Something interesting just happened in sportswear. Adidas, a global powerhouse that had lost its footing in the hype cycle, didn’t bounce back by throwing more money at performance marketing. It rebuilt momentum by reinvesting in something far more elusive: brand heat. That term might sound vague, but CEO Bjørn Gulden is clear. Brand heat is not a vibe. It is a metric of relevance, reputation, and cultural traction. It means people care enough about the brand to want it before they even look at a discount code. In H1 2025, Adidas reported €12.1 billion in revenue, up 11% on a constant-currency basis. That came with a 14% increase in brand growth and healthy margins, even as external costs like US tariffs loomed large. And the real story is not just in the numbers. It is in how they got there. Adidas did not outperform through volume. It out-thought the category Marketing spend stayed proportionate to sales at 12%. That matters. Gulden is not crediting increased investment but smarter marketing. Creative platforms like the UEFA Women’s Euros partnership or regional collaborations like the Oasis reboot worked because they weren’t just product ads. They were brand statements. They put Adidas back into cultural conversations. This was not about chasing attention. It was about re-earning it. This goes deeper than brand versus performance The marketing industry is still stuck in a binary that no longer applies. Adidas is not switching from paid to organic. It is not pitting emotional storytelling against conversion metrics. It is simply reminding the market that without long-term brand value, all short-term tactics start to collapse under their own weight. If your customer needs to be bribed to return, you do not have loyalty. If your creative cannot be remembered without a call-to-action, you do not have a brand. And if your agency tells you reach is the same as relevance, it might be time to change agencies. The data tells its own story: H1 2025 revenue: €12.1 billion Constant-currency growth: 11% Q2 marketing investment: €712 million Marketing as share of sales: 12% Estimated tariff hit in H2: €200 million Core market drivers: terrace trend, women’s sport, cultural collaborations(Source: Adidas Investor Relations, Marketing Week) Lessons from Adidas for serious marketers This isn’t about selling trainers. It is about reminding marketers why we exist in the first place. Campaigns should influence culture, not just commerce.  Adidas didn’t ride trends, it reignited them. ROI does not always look like a dashboard.  Some of the most effective marketing efforts start with feel, not figures. Global brands win through local relevance.  The Oasis campaign worked in part because it was designed to resonate in the UK first. Restraint is a strategy.  Adidas did not overspend. It out-positioned. When you build equity instead of spending it, the results show up across the funnel. Not just in clicks. Our take at Truene Creative We work with brands that are serious about being remembered. That means: Finding creative frameworks that build heat, not just headlines Designing campaigns that become reference points in your category Helping internal teams shift mindset from deliverables to desirability Building commercial value with brand-first, audience-led strategy Brand heat is not about popularity. It is about priority. When people instinctively prefer your brand, you spend less convincing them. Adidas is proof that brand still leads when it is treated as a strategic function, not a creative indulgence. If your brand has lost its momentum or is stuck cycling through underwhelming campaigns, we can help refocus. Let’s talk about how to build lasting demand, not temporary clicks.

Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has spotlighted marketing as one of the few areas still delivering results during the company’s long-overdue comeback push. Speaking on its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan, Niccol noted that while sales had been slipping for six consecutive quarters, it was the brand’s sharpened marketing efforts, working hand in hand with operational tweaks, that finally began shifting customer perception and restoring a bit of momentum. When the flat whites stopped selling themselves, it turns out, the storytelling had to step up. Niccol noted that while U.S. comparable sales dropped 2% in Q3 fiscal 2025, average ticket prices rose slightly, signalling early signs of recovery. He emphasised that improved marketing alongside enhancements like the Green Apron Service operating system is driving customer value perceptions to near two-year highs, especially among Gen Z and millennials.  Recent marketing campaigns include the “That’s Not My Name” spot celebrating barista-written cup names and “Hello Again,” aired during Super Bowl pre-game coverage to reconnect customers to Starbucks’ origins in coffee craftsmanship. Both were produced by creative agency Anomaly.  Here’s what the latest data shows: Starbucks reported $9.46 billion in Q3 2025 revenue , up 4% year on year , exceeding analyst expectations. Despite the revenue beat, adjusted earnings per share fell to $0.50 , missing the estimate of $0.65. Same-store sales declined by 2% , while China showed a modest 2% growth , helping offset domestic weakness.  