Tag Archives: consumer behavior

by | Tuesday, September 8, 2026 · 7:21 am

DoorDash. It’s More than a Meal

What if your next DoorDash order says more about your lifestyle than your appetite? Consumer behavior is changing, and marketers must look beyond what people buy to understand why they buy it. Boston Consulting Group’s 2026 research identifies five enduring themes: value over price, the longevity mindset, solo living, a new trust compass, and AI-guided decision making. Together, these themes suggest that convenience is no longer simply about saving money or time. It is about fitting products and services into the lives consumers want to live.

DoorDash offers a useful example. In Canada, Hard Work Club’s “Your Door to More” campaign positioned delivery as a spontaneous break from monotony rather than a luxury. Its dancing customers included parents feeding children and a couple waiting for medicine. The message was emotional as well as functional demonstrating that delivery can help people manage everyday challenges and create moments of relief.

DoorDash’s workplace business shows another shift. According to Fast Casual, companies increasingly use meal benefits to support employee satisfaction, office attendance, and talent outcomes. The same service that delivers dinner to a student’s apartment can also help an employer coordinate meals for a hybrid workforce. Marketers know that segmentation should consider changing lifestyles and consumer behaviors, not just demographics. A solo student, a busy parent, and a remote employee may all value delivery, but for different reasons. Effective marketing identifies those motivations and builds a value proposition around them. As future marketers, ask yourself: Is DoorDash selling food, convenience, time, connection, or all four? The answer may depend less on the product than on the consumer’s situation.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. How does DoorDash’s “Your Door to More” campaign ad use emotional benefits to change consumer perceptions of delivery?
  2. Which of BCG’s five consumer themes best explains the growth of delivery services? Defend your choice.
  3. How might DoorDash’s marketing differ for a college student, a solo-living professional, and a company purchasing workplace meals?
  4. Segment the Customer. In small groups, create three DoorDash customer profiles. Name the profile, then identify each customer’s needs, perceived value, and most persuasive marketing message. Share your results with the class.
  5. Convenience Marketing Challenge. Ask students to compare how different brands respond to changing consumer needs and develop a marketing idea based on their findings.

Sources

Bharadwaj, Aparna., et al. (2026, August 26) Global consumers have moved on. Has your growth strategy caught up? Boston Consulting Group; Pasquarelli, Adrianne (2026, July 23) Hard Work Club is changing consumer behavior, Ad Age; Fast Casual (2026, September 4) DoorDash: Workplace meals help bring employees back to the office, Fast Casual.

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by | Monday, February 23, 2026 · 4:56 pm

Nostalgia Economy

Have you’ve ever found yourself scrolling through “2016 vibes” edits on TikTok or feeling strangely emotional when you walk past a Build-A-Bear store? If so, congratulations! You’ve already participated in the nostalgia economy, one of the most powerful trends shaping marketing today. Marketers have long used nostalgia as a storytelling tool, but three recent trends show it’s becoming a full-blown strategy driven by data, culture, and economics.

First, brands like Build-A-Bear are rewriting the playbook. Nearly 30 years old, the company is now at record profitability, not by chasing kids, but by embracing you. Adults and teens are now a major part of their customer base, drawn in by sentimental memories and an experience that feels “safe” and hands-on compared to online shopping. This is nostalgia powered by experiential marketing, and it’s working.

But nostalgia isn’t just about reliving childhood fun. Gen Z’s obsession with “2016 vibes” is, at its core, a response to economic pressure and a more commercialized internet. When young adults say they miss 2016, they’re really missing a world that felt cheaper, freer, and less optimized for profit. In other words, nostalgia becomes a protest, and marketers who understand that emotional context can better interpret consumer behavior.

Finally, nostalgia is becoming intergenerational – driven by Millennial parents and Gen Alpha kids consuming media together. Brands are tapping into family nostalgia pipelines through school partnerships, retro product releases, and purpose-driven campaigns to cultivate loyalty that spans decades. In a world overloaded with data, nostalgia offers marketers something rare: a deeply emotional insight into why people buy, not just what they buy.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. Watch and discuss the Wall Street Journal’s video, How Build-A-Bear Found Success in the Nostalgia Economy. Why do you think nostalgia is especially powerful for Gen Z compared to other generations? In what ways can nostalgia be misused or lead to inaccurate conclusions in marketing research? Should brands actively encourage “kidulting,” or does it risk alienating younger consumers?
  2. How does the “2016 vibes” trend reveal insights that traditional surveys or focus groups might miss?
  3. How could data analytics help marketers predict future nostalgia trends?
  4. Trend Data Dive (Online Activity). Students analyze real-time nostalgia trends using TikTok Creative Center’s keyword analytics. Students search terms like “2016,” “aesthetic,” “throwback,” or a brand of their choice, then present what the data might indicate for marketers.
  5. Nostalgia Audit (Individual or Group). Students choose a brand and identify at least three ways it uses nostalgia. They must determine whether each tactic appeals to Gen Z, Millennials, or Gen Alpha, and discuss why.
  6. Build-A-Bear Strategy Redesign (Group Project). Students design a new nostalgia-driven experience or product offering for Build-A-Bear targeting college-aged consumers.

Sources:

Kranse, Jordan (28 January 2026), How Build-A-Bear Found Success in the Nostalgia Economy, Wall Street Journal Video Series; Lichtenberg, Nick and Roytburg, Eva (20 January 2026) Gen Z’s Nostalgia for ‘2016 vibes’ Reveals Something Deeper: a Protest Against the World and Economy They Inherited, Fortune; Mawhinney, Karl (19 December 2025), Why Nostalgia And Purpose Are The Next Frontier For Brand Loyalty, Forbes.

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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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