Tag Archives: consumer behavior

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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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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