Their customer base remains robust at 34 million active rewards members  within the last 90 days globally. Niccol also announced $500 million in new labour investment , with upgrades such as comfier seating, condiment bars, and personalised messaging still rolling out through 2026 store overhauls.  Here’s why this matters for marketing leaders: Marketing is not just creative adornment here—it’s functioning as a pivot point. Starbucks is leveraging marketing to both tell its brand story and underpin operational changes in-store. That dual focus helps the message land with customers who are noticing improvements in service, speed, and hospitality, not just new ads. Customer sentiment matters. Gen Z and millennials now account for over half of Starbucks’ customers, and if perception among them rises, it can turn into loyalty and advocacy. Niccol’s comment that marketing is working “much better” alongside improved operations signals that brands can’t rely solely on one. Product experience and narrative clarity must work in tandem. This marketing investment is not about volume. It’s about relevance. It aims to reconnect emotional value with everyday experience, from the cup personalisation to the music soundtrack. What marketing teams should take away: Before you chase another follower count or award, ask: Are your marketing campaigns reinforcing product and service improvements, or masking them? Do you use marketing to rebuild trust and brand accuracy, not just visibility? Are you measuring customer perception alongside sales data? Can you align in-store touchpoints with your creative platform and messaging? Those alignments are proving capable of moving the needle, even in difficult financial quarters. At Truene Creative, we help brands build marketing that earns trust, not just attention. We combine creative storytelling with real improvements in customer experience and brand clarity. If your marketing feels disconnected from what actually happens in-store—or in product delivery—we can help you bridge that gap with purpose-driven campaigns designed to matter.

Meta has just announced its boldest move yet: a long-term plan to build what it calls “artificial superintelligence.” This isn’t another iteration of ad targeting or a smarter chatbot. This is Meta publicly committing to developing an AI system that learns, reasons, plans and creates at a level far beyond today’s consumer-facing tools. In a Q2 2025 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the company is reorienting its entire AI strategy to build what he describes as “a general intelligence capable of helping people in their daily lives.” This superintelligence will be designed to assist individuals, creators and businesses, spanning use cases from messaging and content creation to more complex tasks like reasoning and problem solving. The new initiative will be driven by Meta’s dedicated AI research lab and Scale AI, led by Alexandr Wang. The scale of ambition is clear. Meta is investing tens of billions in infrastructure to support this effort, with a full ecosystem being built around it including proprietary hardware, new data centre facilities and platform-wide integrations. This isn’t theoretical. The building blocks are already in motion. To understand the significance, here’s some context: Meta’s Q2 2025 revenue reached £37.1 billion , up 22%  from the same period in 2024 AI-powered Advantage+ ad tools increased conversions by 5% on Instagram  and 3% on Facebook Meta is expected to spend over £54 billion  on AI infrastructure in 2025 Meta’s new AdLlama model improved click-through rates by 6.7%  in early tests Over 70% of advertisers  on Meta platforms now use AI-generated headlines or copy Creators using Meta’s AI tools have seen time-to-publish reduce by 30% 61% of marketers  say they use AI daily but 75%  feel unprepared to manage it strategically The pitch from Meta is one of empowerment. AI, it says, will make marketing, communication and even creativity more efficient and accessible. But that promise comes with significant platform control. If this vision becomes reality, every advertiser, business owner and content creator will be operating inside Meta’s AI-driven framework. Personalisation, targeting, messaging and even tone could be shaped by an ecosystem that’s no longer simply predictive but generative and autonomous. Zuckerberg has already made clear this technology won’t just sit inside Meta’s apps. It’s being developed to serve users across devices, services and business workflows. That changes the conversation entirely. So where does this leave marketers? There is no doubt the gains are attractive. The numbers speak for themselves. But the pace and scope of this shift mean brands must be proactive, not passive. There’s a growing risk of uniformity as more businesses rely on the same AI models to build and optimise campaigns. When every creative decision is filtered through a single system, distinctiveness becomes harder to maintain.

