Tag Archives: advertising

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 | Thursday, October 9, 2025 · 1:23 pm

Too Much Taylor? Brands in Their Showgirl Era

Whether or not you’re a Swiftie, one thing’s undeniable: Taylor Swift is a marketing phenomenon. Her latest ventures, from The Life of a Showgirl film to her engagement with NFL star Travis Kelce, have created a tidal wave of brand activity that’s fascinating to watch from a marketing perspective.

First came the engagement. Within hours, companies from Shake Shack to DoorDash to Cheesecake Factory posted Swift-inspired content, discounts, and memes. It’s the golden rule of brand marketing today: if Swift sneezes, someone’s brand will find a way to market the tissue. When Swift released her new concert film, brands like Reese’s, KFC, and American Eagle scrambled to grab ad space in theater pre-shows. Others, from cupcake companies to donut chains, launched limited-edition “Showgirl” products, proving that Swift doesn’t just create music, she creates marketing moments.

But this raises an important question. When does it all become too much? As University of Michigan professor Marcus Collins warns, the line between celebration and saturation is thin. Brands that rush to join every pop culture wave risk becoming background noise instead of standing out.

The best marketers know that relevance beats reaction speed. Swift’s brilliance lies in authenticity. Every era, lyric, and partnership aligns with her brand identity. The challenge for marketers? Learning when to join the cultural conversation and when to leave the stage.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. What makes Taylor Swift’s brand so powerful that other brands run to associate with it?
  2. When does brand participation in pop culture cross into overexposure?
  3. How can a brand maintain authenticity when jumping on viral trends? Should brands avoid celebrity moments altogether?
  4. Swift Strategy Audit. Search for Swift-related marketing – which brand felt most genuine and why? Then analyze one brand’s Swift-related campaign. Was it relevant, authentic, or opportunistic?
  5. Create Your Own “Era”. In small groups, design a short campaign connecting a brand to a major pop culture event. Make it authentic.
  6. Trend Timeline. Track how fast brands responded to the Swift-Kelce engagement on social media. Discuss what that says about modern marketing speed and risk.

Sources: Pasquarelli, Adrienne (3 Oct 2025), Taylor Swift’s latest movie has brands scrambling for ad space, AdAge. Treisman, Rachel (27 Aug 2025), Brands are loving Taylor Swift’s engagement. Do they need to calm down?, NPR.

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