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I am currently obsessed with a brand.

If you have been to any of my recent keynotes, you have probably heard me fanboy over that brand…

Last autumn I needed new boots for the colder months. For years I had been walking past a small store near my apartment that sells Red Wing Shoes. The shop always pulled me in. So one early September day, I finally walked inside and bought a pair.

During the conversation with the salesperson, two things surprised me.

1. First, they told me that they would repair any damage to the shoes. No matter what happens, I can bring them to any Red Wing store worldwide and they will repair them. The sole, they explained, will probably crack in about 10 to 15 years. “Then you just come by and pick a new one.”

   10 to 15 years! For a pair of shoes.
   How crazy is that?

2. Second, they warned me that the boots would feel uncomfortable at first. The leather needs time to break in. But then “they will become the comfiest shoes you own and you will never want to wear anything else.” And they were right about both.

Red Wing is not just a company that sells boots. They are iconic.

“What do Ryan Gosling, Harajuku hipsters, and Middle America have in common? An enduring passion for Red Wing’s unpretentious, intrepid, always-in-style 6-inch Classic Moc boot.”

Kathy Passero, Footwear Plus

It is a brand built around durability in a world obsessed with disposability.

And that leads to a fascinating paradox.

Red Wing rarely talks about sustainability.

Yet the entire brand is built on it.

So today let’s look at this brand I am obsessed with, in depth:

1. From Workwear to Cultural Symbol

2. Product Obsession as Brand Strategy

3. Campaigns that Show, Not Tell

4. The Nostalgia Challenge

5. Strategic Marketing Lessons

1. From Workwear to Cultural Symbol

Before we talk about storytelling, sustainability, or campaigns, it helps to understand the scale of the brand.

Red Wing is not a niche craft project. It is a serious industrial company.

The privately held Red Wing Shoe Company generates somewhere between $500 million and $800 million in annual revenue, employs more than 2,000 people, and distributes its products in over 110 countries. 

The brand operates hundreds of retail stores globally and thousands of distribution points in the US alone. 

In other words: this is a century-old manufacturing company that quietly built a global presence without ever behaving like a modern fashion brand.

And that story starts in a very different place.

Red Wing was founded in 1905 in Red Wing, Minnesota, by Charles Beckman, a local shoe merchant who saw a practical problem. Workers in industries like farming, mining, and logging needed boots that could survive brutal conditions. 

So the company did not start with an idea about style.

It started with a need. Build boots that last.

Durability was not a brand idea. It was simply the job the product had to do.

And that origin story still shapes the brand today.

Red Wing boots were designed for oil field workers, construction crews, farmers, mechanics. People who rely on their equipment every single day. If a product fails in those environments, the brand disappears quickly.

So the company built something else.

Trust.

“We really try to tell a value story. You can buy a cheap pair of boots that will last one year, but then you’ll need to buy another pair. Or you could buy a more expensive pair that will last decades. That’s the pitch, but the reality is that people do have less money to spend. So we’re trying to keep our prices in check as much as we can.”

Aaron Seymour-Anderson, Chief Creative Director Red Wing Shoe Co.

Over time, something unexpected happened:

The same boots that were worn on construction sites began to appear somewhere else entirely. In Tokyo fashion districts. In Brooklyn coffee shops. In Scandinavian design studios.

Workwear slowly became culture.

When fashion brands try to look rugged, the result often feels artificial. But when a product was genuinely built for hard labor, the aesthetic comes naturally. Thick leather, heavy stitching, visible wear, patina over time.

These details tell a story.

That is how Red Wing made the transition from a purely functional workwear company to a cultural icon. Not by reinventing itself, but by staying the same while the world around it changed.

Today the brand lives in two worlds at the same time.

On one side, it still supplies safety footwear to workers in demanding industries around the globe. On the other, its Heritage line has become a staple in fashion, design, and craft communities.

Very few brands manage this balance.

2. Product Obsession as Brand Strategy

If you look at the company from the outside, something unusual becomes visible very quickly:

Red Wing behaves less like a fashion brand and more like a manufacturing company that happens to have a brand attached to it. They are obsessed with quality.

That difference shapes everything.

More than a century after its founding, the core philosophy has barely changed: build boots that solve real problems and improve the product, rather than constantly reinvent the story.

Many of the brand’s most recognizable models have existed for decades. The Iron Ranger, originally designed for iron miners in Minnesota’s Mesabi Range, dates back to the 1930s. The Classic Moc, first introduced in the 1950s for hunters and farm workers, remains one of the company’s flagship products today.

What is remarkable is not just that these models still exist.

It is that they still look almost the same.

While most fashion brands introduce new collections every season, Red Wing built its reputation around a small number of icons that evolve slowly over time.

Even celebrities who have access to every luxury brand gravitate toward them. Ryan Gosling and Timothée Chalamet wear them regularly. Not because they are new or exclusive, but because they look worn and lived in. The boots carry the marks of use, which is exactly what they were designed for.

This philosophy is embedded in the construction itself.

Most Red Wing Heritage boots use Goodyear welt construction, which allows the sole to be replaced instead of discarding the entire shoe. Thick full-grain leather and heavy stitching make the boots repairable rather than disposable.

As Albert Muzquiz, writer for Heddels, a publication focused on craftsmanship and durable goods, explains, this construction method is one of the reasons Red Wing developed a reputation for longevity among workers long before the brand became fashionable.

Customers do not buy Red Wing boots expecting novelty.

They buy them expecting permanence.

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And that changes the role of marketing. Red Wing does not build its brand through constant reinvention.

It builds it through consistency.

A small set of products.

Built the same uncompromising way.

For decades.

That kind of discipline is rare in modern branding.

And it is exactly what makes the brand so powerful.

3. Campaigns that Show, not Tell

Most brands use campaigns to create meaning.

Red Wing uses campaigns to reveal what is already true about the product.

This difference is subtle but powerful.

Instead of inventing grand brand narratives, Red Wing’s marketing often focuses on something much simpler: the life a pair of boots lives after it leaves the store.

One of the clearest examples is the campaign “Will Your Wings” which I featured as a best practice example for sustainability in my 2026 marketing trend report. FRICTION RELOADED.

The idea is beautifully simple. A pair of Red Wing boots is shown together with two owners. First the person who wore them for years. Then the next person who inherited them.

One pair of boots. Two lives.

The message is not about style. It is about lifespan.

It talks about sustainability through something people actually want: durability.

Boots that survive decades. Boots that carry stories.

The campaign highlights a truth the company has always built into the product. As Red Wing’s Heritage marketing team explained when presenting the idea, the goal was to show that the boots

“become part of a person’s life and continue that life with someone else.”

In other words, the product accumulates meaning through time.

Instead of explaining sustainability, it simply shows what durability looks like.

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The second campaign example is “Made the Hard Way”.

The idea starts with a simple cultural observation.

The line “Made the Hard Way” does not just describe the product. It frames difficulty itself as a marker of value.

But the genius of the campaign is in the execution.

The films were shot on 16mm film, the billboards were literally hand-made, and even product drops were executed “the hard way.” The production process itself followed the same philosophy as the boots.

The medium mirrored the message.

The campaign did not just say that Red Wing rejects shortcuts.

It behaved that way too.

That is what makes it so strong.

Most brands try to remove friction from their story.

Red Wing turns friction into proof.

• Hard to make.

• Hard to fake.

• Hard to replace.

That is what makes it more than heritage advertising. It translates the brand’s manufacturing logic into a contemporary cultural stance. 

Creative Review described the campaign as a rejection of “today’s culture of shortcuts and convenience,” positioning Red Wing as a symbol of patience and precision.

The genius, then, is not nostalgia. It is strategic inversion.

That is friction in marketing used well.

4. The Nostalgia Challenge

Nostalgia or heritage is one of the most powerful assets a brand can have.

It is also one of the most dangerous.

Many old brands eventually turn into museums of themselves. They repeat the same stories, celebrate their past, and slowly lose relevance in the present. Heritage becomes nostalgia. And nostalgia rarely builds future demand.

Red Wing faced the same risk.

A company founded in 1905, famous for traditional work boots, could easily have become a relic of American manufacturing history. Instead, something different happened.

The brand protected its core while allowing its meaning to evolve.

Originally worn by miners, farmers, and factory workers, Red Wing boots slowly entered entirely different environments. Designers, craftspeople, and creative communities began adopting them. Japanese vintage culture played a particularly important role in this transformation. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Japanese workwear enthusiasts rediscovered American heritage brands and treated them almost like collectible artifacts.

That attention gave Red Wing a second life.

Fashion writers often describe Red Wing boots as “trend-proof,” precisely because their design sits outside seasonal fashion cycles. The product remains constant while the audience around it changes. GQ described Red Wing’s appeal precisely with this tension:

“The boots are rooted in workwear but continue to resonate far beyond it because they ignore the seasonal logic of fashion.”

This reveals the real strategic move behind the brand.

• Red Wing does not try to modernize the product.

• It modernizes the context around the product.

Instead of redesigning the boots every season, the company created the Red Wing Heritage line, opened carefully curated stores, collaborated selectively with fashion retailers, and allowed cultural communities to reinterpret the product.

The product stays the same. The meaning changes.

That is the difference between nostalgia and heritage.

Nostalgia freezes the past.

Heritage builds products strong enough to survive changing cultural moments.

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5. Strategic Marketing Lessons

To sum up this deep dive into one of my latest favourite brands, let’s look at 3 things we can learn from Red Wing for our brands marketing strategy:

1. Don’t talk about sustainability.

Red Wing rarely talks about sustainability.

Yet the product model is inherently sustainable.

Boots designed to last decades replace dozens of disposable alternatives.

The lesson is simple: Sustainability works best when it is a consequence, not a promise.

Because the hard truth is: 99% of people don’t want sustainable shoes.

They want shoes that make them look good, sexy, desirable. That are comfortable to wear (after you break them in) and that last long.

Durability is sustainability without moral pressure.

Consumers often resist sustainability messaging because it feels like sacrifice.

Red Wing reframes it as product superiority.

The most convincing sustainability strategy is building products people refuse to throw away.

2. Show the real stories.

Red Wing’s marketing does something rare.

It does not try to create a narrative around the product. It simply shows what is already there.

Campaigns like “Will Your Wings” or “Made the Hard Way” do not exaggerate. They highlight the real life of the boots. The people who wear them. The process of making them. The years they survive.

The strongest marketing does not manufacture meaning.

It reveals the truth that already exists in the product.

3. Protect the core. Let culture reinterpret it.

Many heritage brands make the same mistake: They try to stay relevant by redesigning the product.

New shapes. New logos. New collections.

In the process they slowly lose what made them special.

Red Wing chose a different path.

Instead of redesigning the product, the brand placed it into new cultural contexts. Campaigns featuring craftspeople and makers. Collaborations with fashion retailers. Carefully designed stores. Editorial storytelling that highlights wear, repair, and longevity.

Give culture new ways to discover it.

Marketing becomes the bridge between an unchanged product and a changing world.

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Final Thoughts

In a world obsessed with removing friction, Red Wing proves the opposite.

The right kind of friction creates value. It makes it last. And thus creates memories.

I especially like their approach to sustainability. Because it addresses something customers actually want, not just an abstract idea.

Sustainability works best when it is built into the product, not added to the marketing.

Maybe that’s the real lesson behind Red Wing.

Build things people want to keep.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

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For 18 years now (wow, I feel old writing that), I have been working on marketing strategies and have had the privilege of designing concepts and workshops for some of the world’s biggest brands.

From McDonald’s, the world’s largest burger joint, to the NGO Greenpeace, the car brand Opel, the food retail chain SPAR and many more, before joining the start-up Too Good To Go as Head of Marketing.

Now I have been an entrepreneur with my own marketing studio FutureStrategies for four years. And while running my practise, I have noticed one aspect that is not handled properly in most companies or even by agencies.

➡️ Most marketing strategies fail because they play no role in everyday life.

Everyone has an image of “strategies” in their mind.

A definition. Perhaps even a course of action.

@florian.schleicher

Florian Schleicher ♟️ Marketing Strategist on Instagram: "A str…

But most of the approaches I see in practice are

a) complex

b) intellectual

c) fluffy – in other words, shallow

That’s why many strategies get stuck in presentation mode. They never make it to implementation. They are not really put into practice. They sound good, but are not practically useable.

Complexity is often just ambiguity in disguise.

So today I would like to share my strategic approach as a model. It consists of a mix of other models such as:

• The Strategic Kernel

• The Limbic Map

• The Future-Back Approach

• The Brand Archetypes

✴️ The Strategic Flow

One model. A hundred names.

When I develop marketing strategies or design workshops, I use this model because it is simple, tangible and practical.

I am a big fan of Richard Rumelt’s strategic approach, which he calls “the Kernel”. For my own modified model, I work with three steps:

1. Diagnosis

2. Guidelines

3. Actions

These three are complemented by two further aspects to really bring them to life:

4. Skills

5. Resources

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1️⃣ Diagnosis

Strategy without diagnosis is wishful thinking with KPIs.

Most mistakes – whether made by large corporations, policymakers or start-/scale-ups – happen because people start by defining goals or actions. But the task of a strategy – and therefore of a strategist – is to start with the problem.

Or as Albert Einstein said:

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

At the Oracle of Delphi, the place where the ancient Greeks came to seek guidance about their future, it was written in large letters: Gnothi seauton. Know thyself!

Not as a question. But as a basic prerequisite.

First, we need to know who we are, who our target audience is, what problems we want to solve, and what shapes our market.

“Strategy does not start with what shareholders want, or what ‘core capabilities’ we have. It starts with a profound appreciation of and fascination with customers, and a deep desire to make their lives/businesses better off.”

Roger Martin

I work on this diagnosis in my projects across five levels:

a) Human Needs

First, we need to understand what drives our target audience. In “Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy”, Phil Barden describes three basic needs: excitement, autonomy and security, or the pursuit or avoidance of these.

For example, BMW stands for driving pleasure. Mercedes stands for superiority. And Volvo stands for safety.

b) Our Current World

Then we turn our attention to the reality of life for our target group:

• What attracts people’s eyeballs, thoughts and hearts wander today?

• What patterns shape the possibilities for communication, culture and trade?

• What is currently at the centre of our world and gaining significance?

This is the meta-context in which our marketing will operate. And this context is currently characterised by extreme content overload. If we do not take this into account and accept it in our strategy, nothing will work.

Depending on consumer groups and market conditions, there are also other patterns and trends that may play a role.

I highlighted and analysed four major changes in my latest trend report, FRICTION RELOADED – Marketing Trends 2026.

c) Individual Context

Once we have understood the big picture, we need to filter out the following:

• What “job” are we being hired to do?

• At what point in time?

• Against what real alternatives?

In other words: What is the insight behind decisions?

For example: Why do people buy a milkshake at McDonald’s in the morning?

Or: Why do people buy expensive motorcycles?

“Harley-Davidson sells to 43-year-old accountants the ability to dress in leather, ride through small towns and have people be afraid of them.”

John Russell, European Managing Director of Harley-Davidson

d) Changing Behaviour

Now that we know why people would buy our products or services, we need to understand how we can change their behaviour.

To do this, we first need to understand one thing:

People don’t like change.

We are biologically conditioned (at least most of us) to perceive change as dangerous and threatening.

Our brains are lazy.

e) Our Brand and Role

The final part of the diagnosis revolves around the question:

What value do we bring to people’s lives and what is the most important thing we can do for them?

Our brand is important, but only if we take our customers’ perspective into account. This final step must be grounded in reality. We are still in the diagnosis phase. This also includes some hard truths.

Or as my friend Carl-Emil Jensen, Head of Creative & Brand at Too Good to Go, once said to me about his own brand:

“No one wakes up at 7am in the morning and decides ‘Today I want to save some food with Too Good To Go.’”

2️⃣ Guidelines

Strategy without priorities is merely decoration.

Once we have understood ourselves, our brand, our customers and our environment, we move on to the second step in the strategic flow: the guidelines.