As of 1 October 2025, brands will no longer be permitted to advertise “less healthy” food and drink before 9 pm on TV or online to UK audiences. That rule isn’t new, it’s been legislated since the Health & Care Act 2022, but its countdown has finally begun in earnest. What changed recently is twofold: a voluntary agreement by advertisers to comply early starting October 2025, and a further delay to formal legislation to January 2026 to write in brand‑only ad exemptions. (Brands had publicly committed to abide by the new rules regardless.) The ad bonanza before the clampdown Over the first quarter of 2024, junk‑food advertisers spent an extra £420 million, up 26% from the previous year, just before regulators intervened. That spike coincided with shoppers buying an extra 45 million packs of chocolate, crisps or cakes. Brands were effectively front‑loading campaigns to beat the restrictions. What marketers need to know This is not just about timing. It demands a reframe of how food brands think about messaging, creativity, and trust: Product advertising is blocked, brand messaging may survive : The government clarified that “pure brand advertising” not showing HFSS products remains permitted—if brand-only ad guidance is clear. (turn0search3, turn0search4) Outdoor, audio and social influencer content are outside this scope—for now : These channels fall outside Ofcom’s remit and are not subject to the same time‑based restrictions. Why this matters beyond obesity policy A recent controlled study found that exposure to just five minutes of junk food marketing led to children consuming 130 additional calories per day , even when the snacks were unbranded. One more media minute, one more bite. This reinforces the reasoning behind the ban: regulated exposure matters. It is not moralizing—it is simply about aligning marketing with public health outcomes. And as trust and regulation increase, so must creativity and strategic clarity. Marketing implications: what’s changing in Kantar’s grid 1. Creativity shifts from product to purpose If you can’t show the product, how does the brand stay visible? "Brand-only" campaign planning is now mandatory, demanding narrative depth—and legal clarity. Unclear guidance makes planning for festive and golden-quarter moments a strategic headache for FMCG brands. 2. The festive ad cycle is under threat Marks & Spencer’s chair calls the ban a potential end to traditional Christmas ads—think mince pies and chocolate adverts falling foul of the new legal grid. 3. Influence shifts online—but loopholes abound Ads on YouTube, podcasts and social platforms remain permitted if not paid and not product-focused. This creates a dilemma for regulators—and an opportunity for brand‑led storytelling. 4. Strategic investment in healthy-food promotion is gaining traction Government is considering a new advertising levy on HFSS products, with proceeds going to creative marketing for fruit and vegetables. As a concept, it is gaining momentum among planners and strategy teams. Key questions marketers must now ask Are we planning for message-first vs product-first campaigns in the Golden Quarter? Can we pivot instantly if ASA issues final guidance that clarifies or tightens brand-only exemptions? Are we exploring alternative channels effectively, or retreating into paid search and email alone? Do we begin product reformulation or innovation to fit outside LHF definitions? How do we measure brand impact in a zone where product-based campaign data no longer applies? How Truene Creative helps brands think smarter We build strategies rooted in compliance, clarity, and commercial creativity: Making brand-only positioning work harder, without featuring product imagery Creating cross-channel content outside the forbidden zone (audio, outdoor, influencer) that still enhances brand familiarity Planning ahead for legislative ambiguity or change, championing brand safety while allowing flexibility Designing NPD and healthier messaging that naturally fits into the regulatory safe zone The upcoming rules aren’t a ban, they simply require more nuance. Brands that adapt will not lose visibility. They’ll evolve it. If your marketing team is already rewriting product cm thresholds and brand briefs for Q4, you are thinking ahead.

The TV remote used to mean BBC, ITV, or Channel 4. Now for many households in the UK it means one thing: YouTube. That shift used to happen behind closed doors, but new data shows it’s now happening in the open and fast. According to Ofcom’s 2025 Media Nations report, YouTube has become the second most-watched media service in the UK, behind the BBC and ahead of ITV. On average people watched 39 minutes per day on YouTube in 2024, of which 16 minutes was on TV sets. Generational shifts by the numbers 20% of Gen Alpha (aged 4‑15) go straight to YouTube as soon as they turn the TV on Young adults (16‑34) watched 18 minutes daily of YouTube on TV  Viewing among over‑55s nearly doubled, rising to 11 minutes per day in 2024, up from 6 minutes in 2023 42% of all YouTube viewing by over‑55s now takes place on TV sets, up from 33% in 2023  Overall broadcast TV viewing declined 4% across 2024, averaging just 2 hours 24 minutes per day. Yet total in-home video time held at 4 hours 30 minutes daily, meaning viewing didn’t vanish; it just migrated. What’s really going on here? This is not mobile-first behaviour creeping onto TV screens. It is YouTube asserting itself as a legitimate replacement for traditional broadcast channels. Ofcom notes that around half of YouTube’s top‐trending content now resembles traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game show formats. In effect, YouTube has become a TV channel with UPFRONT REACH and algorithmic precision. Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s interim group director for strategy and research, put it bluntly: “Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote. But older adults are also turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet”  What this means for marketers YouTube is now television by consumption, yet most brands still treat it like a digital add-on. That gap is an opportunity and a risk. Here’s how to think about it: Screen-awareness matters. Your video first viewed on a 6-inch phone for Gen‑Alpha may end up on a 55-inch screen for grandparents. Context changes everything. Broadcasters are at risk. Linear TV still accounts for 56% of viewing, but that share is shrinking, and faster among younger cohorts. Creative needs recalibration. Short, snappy mobile ads may not retain TV attention. Narrative and production quality now influence whether viewers stay, or skip away. YouTube should no longer be siloed. Brands should plan YouTube alongside TV and streaming, not as a second thought. It’s shaping communal viewing habits in real time. Key questions to ask now: Are your video assets truly flexible? Can they play on mobile, smart TV and broadcast platforms without losing impact? Do you plan YouTube independently from broader video planning? If yes, it might be time to integrate. Can you segment content by screen type and audience mindset, kids at home, adults unwinding, older viewers browsing casually? Is your agency measuring YouTube's impact only in clicks and views, or in household reach and brand salience? If your answers feel like guesswork, your brand is still late to the living‑room transition. What Truene Creative offers We build video strategies designed for modern media habits. That means understanding how content moves across screens, demographics and household moments—and planning accordingly. We help brands by: Creating adaptive video content that works at every screen size Planning YouTube-first campaigns that mimic TV treaties, not just digital buys Designing narrative hooks that cater to longer viewing sessions on smart TVs Advising on cross-channel media plans that bridge broadcast, YouTube and streaming They just call it YouTube now. If your video strategy isn’t built for the living room, let’s fix that. We’ll help you create content and campaigns that reach the screen, and the household, that matters.

Search marketing has long relied on the same playbook. Bid competitively, target efficiently, optimise continuously, report (rinse and repeat), even if no one quite understands what the numbers mean outside of the marketing team. John Lewis & Partners has taken that formula, stripped it back to its commercial foundations, and rebuilt it around something far more valuable: customer experience and business profitability. Search is no longer treated as a standalone tool designed to drive traffic. It now functions as a live commercial asset, one that supports trading priorities, reflects real-time customer behaviour, and contributes directly to bottom-line results. “Pound for pound, we’re as optimal as we’ve ever been for paid Search.” - John Lewis' Digital Marketing Lead, David Bailey What changed? The team at John Lewis moved away from traditional metrics of success and began aligning paid search activity with the parts of the business that matter most: high-margin products, in-demand inventory, loyal customers, and valuable user behaviour. This involved: Prioritising product-level profitability when setting bid strategies Using first-party data to understand intent beyond keywords Adjusting campaigns in line with stock levels and promotional focus Segmenting traffic by potential value, not just interest Improving landing environments to reflect the expectations of an engaged, brand-conscious customer Search was no longer measured purely by what it delivered on paper, but by how well it supported commercial goals and long-term customer value. The results 20% increase in profit directly linked to the new search model 4% improvement in return on ad spend across core categories 60% of all sales now come through digital channels Increased engagement across high-margin, high-availability product groups Stronger alignment between paid search, brand messaging, and customer experience None of this was achieved by spending more. The gains came from improved focus, smarter targeting, and better internal integration. Why it worked Most brands still treat search as a funnel-filling exercise. The goal is usually to drive volume, reduce cost per click, and show upward trend lines. But that mindset rarely accounts for product margins, fulfilment realities, or customer retention potential. John Lewis took a step back and asked the more meaningful questions: Which products need support? Which customers are most valuable? Where are the gaps between what we promote and what people actually want to buy? The answers shaped a new approach. Paid search became part of a broader commercial ecosystem, sitting alongside merchandising, supply chain and customer insight. The result was a search programme that made the business smarter, not just louder. For the rest of us If your current paid search activity is still focused on winning auctions rather than driving outcomes, there is work to be done. This shift from tactical to strategic