Tag Archives: consumer behavior

by | Monday, February 2, 2026 · 7:00 am

Super Bowl Teasers: How Brands Tap into Your Mind Before the Big Game

Do you remember when Super Bowl ads were broadcast during the Super Bowl? Gone are the weeks of anticipation for brands leading up to the game. Now ads warm up the crowd well in advance of the big game. This year’s teasers from Salesforce and Duolingo show how brands cleverly shape consumer perception, motivation, and even cultural identity long before kickoff.

Take Salesforce teaming up with MrBeast. This collaboration is more than a celebrity endorsement; it’s a strategic play in consumer behavior. MrBeast’s vertical, phone-shot teaser feels informal and spontaneous, matching the media habits of millions of young viewers. It leans into lifestyle marketing by letting a creator who “gets” the audience shape the message. And the tiny hint of “you might become a millionaire” taps directly into consumer motivation. Sweepstakes equal instant dopamine hit.

Meanwhile, Duolingo is using Bad Bunny’s historic Spanish-language halftime show to generate buzz with five and fifteen second micro-ads. These short bursts act like subliminal nudges. Duolingo has also created two 5-second reminder ads to air prior to the Super Bowl and will also have a presence on the New York subway system, wrapping the train with Duolingo visuals and translating short Spanish phrases. By translating playful lyrics and dressing Duo the owl in full Bad Bunny mode, the brand ties language learning to identity, culture, and fandom – not homework.

Both campaigns understand something fundamental. Students, young professionals, creators, and fans build meaning from the media moments they care about. These teasers aren’t just promoting products, they’re inserting brands into the cultural anticipation of the Super Bowl, where lifestyle, motivation, and perception collide.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. How might using creators like MrBeast change the perception of Salesforce?
  2. What consumer motivations are Duolingo and Salesforce tapping into?
  3. How do micro-ads (5–15 seconds) influence attention and recall compared to full-length ads?
  4. In what ways do these teasers reflect the lifestyle and identity of Gen Z consumers?
  5. Where do you see potential subliminal messaging in these campaigns? Discuss the ethics of this practice.
  6. Ad Teaser Review. In small groups, watch selected teasers from the Brand Innovators Super Bowl Ad Tracker 2026. Identify strategies tied to consumer behavior or perception.
  7. Cultural Cue Hunt. Analyze Duolingo’s Bad Bunny-inspired ads and list the cultural cues that might motivate fans to learn Spanish.
  8. Creator Strategy Sprint. Design a 20-second teaser for a brand of your choice using a creator or influencer, explaining how it shapes lifestyle appeal and perception.

Sources:

Follet, Gillian (16-Jan 2026), MrBeast Teams up with Salesforce on Super Bowl Ad, Ad Age; Baar, Aaron (23-Jan 2026) Duolingo offers to help with Bad Bunny Translation, Brand Innovators.

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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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