to copycats.

2. Focus on original thought leadership: You’ll get lost in the crowd if you can’t challenge the status quo. Develop a strong point of view on industry trends and be able to back it up. Being a thought leader isn’t about stating what’s popular — it’s supposed to get someone to think.

• Example: When everyone else is shouting “SEO is Dead” from the rooftops, it’s your job to explain how it’s evolving — and why it’s not going away and provide real data and insights to back your claim.

3. Prioritize interactive and engaging formats: Blogs are great, but try diversifying your content. Use podcasts, videos, webinars, live Q&As, interactive tools and infographics — and share them across owned, earned and paid media.

4. Refresh and repurpose high-performing content: You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when creating content. Sometimes, you need to polish up something to make it look brand new. Revise old content with fresh data or turn existing content into a different format, like a LinkedIn carousel post, a quick explainer video or a podcast episode.

5. Leverage niche and long-tail keywords: Don’t waste time competing for broad and competitive keywords. Instead, target phrases your audience is searching for.

• Example: Rather than “blankets,” go after “Washable Wool Blankets” (assuming your blanket is made of wool).

6. Build authority with data and research: People desire new information — especially if numbers accompany it. Conduct original research or partner with a credible source to offer something unique.

7. Invest in personal branding, user-generated content (UGC) and employee advocacy: People trust people more than brands — organic reach soars when your customers or employees share content. Content resonates when it feels real, of the moment and unscripted.

8. Improve readability: Your content has to hold a person’s attention — so you have only a few seconds to grab them. Short paragraphs and bullet points are great for skimmers. Storytelling is ideal for engaged readers. And real-world experiences and case studies are key to credibility.

9. Measure and adjust: Track what is working and hold a funeral for what isn’t. Don’t double down on content your audience is rejecting and spin your wheels.

Content saturation might be here to stay, but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of your story. Rather, consider it an opportunity to push the boundaries, innovate and show the actual value of what you create. When you focus on the value and uniqueness of your distribution, you’ll rise above the noise.

Remember, the key isn’t about quantity; it’s about quality. Publish with purpose.

By Al Sefati 

Edited by Chelsea Brown

Sourced from Entrepreneur

By Amy Houston,

The chief creative officer and art director has been at the top of the biggest shops in the world, creating category-changing work, and in this week’s My Creative Career, he delves into the ins and outs of creating campaigns that capture culture.

Simon Fairweather is an advertising veteran, having been in the industry since the early 90s. Two years ago, when I interviewed Nils Leonard for this series, the Uncommon co-founder explained that Fairweather was one of the first people in the industry to be a mentor.

“[Simon] didn’t just show me design, he showed me life,” Leonard explained at the time. “He showed me how to go to a restaurant and order food, how to behave in a meeting, how to dress for work. He really invested in me.”

Fairweather emphasizes the importance of life experience in creative work, consistently encouraging young people to immerse themselves in culture and real-world experiences.

Starting as a photographer, Fairweather’s first ever shoot was assisting Peter Barry and Trevor Rogers as they shot the legendary singer Iggy Pop for an album cover. “That first year, I was the worst assistant ever,” laughs Fairweather. “I feel bad for the people employing me because I just didn’t know what I was doing.”

Being thrown into the world of music, fashion and art right in the heart of London’s West End was exciting for the young creative. But what truly captured his attention was the work of American photographer, Irvine Penn and his still life images. “It’s the idea of making the ordinary extraordinary,” Fairweather says, explaining that some aspects of creativity cannot be taught, particularly the ability to perceive things differently.

“Once you get going, it’s so hard to stop. You’ll be somewhere and see the light catch something, somehow, or the way someone reacts to something,” he continues. “You’re taking mental notes all the time.”

Creativity runs in Fairweather’s family, with a strong legacy in the graphics industry. His grandfather worked in newspapers in Dundee, primarily for DC Thomson, while his other grandfather was an illustrator for the boys’ comic books The Hotspur and The Victor.

In 1993, Fairweather joined Y&R, where he began his advertising career. Here, he worked under one of BBH’s original creative founders Mike Cozens and was brought on as head of advertising design. During that time, Fairweather worked on some standout print campaigns for the likes of Colgate, Pirelli and Eurostar. “They were big brands, but I didn’t feel intimidated,” he recalls “It was a great creative department.”