marketing requires closer collaboration between teams, stronger internal data alignment, and a willingness to prioritise value over visibility. Ask yourself: Are we bidding on products that generate real profit, or just traffic? Do we adjust campaigns based on what is in stock and what is selling slowly? Are we using customer lifetime value to shape who we target and how? Does our paid search experience reflect our brand or just deliver a click? Can we trace a clear line from media investment to commercial return? These questions are not overly complicated, but they are often avoided. That avoidance creates distance between media performance and business reality, and it is that distance John Lewis has closed. We help brands restructure their search marketing to reflect what the business actually needs, not just what the platform optimises for. That means moving beyond the mechanics of bidding and focusing on outcomes that make sense across commercial, operational and customer experience teams. We do this by: Aligning search campaigns with your margin structure and product roadmap Building dynamic feedback between what is in market and what is in demand Using behaviour-driven segmentation to improve who sees what, when and why Refining landing experiences so they convert, inform, and reflect brand value Translating performance data into informed decisions (not just metrics) Search marketing should never exist in isolation. It should be a bridge between customer demand and commercial strategy. Source: Marketing Week, LinkedIn commentary, and internal performance reporting

For years, paid media has been treated as something of a safety net for marketing. When organic traffic slowed or the pipeline dried up, a few well-placed ads could usually bring the numbers back. But that approach is starting to falter. Acquisition costs are rising, customer attention is harder to hold, and brands are being forced to ask more difficult questions about what actually drives sustainable growth. MoneySuperMarket’s parent company, The MONY Group, has taken a refreshingly honest approach to that challenge. In its H1 2025 interim results, the business revealed a clear shift in strategy. Paid media is no longer the priority. Instead, investment is being directed into loyalty, CRM, social media and digital engagement that the company can own and scale. Of the £96.2 million marketing spend for the six months (ending 30 June 2025), £48 million was designated to online channels. A further £24 million was spent on cashback and rewards through their loyalty programme. TV and radio received £14 million, with the rest allocated to other areas. The reallocation signals a fundamental rethinking of how marketing contributes to long-term profitability. 2025 SuperSaver Club TV campaign featuring Judi Dench Behind the change is a blunt commercial truth. Pay-per-click costs have risen by 20% year on year. According to CFO Niall McBride: “Ultimately, our long-term strategy is to reduce reliance on paid media, which is why we’re leaning into growing the clubs and focusing on profitable growth.” In plain terms, the business is stepping away from dependency on high-cost traffic and investing in systems that encourage repeat engagement, higher margins and owned growth. ...and the numbers back it up. Here’s what the data reveals: £96.2 million marketing spend in H1 2025 £48 million invested in online channels including social media £24 million spent on cashback and loyalty rewards £14 million allocated to TV and radio 20% increase in PPC costs compared to H1 2024 1.5 million SuperSaveClub members as of July 2025, up from 1 million in February 2025 14% of group revenue generated by loyalty members in H1 2025 Loyalty members are 3× more likely to make a second purchase Loyalty members are 2× more likely to engage with CRM App usage is 4× higher among loyalty members Revenue per user rose by £1.59 to £19.83 in H1 2025 Net Promoter Score (NPS) increased from 71 to 72 between H1 2024 and H1 2025 A paid search campaign delivered 1,377% ROI in 2024 Microsoft Advertising optimisations delivered a 25% uplift in revenue and an 8‑point margin gain in 2024 What these figures show is that value is not necessarily tied to volume. Although the group saw a reduction of 1.3 million active users, the remaining customer base became more engaged and more profitable. This is not the result of a lucky pivot. It is the outcome of intentional investment in lifetime value over short-term clicks. It is also a reminder that paid campaigns, while effective in bursts, do not build brand equity on their own. MoneySuperMarket’s most successful paid campaigns work because they sit within a broader structure. That structure includes loyalty frameworks, personalised communications and product experiences that make people want to return without needing another ad to convince them. Key learnings for marketers: Paid media should amplify, not compensate. It works best when layered on top of clear positioning and engaged customer journeys. Loyalty drives profitability. Repeat customers consistently outperform new ones when nurtured through structured programmes. Social is not just surface-level. Used well, it builds momentum behind CRM and loyalty initiatives. Owned channels offer long-term control. CRM, apps and email lists are less volatile than paid platforms and offer better margin protection. Big budgets do not always win. Efficiency, alignment and engagement are the new performance metrics. It is better to convert the right customer once