This involves defining where our marketing should take us. What we want our brand to stand for. How consumers should think and feel about us.

I always start at the top of this pyramid and derive the brand’s personality, goals and OKRs from the vision.

🔑 Vision

Just as the North Star once guided sailors to their destination, our vision guides us to our goal. A vision is an inspiring, optimistic, bold and motivating statement about where our brand/marketing/project should take us.

This can also be visualised to make it even more tangible and understandable, as in this example from Oatly.

⭐️ Personality - Brand Archetypen

To get to the personality of a brand or project, I like to work with the brand archetype model.

What we want to find out is the human side of the brand: language, behaviour and energy. Personality shapes how our vision works in practice. It makes our brand recognisable at every touchpoint.

This works best with an outside-in approach. So what feelings and thoughts do we want to trigger in our customers?

And then we transfer that to one of the 12 brand archetypes, as outlined in “The Hero and the Outlaw” by Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson.

Another model I like to work with when it comes to personalities is the Limbic® Map, which divides emotions into three clusters. It was developed over the last 20 years by the German research group Gruppe Nymphenburg and is based on findings from various disciplines, including neuroanatomy, evolutionary biology, neurochemistry and psychology.

The Limbic® Map shows human motives, desires and values in their interrelationship with each other. This allows brands and products to be directly located and then a personality to be designed.

🎯 Objectives & OKRs

IIn the final step of the guidelines, we translate our emotional orientation into concrete progress signals that keep us on track. We want to combine inspiration with responsibility.

After all, marketing must deliver measurable results.

Otherwise, it’s just a hobby.

Focus is particularly important here, otherwise the project or brand will be pulled in too many directions. Or as Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, describes it:

“Priorities are the few things that you’re going to spend a lot of time and a lot of capital on. Not only do you undermine their significance by having too many, but nobody is going to remember them all. You only get three.”

What we measure defines our direction.

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3️⃣ Actions

A strategy without anchoring is just a document.

Now we come to what is obviously the simplest point, but one that is often misunderstood: actions.

The measures we take to make our strategy visible.

We return to our vision. Then we ask ourselves:

What would need to be true for our vision to become reality?

To lead brainstorming sessions, I write down three states that we need to achieve. Then we connect them again at the top and form clusters underneath, as in this example:

However, when it comes to strategies, one essential aspect is often overlooked:

The inward-focused actions.

And that is precisely the key to operational strategies that work and are put into practice.

“Strategy is nothing without action. Anyone who says otherwise is stuck on their own intellectual ivory tower.”

Rob Estreitinho

We need to define answers to questions such as:

• How do we integrate our marketing strategy into our ongoing meetings?

• What does it mean for our briefings?

• How is it reflected in performance reviews?

• Can we make the strategy visible in our everyday work/in our office?

• If we don’t embed the strategy on a monthly, weekly or daily basis, it will disappear into a drawer along with the strategy paper, and then all the work will have been for nothing.

Because in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, one thing in particular happens: content is forgotten.

Once we have clearly defined all three steps, two uncomfortable questions arise.

4️⃣ Do we have the right skills to implement this strategy effectively?

5️⃣ And do we have the resources to see it through consistently?

Most organisations do not fail because of a lack of insight. They fail because of a lack of strategic practice.

If one of the five steps is missing, a problem arises.

If all five steps are covered, we achieve strategic progress.

But even the best strategy will fail if teams don’t know how to apply it in their day-to-day work. That’s why I work on strategies and on integrating strategic thinking for marketing teams.

I host and lead strategic training sessions to empower CMOs and marketing teams to set priorities, create focus and consistently implement decisions.

Tailored to the each brand, organisation and situation.

Let's talk about your strategy workshop

✴️ The Strategic Flow - TL:DR

Most strategies fail not because of a lack of intelligence or skills within the team, but because of overload.

Too many goals. Too many measures. Too few decisions.

Strategy only works when diagnosis, guidelines and actions are clearly linked.

And when skills and resources are available across the entire team.

Without clarity, every budget goes up in smoke.

“Strategy is not about adding more and more stuff. Strategy is about taking stuff away. Taking away everything, until there’s only one thing left. One single powerful thought.”

Dave Trott

Strategic progress comes from ruthless reduction.

In the end, only what works remains: Marketing strategies without bullsh*t.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

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Honestly, I did not want to write another trend report.

Not because trends are boring or don’t matter.

But because marketing teams already have enough inputs, reports, crises, charts, dashboards, hot takes - pressure.

The thing about trend reports is: Most are easy to agree with, easy to present, and similarly easy to forget the moment the meeting ends.

And yet, here we are.

Read The Full Trend Report

Because many marketing teams enter 2026 with the same question in the room:

And on top of that, the big picture looks like this:

• Geopolitical turmoil

• Budgets are tighter

• Expectations are higher

• Clarity feels rarer than ever

• And there is less room for trial and error

You cannot afford to chase everything anymore.
But ignoring signals feels risky too.

This trend report exists to guide you.

To reduce the noise and surface the shifts that will shape strategic marketing decisions in 2026. That is the reason my second PULSE: FRICTION RELOADED exists. It’s 90 slides.

Read The Full Trend Report

✴️ My 4 Marketing Trends for 2026

Let’s start with the elephant in the room: AI.

It’s everywhere, which is why this report doesn’t focus on it.

The bigger - and less obvious - shifts are happening underneath, in trust, behaviour, and what people tune out. AI accelerates these changes. It doesn’t explain them.

Why is the overarching theme FRICTION RELOADED?

• That’s why they scroll away from feeds.

• That’s why they look for things that feel meaningful.

• That’s why they show up in real life.

• And that’s why sustainability only works when it’s not the main act.

If an experience doesn’t cost time, effort, or a trade-off, it doesn’t stick.

Friction works because it adds that cost.
And once something costs something, you remember it.

The 4 marketing trends underneath the essence of Friction Reloaded are:

Read The Full Trend Report

1. ALGORITHMIC BOREDOM ESCAPE

Digital media promised discovery and connection.
What it delivered was optimisation, repetition, and feeds that all feel the same.

People are not disengaging, they are escaping.

You see it in cringe as a reaction, in comments becoming content, and in the rise of Substack and small, personality-driven formats.

Attention moves to places where friction, voice, and unpredictability still exist.

2. SEARCH FOR MEANING

Uncertain times do not make people more rational.
They make them search for meaning and stability.

When the world feels hard to read, people look for belief, comfort, and physical grounding.

That shows up in astrology, religion, tradwife narratives, being held, mushroom nutrition, and a renewed focus on the body.

Meaning becomes a coping strategy.

3. IRL IS THE NEW GOLD

Digital made everything available. And therefore forgettable.
When everything is everywhere, effort becomes the filter.

Queuing, spontaneous meet-ups with thousands of people, city-wide scavenger hunts, and real-life conferences gain value because you had to be there.

Belonging becomes something you earn, not something you follow.

4. GREEN INSIDE

Sustainability has lost momentum.
Under pressure, price, speed, and simplicity win, even for people who care.

Green struggles because it lives in reports and language, not in daily decisions.

In this last chapter I make the case for designing sustainability into how work actually happens, where speed is traded for recovery and optimisation stops before systems break.

When people experience this logic internally, sustainability becomes durable instead of fragile.

Read The Full Trend Report

👨‍💻 How did I write this Marketing Trend Report?

Full disclosure: It was a lot of fun, but it also was exhausting.

Because I wanted to level up my game and chose a different approach compared to my first PULSE: RETURN TO REAL.

1️⃣ First, and this was the real highlight for me, I interviewed 9 amazing strategic thinkers. People whose work I deeply admire - thank you for your time Zoe Scaman, Bianca Wimmer, Alex Morris, Baiba Matisone, Bénédicte Ibert-Clarençon, Rob Estreitinho, Chloé de Ruffray, Amy Daroukakis, Jenny Chang.

They all were gracious to give me 30 minutes of their time to share what they think about marketing in 2026.

2️⃣ Then I went wide and read 60 trend reports across culture, technology, economics, marketing, sustainability. This brought perspective and contradictions.

3️⃣ Lastly the really hard task started: Bringing it all together, finding common themes, threads and links. I arrived at 1 synthesis. I quickly understood, that not everything deserves attention. I decided I will go for the 1 theme of FRICTION RELOADED with 4 sub-trends.

This report is the result of extensive interviews, synthesis, and filtering.

So if you like this work, please quote me whenever you use any of it. This way I know the sweat, tears and grey hair that this experiment brought, were worth it ❤️

Read The Full Trend Report

🔮 My offer for you and your team

You now have the signals. So does everyone else.
The difference for your brand is what happens next.

So I have created a special offer to help you choose your strategic path:

• After the session, your team feels relief because everyone is aligned around a small set of clear priorities.

• The lab combines inspiration with guided, interactive exercises, grounded in real marketing team realities.

• Your team leaves knowing what to focus on in 2026, what to test and has concrete ideas on how to bring it to life.

🎬 Final thoughts

We’re already well into 2026 now.

I hope my observations, data points, insights, analyses, case studies and recommendations have provided you with some initial starting points and helped you enter 2026 with more clarity and fewer distractions.

Decide what you care about.

Do less.

Do it deliberately.

Thank you for reading along!

Florian

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Winter is coming! And that’s a good thing - if you use it right.

In nature trees use this time to strengthen roots and expand in the invisible underground. We can draw some inspiration from that and use this season to wind down, reflect and maybe even some intentions for the next year.

I personally have never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but what I have been doing in recent years is to sit down and think about some questions to reshape my approach.

So if you also want to use the holiday season for some new found clarity – and maybe even a new way of looking at your strategy, here are my 7 questions about your marketing strategy that might also spark some new perspectives.

Each one touches a different part of your marketing strategy:

1. AI

2. Focus

3. Relevance

4. Momentum

5. Customers

6. Team

7. You

So here are the 7 questions for your marketing strategy:

1. AI - Is AI making our brand smarter, or just faster?

2025 was the year AI went from innovation to infrastructure.

By now, most marketing teams have mastered agility and speed. But in the rush to ship, create, and optimise, many forgot how to think.

They stopped questioning. Stopped sharpening their strategy.

In 2026, reflection will be a competitive advantage again. The brands that stand out won’t be the fastest – they’ll be the ones that know when to pause, zoom out, and ask better questions.

Because you can’t be a source of clarity if you’re addicted to speed.

The real strategic shift? Stop asking what AI can do.

Start asking: What’s the part only you should still do.

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2. FOCUS - What are we still doing out of habit, not impact?

Most brands are overproducing.

Content, Reports, Presentations, Meetings.

True focus means choosing what deserves your time, not what fits your template. Many teams, managers – even strategists – say “yes” to too much. Because that is expected and because that is how things have been done in the past.

But to quote the great Steve Jobs:

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But it means saying no to the hundred other good ideas.”

So think about it: What did you say “yes” to this year that diluted your impact?

Here are two brand examples:

• Lush dramatically reduced its digital presence – shutting down TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for most markets. Why? To stop chasing algorithmic attention and focus on community-driven, local engagement instead.

• Vita Coco shifted their PR and marketing strategy away from large influencer gifting campaigns – and toward a more community-driven pop-up experience. They stopped chasing surface-level hype to focus on real-world, human connection.

3. RELEVANCE - Where is your brand buying attention because you’ve lost resonance?

Let’s not kid ourselves:

Paid Marketing got more expensive in the last years. Across every category.

How did most brands react?

By spending more. By refining targeting. By gathering even more data. By chasing what’s left of customers’ attention.

Still counting impressions, likes and comments.

But that model is wearing thin.

Paid media can amplify awareness, but it can’t fix disinterest. Paid reach is easy (though costly). Genuine relevance is hard. If your brand doesn’t mean enough to customers, you will have to pay.

Which brings us to the next question…

4. MOMENTUM - Where is the market moving towards?

Look beyond campaign results. Where did you feel real traction, energy, movement? That’s where your brand’s future may already live.

If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you probably know where I stand. I explored this in depth in my first marketing trend report RETURN TO REAL.

There’s untapped marketing potential in real-life gatherings, communities, and physical brand experiences:

5. CUSTOMERS - What do you want your audience to feel about your brand?

At the end of the day, people won’t remember your funnel, your Instagram story, or even your expensive TV spot.

They remember how you made them feel.

If you can’t name the feeling, your team can’t create it.

If you can’t describe it in simple words, your customers won’t feel it.

And if that feeling isn’t rooted in their world – not your internal language – it won’t land. In 2026 you will need that clarity. So ask yourself:

What is the one feeling you want to evoke with your marketing strategy? And what do you need to change so people actually feel it?

I shared a framework for this in a previous deep dive about using the 12 psychological archetypes in marketing.

6. TEAM - What kind of capabilities will your team need to stay relevant next year?

The skills gap within marketing teams is widening.

Not because people lack talent – but because the work has expanded in every direction.

• Some teams need more depth: real customer insight, sharper analysis, the ability to interpret signals instead of just collecting them.

• Others need more altitude: strategic tools, pattern recognition, the confidence to simplify complexity for the rest of the organization.

• And many need more modern craftsmanship: content quality, narrative skills, better creative judgement, not more output.

The real question behind all this is:

What are the capabilities your team needs to win in your market in 2026, and what training, exposure or experiences would actually build that?

Skills don’t magically evolve.

They grow in teams that design learning as intentionally as they design campaigns.

This is a good time to map out that learning curve.

7. YOU - What kind of leader will your brand need you to be in 2026?

This last one is the one question no one can answer for you.

Not your CEO. Not your team. Not the market. No external consultant.

You need to decide that for yourself.

So here is just some guidance:

Your job is probably no longer to have all the answers – it’s to create the conditions where better answers can emerge.

To set the emotional tone of your team. To decide what matters and what doesn’t. To show restraint when the world demands noise. Your team doesn’t need more goals, they need your guidance in the fog.

• Will you be a manager of tasks, or a steward of meaning?

• Will you be the executor of pressure, or the protector of focus?

• Will you be the voice of reason, or the one who holds space for reinvention?

• Will you be the one who delivers, or the one who decides what’s worth delivering?

Who do you want to be when the new year begins?

“Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”

Michael Porter, professor at Harvard Business School

Take these questions into your holidays.

Let them simmer.

December is for perspective. January is for plans.

To end this, I want to share one thought that stuck in my head this year:

Strategy isn’t built in brainstorms or presentations. It’s built in everyday decisions, when you act to reveal a pattern.

It’s your actions that define your direction.

That’s it for this year from my deep dives on marketing and strategy.

Have a great December and see you next year!

Thanks for reading along,

Florian

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I am a marketing strategist. And my heart beats for sustainability.

But that beating drum feels a little bit broken right now.

And I am not alone in that.

The generation with the most at stake in a sustainable future feels a real lack of agency to shape it.

My own sustainability journey started back when I worked at McDonald’s and questioned some of the approaches when it came to “doing good”.

Then I worked for Greenpeace and thought “we are fu€#ed” just being overwhelmed by seeing so many things that are going the wrong direction.

Then I started my dream job of being Head of Marketing of the food-saving app Too Good To Go. For 2.5 years I felt like actually having an impact of changing things for the better.

It also was a good time for sustainability.

2019 was the peak of the green movement.

Greta was spearheading a global movement of student protests, we all went out to huge street protests, the EU Green Deal was introduced, the wave for electric cars was changing the automotive industry and producing solar energy got cheaper than fossil fuels.

Then came Covid.

Then the war in Ukraine.

The conflicts in the Middle East.

Inflation of everyday goods.

And by the time AI amazed all of us, no one was talking about sustainability anymore.

A recent study by BBMG reveals this significant shift: The number of Gen Zs globally who feel “indifferent” about sustainability has increased from 22% to 31% since 2021, while climate “enthusiasts” have declined from 30% to 21%.

And it’s not just Gen Z that’s reportedly feeling less engaged in the planet. The number of people who say helping the environment is important to them has been declining worldwide, a downward trend that’s reflected among Gen Alphas as well.

