Tag Archives: consumer behavior

by | Monday, November 24, 2025 · 6:39 am

Humans, Hype, and Hashtags: How AI Is Reinventing Marketing

AI is rewriting the marketing playbook – are marketing leaders ready? At this year’s Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing conference, top CMOs like Adobe’s Lara Balazs and Kraft Heinz’s Todd Kaplan described a profession in full reinvention. Today’s marketing leaders aren’t just storytellers, they’re “transformation architects,” designing how companies adapt, lead, and create with AI.

Yet amid all the talk of algorithms and automation, one truth kept echoing and that is creativity still wins. Kaplan reminded the industry that “emotion, not information, is the primary driver of most consumer choices.” In other words, even as AI helps marketers analyze data and design campaigns faster, the human spark including wit, empathy, and imagination still defines the best brands.

Just ask Google. Its “Plan a Quick Getaway” ad, created entirely with AI tools, features a plush turkey that outsmarts Thanksgiving traffic. It’s clever, funny, and just a little weird. The ad is proof that AI can amplify creativity when guided by human vision.

Meanwhile, consumer behavior is changing fast. Searches are being replaced by conversations with AI chatbots that give personalized answers and those same chatbots may soon make purchases for us. That means marketers must learn new skills beyond SEO. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is the process of optimizing your organization’s website content to boost its visibility in AI-driven search tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity among others. Brands now need to appeal not only to people but also to AI systems that decide what we see and buy.

So, for aspiring marketers, the lesson is clear. The career of the future blends creativity and code. Those who can balance human insight with machine intelligence will be the ones shaping how the world connects, shops, and dreams.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. How might AI change the skills companies look for in future marketing hires?
  2. What makes Google’s AI-generated ad successful, or not, from a creative perspective? Watch the ad here. Planning a Quick Getaway?
  3. Should AI be seen as a creative partner, a tool, or a threat in marketing?
  4. How might Generative Engine Optimization affect brand strategy?
  5. Why does emotion still matter when AI can optimize everything else?
  6. AI Brand Test.  Students prompt ChatGPT, Gemini or other AI tool with “What’s the best [product category]?” and analyze which brands appear and why.
  7. Creative Remix.  Student teams design a short campaign using an AI image or video tool, then critique how human creativity shapes the outcome.
  8. CMO for a Day. In groups, students outline how they would reinvent a company’s marketing strategy to balance AI efficiency and emotional storytelling.

Sources:

Schultz, E.J., Neff, Jack (27 Oct 2025), How CMOs are confronting a future defined by AI and reinvention, Association of National Advertisers (ANA). Doerrer, Brandon, Nudd, Tim, (31 Oct 2025) 16 campaigns to know about today, Ad Age. Adame, Christina (29 July 2024) What is Generative Engine Optimization?, Search Engine Land. Wired Consulting (15 October 2025) The New AI Playbook, Wired.

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by | Monday, November 3, 2025 · 7:10 am

Driving the Future: Solar Cars are Here

Imagine the marketing potential of solar-powered vehicles—an innovative fusion of sustainability, cutting-edge technology, and consumer appeal. Recent developments, like Aptera Motors’ sleek solar EV, exemplify how early adopters are pushing the boundaries of product adoption. These passionate innovators and environmentally conscious consumers are not just interested in eco-friendly transportation, they’re actively shaping it by preordering and advocating for the technology’s mainstream potential.

The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge through the Australian Outback, featuring student teams from universities like the University of Michigan, showcases a unique marketing angle: student competitors are not just racing for victory but demonstrating student-led, tangible proof of innovation. Their futuristic, aerodynamic solar cars with fins and radical designs embody a bold brand image which is perfect for capturing the imagination of early adopters eager to embrace sustainable mobility. Watching students engineer, race, and perfect these vehicles opens a window into a new market segment that values innovation, environmental impact, and youthful energy – elements that can be harnessed into compelling marketing narratives.

The market trends point to an exciting future: the global solar-powered car market is projected to grow significantly as governments and consumers prioritize sustainability. This growth creates a ripe opportunity for marketers to target early adopters who are tech enthusiasts, eco-conscious urbanites, and students. This target market is receptive to new, environmentally friendly mobility solutions. As students, your understanding of this tech-driven shift can give you an edge in crafting innovative go-to-market strategies that resonate with these early trendsetters in other product categories.