Simon Fairweather

Fairweather threw himself into the advertising world at Y&R for the next four years, with the next three at MullenLowe working with the likes of Mini Cooper and MontBlanc, before a move stateside to work at Hill Holiday, JWT NY and Leo Burnett.

Simon Fairweather

While at JWT in New York, he worked on a creative campaign for Rolex titled ‘A Crown for Every Achievement’ that he believes to be one of his “major career achievements”.

During those years, in the early noughties, JWT had won the Rolex account after it had gone into “quiet review” because, as a brand, it is very “careful about its publicity,” explains Fairweather. “You can’t enter Rolex [ads] in for awards. The brand is above all else.”

The art director says that number one, he’s a huge fan of watches and two, he loves the “purity” of Rolex. “We did over two hundred individual print ads in the first year. It was a huge volume of work,” Fairweather says. “Larry [Goldstein, his creative partner at the time] wrote some great headlines. I mean, they’re just phenomenal. One of my favourites is, ‘If only iron will could make a boat go faster’. It was just all about that achievement. You can’t own time, so what you can do is own moments in time.”

Simon Fairweather

Cars are another passion of Fairweather’s and he says it was “interesting graphically” working on the MG and Mini accounts. “It’s craft, creativity and culture, that is pretty much how it goes,” he adds. “And cars are very much a cultural element. The majority of people have one, and it’s the next biggest purchase you have after your house.”

In 2005 and again in 2018, Fairweather had long stints at Leo Burnett in Detroit, which is the “home of American car building,” he says. He explains that when it comes to car advertising, you have 20 seconds to tell a story and 10 seconds to tell the viewer the price.

Simon Fairweather

“The Pontiac work, even though that brands not around anymore, that work was a breakthrough,” he says. “It was all about light and music and, giving it a personality.”

Sadly, Leo Burnett closed its Detroit office in Troy, Michigan on December 31, 2024. The agency laid off employees due to the loss of General Motors business, Fairweather included. He says that the creative scene in Detroit is “excellent,” but it’s been “devastated” by this loss.

Fairweather is a huge advocate for nurturing young creative talent. For several years, he mentored students at the Fashion Institute of Technology, which boasts the likes of Calvin Klein and Michale Kors as alumni. It allowed them to engage with real-world briefs, walk through the agency, and gain a practical understanding of the industry.

Simon Fairweather

His approach was to foster a more supportive environment than the one he had experienced, where feedback could often be harsh. Instead, he focused on helping students understand why certain ideas might not work for certain clients. “It taught me so much about how to approach things,” he adds.

After over three decades in the advertising industry, Fairweather says that he still gets excited when he sees his work out in the world. “I’m like the puppy that chases the ball,” he says. “I’ll chase it every time.”

By Amy Houston,

Sourced from The Drum

By Marina Byezhanova, Edited by Chelsea Brown

This article outlines the key differences between executive branding and PR and emphasizes the importance of building a strong personal brand and thought leadership before hiring PR services.

By Marina Byezhanova 

Edited by Chelsea Brown

Sourced from Entrepreneur

Many companies still treat brand and performance marketing as separate efforts, often isolating brand initiatives from key KPIs and unit economics analysis. Traditionally, brand marketing focuses on building long-term emotional connections, while performance marketing drives immediate actions like lead generation and sales. But this divide is fading as the lines between the two continue to blur.

The Rise Of Product-Led Growth

With the rise of product-led growth (PLG), companies are increasingly positioning their products as the core driver of both brand awareness and growth. A superior product does more than satisfy immediate needs; it tells a brand’s story, builds loyalty and generates organic growth through word-of-mouth. It also drives in-product calls-to-action, such as converting free users to paying customers, driving upsells and encouraging users to share with their network.

In this new era, product innovation, quality and uniqueness are becoming essential to branding. When products deliver exceptional value and stand out in the market, they naturally create brand affinity without extensive advertising. A high-quality, innovative product becomes the most authentic form of branding, driven by customer satisfaction rather than paid media. However, many companies still get this equation wrong, overspending on traditional brand campaigns while neglecting the actual product experience. It’s hard for me to see brands make this mistake, and from experience, if the product doesn’t deliver on its promise, no amount of high-budget branding will change the customer perception.