Now it feels like the sustainability movement has entered a deep sleep phase.

Yes, some companies - especially big ones - still keep pushing their sustainability agenda. But many also stopped communicating about it, because of fear of backlash - leading to Greenhushing.

So when your heart beats for sustainability, it can feel like… no one cares anymore.

Now, I am still a marketing strategist.

I am still an optimist and thus I think there is a way out of this.

So this time I want to dive deeper on:

🦖 WHY Sustainability Communications has such a hard time right now

🧩 WHAT could help us to revive it

🍉 HOW strategic Marketing can help us getting there

🍑 Making sustainability sexy again

I aim to arrive at some newfound clarity, new perspectives and maybe even some optimism.

Ready? Let’s go.

🦖 WHY is Sustainability Communications in trouble?

There are three big issues I see here:

PROBLEM 1: Sustainability is not an intrinsic need.

Or at least not for 99% of the population.

If we look at the pyramid of human needs by Abraham Maslow, we can see what humans care about: Our physiological needs, our safety, we want to love and belong, feel respect and self-actualise ourselves.

Only if the bottom needs (e.g. we have food) are met, we can actually care about higher needs (e.g. we want to feel loved). It makes sense, because only when I have an actual roof over my head can I invite people over who make me feel respected.

And here is a first insight we could use to our advantage in sustainability communications: Air, Water, Food, Shelter - the bottom layer - actually depend on the climate, are threatened by any change.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Back in 2019 in the EU we were in that lucky position: Seeing the connection of behaving more sustainable to our wellbeing. Because in a way, all our other needs were met. So we had the societal support and political will to think about changes to keep our environment in the way that it is.

And this doesn’t just matter for brands. Political parties face the same challenge. How do you inspire people to act on long-term issues when daily fears dominate? The answer lies in storytelling - not in speeches, but in symbols, emotions, and belonging.

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Now here we have to talk about psychology.

The classic filter/​bottleneck models of attention (e.g., Donald Broadbent’s Filter Model) illustrate that humans only process a limited amount of sensory or informational input at a time.

So, when sustainability sits alongside many other crises (pandemic, war, inflation, etc) there is simply less attentional “bandwidth” left for it.

When people are cognitively exhausted, they retreat from complex issues that require long-term thinking and systemic awareness.

Sustainability is one of those. It demands reflection, patience, interconnection, mental control - things that are hard to hold when we fear for our safety or our ability to afford daily life.

As psychologist Daniel Goleman put it,

“Overloading attention shrinks mental control. Life immersed in digital distractions creates a near constant cognitive overload. And that overload wears out self-control.”

In short: This doesn’t work when we fear for our safety or our ability to afford stuff.

PROBLEM 2: Numbers don’t vibe.

Scientists have known about the problem of fossil fuels for our environment since the 1950s. A lot has happened in that time. But also not a lot at all.

That has two reasons:

1. The effort and ability of fossil fuel companies to discredit the environmental movement and their own responsibility.

2. The inability of the sustainability bubble to get the mainstream on board.

I just want to focus on the second part here, because the first you can read a ton about everywhere.

How was the sustainability movement started? By scientists.

And they love numbers, facts, statistics.

The problem is, the mainstream population doesn’t.

People listen to stories. They connect emotionally. They want simple solutions.

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So for decades sustainability communication did a great job speaking to - at a maximum - 10% of the population. Not enough for a tipping point.

If we want to convince the mainstream to change their (voting) behaviour, we need emotional stories that every layer of society can attach to. Not just the elites who went to university.

PROBLEM 3: What actually is sustainability?

In 1987 the United Nations Brundtland Commision defined sustainability as

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Sounds good?

No, I don’t think so. It is way too vague.

What is the thing that the climate movement aims to achieve?

From phasing out fossil fuels, to gender equality, to abolishing capitalism, peace in our time, and so much more. And while I agree on most levels, this is just way too much room for interpretation.

Let’s briefly look at some other successful movements of the past and their central objective:

• Women’s voting rights - as simple as that: Women were not allowed to vote. Let’s give them their equal votes.

• Slavery - also simple: No one should be forced to work for someone else.

• Going to the moon - no simple task, but as JFK noted, that’s not why “we” did it. But it was a clear goal.

Sustainability has no goal. No final state.

So companies also communicate about so many different things when it comes to sustainability. And as we have learned before - when we communicate a lot, nothing sticks, because we get overwhelmed.

Where is the big vision? What is our common - easy to understand - definition?

These visions already exist though!

We just don’t talk about them enough.

In this conversation with Nathalie Nahai, environmental activist and author Rob Hopkins describes various examples, ways of thinking and inspirations:

I could go on and on about the problems, like a black-and-white/green-blame-game, societal correctness and perfection being the enemy of progress. But maybe another time. Either way…

Sustainability fell out of our collective mindset.

And we see the same looking at CEOs:

But, now here comes an interesting thing:

While CEOs talk way less about sustainability than in the previous years, they talk differently about it - they increasingly link it to business performance.

Similarly in the 2024 IBM CEO Study, 76% of executives said sustainability is now central to their business strategy, yet fewer than half communicate about it externally.

🧩 WHAT can help us to revive sustainability?

When it comes to corporate strategy, sustainability has moved from inspiration to integration. From stage talk to spreadsheets. From feelings to filings.

That’s not bad.

But we also need to find a new way to talk about it. To find a way how marketing can communicate sustainability in a way for political players and companies alike. Because they can shape our future. (But please, still recycle your waste 💚.)

The same goes for politics. If parties want to lead the green transition, they need to reframe it too - from moral obligation to collective opportunity. Voters don’t mobilize for perfection, they mobilize for progress they can feel.

We need to reframe sustainability. From sacrifice to self-interest.

Just like business leaders are currently doing it.

It all comes back to what humans need. We need to link sustainability more to the bottom layers. Make it not just a nice-to-have for wealthy members of the society.

For businesses it is about profit.

So this next statistic is actually a great - economical - argument to become more sustainable:

25%! That’s a lot that we can already do.

The study goes on to explain one of the projects from an agricultural company:

“It had identified ROI positive levers to cut farm emissions by more than 30%, but due to farmers’ heavy workload, manual processes, limited farmer tools, and cultural resistance, only about a third of that potential had been undertaken. To address this, the company launched a clear incentive structure and a digital platform. By prioritizing initiatives and automating or prepopulating 80% of the more than 200 data points farmers needed to track, the platform enabled traceable progress. The result: reduced friction, marketable transparency, and new revenue from premium products, which the company reinvested into farms to further drive sustained impact and farmer buy-in.”

Now just make this a personal story of these farmers, compellingly told, and it is a great way to convince more. These are the stories that we need!

So here are three things that we can do to revive sustainability:

1. Belonging instead of blame: People act when they feel part of something, not when they feel judged.

2. Near-term benefits: Link sustainability to comfort, health, pride, progress - not abstract future goals.

3. Visible rewards: Show what improves today when we act sustainably (cleaner air, better food, safer homes).

Sustainability will come back to life when we stop treating it as a moral burden and start designing it as a better way to live in human realities.

🍉 HOW can strategic marketing save sustainability?

I always like to compare marketing to dating, so here is a metaphor:

The same applies to politics. You don’t win trust by shouting louder - you win it by showing up with honesty and shared purpose.

If we want to wake sustainability from its deep sleep, marketing must stop shouting and start feeling again.

Here are five ways to get there:

1. Reignite emotion.

Move from facts to feelings. From CO₂ to human stories.

We don’t fall in love with data. We fall in love with meaning. Tell the story of the farmer who found pride in changing his practices, the family whose air got cleaner, the architect, who built with the forest, not above it. That’s what makes people care again.

Marketing can bring real excitement to sustainability. And stories are what do that best in marketing. Like this example from Fairphone, manufacturer of the most sustainable smartphone, that is more about feelings than sustainability - which as mentioned is a good thing in marketing:

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“Keep it personal and close to character. Your story doesn’t have to be about saving the planet - it can be about saving a family. Or yourself.”

Solitaire Townsend in Forbes “Change The Story, Save The World”

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2. Rebuild trust.

Radical transparency beats perfection. We need less polish, more proof.

Show your progress, your struggles, your learning curve. A business whose model isn’t yet fully sustainable but takes visible steps in the right direction is more credible than one claiming to be flawless. Imperfection builds trust.

Tony’s Chocolonely is a great example for this. I also interviewed their Brand Marketing Lead Eske Tammen in my podcast some weeks ago titled “Chocolate with a Mission”. Similarly Oatly makes their marketing about radical honesty with humour.

3. Redesign aspiration.

Make sustainability desirable, exciting, modern, sexy - not virtuous.

The left side of the political spectrum - and the green bubble (sorry - that’s me too) need to understand that correctness won’t save the planet. Progress will.

Sustainability must move from “doing the right thing” to “living the better life.” Show how it improves comfort, design, taste, and pride. Make it the new premium, not the moral minimum.

Like Refurbed is doing it, transforming repair culture into a social movement by celebrating reborn tech as a lifestyle.

4. Celebrate progress, not perfection.

Don’t scream greenwashing at every attempt. Don’t let whataboutism block change.

Progress is progress. Reward the brands and creators who experiment, fail forward, and try again. The next generation doesn’t need flawless heroes, they need relatable role models.

Like the high fashion brand Reformation. They are not perfect, but in their marketing they communicate a lot about their impact and also show where they still have work to do:

5. Make it about real experiences.

When anxiety gets in the way of individual action, community creates momentum.

My first marketing trend report Return to Real revealed a clear pattern: people, especially younger generations, are drawn to brands that feels social, tangible, and shared.

Gen Z is far more likely than older generations to embrace collective consumption models. This isn’t just about reducing waste - it’s about building new relationships between people, products, and the planet. When sustainability becomes social, anxiety turns into shared purpose.

Look at Notpla, whose seaweed-based packaging isn’t only replacing plastic but showing up at large-scale cultural events, turning packaging into a conversation starter. Or at Patagonia with their Worn Wear tour:

Real change doesn’t happen online, it happens in real life. By creating connection loops - that is, places where people can act, meet, and belong - they turn eco-anxiety into collective creativity.

Marketing can revive sustainability by creating real-life communities that make climate action tangible - repair clubs, neighbourhood markets, brand-hosted meet-ups. When people meet, share, and act together, sustainability becomes culture, not content.

🍑 Making sustainability sexy again

When more and more people feel disconnected from current sustainability messaging, we need new narratives that reconnect and reengage.

“The stories we tell about ourselves and the world become the lenses through which we see reality,” notes the philosopher Charles Eisenstein.

So yes, marketing can make sustainability sexy again.

But we need to go back to the basics of human behaviour to reach the mainstream.

Sustainability needs a rebrand. With a clear definition.

We need imperfections.

We need emotions.

We need progress.

We need a vision.

We need stories.

And maybe we already have these stories.

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I am still a marketing strategist.

I am still an optimist.

My heart still beats for sustainability.

And while writing, researching and compiling this post my heart feels more optimistic.

I hope you feel that way too.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

We’re chatting about everything with AI now:

Love, dating, job interviews, business, recipes, coaching.

My students write exams with it.

My inbox is full of AI cold calls.

LinkedIn? A river of AI-written posts.

And at the top of this trend is ChatGPT the product of OpenAI whose name has become synonymous with all AI assistants (like Google that now stands for searching something).

OpenAI interestingly doesn’t shout “AI” like everyone else. While most tech sites plaster buzzwords, OpenAI’s presence feels strangely… human. Real people. Real settings. Real voices. The product is sci-fi but the presentation is everyday.

That contrast is on purpose.

We’ll dive into what they get right, what’s replicable, and why they feel different - from naming, ads and product launches, to social. We will dive deep on OpenAI’s marketing strategy.

And the main question:

Let’s take a look at that here today:

1️⃣ From Research Lab to Product Hero

⚫️ The $14 Million Dot

3️⃣ Human First Branding

4️⃣ The future of AI (marketing)

5️⃣ 5 Learnings for our own Marketing Strategy

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1️⃣ From Research Lab to Product Hero

Let’s take a look into the past:

OpenAI started in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab, talking about AGI (artificial general intelligence) safety more than consumer products. That changed overnight with the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.

A “launch” that had nothing to do with marketing, as this tweet from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, shows:

It was meant as a “research preview” but quickly went viral, hitting 100 million users in two months and suddenly turning a lab into a household name.

And when we are speaking about the name: That almost wasn’t ChatGPT.

Head of ChatGPT Nick Turley admitted the team was about to ship it as “Chat with GPT-3.5” - until a last-minute, late-night decision simplified it. They settled on ChatGPT, short for “generative pre-trained transformer.” CEO Sam Altman later joked that even ChatGPT is a “horrible” name, but it stuck and became shorthand for AI itself.

The company’s value has exploded from around $29 billion in 2023, to $157 billion in late 2024, to around $340 billion in early 2025.

“The chatbot has evolved from a prototype to a $4 billion revenue engine with 300 million weekly active users. It has shaken the foundations of the tech industry, even as OpenAI loses money (and cofounders) hand over fist while competitors like Anthropic threaten its lead.”

Kylie Robison, The Verge

But at the beginning, there was just a product, no brand, no marketing, not even a corporate design guide. But that all changed in 2025:

They invested in a Super Bowl ad, did a polished rebrand, and now have a surprisingly human Instagram account. All signals that OpenAI is ready to step onto the stage as a brand in its own right.

⚫️ The $14 Million Dot

It’s February 2025, Super Bowl Sunday.

And mixed with a lot of ads on cars and snacks - as per usual - OpenAI aired its very first ad. A 60-second spot that cost $14 million and placed the company in front of one of the largest mainstream audiences on earth.

But it was not what most, me included expected: The film didn’t lean on futuristic robots or synthetic voices. Instead, it used a single black dot - the blinking cursor we all see in ChatGPT - as its storytelling device.

Through pointillist animation, the dot morphed into fire, the wheel, flight, DNA sequencing, space exploration - a rapid montage of our human history of ingenuity.

The message was simple: Every leap forward begins with a starting point. The spot closed with ChatGPT itself and the line “All progress has a starting point.”

CMO Kate Rouch called it “the dawn of the intelligence age,” and explained the job of the ad was twofold:

1. Position ChatGPT as the next epochal tool in human history

2. and invite everyday people to “participate today” by trying it for themselves.

In other words:

The brand wanted to spark emotion, not fear. The ad marked the pivot from viral product to intentional brand - from usage to affinity. That balance made the spot stand out from typical AI hype.

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Because here is the deal: If you go to most AI or tech websites, it is all about data, the future, the technical ingenuity. If you see any humans there, they are either already AI generated or it’s stock photography.

And here you have a spot, where OpenAI’s new video model Sora was used to prototype ideas, but the final animation was crafted entirely by human artists. As Rouch said:

“This is a celebration of human creativity”

And that was the first time that I paused and thought to myself:

3️⃣ Human First Branding

When we look at OpenAI’s brand today, what stands out most is what’s not there.

No sci-fi cityscapes. No faceless robots. No glossy “AI-made this” signatures.

Instead, the company has leaned into a human-first aesthetic that feels surprisingly analogue for the firm behind cutting-edge generative models.

Back last year, the design team around Veit Moeller were tasked with creating a new brand identity that was “more organic and more human,” without losing the sense of authority, technological sophistication and research-focused underpinnings.

“Human creativity is very much in evidence in the photography that launches the rebrand. The result of direct commissions to several contemporary practitioners, the imagery ranges from landscape to still life, to more abstract forms.”

Jonathan Bell, Wallpaper.com

This rebrand set the tone.

Storefront photography, natural textures, and AI-assisted but human-curated visuals made it feel less like a lab. More like a cultural brand.

That philosophy carried into OpenAI’s biggest advertising push yet, rolled out September 2025. Debuting on TV and rolling out across streaming, social, and outdoor, the campaign didn’t showcase futuristic demos or abstract data flows. Instead, it dramatized real moments of everyday life.

