As a lifelong hockey fan, I’ve always felt a tinge of jealousy about the NHL being less popular than the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Why don’t people love my sport?

Since its launch back in 2010, Instagram has become one of the major stakeholders in the world of social media. With over 95 million photos posted on the app each day according to Sprout Social, it’s now more important than ever to produce branded content that stands out from the endless corporate clutter. The fix? Establishing an aesthetic for your brand.

Like any other industry, marketing is a world in which trends emerge. And, when brands and marketers see those trends developing, there’s a natural desire to emulate and ride the coattails. Everyone wins, right? Not quite. Sometimes, those trends are leveraged to perfection, but other uses can leave a lot to be desired. In reality, the results vary greatly on a case-by-case basis.

For citizens across the globe, the holiday season provides an opportunity to spend time with families, to give back, and to show appreciation for one another.

What do Cadillac, Old Spice, and Lego all have in common? They each have had to make a significant business decision that would change the future of their respective brands and put them back into the hearts and minds of consumers.

While many brands continue to take steps to pull in the coveted millennial demographic, others are trying to get ahead of the curve with their successors, Generation Z.

As competition increases and brands vie to stay relevant, the strategic dilemma brands are often faced with is one that transcends just the marketing industry: should I take a risk or should I go with a “safer” bet? However, as the old adage goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” While sometimes a safer bet seems like the most rational approach, some instances dictate taking risks —risks that, in turn, reap rewards that would’ve never otherwise been realized, helping differentiate the brand and grow mindshare. 

Case in point: Target in their sponsorship of the Grammy’s. In 2015, armed with eight 30-second commercial spots, they wanted to pull a stunt that reinvigorated their brand and its ties to culture. With the help of creative agency Deutsch, they convinced CBS to place all of their spots in one, contiguous four-minute block. With that big commercial, though, they had to do something extraordinary.

Apple has long been among the world’s most innovative companies when it comes to advertising, so it goes without saying that their efforts should be closely monitored. That’s why all eyes were on Apple when they revealed that they were restructuring their relationship with their ad agency, TWBA\Media Arts Lab.

SXSW has always been always been a hot topic amongst marketers, and these days, it is no different. However, conversation in recent years has been surrounded by scrutiny. Those who have long made the annual trek to Austin will readily remind you that, “it’s not what it used to be.” Still, as cries from purists and pundits proliferate, the reality is that SXSW still represents a one-stop shop for the up-and-coming trends and technologies — each of which will have a residual effect on how marketers curate the next iteration of experiences for their consumer base.

As marketers have found more channels and means to communicate their message, the number of branded messages that consumers are exposed to on a given day has ballooned to nearly 5,000. The residual effect has left consumers largely immune to marketing messages, allowing only 100 or so to permeate through their attention wall.