by | Monday, December 15, 2025 · 6:47 am

From Fan-edits to Fan Power

Scroll TikTok long enough and you’ll notice something interesting: some of the most compelling brand content doesn’t look like advertising at all. It looks like fandom. Fan edits are short, emotional video montages set to music and they have become one of Gen Z’s favorite content formats. Naturally, brands are paying attention.

Take Doritos and Lionsgate. Instead of forcing traditional ads into feeds, they are designing campaigns that feel like they belong to TikTok’s culture. Doritos didn’t simply hire an actor to represent its product. Rather, it created a cinematic fan edit of Walton Goggins that felt tailor-made for the platform. Lionsgate went even further, recruiting actual fan editors to promote films like The Hunger Games and Twilight, sometimes outperforming official trailers in views and engagement.

The marketing shift is undeniable. Influence is moving from who posts to who edits. Fan editors are emerging as a new kind of influencer – part creator, part curator, part cultural translator. Their power lies in their ability to reach target audiences with relevant content. These content creators spark comments, shares, and emotional connection, which algorithms reward and audiences trust.

This trend also connects to bigger influencer marketing shifts. As platforms get better at serving niche content, micro-influencers and micro-fandoms are becoming more valuable than celebrities. Add social commerce and AI-powered tools into the mix, and brands now have unprecedented ways to insert themselves into culture. The trick is to do it authentically. For marketers, the lesson is clear: attention isn’t bought by interrupting culture anymore. It’s earned by understanding it and sometimes, by letting fans take the lead.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. Why do fan edits often outperform traditional brand-created content on TikTok?
  2. Are fan editors influencers, creatives, or something entirely new?
  3. Where is the line between authentic participation and brand exploitation?
  4. How might this strategy work differently across industries (food, entertainment, fashion)?
  5. Should brands give up creative control to gain cultural relevance?
  6. Fan Edit Analysis. Analyze a brand-related fan edit on TikTok and identify why it works.
  7. Strategy Pitch. Design a fan-edit-based campaign for a brand targeting Gen Z.
  8. Team TikTok. Student teams choose one of the student-designed strategies and create a fan-edit for a product or brand.

Sources: Follett, Gillian (11 Dec 2025), Inside TikTok’s fan-edit frenzy and how brands like Doritos and Lionsgate are using it to reach Gen Z, Ad Age. El Qudsi, Ismael (2 Dec 2025) From Reach to Relevance: Current Trends In Influencer Marketing, Forbes Agency Council.

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by | Monday, December 8, 2025 · 7:05 am

Scent Shifting: Brands Redefine How to Market to Men

Walk down any store aisle today and you may notice something surprising: men’s products aren’t hiding on a dusty bottom shelf anymore. They’re bold, sleek, and sometimes funny. And they’re booming. The global male grooming market is racing toward an estimated $115 billion by 2028, and brands are fighting hard for a piece of it.

This shift reflects marketers’ understanding of consumer behavior, identity, and cultural change. Companies from Harry’s to Balenciaga are recognizing that men, especially Gen Z, aren’t just buying products, they’re buying self-expression. Younger consumers mix and match scents the way they curate playlists, choosing fragrances to communicate mood, identity, and even aspiration.

Some brands lean into experience marketing, selling scent as a form of introspection. Balenciaga and John Varvatos craft campaigns around ingredients and atmosphere, not shirtless models on cliffs. Others take a more traditional route bottling up ambition and charisma by calling in celebrities like Vinicius Junior or Nicholas Galitzine to do the talking.

Yet the biggest marketing shift may be psychological. Men want authenticity and direct, simple communication. They enjoy humor like that found in Old Spice’s “Holidudes” line, value large-size products, and respond strongly to personal connection. Jake Paul even DMs customers for feedback.

For marketers, the message is clear. Masculinity isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is the marketing that reaches it. The recipe for winning in today’s competitive market requires brands to embrace segmentation, storytelling, and cultural nuance topped off with a good-smelling product that works.

Discussion Questions and Activities:

  1. How is Gen Z redefining masculinity as a marketing concept?
  1. Why are ingredient-focused fragrance campaigns becoming more popular?
  2. How does celebrity endorsement affect male consumer behavior today?
  3. What role does humor play in marketing to men?
  4. How does the rise of “affordable luxury” influence consumer buying decisions?
  5. Scent Persona Lab. Students design a fragrance concept for a specific male segment (e.g., gamers, athletes, creators).
  6. Ad Makeover. Find a traditional “power masculinity” ad and redesign it for a Gen Z audience.
  7. Brand Audit. Compare two competing men’s brands—one ingredient-led, one celebrity-led—and present how each targets different motivations and identities.

Sources: Khan, Natasha (27 Nov 2025), Wall Street Journal; Suresh, Sanjeeva (18 Nov 2025) Luxuo. Suresh; Statista Research Department (25 Nov 2025) Statista.

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by | Monday, December 1, 2025 · 7:00 am

Is Black Friday Dead or Just Faking It?

Black Friday used to be the Super Bowl of shopping. Recall 4 a.m. lines, doorbusters, and carts piled higher than a dorm loft bed. Today’s Black Friday looks less like chaos and more like a long weekend in sweatpants. Yet despite the calm, consumer spending is surging and that is exactly what makes this moment fascinating for marketers.

Retailers like Walmart, Gap, and TJ Maxx are reporting strong sales as consumers hunt for value, not just discounts. Even in a shaky economy, shoppers are still spending, just more strategically. Walmart is gaining middle and high-income shoppers chasing low prices, while Gap is selling more items at full price because customers perceive higher value. This shift reflects a major trend in consumer behavior. Buyers are willing to spend, but only when price and quality feel aligned.

Meanwhile, Black Friday as an event has been diluted. Before, retailers spent a full year planning one perfect discount. Now? Promotions begin in early November and run through Cyber Monday. This strategy helps retailers manage staffing, inventory, and consumer expectations. But it also changes how shoppers behave. The urgency, and the magic, have faded. Instead of lining up in the cold, consumers – especially Gen Z – browse deals from their phones, cross-shop for better prices, and question whether a deal is really a deal at all.

Consumers know that doorbusters might not be any cheaper than last week’s pre-Black-Friday preview event, creating skepticism about pricing and trust. For marketers, this is a case study in retail strategy evolution. Pricing, timing, and promotion now matter more than the spectacle. Winning brands understand that shopping habits have changed and they meet consumers where they are: online, in-store and most importantly in their wallets. So, Black Friday isn’t really dead, it’s just been rebranded.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. How does the dilution of Black Friday affect consumer trust and behavior?
  2. Why are value-focused retailers outperforming others right now?
  3. Is urgency still an effective promotional strategy for younger consumers?
  4. How should retailers balance price, quality, and messaging during holiday promotions?
  5. Deal Detective. Compare three Black Friday ads from different retailers and analyze whether the promotions truly create value.
  6. Price Perception Mapping. Conduct a quick class survey on which retailers students trust for “good deals” and why.
  7. Bring the Magic Back. In small teams, redesign Black Friday for a major retailer (Target, Walmart, Gap) to rebuild excitement and urgency among Gen Z.

Sources: Kapner, Suzanne and Nassauer, Sarah (23 Nov 2025) Wall Street Journal; Fonrouge, Gabrielle (28 Nov 2025) CNBC.

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