The ads are inspired by real life examples: A young man cooking a date-night dinner with ChatGPT’s help. Siblings planning a road trip. A student getting fitness tips. As CMO Kate Rouch put it:

“We’re showing their stories in ways that others can see and connect with… Our goal is for people to look at these moments and think, ‘this is for me.’”

It’s a sharp contrast to the Super Bowl ad’s grand arc of human history.

Now, OpenAI went small, personal, with real actors, real kitchens, real locations.

The brand emphasized that human craft was central - ChatGPT was only used behind the scenes as a “co-creator” for brainstorming ideas. Creative director Michael Tabtabai summed it up: as AI goes mainstream, OpenAI wants to show up “with humanity, creativity, and a clear focus on people.”

That’s not a trend, that’s just science:

„People are more likely to trust computer systems when they present cues that suggest a human is behind them.“

BJ Fogg, Stanford HCI Persuasive Technology

So OpenAI doesn’t scream “look what our model can do.”

It feels warm and with a touch of human awe.

OpenAI’s product launches follow the same principle: Instead of the polished, high-gloss theatrics you’d expect from an Apple event or the keynotes of Google and Meta, their launch events feel almost understated.

Their stage looks like a fancy living room, the presenters sit together casually, as if they were just having a coffee chat.

Yes there are tech-demos, but mostly it is a conversation (that sometimes feels a little bit too scripted). But even then, there is laughing, interrupting, the asking of follow-ups. It looked more like (nerdy) friends having a good time than engineers unveiling code. The message was clear: this isn’t a tool for the future, it’s a companion for your human everyday life.

I think all of this is very deliberate: While most of the AI-scene floods social with auto-generated content, OpenAI’s restraint signals trust and taste.

They know that they need to earn the trust of people and the best way to do that is by showing real people.

„We view a behavior as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.“

Robert Cialdini, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, 2009

And they are right to do so, if we look at the data.

• 50% of consumers can spot AI-generated copy

• If spotted 25% of consumers feel the brand is impersonal, and 20% feel it’s untrustworthy.

• Even worse: Branded content starts looking the same.

So while using AI for marketing saves people time, its effectiveness at converting is falling behind human generated content. And even THE brand for AI content generation has adapted their approach accordingly.

And then there is one last example of this human touch in OpenAI’s marketing:

The “Sam & Jony” film - a 10 minute conversation between CEO Sam Altman and legendary Apple designer Jony Ive. It’s shot in a stripped-back, intimate style: two people in a simple setting of a bar during the day, warm lighting, no flashy effects.

The video feels almost like a design documentary, quiet, reflective.

By placing Altman next to Ive, OpenAI borrows the aura of timeless product design and grounds its narrative in human dialogue rather than technical spectacle.

There is nothing specific mentioned in the film, no tech specs, no roadmap - it’s about curiosity, values, and the role of design in shaping how we interact with intelligence itself. In a space where competitors default to demo theatrics, this understated collaboration signals maturity OpenAI framing itself not just as a tech company, but as a cultural design brand.

4️⃣ The future of AI (marketing)

The next frontier is already here.

With ChatGPT Pulse launched end of September 2025 and the coming wave of agents, AI will work asynchronously, learn from your goals, and act on your behalf. One step closer to the “promised” AI future of the movie HER.

But there are more questions:

• This shift towards AI use for everyday tasks also reframes marketing: from chasing attention in endless feeds to designing how an assistant delivers value directly to a person’s day. For marketers, the real question will not be infrastructure but interface - how does your brand show up inside that flow of OpenAI? How does it reach limited attention spans, when no one uses search engines as before? When people don’t go to recipe sites anymore, but just ask their favourite chatbot?

• How will OpenAI make money? Currently it is burning through investments, so monetization is the next open variable. Will the future of OpenAI come from more paid users, from ads layered into agents, or from an entirely new model we haven’t seen yet? If history is a guide, attention will once again be the currency, and that would make the user the product. But there is also the possibility of a new path, one where value is defined by outcomes instead of impressions.

• And lastly, what product will we use to interact with OpenAI in the future? Currently it is our smartphone that has an app on it. But OpenAI hints at what another future could feel like. A device designed with Jony Ive that promises to be intimate, tactile, and human. An assistant that no longer just answers prompts but anticipates intent. A brand that presents technology not as spectacle, but as a trusted partner woven into daily life. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, mentioned internally, that existing devices won’t suffice and that the device must break out of the smartphone/screen paradigm.

I have no answers to any of these now. But these are the things that I am thinking and reading a lot about.

5️⃣ 5 Learnings for our own marketing strategy

OpenAI’s brand story is unusual.

A research lab that never meant to build a consumer brand suddenly finds itself shaping culture. For a long time there was no apparent marketing strategy, no corporate design, not even a name that rolled off the tongue.

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Here are 5 things that we can learn from their approach:

1. Show how your product can solve real problems.
   OpenAI ads spotlight cooking, studying, planning - not something vague as “productivity” or “speed”. A great brand breaks down the added value it provides to a basic human need like love, community, health.

2. Human marketing goes the distance.
   The company most associated with artificial intelligence markets itself by looking more human than most tech products. In a world of infinite AI-made content, choose to look handmade and build trust through real imagery, real people, and human written texts.

   „Faces are special stimuli: they are processed holistically and automatically capture attention, conveying trustworthiness within milliseconds.“
   

   Todorov et al., Trends in Cognitive Sciences

3. The name does not matter as much as most people think.
   ”ChatGPT” is, by the CEO’s own words, a “horrible name.” It still became the word people use to describe an entire category. I have heard so many wrong pronunciations of the name, like with people spelling “Too Good To Go” - the startup I was Head of Marketing for wrong all the time. What matters is being first, being useful, and being repeated in culture.

4. Every touchpoint matters.
   Oatly uses their packaging as a marketing medium. And OpenAI uses every video, like their product launches to make people feel their brand. Because: ”You cannot not communicate.” said the godfather of psychological communications theory Paul Watzlawick.

5. Clarity through simplicity.

   OpenAI’s strongest move is stripping away the noise. Their design language is minimal: one dot, one blossom, one typeface, one calm palette. Less is more. Especially in marketing. The simpler you can make it, the more people will remember you.

Final thoughts

I started this piece talking about how AI is already in our chats, inboxes, and classrooms. It is part of many people’s every day life. It has become part of my life for sure.

And now begins the interesting part, how will that relationship develop. Will it be a bland service like Amazon.com? Or inspire true brand love like Apple, Patagonia or LEGO?

OpenAI has become part of our everyday without shouting about AI at all.

For me, that’s the real lesson in their marketing.

• Find out what problems people have.

• Then satisfy that need, with products, services and communications.

That is also a very simple definition of what marketing is all about.

After diving deep on this upcoming, and still young brand, I believe a little bit more again in a future of tech that will feel human.

Let’s see how it turns out to be.

Thanks for reading along!

Florian

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Being a strategist, I always collect signals, trends and insights on what is happening in marketing, consumer behaviour and where leading brands tap into new categories of branding.

Over the summer I took some time to work on one of these observations that has drawn on me for quite a while.

This led to my very first marketing trend report of my own, which I call PULSE.

And the theme of this first report is “RETURN TO REAL”.

Read the whole trend report

It’s 75 slides structured in 5 chapters.

So, what is my first marketing trend report about?

Where does this come from?

Over the last years I have seen marketing becoming even louder, penetrating (!) attention spans. Up to a point where they seem to be close to 0.

Now AI produces even more content and in many conversations friends, clients, survey participants have told me again and again:

“We are tired of digital media.”

Maybe digital media has become the new TV?

Good to reach a lot of people. But inefficient to really cut through the noise, because it has become the noise.

It feels like marketing’s loudest moment, is also its emptiest.

That’s the initial thought that sparked this report.

Then I went deep into research, data points, signals, reports and observations - to develop something that counters this movement.

Read the whole trend report

Here are some of the key points that I outline in my 5 chapters:

1. WAKE UP ✴ Tensions

Phones give us everything we think we need, but the joy is gone.

Scrolls feel endless, but empty. Gen Z is reporting record levels of digital fatigue, and the promise of social platforms has thinned into obligation.

• 57% of Gen Z wish social media was never created

• 26 % are engaging in full digital detoxes

• 56% express fatigue from social media content

We are more connected than ever. And more alone than we’ve ever admitted.

We have built systems that anticipate our every need. But we’ve lost the inefficient beauty of needing each other. We have outsourced the village.

Read the whole trend report

At the same time, paid media costs are rising, reach is falling, trust is slipping. And the AI generated content explosion is just creating less authentic and generic output.

• 50% of consumers can spot AI-generated copy

• If spotted 25% of consumers feel the brand is impersonal, and 20% feel its untrustworthy.

If you work in marketing, this is an uncomfortable spot.

2. SIGNALS ✴ Shifts

And yet: a countertrend is emerging:

The Return to Real.

We see it in the rise of micro-events, where a few dozen people gather and walk away changed. In run clubs that grow faster than influencer channels. In book clubs that feel more magnetic than any feed. The size doesn’t matter - the depth does.

As Joseph Pine said,

“Time is the currency of experiences.”

Right now, more and more people are spending that time offline, together.

• 46% of adults believe offline communities create a greater sense of belonging.

• 1/3 of Gen Z says they plan to spend more money on in-person-events in the coming year.

Even Mark Cuban, Shark Tank Investor and Billionaire Entrepreneur, is on to it:

What drives this shift?

1. Burnout and Digital Fatigue

Years of hustle culture and hyper-connectedness have drained us. The always-on life promised productivity - but left people feeling stretched thin and emotionally flat. Now, we crave presence over performance.

2. Pandemic Effects

Covid-19 interrupted the script. For a moment, everything slowed down. And in that pause, many rediscovered what matters: in-person rituals, shared routines, time that isn’t optimised - just lived.

3. Escapism

Authenticity has been the promise for years. But now, many crave more than just real life. They’re looking for something that takes them out of it — surreal settings, dreamlike worlds, moments that feel lifted from a different reality. Worlds that feel like a pause, a breath, a beautiful escape.

3. FOCUS ✴ Brand Directions

As strategist Zoe Scaman has observed, the era of mass media and mass brands is fading fast. That means the regular marketing funnel doesn’t work anymore.

Read the whole trend report

Attention has splintered, feeds overflow with AI-generated content, and reach no longer equals impact.

People don’t just want to see - they want to feel, reflect, and act instantly. That means marketing is no longer about chasing scale, it’s about creating resonance.

“Zoomers value cross-industry collaborations that result in products and services that align with their values and meet their needs. They seek novelty via exclusive collaborations and brand experiences such as in-store events and workshops.”

Elizabeth Tan, WGSN Trendforecasting

The strongest brands of tomorrow won’t just post, they’ll host: designing spaces where people gather, feel something real, and carry that feeling forward.

4. MOTION ✴ Case Studies

True influence moves through people, not platforms. Here are a few examples I explore in depth in the full trend report:

• Nike’s run crews give runners a sense of belonging.

• Aesop hosts intimate book circles where the product fades into the background but the brand grows in relevance.

• Patagonia driving its Worn Wear van across the country to repair jackets, not sell new ones.

• Co-creation projects from startups like Phia to giants like DHL show that when people are invited to build with you, they’ll stay with you.

These aren’t campaigns. They’re branded cultural rituals.

What sets them apart is the feeling of presence.

Real life isn’t a trend. It’s a strategic asset every brand can lean on.

These experiences work because they offer something platforms never can: real belonging. And belonging is the engine of commitment.

5. ACTION ✴ Clarity

So what now?

I believe marketing can create magic again.

But only if we build for what’s real - not what’s loud.

Read the whole trend report

This trend report is my attempt to map that path. From clicks to commitment. From reach to relationships. From impressions to impact.

Byron Sharp, Professor of Marketing Science at the University of South Australia once wrote,

“Brands grow primarily through increasing their mental and physical availability.”

And that’s exactly what this new trend enables: Mental and physical availability through real belonging.

Belonging makes brands truly unforgettable. What looks soft today - gathering people, building rituals, showing up in person - will create long-lasting results tomorrow.

For years, we’ve been told that more screens, more data, more content will save us. But the truth is: marketing feels louder, and emptier, than ever.

Audiences are tired.

Our feeds are full.

Our tools, AIs and apps optimize us, but they don’t connect.

People don’t need another funnel.

Another channel won’t fix this.

We need presence.

Real experiences.

So that’s what the Return To Real is all about.

I’m proud of it. I’m excited. A little nervous too.

And I can’t wait for you to read it.

Take what resonates. Share it with your team. Let me know what sparks for you.

Read the whole trend report

The future of marketing won’t be built in theory.

It will be built in the real world.

And for all of this, your brand will need a strategy.
A meaningful, authentic way to integrate it into your marketing mix.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

Now I want to better understand what's really important to you.

➡️ I have 5 short questions and you need 2 minutes to answer them.

Your feedback will then flow directly into further development! To make this newsletter even better for you and everyone else.

I read every answer - and look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time!

🙋 Question 1

💛 Question 2

🤔 Question 3

🎩 Question 4

🙏 Question 5 - be honest, I can take it

Thank you so much for your time!

Is there any feedback, a wish or an idea that you would like to share with me here?Then simply send me an e-mail.

I'm now taking a summer break and from September on there will be new deep dives on marketing, strategies and sustainability for you 💌

Thank you for reading along,

Florian

Really good strategy projects start with a change of perspective.

A new point of view.

An "I've never seen it like this before" moment that sets everything in motion.

That's why I love books that do just that.

That get by without buzzwords.

That ask uncomfortable questions - and provide practical answers.

So if you're looking for inspiration for your summer reading list about marketing and strategies - here it is:

Three books that show that strategic thinking doesn't originate in an ivory tower - but in everyday life.

In close observation.

In clear positioning.

And in thinking boldly ahead.

Because strategy is not a PowerPoint - it is a way of thinking that provides orientation and creates direction.

1️⃣ Lead from the Future by Mark W. Johnson & Josh Suskewicz

A strategic book - in the best sense of the word.

The subtitle "How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth" says it all in this book, which quickly became one of my favorite strategic books.

While other books explain how to solve problems, this one shows how to think about the future. And not as a vision poster. But as an entrepreneurial discipline: planning backwards from the future.

„Most companies are trapped in today. Visionary companies act from the future.“

Mark W. Johnson & Josh Suskewicz

For me, the book is a good counterpart to the reality of short-term reactivity, which is unfortunately often characterized by quarterly reports and marketing meetings. It encourages long-term thinking - an absolute necessity for good strategy work.

Our coming decade will be far too turbulent for conventional, present-oriented marketing strategies. Marketing managers, CEOs, sustainability managers and innovation managers need to look back from the future, but act now.

A good add-on: The book is full of real case studies from companies such as Amazon or Nestlé and makes it clear how to think in scenarios, translate them into business models - and derive growth from them.

I have been using the future-back process in my marketing and strategy workshops for some time now. The examples in the book have helped me to refine my own method.

2️⃣ Do/Interesting: Notice. Collect. Share. by Russell Davies

Our everyday lives are overloaded. But do we pay attention to the "right" signals? Do we consciously perceive them or do they get lost in the general busyness we have?

This book provides exciting new perspectives in short chapters, from the habit of jotting down a small, interesting observation every day, to the idea of creating an analog scrapbook, to the suggestion of starting your own event series.

And everything is described without pressure - as an invitation, not an expectation.

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Do/Interesting is one of the most humbling yet inspiring books I've read in recent months.

And perhaps even the most effective book for more creativity.

Davies and a colorful array of guest authors he has curated, show how we can lead a life that becomes more interesting - not for others, but for our own thinking. And how this thinking becomes a source of strategic power.

„Interesting isn’t something you are. It’s something you do. Don’t hunt for diamonds. Get fascinated by pebbles.“

Russell Davies

He describes this as a triad: Notice. Collect. Share.