Leading Examples Of Product-Driven Success

Dyson: Branding Through Product Innovation

A great example of a company that has mastered branding through product excellence is Dyson. Known for its ground breaking technology, superior product quality and unique designs, Dyson has built a brand that thrives on product excellence rather than extensive advertising. You won’t see Dyson investing heavily in traditional brand campaigns because the product itself is the advertisement. Dyson’s vacuum cleaners, air purifiers and other innovations have created such a strong reputation for engineering excellence that they naturally drive word-of-mouth marketing.

Spotify: Differentiation Through Seamless Experience

In a crowded streaming market with minimal product differentiation, Spotify sets itself apart through user experience and continuous innovation. While the core offering—music streaming—is similar to other platforms, Spotify stands out by creating a personalized, seamless experience through features like Discover Weekly, curated playlists and social sharing integrations. These innovations transform Spotify from a simple streaming service into an integral part of users’ daily lives, building deep brand loyalty without relying on heavy ad campaigns. Spotify’s success proves that even in commoditized markets, product quality and innovation can be powerful brand differentiators and growth drivers.

Airbnb: Building Trust Through Quality And Story

Initially struggling to gain traction, Airbnb recognized that user-generated images created barriers to consumer trust and bookings. Staying in a stranger’s house was a novel idea, and travelers were skeptical of listing quality and safety. By introducing an optional professional photography program for hosts along with secure payments, identity verification, host guidelines and user reviews, Airbnb transformed its platform into one that builds trust. Investing in these product features improved their overall brand perception and word-of-mouth recommendations, resulting in increased bookings and revenue. At the same time, the company shifted focus toward brand marketing, building customer loyalty through engaging narratives about travel and community. This combination of trust-building features, platform improvements and storytelling has solidified Airbnb’s market position.

Where Branding Meets Performance

This principle is at the core of brandformance and merges long-term brand building with performance-driven calls to action. Rather than separating emotional branding from performance marketing, brandformance ensures every touchpoint reinforces brand identity while guiding customers toward purchase.

A great example is Nike’s “Just Do It” initiative, which combines inspiring brand messages with clear calls to action. Whether driving consumers to purchase or encouraging sports participation, the campaign connects brand resonance with measurable outcomes, creating a cohesive consumer journey where every interaction reinforces the product’s value and ultimately drives conversion.

The 360-Degree Buying Experience

In e-commerce, whether selling water bottles or luxury items, a smart marketer doesn’t just focus on creating immediate intent. Instead, they continuously drip-feed the brand’s value across multiple channels over time. From product reviews and social media ads to influencer videos and brand ambassadors, every interaction works together to shape consumer perception.

Today’s consumers don’t just visit your website and click “buy.” They research, compare, read customer reviews and seek out social proof before making a decision. When every brand touchpoint delivers a unified message, you’re not just making a sale—you’re creating a unique experience that resonates deeply with the user and builds lasting loyalty.

A truly great product goes even further. It doesn’t just convert customers. It turns them into advocates, driving the most powerful marketing tool of all: word of mouth.

Your Product Is Your Brand

In the end, your product isn’t just part of your brand; it is your brand. A well-executed brandformance strategy ensures immediate action and long-term loyalty by allowing the product to drive brand identity. Rather than relying solely on flashy ad campaigns, the companies that do this well create superior products that speak for themselves, ultimately ensuring both customer retention and organic growth.

The reality is that unless you’re in a “race to the bottom” industry, where price is the only differentiator, product quality is what truly wins customers. That’s why when building your marketing team, hiring product marketers is crucial. These are the ones who are passionate about your company’s offering; they’re deeply invested in the product itself and constantly thinking about its unique value and how to tell its story.

When allocating your brand marketing budget, consider this: Would you be better off investing in high-budget creative productions or making your product even better? Sometimes, cutting back on legacy brand ad spend to prioritize product excellence is the smartest strategy of all. A product that stands out doesn’t need to beg for attention. It sells itself.

Feature Image Credit: Getty