than chase the wrong one five times. We believe paid media has its place, but it should never be the only tool in the box. Great marketing works when it supports a clearly positioned brand, a compelling customer experience and an infrastructure that keeps people coming back. MoneySuperMarket is not abandoning paid advertising. What they are doing is reducing their dependence on it. They are shifting focus from rented reach to retained relevance. That is the future of marketing, and if your business is still reliant on ads to stay visible, it may be time to reframe the way you grow. If you are ready to invest in strategy that makes your marketing work harder, for longer, we would love to help. Contact us here . Sources: MONY Group Interim Results – Investegate, MONY Group Interim Results Presentation – MarketScreener, Performance Marketing World – MoneySuperMarket Case Study, Microsoft Advertising Case Study

American Eagle has launched its biggest campaign yet, with actress Sydney Sweeney front and centre of the 2025 fall denim push. The timing is no accident. It’s back-to-school season, a crucial window for wardrobe staples, and denim sits right at the heart of that conversation. But this campaign isn’t relying on seasonal demand alone. It’s crafted to turn heads, spark discussion, and drive real results, both online and in-store. At the centre of the campaign is a bold, tongue-in-cheek slogan: Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans . A clever pivot from teaser billboards reading Great Genes , the reveal created just enough intrigue to dominate headlines and timelines alike. The message is playful, confident and distinctly cultural. It takes denim (a basic item) and turns it into something with energy and edge. Image by American Eagle. Sydney has given the clothing brand a £250 million boost Sydney Sweeney is a smart choice. Her fan base crosses generations, but it’s her popularity with Gen Z that gives the campaign its strength. She’s stylish, expressive, and already known for wearing American Eagle before this partnership. That kind of pre-existing connection matters. It gives the collaboration authenticity and allows the campaign to lean into her style rather than reframe it. Sweeney has co-designed The Sydney Jean , a wide-leg silhouette with a soft drape and subtle butterfly embroidery on the pocket. The butterfly isn’t just a visual detail. It ties into the campaign’s charitable element, with all proceeds from the jeans going to Crisis Text Line to support domestic violence awareness. This cause-led approach gives the campaign emotional depth without feeling staged or superficial. There’s substance behind the slogan, and it resonates. Visually, the campaign has presence everywhere. In Times Square, a 20-storey 3D billboard dominates the skyline. In Las Vegas, American Eagle took over the Sphere with the same bold visuals. In cities across the US, the campaign appears on buses, buildings, and storefronts. But the physical scale is only part of the picture. Digitally, American Eagle has embedded the campaign across the platforms Gen Z uses most. On Snapchat, users can access an AI lens that lets them try on the new collection. On Instagram, Sweeney has launched a branded Broadcast Channel that shares exclusive content and styling advice. The brand has also made its debut on BeReal, a move designed to further embed the campaign in Gen Z’s social routines. Shoppable edits, behind-the-scenes clips and location-linked experiences all tie together into a cohesive digital strategy that is both reactive and planned. The results have been immediate. Within 24 hours of the campaign’s release, American Eagle’s stock price jumped significantly, triggering a wave of conversation across Reddit, TikTok, and investor forums. The Sydney Jean sold out within two days. Organic traffic to the AE website doubled compared to the previous week. On TikTok, the campaign’s hashtag surged into the millions of views. Sweeney’s own campaign post has become her most engaged of the year. Key Stats: The Sydney Jean sold out in under 48 hours, raising nearly $2 million for Crisis Text Line American Eagle’s stock price jumped over 10% within 24 hours of launch Traffic to AE’s website more than doubled the week of the campaign drop Sydney Sweeney’s campaign Instagram post received over 3.4 million likes TikTok engagement on the hashtag #GreatJeans hit hundreds of millions of views In-store pick-up appointments rose by 9% in the campaign’s first weekend Image by American Eagle. It’s easy to assume this kind of success comes down to star power, but that would miss the point. The campaign works because every element is intentional. From creative direction to platform rollout, each touchpoint supports a larger narrative. There’s clarity in the messaging, a sense of play in the visuals, and a real understanding of the audience’s behaviours. They’ve treated their campaign as a story rather than an announcement, with the product at the centre but never in isolation. This is brand building rooted in cultural timing, smart casting and meaningful interaction. For marketers, it’s a reminder that standout campaigns don’t happen by accident. They happen when creativity, data and instinct align. They happen when the talent involved believes in the product. And they happen when brands commit to doing something bold enough to matter. Sydney Sweeney might have great jeans. But American Eagle have something even stronger: a campaign that knows exactly what it’s doing. Image by American Eagle.