This book has shown me once again: If you want good ideas, you have to notice them first. Strategic clarity begins with a different view of everyday life. Not with templates. Not with methods. But with the decision to look.

The last chapter was even the impetus for me to start a new project: Entrepreneurs Who Walk - a monthly walk for entrepreneurs (in Vienna) - to walk, think and exchange ideas.

entrepreneurswhowalk

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3️⃣ The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns

I don't pitch.

That was a conscious decision right at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey. And in the last three years, I have participated in a pitch exactly once.

Why? Because strategic work has value - right from the start. And because I believe that real partnership doesn't start in PowerPoint circuses.

That's exactly why The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns immediately appealed to me.

Enns pleads for an end to freebies, hasty solutions and persuasion shows. Instead, he shows us a way to act as thinking partners - not as service providers on call.

“We are hired to begin at the beginning. Like the medical professionals that our four-phase model of diagnose, prescribe, apply and reapply suggests, our highest value offering is our ability to bring new perspective and understanding to our clients’ problems.”

Blair Enns, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto

I share this aspiration.

I invest a lot of time in working with my clients to understand exactly what problem we really want to solve - before we work out a solution. The diagnosis is often the most important step. And it is a value in itself.

Blair Enns sums up the value of these conversations wonderfully:

„Presenting is a tool of swaying, while conversing is a tool of weighing. Through the former we try to convince people to hire us. Through the latter we try to determine if both parties would be well served by working together.“

Blair Enns

A good pitch may impress.

But a good conversation determines whether we can make an impact together.

And before that - as the book emphasizes - we need to inspire.

What I therefore do is share my thoughts, insights and inspiration, such as here in the newsletter, on Linkedin or Instagram. Because:

“A well-written piece is often more compelling than a deck or proposal. It demonstrates your expertise and value without needing a single slide.”

Zoe Scaman, Strategist in Going Solo

All my offers are tailor-made. No frame packages. No copy-paste. When you work with me, you get my full energy, clarity and experience - and a collaboration at eye level.

But there is always a conversation beforehand. A joint assessment. And the courage to say no sometimes, so that you can then say yes with full conviction.

💡 Looking for more input?

My next Deep Dive will be at the end of summer.

I'm taking some time to recharge my batteries and, following the example of "Do/Interesting", discover new things, collect them and then share them again.

If you're looking for reading material in the meantime, here are the most-read posts from my newsletter in recent months:

🔮 MARKETING TRENDS 2025
My analysis of international trend reports on 5 groundbreaking trends that will redefine marketing success in 2025. Including case studies, data points, and actionable recommendations for every brand.

🌾 Oatly: Marketing Case Study - The inexplicable brand
The provocative marketing strategy Oatly uses to define its own market and create crazy campaigns. Plus: 5 top learnings for our own marketing.

💚 Sustainability as a competitive advantage
How can companies communicate about sustainability in an authentic, trustworthy, powerful and future-oriented way? By having a sustainability strategy - created in 5 steps.

🍏 Too Good To Go: From 0 to 700,000 users in 2.5 years
5 marketing secrets on how we turned the start-up Too Good To Go into a global movement against food waste and what you can learn from it for your green marketing.

🌟 Using the 12 archetypes in marketing
Successful brands such as Apple, Microsoft, Too Good To Go and Patagonia show us: With the right archetype, brand identity becomes tangible. But how do they work?

And if you're looking for a little inspiration about marketing and strategies during the summer or want to follow my vacation adventures - you can find it all on my Instagram account:

👀 Your inspirations - I'm curious

Where do you get your inspiration?

Do you have any book tips, favorite podcasts or newsletters for me?

I'd love you to share them with me in the comments or as a reply!

Have a great summer full of inspiration and relaxation!

Thanks for reading along,

Florian

There are brands you want to own. And there are brands you want to understand. Aesop is one of the few brands that achieves both.

Never heard of the brand?

Then you’re either not the target – or about to become obsessed.

A few hard facts:

280 signature stores worldwide, an annual growth rate of 30-40%, a brand value of US$2.5 billion, and a cult-like love for the company among its target audience.

Aesop is one of the most coveted brands in the world.

“No matter where and how you first meet the Aesop brand it will strike you as the prototype of a modern beauty brand.”

JP Kuehlwein, Uberbrands

Aesop is not a traditional cosmetics brand.

It is a feeling. A space. A story. A ritual.

It whispers where others shout.

It makes a niche audience feel deeply understood.

Perhaps I am so fascinated by it because it was born in the same year as me—1987. But perhaps also because it does many things differently, goes its own way—and does a lot of things right.

But how does it do that? What makes this brand so special?

Today we will explore it through these topics:

1. Brand identity over performance

2. POS Cathedrals of tranquility

3. Quiet sustainability

And finally, 3 key lessons we can learn from the Aesop brand for our own marketing strategies.

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💆 Identity over performance

Like many unique brands, the story of Aesop did not begin with a business plan, but rather with dissatisfaction. Dennis Paphitis, a hairdresser with Greek roots living in Australia, was annoyed by the synthetic scents and exaggerated promises of conventional care products.

So he began mixing alternatives in his own salon in Melbourne. High-quality ingredients, understated packaging, no exaggerated claims. Just effectiveness, aesthetics, tranquility.

Even the name “Aesop,” after the ancient fabulist of the same name, is a subtle, almost provocative counter-reaction to an industry that stages its products in a meaningful but superficial way.

While classic cosmetics brands fight for attention—shouting loudly and colorfully—the brand dispenses with discounts, celebrities, and garish advertising messages.

Instead, the company invests in sensual store architecture, literary language, and radical consistency.

In times of obsession with quick results and ubiquitous advice promising “Results in 7 Days” or “Clinically Proven,” Aesop responds differently.

No hype.

No discounts.

No promises of a glowing complexion.

Instead: texts featuring quotes from Camus, stores designed like architectural poems, and marketing channels based on emotions.

A product needs to perform, but if it can do so with a little poetry, so much the better. Technology increasingly robs us of the “mystical” in our lives, but not everything needs to be fast, available, and convenient. I like ideas and products that reveal themselves slowly – more whisper than scream, something that becomes part of our own personal universe.

Dennis Paphitis, Gründer AESOP

And so the brand is less concerned with promoting the company and more with the consumers' own identity, with the products positioning themselves as a mirror of that identity.

Visitors to the website will find no superlatives, no beauty promises, no inauthentic missions. Instead, they will find factual descriptions, clear language, and short sentences.

The products are not touted, but explained. There are no “secret formulas” or perfectly styled models.

The focus is on ingredients - often plant-based, with information on their origin, effects, and application. This creates trust not through image, but through information.

This attitude runs through all communication channels.

Their Instagram is not dominated by product images, but by architectural photographs, literature lists, and design objects. Aesop is not hunting for new followers. Their channel is warm, dark, poetic, and with a strong focus on architecture. No influencers.

This perfectly appeals to the target group, a modern, affluent, intellectual “cultural cohort” that wants to use sophisticated but unpretentious products and be admired for their connoisseurship.

“They believe in- and identify with Aesop and use their choice to clearly differentiate versus their nemesis, the ‘nouveau riche’ and their primitive, showy and wasteful consumption. To them Aesop is the antithesis of the trophy luxury or lifestyle brand of the shallow masses. To them, Aesop is cult and they are willing disciples.“

JP Kuehlwein, Uberbrands

The brand's newsletters focus on seasonal routines, plant-based ingredients, and reading recommendations, not discounts.

Even their online magazine “The Fabulist” avoids any direct reference to products: it brings together essays – highly recommended here is “Life Finds A Way” by Zadie Smith – conversations, book recommendations, and travel observations.

And small cultural events are regularly held in selected stores, such as readings, discussions, and micro-exhibitions. As part of its “Resonant Gestures” program, Aesop invited local musicians to play small live sets in several stores in 2023. The performances were deliberately timed to complement the store visit. Music thus became an extension of the spatial experience, an inviting gesture for deceleration and cohesion.

These cultural interventions are part of brand management, small architectural but passionate designs that challenge the interchangeable beauty routine.

🏛️ POS as cathedrals of tranquility

When you walk into an Aesop store, you don't find a cosmetics shop, but a space that evokes emotions. It's no surprise that Vogue calls the stores the dream of every (in)official interior designer.

Each store is unique—designed by local architects, inspired by the surroundings, crafted with the aim of interpreting rather than replicating. In Oslo, you'll find Norwegian slate, and in Kyoto, wood from old townhouses.

You don't recognize Aesop by a logo above the door, but by the tranquility of the space, by the way the light falls.

This store design is not a question of aesthetics.

It is part of brand management. The spaces are minimalist, well thought-out, almost sacred.

They say nothing about the product, but everything about the brand's self-image.

“Our stores and counters are a clear communication of our values and our approach to retail service. We think of it as a hosting experience. The store is a welcoming, calm space where you are treated as a guest in our home, with high quality products, unobtrusive service, and a comfortable space that appeals to all the senses.”

Retail Architectural Manager Denise Neri in PURVEYR

Those who enter here are not relegated to being a target group, but are invited to interact as thinking, feeling human beings.

Every store can be rediscovered.

And I experience this in my own shopping behavior.

For convenience, I prefer to order most things online. But for my Aesop purchases, I always like to go to the store. Even when traveling. And even if I don't need a product right away, I like to go in, admire the store design, wash my hands, and take a quick breather.

This is something the brand deliberately controls:

“It is about the pleasures the products can give, and the need for that to be part of a person’s everyday experience. And it takes time to shop, that’s the truth – we live in an era where we are extremely deprived of time. So when somebody enters here, indeed, every sense should be cared for and experienced because it’s their precious time.”

Suzanne Santos, Chief Customer Officer Aesop

With excellent and empathetic advice, because

“Aesop is about a conversation between two people.”

Suzanne Santos

If you've never been to an Aesop store, this video summarizes the experience in a very entertaining way:

@sirbroccoliBut do my pits smell amazing…..yes

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🌱 Quiet Sustainability

Aesop rarely talks about sustainability.

And that's precisely what makes the brand credible. But it also poses a problem.

Let's start with the positive aspect:

While others advertise with seals, initiatives, and CO₂ figures, at Aesop, sustainability is not a campaign theme, but a fundamental attitude that permeates everything.

Aesop has been B Corp-certified since 2020. But instead of aggressively marketing this label, it is mentioned only in passing. Much more important is how this attitude manifests itself in concrete terms:

In refill stations that are being expanded worldwide. In stores built with locally recycled materials. In 100% cruelty-free products or packaging that is almost entirely made from recycled raw materials.

At Aesop, sustainability is not a promise, but a matter of course.

But that is precisely why there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to communication around sustainability and green marketing: Aesop is strict internally, but visible references are often missing in direct product marketing. As a lifestyle brand, it has a role model effect that is not being exploited.

If Aesop communicated its green credentials more effectively, its followers and consumers would recognize what the brand stands for. And, similar to Apple and its sustainability efforts, this would have an enormous impact on consumer behavior and the market.

🏆 3 Key Learnings for Strategic Marketing

Here are my three takeaways from the Aesop case study for our own strategic marketing:

1. Reduction to the essence

Aesop consistently refrains from traditional advertising, influencers, discounts, and promises of radiance. In an overloaded industry, this creates a sense of clarity and trust. Those who make fewer claims are remembered more strongly. The marketing strategy is consistent: they have filtered out a brand essence and infused it with ideas.

2. Experiences replace efficiency

Aesop stores are not traditional points of sale, but well-designed, architectural spaces that offer an experience. Advice becomes a conversation, shopping becomes a moment of deceleration. And that's exactly why people go there – even if they don't need anything. And then they leave the store with a new product after all.

3. Clear target group focus

Aesop appeals to a culturally affluent, style-conscious community – and deliberately ignores the mass market. This sharp positioning creates appeal and loyalty. The brand polarises – and benefits precisely from this. By focusing on a target group, accurate campaigns and ideas can trigger emotions.

➡️ Do you also want to excite your audience like Aesop? ⬅️
If you want to develop a strategy for your company that excites your target audience and really works, then let's talk.

Check out my Strategy Lab

I have been creating inspiring marketing strategies for corporates, political decision-makers and start-ups since 2008. With my marketing studio FutureStrategies, I currently work with clients from 11 countries.

🕵 Why Aesop’s approach resonates today

Because consumer culture is changing radically and the brand fits in perfectly with this.

According to a McKinsey study, 71% of Gen Z want “brands that respect them as individuals.” 64% are looking for brands that are culturally relevant—not promotional.

Aesop captures this zeitgeist perfectly. The brand offers no promises, but rather a projection screen for self-image, style, and attitude.

And it responds to another consumer desire: slowing down.

Aesop stores are places where you can slow down. And the minimalist, respectful communication fulfills a desire for guidance in an overloaded market—for a specific target group.

Aesop doesn't sell cosmetics.

Aesop sells the feeling of being understood.

Not as a target group, but as a person.

And not for everyone. But for a select group.

And maybe Aesop is simply what brands could be if they dared to stand by their brand essence.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

Almost all strategies, concepts, and projects start with a workshop. Since 2008, I’ve led more than 150 workshops – from 2-person core teams to events with 50 participants. From strategic to operational.

Sometimes full of inspiration, sometimes laser-focused on outcomes. Sometimes for leadership teams seeking direction, sometimes for experts exploring new ways of working.

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I love workshops.

And more and more often, I get the question:

“What makes a workshop truly great?”

So today, here’s this special post about workshops.

Full of learnings, observations, and methods.

Let’s start with this:

• A perfect workshop doesn’t feel like work — it feels like a collective awakening.

• For me, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” format. The art lies in creating spaces that make exactly that possible. And it all starts with one central insight and a lot of intentional craft.

So today, we’ll look at:

1️⃣ What makes a workshop perfect?

Then we’ll dive into the three core phases of my workshops:

2️⃣ Entering

3️⃣ Centering with lots of methods

4️⃣ Exiting

And finally, a few practical tips:

5️⃣ Your next step

💎 What is a (perfect) workshop?

The key question at the beginning of a perfect workshop is: What do we want to achieve?

Each of my workshops is structured differently, because it depends on the kind of future we’re working toward.

Over the years, I’ve tested countless methods – but it wasn’t until I developed my own model that my workshop design became truly strategic:

The Focus Map.

A visualization and decision-making matrix that helps us create the most energizing workshop format for our organization and team. The Focus Map helps us identify which of the five key forces we want to bring to the forefront of the workshop.

Together with my clients, I use this to find out what they really need.

Do we have the right problem?

The question sounds simple, but it’s often the biggest lever for real impact. In many cases, the problem exists in my clients’ minds but hasn’t yet been clearly defined.

That’s why my role as a consultant and strategist is to take a closer look right there.

“We are hired to begin at the beginning. Like the medical professionals that our four-phase model of diagnose, prescribe, apply and reapply suggests, our highest value offering is our ability to bring new perspective and understanding to our clients’ problems.”

Blair Enns, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto

Workshops that start with a fixed solution in hand feel like obligatory appointments. Workshops that start with genuine curiosity about the problem generate energy.

Together, we uncover possible problems the workshop can solve and then define the core problem we want to focus on:

That’s why I never start by asking: “How do we solve this?” but rather:

“What do we want to build?”

(it)… is a phenomenally underrated question for clients and teams. Clarity on problems makes chaos around solutions feel 10x more exciting. The opposite is near impossible.

Rob Estreitinho

The most important question at the beginning is always: “What?”

It gets my clients to think about something in a new way instead of telling me something they already know. “Why” can feel intimidating and focus on the past. And “How” often leads to a description that doesn’t really help.

“What” questions are open and forward-looking.

• What do we want to achieve with the workshop?

• What are the feelings the workshop should evoke?

• What would a good workshop spark?

• What makes this workshop important?

And that’s exactly why my workshops always look different:

From marketing strategy workshops to team culture workshops, brand archetype workshops, trend inspiration sessions and sustainability workshops as well as hands-on campaign planning workshops.