Discussion questions and activities:

  1. Watch NBC’s report about the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moZIvT8gHw0
  2. How do early adopters influence the mainstream acceptance of products? Will this be applicable to solar-powered vehicles?
  3. What strategies could automakers use to accelerate consumer adoption of solar-enhanced EVs?
  4. In what ways does sustainability influence consumer behavior and purchase decisions in this market?
  5. Design a marketing plan targeting early adopters for a hypothetical solar EV.
  6. Create a comparison chart of traditional EVs and solar-powered vehicles highlighting pros and cons.
  7. Develop a marketing campaign targeting early adopters for a hypothetical solar-powered vehicle inspired by the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge.

Sources:

Corbley, Andy (28 Aug 2025), Solar-Powered Cars Race Across Australian Outback – with Fins to Also Harness the Wind, Good News Network. Mims, Christopher (18 Sep 2025) Solar-Powered Cars and Trucks Are Almost Here, Wall Street Journal.

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by | Monday, October 13, 2025 · 7:13 am

Soda Wars 2025: Is Pepsi Losing Its Fizz?

For decades, the “Cola Wars” were simple: Coke vs. Pepsi. But in 2025, the battlefield looks very different. Pepsi, once Coke’s fiercest rival, has slipped to fourth place in U.S. soda sales behind not only Coca-Cola, but also Dr Pepper and Sprite. What happened?

Part of Pepsi’s challenge is strategy. Coca-Cola slimmed down years ago by spinning off its bottling operations, freeing up money and attention for marketing and brand building. Pepsi kept its bottling business in-house and has been weighed down by trucks, warehouses, and complexity. Coke’s sharper focus has paid off: bigger ad budgets, leaner operations, and stronger brand loyalty.

But Pepsi’s decline isn’t just about Coke. Smaller challengers and new products are reshaping the market. Dr Pepper leaned into quirky flavors and TikTok buzz. Sprite reinvented itself with Gen Z-friendly campaigns and a new hit product, Sprite Chill. Meanwhile, health-focused upstarts like Olipop and Poppi are doubling sales with prebiotic sodas marketed as better-for-you alternatives. Even celebrities like Ben Stiller are entering the soda space, banking on nostalgia and personality-driven branding.

For marketers, the lesson is clear. Competition is no longer just “big vs. big.” A strong distribution system matters, but so do brand positioning, innovation, and the ability to connect with consumers’ changing values, whether that’s health, fun, or belonging to a cultural moment. Today’s soda aisle shows how brand strategy, innovation, and cultural relevance decides who wins and who fizzles out.

Discussion Questions and Activities

  1. How has Coca-Cola’s decision to spin off its bottling operations helped its brand stay strong?
  2. What factors explain why Dr Pepper and Sprite have overtaken Pepsi in market share?
  3. How do health-focused startups like Olipop position themselves differently than legacy soda brands like Coke and Pepsi?
  4. What risks and opportunities come with celebrity-led brands like Stiller’s Soda? Watch Ben Stiller’s ad for his new soda here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WwWg0Hf38Y.
  5. If you were Pepsi’s CMO, what would you do next to regain market relevance?
  6. Brand Battle Map. Students create a product perceptual map of major soda brands, plotting them by “traditional vs. health-conscious” and “mass-market vs. niche,” then discuss positioning strategies.
  7. Ad Campaign Remix. In groups, students redesign a past Pepsi ad campaign to target Gen Z more effectively.
  8. Startup Pitch. Students role-play as founders of a new soda brand, pitching their product’s positioning, target audience, and marketing strategy to the class.

Sources: Miller, Merlyn (23 Sep 2025), Ben Stiller Is Launching a Soda — and We Got a First Taste, Food and Wine. Wainer, David (12 Sep 2025) If Pepsi Wants to Win, It Has to Play Coke’s Game, Wall Street Journal. Roche, Calum (30 Jul 2025) Pepsi’s free fall to 4th place in the Soda Wars: These 3 soft drinks now top the list in the U.S., Diario, AS. Doering, Christopher (8 Jul 2025) Olipop doubles down on health claims as Pepsi, Coke enter better-for-you soda space, Food Dive.

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