Influencer marketing has matured. It now requires more than surface-level visibility or transactional promotion. Brands navigating complex categories, such as alcohol, face additional scrutiny, yet Heineken has demonstrated that it is entirely possible to build effective, compliant, and culturally resonant campaigns. Through its recent work across Desperados, Amstel, and Tiger, Heineken has redefined how brands can use creators to build long-term value. The approach balances creative freedom with responsible messaging and shows a clear understanding of how to align with culture rather than disrupt it. Below are five key insights informed by Heineken’s model that marketers should consider when developing their own influencer frameworks. Celebrating culture through creators. Desperados works with influencers who embody its energetic identity, creating content that feels authentic, joyful, and culturally connected. 1. Influence is Earned Through Careful Selection Heineken’s creator partnerships begin with a rigorous selection process. Each creator is evaluated not only for relevance and reach, but also for personal values, reputation, and content behaviour. This includes a history of responsible alcohol consumption, a suitable tone of voice, and a proven ability to communicate authentically with their audience. This process supports more than compliance. It fosters long-term relationships with creators who contribute to the brand’s identity. In the case of Desperados, many creators have moved beyond one-off activations to become trusted collaborators over time. For brands looking to build credibility, influence must be considered a relationship, not a transaction. 2. Cultural Alignment Requires Active Listening Desperados’ repositioning toward a “Latin vibe”, as they call it, was not expressed through branding alone. It was co-developed with creators already immersed in relevant cultural spaces. Music producers and nail artists were invited to help shape the campaign, with creative input encouraged throughout the process. Rather than imposing a brand narrative onto unfamiliar territory, the team worked with individuals whose platforms already reflected the energy, expression, and values Desperados sought to convey. This resulted in content that resonated naturally within existing communities. Relevance is not achieved through volume. It is achieved through cultural fluency, often led by those already trusted within the space. 3. Content Effectiveness Depends on Brand Connection Kantar’s Connected Creativity study highlights a critical issue in influencer marketing: most creator content fails to establish a strong link to the brand. When that connection is present, campaign performance improves significantly. Desperados’ recent campaign offered creators greater autonomy over how the brand was featured. Instead of mandating fixed brand placements, creators were given space to interpret and integrate brand messaging in a way that suited their own style. The result was a campaign that delivered 2.5 times greater ROI than its more heavily branded predecessor. Effective brand content balances presence with subtlety. It invites participation rather than instructing performance. 4. Coherence Outperforms Consistency in Creator Campaigns Heineken’s brand portfolio serves different audiences, and each campaign reflects that distinction. Amstel focuses on sport and togetherness. Tiger promotes bold self-expression. Desperados celebrates creativity and cultural energy. Each identity is supported by content that feels appropriate to the platform, audience, and purpose. Instead of enforcing a uniform content style, the focus is on coherence. Campaigns are evaluated based on how well they express the core values of the brand across different channels and creative formats. Audiences do not require every campaign to look the same. They need messaging that feels relevant, aligned, and considered. 5. Campaign Success Requires Broader Evaluation Media fragmentation has changed the way effectiveness should be measured. Visibility and reach still matter, but they no longer offer a complete picture. Desperados’ latest campaign showed that native creator content increased brand recall by 27 percent and outperformed previous efforts across both sales and long-term brand building. Metrics now need to reflect creative strength, emotional resonance, and platform relevance. Brands that evaluate content only by impressions or clicks risk overlooking the actual levers of brand equity. According to Kantar’s BrandZ data, brands with high cultural vibrancy grew nearly six times   faster than those with low cultural vibrancy When brand and audience align. Desperados' creator-led campaigns tap into lived experiences that resonate with Gen Z, reinforcing brand identity through real social settings. Heineken’s creator-led campaigns align with this finding, not only because of who they work with, but how. The content is co-created, platform-relevant, and emotionally in tune with the audiences it serves. That alignment is not a creative preference, it is a commercial advantage. Heineken’s influencer approach reflects a wider shift in how leading brands are adapting to the demands of modern media. By investing in long-term partnerships, respecting the voice of the creator, and staying focused on cultural context, the brand has positioned itself effectively within a space that is both heavily regulated and highly dynamic. Marketers looking to build relevance in competitive categories would benefit from frameworks that prioritise clarity, collaboration, and coherence. The most successful creator campaigns do not rely on control, they succeed by building trust, empowering expression, and remaining grounded in a clear brand identity.