Every good workshop needs five things to create real impact:

1. Vision – Where are we headed?

2. Capabilities – Do we have the right people in the room?

3. Incentives – Why should they engage?

4. Resources – Do we have enough time, space, and methods?

5. Action plan – What happens next?

If even one of these is missing, the impact fades.

This is also reflected in Dr. Mary Lippitt’s model on change competency.

Once the goal, setup, and impact curve are clear, we move on to the true heart of the workshop: the dramaturgy.

How we begin. How we go deeper. How we close.

For me, that means: Entering. Centering. Exiting.

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My workshops always take place physically and in person. I don’t do remote workshops because I believe people work best on big challenges when they’re in the same real space. But here are a few inputs in case you do take part in a virtual workshop.

🖼️ Entering

How we arrive determines where we’ll go.

The perfect workshop doesn’t start in the room. It starts in the preparation.

I rarely use pre-reads, simply because they often end up unread by some participants.

Instead, I almost always work with targeted pre-questions or small mini-surveys. This helps to understand the people involved, identify critical points, and gather input so that everyone feels heard.

In addition, there’s intensive preparation on my part:

• Trend reports

• Previous activities around the topic

• Competitor analysis and customer voices

And when it comes to that last one, my basic rule is:

Because as Roger Martin writes:

„Strategy does not start with what shareholders want, or what ‘core capabilities’ we have. It starts with a profound appreciation of and fascination with customers, and a deep desire to make their lives/businesses better off.”

In the workshop itself, I like to start with a simple icebreaker format.

My favorite: the Guided Exhibition.

I visualize key results from the preliminary conversations and surveys anonymously in the room – on walls, tables, or displays. The participants then walk through this “exhibition”: they mark, add, underline.

This creates a collective understanding in the first few minutes of what really matters: What’s on our minds? What are we actually here to talk about?

And we skip the long-winded round of introductions.

A few other methods I like to use include:

• The Expectation Radar – mapping expectations and risks

• Stinky Fish – “What don’t I want to say, but it’s still there?”

• Speed Networking or Human Bingo – ideal for larger groups.

These methods create presence.

They bring people into the now. And they make it clear:

Today is not about getting through the agenda.

It’s about diving in.

By the end of this phase, all participants have arrived and are ready for the core part of our workshop.

🔮 Centering

Focus. Focus. Focus.

Now comes the true core of the workshop: the work on the topic.

In my Strategy Labs Centering means: focus, depth, energy – beyond group discussions and flipcharts.

Sometimes it’s about shaping a vision. Sometimes about resolving a conflict. Sometimes about discovering new options.

It’s the phase where we explore the problem from different perspectives, test hypotheses, let ideas evolve, and develop concrete steps.

And because every team, every goal, and every organization is different, this phase is never the same. That’s why I work with a strategic repertoire, which I select based on the goal, context, and group dynamics.

Here are some of my favorite formats for the Centering phase:

🎭 Archetype-Workshops

Brands with character are clearer, bolder, more credible. Working with brand archetypes helps teams make the invisible visible – and clearly define their own brand role.

“Marketing without a system for managing meaning is analogous to ancient navigators trying to find port in treacherous seas on a starless night. What they need is an enduring and reliable compass - a fixed place that illuminates both where they are and where they must go. For marketers, the theory of archetypes can act as this compass.”

Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson

📣 Future Press Release

A classic from the Amazon world: We write a fictional press release from the future. Who are we? What have we achieved? What excites the world about our solution?

“Teams write speculative press releases to describe - in detail - the successful delivery of an envisioned future product or service, down to the quotes from product managers and happy customers.”

Scott Smith in How to Future

🐅 Tiger, Paper Tiger, Elephant

A wonderfully visual model to distinguish between real challenges (tiger), imagined obstacles (paper tiger), and systemic blockages (elephant) – and to act accordingly.

I described it in this Instagram post:

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🔀 Mutation Game

The method developed by Fred Pelard helps break mental boundaries in innovation projects: we take an idea and mutate it in different directions – outrageous, pragmatic, visionary – until it suddenly looks completely different (and often better).

🧠 Empathy Map & Personality Games

Ideal for truly understanding target groups – not just rationally, but emotionally. It’s about needs, thoughts, fears – and about deriving relevant brand impulses from them. I like to use this method in the context of customer journeys and campaign planning.

🪦 The Brand Obituary

What would people say about our brand if it no longer existed tomorrow? This unfamiliar thought experiment brings clarity about what truly matters.

🦸 Super Power Model

Where does our unique strength lie – not from the product’s perspective, but from the users’ point of view? This question often leads to positioning that is different, tangible, and desirable.

“‘People Don’t Buy Products, They Buy Better Versions of Themselves’ - When you’re trying to win customers, are you listing the attributes of the flower or describing how awesome it is to throw fireballs?”

Belle Beth Cooper

Each of these models creates a different energy and solves a different problem.

For all of them, I’ve developed specific methods to introduce them playfully and finish with a clear outcome – depending on the goal of the workshop.

Some create clarity. Others spark creativity. Some lead to quick results, others to deep reflection. That’s exactly why my Centering phase doesn’t follow a linear process – it’s a curated choreography.

My task as a workshop lead is to create that space – with structure, but without rigidity.

And when, at the end of this phase, a team sits there with eyes shining, truly seeing for the first time what they can achieve together – then it’s already been an almost perfect workshop.

Because there’s still a third phase we need to master.

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🤝 Exiting

Every good workshop needs a strong ending.

Not just to “wrap things up,” but to spark something and leave a lasting impact.

The ending determines whether energy is carried forward – or fades in the room.

• It creates momentum,

• gathers insights,

• builds courage

• and brings clarity about what happens next.

A good Exiting includes 3 elements:

1️⃣ The closing round

At the end of my workshops, I summarize the process for the group, highlight the outcomes and the progress we’ve made together, and then ask three simple closing questions – tailored to the topic of the workshop.

It’s a final opportunity for everyone to share input and for me to learn how I can improve.

2️⃣ The Blueprint

Many workshops don’t fail in the room, but in the weeks and months that follow: the energy was there – but everyday life returned.

That’s why I place particular emphasis on what happens after the workshop.

For every project, I create a Blueprint document – a condensed, focused results paper with:

• The key insights

• A clear structure

• Concrete next steps

I recommend defining 3 to 5 concrete actions to be implemented after the workshop. Not ten to-dos – but three real levers.

Now, for each of these actions, four things are needed:

1. Who is responsible?

2. When will it start?

3. What exactly is the first step?

4. Who will it be done with?

For brand positioning work, I often complement the Blueprint with a Brand One Pager – a visually and conceptually condensed document that summarizes attitude, tone, vision, and core messages.

And: I always work with a feedback loop.

Refinement is part of the process. After a workshop, there is always another space to fine-tune things, clarify open questions, and define the next steps together.

3️⃣ The Follow-Up

Change is not a moment. It’s a process.

That’s why I offer follow-up formats like Brand Health Sessions for my clients – reflection formats that help take stock 6 to 12 months after the workshop:

• What’s working well?

• What wasn’t implemented – and why?

• What needs new energy now?

This way, the workshop doesn’t remain just a memory, but becomes part of real development.

🟢 Final thoughts

Workshops take time.

That’s exactly what makes them so valuable.

They move us from reacting to creating. They interrupt the operational noise – and make space for strategic depth.

And when a team uses that space to align, think boldly, and make shared decisions, it’s not time lost.

It’s an investment in clarity, direction, and impact.

“The greatest gift you’ll ever give your marketing is to say: ‘Stop. Let’s get the foundations right first, especially all the parts no one will ever see: positioning, guidelines, and infrastructure.’

Aaron Orendorff, Editor in Chief Shopify

I love workshops.

Sensing the atmosphere in the room when the right method meets the specific challenge and I realize: “This is where a new way of thinking, working, and leading begins.”

Put simply, every good workshop comes down to these five steps (inspired by Peter Shepherd and Jen Waldman)

1. This is who we are.

2. This is what we will do.

3. Is everybody ready?

4. What comes next?

5. Goodbye.

And if we do it right, the “goodbye” is only the beginning.

💚

Your next workshop starts here:

For June/July 2025, I’m offering 3 free Discovery Sessions for anyone planning a workshop that works and creates change.

Whether you run your workshop with me or on your own: 45 minutes with me for more clarity, more structure and an idea that excites you.

Whether it’s about inspiration, marketing strategy, positioning, team culture, sustainability strategy, team training, campaign planning or innovation: I’ll help you take the first steps.

Goal: your perfect workshop.

First come, first served.

➡️ Click here to sign up for one of the 3 free consultation sessions ⬅️

✅ Bonus: My workshop checklist for you

If you’re planning a workshop yourself – or just considering whether a workshop is the right approach – you’ll find a practical workshop checklist on my Instagram channel that helps you stay focused on what really matters.

Simple, focused, proven.

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I hope this post has inspired you – to reflect, to plan, or maybe even to finally create that workshop you’ve had in mind for a while.

If you’d like to design your next workshop together:

I’d love to hear from you.

And if you lead workshops yourself:

Take what works for you. And create spaces that make a difference.

Thanks for reading,

Florian

“Why should I read this newsletter?”

That's probably the question you're asking yourself at the beginning.

And that's exactly the topic I want to write about today:

➡️ The trend towards always looking for personal and often immediate benefits.

More and more surveys show that consumers prioritise price, convenience and personal benefit over social or ethical considerations - especially in times of economic stress.

A multinational survey of 4,000 consumers in Europe found that price sensitivity has increased by ~5% since before the pandemic, while traditional factors such as product quality and convenience have become slightly less important.

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In the face of high inflation and tight budgets, consumers are increasingly willing to compromise on quality or brand loyalty in order to save money.

And sustainability efforts are also affected by this:

“Consumers are increasingly opting for affordability over sustainability in their purchasing decisions, preferring cheaper alternatives as financial pressures hit household budgets.”

It is also very understandable: when money is tight, ethical or environmentally friendly decisions that do not pay off immediately are often put to one side.

This shows us one thing above all:

Consumers are becoming increasingly selfish.

Cost-benefit thinking is at the forefront and we are living more and more in a transactional world - which we are also experiencing in Trump's geopolitical policies.

Many people's first thought is therefore often:

“What’s in this for me?”

Consumer behavior is increasingly influenced by ego and self-identity.

People often choose brands not only because of their benefits, but also because of what these brands say about them. The “theory of self-congruence” states that consumers are attracted to brands that reflect their ideal self-image.

For example, luxury brands such as Rolex or (until recently) Tesla are chosen as symbols of status and success, not just for their functional value.

As soon as the personal advantage disappears, the willingness to buy collapses. We can see this right now in the collapse of Tesla sales figures: The car is the same as it was before Elon Musk's government contributions. But the personal, emotional value has changed.

So let’s look into:

1. Data points

2. The origin of the trend

3. What this means for marketing

4. Recommendations for marketing strategies

5. The challenge for sustainability

📊 Data points

• The top brands in a Havas study perform 57% better when it comes to communicating personal benefits. Their shares even perform 200% better.

• 71% of consumers believe that companies should help them improve their own personal wellbeing and health.

• 69% of companies have strategies to offer benefits in exchange for personal data. This means that customers explicitly want to know what's in it for them before they give up their trust or data - be it discounts, VIP access or a smoother experience.

• The majority lack optimism for the next generation. Only 36% of respondents believe that the next generation will be better off. In industrialized countries, only one in five see a better future.

• 71% of consumers expect companies to offer personalized interactions. 76% are frustrated when this is not the case.

“Over the last 15 years, we've commissioned research into what makes a brand really meaningful. What we've seen in the data is that actually there's a big shift back towards a personal lens on everything,”

Joanna Lawrence, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Havas Media Network

🗝️ Origins of the Ego-Conomy Trend

In my view, this movement towards the ego economy and the selfishness that goes with it began with the Covid-19 pandemic. The triggers: uncertainty, coupled with a retreat into and appreciation of the home - or what The Economist calls the “hermit consumer”. Then there were ongoing geopolitical conflicts in Eastern Europe, even more uncertainty, waves of inflation and therefore restrictions on personal budgets.

This environment has led people as individuals to prioritize their personal well-being and security, often at the expense of community considerations.

Economic fluctuations, such as job losses and market volatility, have led to a decline in consumer confidence and spending.

This trend can also be observed culturally:

In his Midyear Report, Adrien Cadiot describes the emergence of a new social order that Ingo Niermann calls The Monadic Age - an era of retreat into isolation, self-sufficiency and egocentric identity spaces. In such a world structure, it is only logical that brands work when they strengthen the ego - not the we.

We see an increased YOLO effect:

Consumers feel entitled to reward themselves here and now (“I deserve this”) and prioritize immediate personal well-being over long-term or collective considerations.

„Our society has become one in which people feel licensed to give their selfishness free rein.“ 

David Brooks, The Atlantic

Psychology confirms this pattern: when faced with fear and uncertainty, people often focus on self-preservation and self-reward as a coping mechanism.

In practice, this means that purchasing decisions are strongly guided by self-centered motives: Will it make me happier, healthier or richer? If not, it has a lower priority.

Everything is judged through the lens of the “ego”.

So the thesis is this:

“If I act selfishly, I'm more likely to get the result I want.”

So in my view, this increasing egoism is not egoism per se.

It is a reaction to the feeling of powerlessness that leads to hyper-individualism.

People are trading their communal identity for personal sovereignty. It's less about “I don't care about others” and more about “I don't trust that someone else will take care of me”.

📣 What does the Ego-Conomy mean for our marketing?

People expect more and more personal relevance in all areas - from shopping to campaigning - and they reward organizations that meet these expectations. Brands that successfully “combine purpose with a focus on the customer” are gaining loyalty and desirability.

Smart companies and political decision-makers recognize that the purpose must become personal: Any campaign will only resonate if it provides a clear answer to the question, “What's in it for the customer/voter?”

Marketers can use this insight to develop communication strategies that align consumers' self-interest with broader goals.

Brands leverage ego by making consumers feel special, validated and part of an exclusive group - making products powerful tools for self-expression and social signaling.

There is a practical model for this from communication theory:

The Two-Factor-Theory of Frederick Herzberg

As the name suggests, the model distinguishes between two types of influencing factors:

1. Hygiene factors: Basic expectations such as product quality, customer service and fair prices. These factors do not motivate purchases, but their absence can lead to dissatisfaction.

2. Motivators: Elements that really drive consumer engagement, such as brand prestige, unique experiences and personal relevance. Focusing on these elements can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Originally developed for internal communication, this model can also help us to better identify selfish drivers. After all, purchases do not happen if there are no reasons for dissatisfaction.

Motivators are needed - and they are becoming increasingly self-centered.

♟️ 3 Marketing recommendations for the strategy

1️⃣ Status + benefits

Customers buy to show who they are and what they want. Marketing should therefore not primarily focus on functionality, but on identity and emotion. Products become a stage for status, success and self-definition. Those who understand the desire for social distinction and personal advancement can position brands as symbols of belonging to a better world. The Ritz-Carlton's “Leave Better” campaign does just that.

“We are thrilled to introduce the Leave Better campaign, which reflects our commitment to not only honoring our heritage as a luxury hospitality icon, but embracing the desires of our discerning guests.”

Jamie Kerr, senior director of global marketing at The Ritz-Carlton

2️⃣ Individualization wins

Today, people want to be seen as individuals - not as target groups. Tailor-made offers, personalized content or customizable products satisfy the need for meaning and visibility. Marketing strategies that appeal directly to the ego create emotional closeness and create loyalty through the feeling: “This brand understands exactly who I am.”

Slogans such as “You Deserve It” or “Look Better, Feel Better” address precisely these egotistical traits and needs.

Apple has been doing this for decades with its focus on individualism in product names and campaigns.

3️⃣ From inside view to outside view

Brand messaging is effective today when it reflects the target group's self-image. Customers are looking for brands that can be linked to their ideal version. Therefore: less “What we believe as a brand” - more “Who you can be through us”. Brands become a projection surface for a better self - and are strongest when they confirm rather than convert. L'Oréal does this by communicating “Because You're Worth It” - completely related to the self.

Would you like to use this trend for your brand?

Tell me more about your thoughts and I’m excited to design a strategy session full of insights, inspiration and ideas specifically for you and your company.

Send me a message.

🌳 Sustainability challenge

Sustainability WAS trending.

In 2019, it was the top 1 topic, with protests on the streets and an increasingly socially acceptable consensus that the climate crisis needs our full attention.

Then came the Covid19 pandemic.

Then geopolitical uncertainties and economic crises.

Now consumers have more urgent and selfish needs.

Sustainability as an end in itself is only attractive to a few people.

More than a third of respondents to a global study say that companies should “satisfy their individual needs first before taking on a greater role in society”.

In other words, they expect brands to put personal benefit for themselves as individuals before social good.

Sustainability must now be pragmatic. It must be aligned with profitability and hard facts (I have described how this works here). Because it remains important and will be the survival engine for companies of tomorrow.

From a consumer perspective, there is a selfish expectation that personal affordability, convenience AND sustainability (albeit in third place) are on offer.

This underlines the fact that we expect companies to “do good” so that we do not have to sacrifice our own comfort or its costs.

And a brand's good deeds only resonate if they in turn have a clear benefit for us consumers. Purely altruistic offers have a hard time. This also means that shifting the responsibility for sustainability to consumers “to do the right thing” (e.g. self-compensation of CO2 impact for air travel or shipping options) will come to nothing.

Communicators also need to emphasize personal commitment when communicating with voters: Policy is framed in terms of jobs, bills and your family's security, not abstract social progress.

Sounds complicated?

It doesn't have to be.

We need to turn collective values into personal benefits:

Less packaging = less chaos at home

Natural cosmetics = better feeling skin

Organic food = healthy nutrition

Fair fashion = exclusive style

The trick lies in reframing, as my friend Thomas Klaffke always writes: The big idea has to fit into the small life.

Patagonia's marketing strategy combines “doing good” with strong identity building: “environmentally conscious” becomes “cool”, “adventurous” and “value-driven” with the feeling of mountains and wave surfing.

And in Too Good To Go's marketing, sustainable action is associated with a better conscience and cheaper food. Users feel clever, sustainable and benefit directly - a classic “what's in it for me” fit.

So: don't just show how to save the world - show how it feels good and how it benefits people themselves.

Today, green marketing must also face up to the question “What's in it for me?”.

Sustainability without recognizable personal benefit is difficult to sell.

People only follow their ideals if they benefit directly from them.

🎬 Conclusion

So we see a clear picture of a world that is increasingly governed by self-interest - a “me before we” economy and society.

Personal benefit, convenience and cost efficiency are driving consumer behavior.

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Voters are increasingly opting for candidates and issues that address their own immediate needs. This means that successful election advertising must also do exactly that and answer “What's in it for me to vote for this party”.

As a CMO or marketing manager, it is now important to understand and translate this trend: Successful marketing depends on the ability to provide tangible personal benefits to the target audience.

Brands that manage to communicate “what's in it for me” can build trust and loyalty even in this era of uncertainty.

Serving the “ego-conomy” is a prerequisite for market relevance in the coming years and perhaps the only sustainable way to achieve a broader impact: by meeting people where their priorities lie.

And that, like any successful marketing strategy, starts with a deep understanding of your target audience.

Thank you for reading,

Florian

Do you think sustainability is important?

Probably yes.

And do you think you contribute a lot to it yourself?

I and many others would tend to say no.

That's the problem. Sustainability has an image problem!

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One of the biggest mistakes we made was to talk about statistics and figures - all of which are correct - in relation to the green future and the climate crisis.

However, this does not inspire the masses because, as I have already written in recent posts, they are one thing above all: overloaded.

And that unfortunately leads us to a clear result:

The last decade has been a massive failure for climate policies worldwide. Instead of meaningfully reducing emissions, we mostly did: nothing. A lost decade with one negative record after another causes many people to feel helpless and hopeless.

And while this story is true, it is not the whole picture. The situation is serious but not hopeless. Many things have started to change for the better in recent years, and scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs everywhere are working on solutions. There are things we can do, and it is not too late.

Kurzgesagt

If we want to change this, we need to inspire people.

We need an overarching story. We need to make sustainability sexy.

But if we simply implement random campaigns or launch a big sustainability campaign once every few years, that won't get us anywhere.

We need a sustainability strategy.

In the strategy, we define our approach to sustainability and what, how and why we communicate about it.

Today I describe how I develop these fundamental ideas and solutions together with my clients.

At the heart of this are a few key points. We need

1. a potential for why we want to promote sustainability.

2. a definition of what sustainability means for us as a brand.

3. a commitment from the very top - no strategy without a CEO.

4. actions that we take to improve our impact.

5. marketing activities to make our contribution visible.

The most important thing is: first the sustainability strategy. Then the appropriate marketing.

The basic principle of good communication is not without reason:

“Do good and talk about it.”

And not

“Talk a lot and then do some things”

So here's how I work this out together with my clients:

1️⃣ Why sustainability?

In hundreds of conversations with CEOs, CMOs, founders and marketing managers, I always hear the same message:

“I care deeply about sustainability.”

And yet we still see little progress. According to the latest UN 2024 report, we will only achieve 16% of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And that means even more extreme weather events in the coming years.

Why do we have little progress?

Because sustainability is an investment.

Sustainability is a business thing, not a marketing thing, first and foremost. In other words, it’s something you should do at a wider business level, not something that is a quarterly spike of activity or anything like that.

Rob Estreitinho

A strong sustainability strategy will not directly bring us better results next quarter or year.

But it will ensure the continued existence of our company (and pleasant temperatures) over the next 5-10 years. So what are good reasons for a brand and company to invest in and focus on sustainability right now?

• We can gain a competitive advantage over our competitors. Companies that have sustainability strategies achieve on average 11% higher profits than their unsustainable competitors. This is because their customers are more loyal and satisfied.

• We can already create a framework for future legislation. Because when it comes to legislative amendments, pioneers such as the EU or California will always look to the market for inspiration.

• We can be more attractive suppliers for big companies that have to integrate their sustainability impact into their reporting. 73% of all B2B buyers are already planning to delist partners if their sustainability efforts are insufficient.

• And the most important thing from my point of view: we will find it easier to attract young talent as employees. This is because they increasingly no longer want to work for non-sustainable brands:

The most important thing in this first step is to determine together:

Why do we as a company or brand want to dedicate ourselves to the topic of sustainability? What do we expect from our investment and commitment?

Of course it is good if we are motivated by a future worth living, but because this is simply not tangible for many people, we need more “economic” motives.

➡️ Does your company need a sustainability strategy? ⬅️
If you want to develop a sustainability strategy for your company and a green marketing strategy that will give you a real competitive advantage, then let's talk.

To my Strategy Lab

I have been creating inspiring strategies for corporates, political decision-makers and start-ups since 2008. With my marketing studio FUTURES, I currently work with clients from 11 countries.

Once we have a clear picture of this, we can move on to the next step.

2️⃣ What does sustainability mean for your company?

90% of managers consider sustainability to be important. But only 60% of companies include sustainability in their strategy. And only 25% have integrated sustainability into their business model.

These are the findings of a BCG/MIT study, which calls it the “Knowing-Doing-Gap”.

One of the biggest problems and the reason for this discrepancy is that we don't have a clear definition of sustainability.

I bet I understand sustainability differently than you do.

And if we ask all of the now over 1,600 readers of my newsletter (thank you 🙏), we get hundreds of different definitions.

Other social movements had it easier: the introduction of voting rights for women or the abolition of slavery were also long journeys, but it was always clear to everyone what it was really about.

At the beginning of a sustainability strategy, we must therefore define what we as a company and brand understand by sustainability:

• Sometimes sustainability means reducing CO₂ emissions.

• Other times it means balancing positive impacts on profit, planet and people.

• Some companies focus on social issues and gender equality.

And that's exactly why every strong sustainability communications strategy starts not with a message, but with clarification:

So what do we - as a company, as a brand, as people - actually mean by sustainability?

Only when we make this tangible can communication become credible and strategic. And all the definitions mentioned above are good and important. But they are so different that we need to sharpen them up.

This step is also about analyzing what your current impact is, because without the status quo, you can't define goals.

Sustainability is a game with no losers. The world gets a little bit better - a little healthier, a little more beautiful, a little more just and free - and you get to enjoy what it feels like to have made that difference.

Solitaire Townsend

3️⃣ Commitment from the very top

A communication strategy for sustainability is not a marketing or PR measure. It is a strategic positioning.

And it needs more than just an “okay” from the board - it has to be supported and shaped from the very top.

That's why I have a basic rule in my projects:

Because real sustainability touches on key questions:

• How do we do business?

• What conflicting goals do we accept?

• How do we define success in the future?

If the top level does not develop a position on this - or does not communicate it openly - uncertainty arises. Both internally and externally. Employees don't know how serious we really are. And externally, every message comes across as a maneuver, not as conviction.

Plus: there will definitely be conflicts of interest. And when the going gets tough, teams need a clear guideline on how much sustainability can take center stage.

That's why I always get top management on board when developing a strategy. Not as a controlling body, but as co-creators.

It is very important to me that we get everyone on board with clear facts as described in point 1, but also with emotions. A good current example of this is this commercial, which manages to create a connection with the future:

Together with all decision-makers, we then define goals - how much, by when and in which area do we want to improve our sustainable impact?

Once we have commitment and goals, we move on to the next step:

4️⃣ Strong actions

Fortunately, there are already some very successful implementations by companies to strategically anchor and promote sustainability.

Depending on the definition of your own contribution to sustainability and the goals, there is a wide range of actions - today I want to present three particularly exciting ones here:

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👷 Case 1: Everyone is a sustainability officer - Unilever

Unilever has set a strong example with an unusual campaign: For one day, all employees in the company were declared sustainability managers. On arrival at the office, everyone received a business card with the title “Head of Sustainability” as well as a handbook with their tasks.

Especially in large organizations, it is important that employees not only hear but also feel the relevance and urgency of sustainable action.

As Solitaire Townsend writes in this Forbes article:

“It’s about everyone considering sustainability a part of their responsibilities so they can help drive their organisation towards faster and smarter action.”

Such campaigns have the potential to change perspectives and anchor sustainable thinking. At the same time, the question remains as to whether Unilever will consistently live up to this claim in everyday life - or whether it will remain symbolic actions. After all, true sustainability begins not only in the calendar, but also in the supply chains, management objectives and product strategies.

💰 Case 2: Internal carbon tax - Microsoft

Anyone who works in a large company knows that it's not always easy to get the other departments excited about sustainability. Everyone is focused on their own goals, and these rarely have anything to do with sustainability.

Microsoft has developed an exciting idea for this: The internal Microsoft Carbon Tax is a pricing system that has been in place since 2012. Microsoft levies a “CO₂ tax” on all business units in the company based on their CO₂ emissions.

This means that every team, every department - from product development to marketing - pays a certain amount internally per tonne of CO₂ generated by their activities. This includes electricity consumption, business travel, advertising emissions and emissions in the supply chain, for example. The effect: all departments are suddenly much more aware of their CO₂ emissions - because nobody likes paying taxes.

The money does not simply flow into a budget pot, but is used specifically for CO₂ compensation and removal, investments in sustainable innovations or climate-neutral infrastructure.

Microsoft has continued to increase this internal CO₂ price over the years in order to strengthen incentives and enable new measures.

An internal pricing system is not “greenwashing”, but a strategic lever. It makes emissions not only visible, but tangible - and creates a binding bridge between ecological and economic management.

In other words:

A good sustainability strategy doesn't just need stories. It also needs structures. If you really want to anchor sustainability strategically, you have to create incentives - and place responsibility where decisions are made.

⭐️ Case 3: Linking bonus systems with sustainability - Gerresheimer

Truly involving employees to bring the strategy to life is crucial. An exciting step that many companies, including Oatly, are already taking is linking bonus systems to sustainability goals.

A concrete example of this is Gerresheimer, a manufacturer of packaging solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

The company has implemented a bonus system in which 60% of the bonus is allocated to quantitative (profit-oriented) targets and 40% to qualitative targets, with 10% of the qualitative targets relating to ecological aspects.

This means that the management promotes sustainable innovations through targeted impetus and freedom, such as the development of a cleaning process that reduces water consumption by up to 45%.

The full financial bonus can only be achieved once this 10% has also been achieved.

Fortunately, there are already a large number of exciting strategies relating to sustainability. In my workshops, I therefore always bring the company and suitable actions with me as inspiration.

5️⃣ Bridging to marketing

Marketing comes into play as the last step of a strategy.

If we have a real strategy, then we can think about how to communicate it to reap the rewards of our efforts.

And also to inspire consumers for a more sustainable future.

“Being a good marketer is like having super powers: you can change people’s behaviour, you can shape the way they see the world. But with great power, of course, comes great responsibility.”

Arwa Mahdawi, Brand Strategist

But here, too, we have to recognize that 99% of all consumers do not want to buy sustainably, as Frédéric Dalsace and Goutam Challagalla describe:

With any purchase, consumers are first trying to get a specific job done. Only after they find something that will help them do that job—and only if sustainability is important to them—will they look for a product that in addition confers a social or environmental advantage. No one decides to buy a chocolate bar to, say, improve the working conditions of farmers on the Ivory Coast. People buy chocolate, first and foremost, because they want to indulge in a small pleasure. No one decides to buy an electric car to prevent climate change. People buy cars because they need transportation; reducing their carbon footprint is an ancillary benefit.

Successful brands have recognized this and adapted their communication accordingly: Sustainability is not the top 1 topic but plays second or third fiddle:

Green Toys, for example, who put the safety of their 100% recycled toys - number 1 according to their website - above their environmental friendliness.

Or the shoe brand Allbirds, which describes its alternative materials in terms of both comfort and sustainability: 'Our shoes are light and airy', made from 'cushioning' sugar cane.

So it's about benefits for customers that are not just about sustainability.

Sustainability pioneer Solitaire Townsend describes this aspect in her book “Not To Late”:

Go beyond guilt-busting feel-good offerings and tell your customer how sustainability has upgraded your product in more ways than one. This banishes the sustainability marketer's enemy: worthiness. And above all, it makes sure you've answered any consumer's biggest question: What's in it for me?'

Marketing can do much more than we often think.

It knows the challenge of getting an entire organization excited about a topic - without telling people what to do.

Marketing experts know how to change behavior without creating resistance. How to tell stories without putting themselves at the center. And that's exactly why marketing can play a key role in sustainability - if it's done well.

Because to be honest, sustainability teams today are often where marketing used to be when it came to digitalization - with a clear vision but little backing. Between idealism and reality. Between PowerPoint and practice.

But it doesn't have to stay that way.

🎬 My conclusion

Sustainability needs more than a good gut feeling or a nice campaign.

It needs clarity, courage and a strong foundation. As an investment for the long-term survival of companies. Because acting strategically now gives you a real advantage: more loyal customers, more credible communication, more motivated employees and a place in the future.

In my workshops, I work with companies to develop exactly that: a sustainability strategy that fits the brand, the environment, works in everyday life - and makes a difference. No buzzword bingo, but a clear process with tangible results.

The outcomes of this are:

1. A clear diagnosis of the status quo

2. An inspiring vision around sustainability

3. Strong and marketable actions.

If you now have the feeling “I want that too” - get in touch with me and together we will discover how sustainability can give your company a strategic competitive advantage.

Thanks for reading along,

Florian

When was the last time you watched a commercial to the end?

When was the last time you really read a newsletter?

When was the last time you changed your buying behavior?

2025 shows us one thing above all:

An overload of (world) news.

We feel like we're under constant stress.

Everything is so fast.

The.

All.

Time.

And it's not just us marketers who feel this way.

So do the customers we try to reach.

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According to a study, women usually spend around 84 seconds evaluating a partner profile in a dating app, while men only need 58 seconds.