Why the most effective brand activations put people first and what the industry can learn from it. The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025, currently hosted across Switzerland, has become more than just a major sporting event. It is a case study in how brands can engage with purpose, connect with modern audiences, and lead cultural conversations that extend beyond sport. This tournament is setting new standards for authentic, digitally led, and community-driven brand engagement. Below, we explore what marketers can learn from its success. Accessibility Creates Long-Term Impact Over 720,000 tickets were released for the tournament, priced between CHF 25 (approx. £22) and CHF 90 (approx. £22). Free public transport was included with every ticket. That alone would be enough to drive demand, but the results went even further. Twenty-two of the thirty-one matches sold out early. The group stage welcomed more than 461,000 attendees, the highest in Women’s EURO history. Midfielder Georgia Stanway of the Lionesses (Image: @Lionesses Instagram) These results highlight a principle often overlooked in campaign planning. Accessibility does not mean compromise. It means removing barriers, creating opportunity, and designing with inclusion in mind. By combining affordability, sustainability, and simplicity, UEFA turned a major tournament into a genuinely welcoming experience for fans across Europe. For brands, the takeaway is clear. Accessibility should be part of your strategy, not a last-minute tactic. Lowering the entry point does not devalue your offer. Done well, it builds loyalty and long-term engagement. Women’s Football is Commercially Independent and Culturally Significant This year’s tournament confirmed what many in the industry already knew. Women’s football is no longer secondary. It is a standalone commercial force. Sponsorship revenues for EURO 2025 reached €32.5 million. That represents a 112 percent increase on 2022. More importantly, it reflects a shift in how brands approach women’s sport. The focus is no longer visibility for its own sake. Instead, brands are embedding themselves into the fan journey, adding value at every touchpoint. Consider a few standout activations: Lidl – Never Stop Growing Lidl went beyond logo placement. They built fan zones in host cities and distributed menstrual health products at matches. Their campaign spoke to everyday needs and real-world care. It resonated because it felt personal. Visa – Click to Play Visa sponsored the fan-voted Player of the Match and integrated its payment technology across UEFA platforms. The blend of tech and emotion created a seamless fan experience. Unilever – Retail with Purpose Unilever activated through 126,000 in-store touchpoints across brands like Dove and Knorr. Messaging focused on equality, empowerment, and nutrition. It scaled purpose into action. Adidas – The Konektis Ball Adidas launched a smart match ball inspired by the Swiss Alps and told the story of its journey across Europe. Product, culture, and innovation came together in a single creative platform. Each of these campaigns succeeded because they were rooted in the lives of the audience. They did not interrupt the experience. They became part of it. Gen Z Requires More Than Just Content For marketers targeting younger audiences, the takeaway is equally important. UEFA and its partners understood that Gen Z does not respond to traditional advertising. They want to see content that reflects their values, invites interaction, and feels genuine. A multilingual fan app was developed specifically for this tournament. It included fantasy games, prediction tools, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content. Brands built TikTok challenges, AR filters, and influencer-led campaigns that focused on relatability over reach. Influencer marketing worked best when it prioritised shared identity rather than polished performance. The content that performed well had something to say and someone real to say it. This is the shift many brands are still catching up to. The future of marketing is not in high-gloss perfection. It is in consistency, context, and cultural understanding. Brand Visibility is No Longer the Goal There was a time when presence at a major event was enough. That time has passed. EURO 2025 has shown that the brands making the biggest impact are not the ones with the most prominent signage, but the ones delivering the most meaningful experiences. Lidl’s campaign reached millions without relying on traditional media buys. Visa added utility to every interaction. Unilever brought purpose into retail. Adidas created an emotional connection through storytelling. None of these efforts focused on dominating airtime. They focused on adding value. For marketers, this is the new baseline. Cultural moments are not simply a chance to be seen. They are an opportunity to show up in the right way, in the right place, for the right reasons. How Truene Creative Helps Brands Make the Most of Cultural Moments At Truene Creative, we support businesses and organisations in building campaigns that are both strategic and emotionally intelligent. We help our clients lead conversations that matter to their audiences and resonate beyond a single campaign window. Our approach is grounded in three key areas: Strategy First We define the purpose of your campaign before any visuals or copy are produced. That clarity drives relevance and performance. Cultural Relevance We draw insight from real conversations, trends, and lived experiences. Our work speaks directly to your audience’s reality. Creative That Converts We develop short-form video content, social campaigns, and brand activations that connect with your audience and drive results. Final Thought The UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 has proven that meaningful marketing is not about simply being present. It is about being useful, respectful, and memorable. It is about creating work that lasts because it listens first. If your brand is ready to stop chasing trends and start leading through strategy, creativity, and culture, we would love to collaborate.