If we don't even pay attention to choosing a partner, then we can assume what is happening to our expensively produced and carefully considered marketing.

• We spend 1.7 seconds on an advertisement in a magazine.

• On a mailing 2 seconds.

• On a social media post 1.3 seconds.

Our brand content is literally eaten up by people's everyday lives.

And they prefer to forget this everyday life when they are entertained.

Who hasn't experienced this?

After a long day at work, you just want to relax on the couch.

Just scroll TikTok or watch Netflix... (or both at the same time).

And escaping the omnipresent and constantly changing algorithm seems almost impossible.

“The Algorithm” doesn’t measure what people want.
It measures what people pay attention to.”

Karen X. Cheng, Creative director, video and visual arts

Brands will have a hard time in 2025.

This is not just a challenge for companies:

53% of all creators also think it is harder to reach their followers than it was five years ago.

People are overwhelmed by communication, choice, products, services and advertising.

Nobody wants to buy products.

And people want to buy sustainability even less.

They want to be rewarded, to feel a bit of nostalgia in uncertain times. And in essence, they want a benefit for their lives.

So what will brands have to create in 2025?

Let's take a look at that today:

1️⃣ From purchase to desire

2️⃣ Emotions on eye level

3️⃣ Green marketing reframed

1️⃣ From purchase to desire

Some brands are simply bought.

Others are desired.

In the incredible amount of content and choice, brands need to stand out with emotion.

Consumers are searching for a deeper meaning. The value of a product or service will increasingly be judged by its ability to evoke a profound emotional response.

We forget the majority of brands relatively quickly.

A few live somewhere in the hinterland of our consciousness. We buy and consume on the basis of habit. We buy because we want to satisfy a need.

And when we buy, 99% of the time it's a transaction.

Sounds harsh.

But unfortunately it is the reality of marketing in 2025.

Let's take a change of perspective from this dreary thought:

Think of a product that you really want. Something you want right now.

Nobody buys a Rolex because they need it. Nobody buys a house because a spontaneous desire has just arisen. We spend days, weeks, months rationalizing why we make big purchase decisions.

This is desire.

Luxury brands have been working with it for decades.

Why do we buy a Rolex but ignore sustainable products?

But what happens when we apply these mechanics to more everyday products?

What happens when we work with it around sustainability communication?

That's where we need to start.

From transaction to transformation.

From “here's what we do” to “here's what we help you do”.

In a very practical way:

🍎 What does Apple sell?

At first glance, they are electronic devices.

But at second glance, they are a tool to connect us, to express ourselves (and our status) and to pay more and more attention to our health.

It is not for nothing that the Apple Watch is the best-selling watch in the world, which incidentally communicates with one argument at the top of the list: Health.

So it's not just about the WHAT behind products, but more and more about the HOW and WHY.

“Consumers are no longer buying just items, but are buying into sensations and visions of themselves. Brands need to understand the emotional journeys of the customers and display and position their products not just as objects of desire, but as integral parts of larger lifestyle aspirations.”

© Next Atlas Unveiling 2025

A few more examples that show how an everyday product can stand for more:

🧹 Dyson - Doesn't sell vacuum cleaners, it sells innovation. Their products are not just functional, but a status symbol for design and technology enthusiasts. They position themselves as pioneers who make the home smarter.

💄 Glossier - Doesn't sell cosmetics, but community. Their products are minimalist, but the real product is the close relationship with the customer. Glossier became big because consumers felt part of a movement - beauty as self-determination.

🥘 Le Creuset - doesn't sell pots, but the dream of the perfect kitchen. The well-known colorful cast iron pots do not stand for function, but for enjoyment, tradition and the image of a French country house kitchen.

This is the reality in which marketing works in 2025.

➡️ Is your brand fit for the coming years? ⬅️
If you want to develop a strategy for your company that excites your target audience and really works, then let's talk.

Check out my Strategy Lab

I have been creating inspiring marketing strategies for corporates, political decision-makers and start-ups since 2008. With my marketing studio FUTURES, I currently work with clients from 11 countries.

2️⃣ Emotions on eye level

We want to create a brand that really inspires.

That stands for more than just a product.

How do we create this desirability for our brand?

Our marketing must entertain.

In an entertainment-driven society, our brand messages are competing with Netflix, the social media algorithm and an ever-shrinking attention span.

Not an easy piece of work.

What makes an “entertainment brand” so entertaining? How can we use this for ourselves, for our brand, our products and services?

Here are three initial steps to create this change in marketing:

1️⃣ Away from your own brand

Most brands make the same mistake: they talk too much about themselves. About their products, their features, their sustainability strategy. But the problem is - nobody is interested in your brand.

Successful brands have already understood that the focus is no longer on their own products and services. It's about becoming a source of support for their own customers.

This works best when we tell a simple, emotional story that inspires, surprises or is helpful for our target group.

The first rule of storytelling is:

Every story needs a heroine. But the brand is never the heroine.

It is only the elixir that makes the heroine successful.

Adidas, for example, does an excellent job of this with its “You Got This” campaign, which aims to boost athletes' self-confidence and reduce negative pressure in sport.

Instead of focusing on its own products, Adidas focuses on supporting and encouraging athletes to overcome their personal challenges.

The campaign shows both elite and recreational athletes overcoming self-doubt and achieving their goals with the help of mentors and positive messages. Adidas uses the slogan to convey a clear message: it's not just about the products, but about what people can achieve with their help.

2️⃣ Experiences as a product

95% of all purchasing decisions are made unconsciously on the basis of emotions - not rational arguments. People don't just buy products - they buy feelings, experiences and identity.

Brands that only focus on price or function remain interchangeable. The biggest growth drivers are emotional needs.

We live in an entertainment economy, as Frank Rose describes it in “The Sea We Swim In”:

Services are useful, but commonplace. Experiences are memorable, even magical - and worth paying extra for.

We can buy ground coffee fairly cheaply, and for a little more we can get a cup of coffee already made for us.

But if we pay more, we can get a more exotic cup of coffee, prepared by a friendly local barista, and enjoy it on the windowsill of a boutique café.

“We want goods and services to be commoditized - to get the lowest possible price and the greatest possible value. Experiences are really about time - and time has become so much more precious to us."

Joseph Pine

Brands need to design every touchpoint as an experience, not just a transaction.

LEGO does this brilliantly with various pop-ups around their Botanical Collection:

littlekidbigcity_newyork

A post shared by @littlekidbigcity_newyork

Then we have to find a simple format and keep repeating it. This is how we build awareness and trust. Repetition creates recognition and gives us a more prominent place in the minds of our customers.

3️⃣ From persona thinking to real needs

76% of consumers expect brands to understand their individual needs - not just their demographics.

Marketing departments love personas. But personas are often static, clichéd and say little about why people actually buy.

The real secret? Motivation types and needs profiles.

If we want to reach people, we need to understand them. And that doesn't (only) work with personas. We have to base our marketing on real problems, challenges and emotional insights.

Upgrade your user, not your product.
Don’t build better cameras.
Build better photographers.

Kathy Sierra

A few examples:

📚 Kindle does not sell an e-reader, but the ability to always have an entire library with you. The product is not the device, but the convenience of being able to read anywhere.

📝 Notion is not selling a note-taking app, but the promise that you will never lose an important document again and that your thoughts will remain structured. Their product is productivity, not software.

🦉 Duolingo doesn't sell language courses. They sell the feeling of making progress through play.

3️⃣ Green marketing reframed

Last but not least: What does this mean for sustainability brands?

Sustainability has a major image problem in 2025. People think there are more important things. And in essence, they are right!

Let's forget sustainability for a moment.

What are we actually about?

We want changes in behavior that make a more positive future possible.

Better air. A healthier life. Pleasant temperatures. Prosperity. A happy society.

That is the goal.

And if we want to inspire people to achieve this, then we have to accept this too:

Most people don't buy things because they are sustainable. They buy them because they solve a problem, save money or make life easier.

“Made with less plastic” is a fact.

“Costs less” or ‘Lasts longer’ is a selling point.

Sustainability is not just a marketing strategy - it has to serve a real consumer interest. It has to meet real needs.

Everyone talks about how important sustainability is. In every survey, consumers claim how willing they are to dig deeper into their pockets for a clear conscience. And then?

Only a few sustainability brands see an effect in their sales figures.

The hard truth: there is a huge gap between statements and behavior.

🌄 That is the Value-Action-Gap.

We too often sell sustainability as a moral add-on.

As if it were an extra portion of virtue to take away.

As if we have to appeal to the “better people” in us.

But let's be honest: 99% don't buy sustainably because it's ethically correct.

We buy sustainably because something tastes good, is practical, works well, gives us a sense of status or makes our lives easier. The price must be right, the benefits must be clear.

⛔️ Sustainability as an isolated value cannot win this competition. It must be woven into the DNA of the product - not as an add-on, but as an integral part of the value proposition.

This means that we need to integrate real, tangible benefits for our target group from the outset.

Yet 45% of all award-winning sustainability campaigns in 2024 showed no benefits for consumers. No wonder brands aren't seeing the expected uplift in sales.

The days of (sorry) boring numbers and overwhelming doomsday scenarios around sustainability are over. We need pragmatism.

“People are sick of fear porn when it comes to purpose.”

SMALLWORLD

We need stories that make us look forward to a future in which “good for the planet” automatically means “good for me”.

The path must be sexy.

Every big change starts with a vision.

But often the way there is ... anything but sexy.

Sustainability? Sounds good.

Reducing emissions? Makes sense.

Saving the planet? Of course.

But what does that mean in concrete terms?

Changing supply chains. Rethinking materials. Questioning processes.

Work. Effort. Compromise.

That doesn't sound like an advertising slogan, it sounds like a headache.

And that's exactly the problem.

A small example of how this can work:

Many people want to look fit. That's the sexy vision. But getting there - regular workouts, changing your diet - can be difficult at first glance. And yet the fitness movement still has incredible appeal. What can we learn from it?

It's not just the goal that has to be desirable, but also the process of getting there.

• Patagonia turned renunciation into a status symbol.

• Too Good To Go turned food waste into gamification.

• Reformation made sustainable fashion sexy.

The trick?

Not to say: “It's tedious, but necessary.”

But rather: “It's cool - and also sustainable.”

That's how desirability works.

The path has to feel good. Then people will come of their own accord.

And that's how even facts that seem dry at first glance can be communicated:

reformation

A post shared by @reformation

If we manage to build up this desirability, then consumers will tend to perceive our products as superior (despite their higher price).

Behavioral scientist Daniel Kahnemann called this „Affect Heuristic“.

🏁 Where do we begin?

Successful marketing will still need a clear strategy in 2025.

And we start at the beginning.

With a razor-sharp diagnosis that understands our target group. In it, we identify what they really want, where we can create an authentic connection to our brand and what problem we can solve for them.

This is exactly what I am doing for many exciting clients in recent years with strategy workshops, brand positionings and archetype workshops.

Brand building and marketing will remain a challenge in 2025.

But what did David Ogilvy, co-founder of one of the world's largest advertising agencies, say?

“Any damn fool can put on a deal.

But it takes genius, faith, and perseverance to create a brand”

Thanks for reading along,

Florian

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We need to talk about AI.

I know, everyone wants to talk about it.

All. The. Time.

But we need to discuss the impact of AI on marketing, its potential, and its risks. And how we can use it effectively for organizations.

In my last newsletter, I mentioned that I see 5 particularly exciting trends around marketing and strategy for 2025.

Today, we’re diving deep into number 4:

🤖 GenAI Explosion – The AI Cultural Shift in Marketing

Let’s get this straight from the start—I wrote this piece myself.

But AI helped me research a little beyond my usual scope.

Some key questions that have been on my mind (and maybe on yours too?) are:

• Will young marketing managers have a harder time finding jobs now that agencies and brands have artificial assistants?

• Will AI not only change our work but also our perception of creativity itself?

• Will companies and employees who don’t engage with AI still be competitive in five years?

• Will AI models soon replace creatives and strategists—or will they free us from repetitive tasks so we can focus on real ideas again?

• Will AI make brands smarter, more relevant, and more unique—or will it lead to uniformity, making all content interchangeable?

As these questions show:

We’re moving in a field of tension.

On one hand, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, claims that AI will take over 95% of all marketing, creative, and advertising work currently handled by agencies.

"It will mean that 95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly and at almost no cost be handled by the AI — and the AI will likely be able to test the creative against real or synthetic customer focus groups for predicting results and optimizing. Again, all free, instant, and nearly perfect. Images, videos, campaign ideas? No problem."

Yes, Generative AI produces text, images, videos, and even entire campaigns in seconds.

But is that enough to create real brand relationships?

Marketing is more than just generating content quickly.

It thrives on intuition, human creativity, and cultural sensitivity. It’s about understanding emotions, telling stories that stick, and giving brands a unique identity.

AI can test, optimize, and personalize—but it can’t feel. It can analyze data, but it can’t create genuine brand culture. And if everyone uses the same algorithms, won’t everything start looking the same?

Data Points

• 88% of organisations are exploring how to use Generative AI (only 61% are working on prediction models, and just 30% on robotics).

• 25% already say, that they are integrating Generative AI capabilities across large parts of their organizational structure als integrierte Fähigkeit in großen Teilen ihrer Organisationsstruktur (not just in marketing).

• 76% of marketing strategists have a positive attitude toward AI - and nearly 90% expect to work with AI even more.

• Only 25% of companies invest in AI training for their employees, and only 39% of employees have received AI training from their companies.

• 80% of employees in organizations with AI bans admit to using AI anyway - 74% do so through their personal accounts.

• Employees don’t want to wait for official AI guidelines. They use it because it saves time (90%), helps them be more creative (84%), and makes their job more fulfilling (83%).

Between Unlimited Potential & Lack of Direction

Why do marketing professionals use AI in their work?

The top 3 reasons are:

• AI helps spark creativity.

• It provides a quick overview of a topic.

• It increases productivity.

So for many, AI is a game-changer.

Developing marketing ideas no longer takes weeks but seconds:

🎨 Visual content in seconds – With Midjourney or DALL·E, you can create stunning campaign visuals, product mockups, or social media posts tailored to any audience.

📝 Texts that hit the mark – From snappy headlines to blog articles and personalized emails - ChatGPT or Claude turn ideas into precise words, optimized for SEO and engagement. Perplexity generates sharp analyses.

🎭 Hyper-personalized content – AI tools like Persado analyze which emotions work best for each audience and deliver the perfect copy for every platform.

🎥 Automated video creation – Tools like Runway ML or Synthesia enable professional video production with AI-generated voiceovers and stunning effects -faster and cheaper than ever.

I find this incredibly fascinating and appreciate how much time AI saves me while acting as a capable creative sparring partner.

That’s the good news.

What Marketing Jobs Will Still Exist in 5 Years?

Let’s shift perspectives for a moment.

In 2004, it was hard to find a designer who wasn’t talking about Adobe Photoshop.

And back then, there were fears, too.

“Who will need designers anymore?”

“Will Photoshop kill the design industry?”

11 years later, the industry was still thriving, and many incredibly talented friends of mine were making a great living.

Despite—or because of—Photoshop.

A designer in 2025 who can’t use Photoshop will struggle.

I believe the same will be true for AI.

As marketing professionals, we must engage with AI, learn how to use it as a tool, and integrate it into our workflows.

“People are finding ways to augment their workflows to be more productive, creative, and make better or faster content. But you’re always going to need humans. You’re always going to need the human touch over this type of work.”

James Thomas, Dentsu Creative Global Head of Technology

We need to figure out how AI can help us solve strategic problems, uncover new insights, and formulate clear strategies.

But:

I believe young marketing talents will have a harder time breaking in over the coming years.

I wasn’t particularly good at it.

But I wanted to learn, and I got the opportunity.

Today, AI applications can do much of that work.

And I believe that will make it more difficult for entry-level professionals and generalists.

“AI is going to thin the herd quite considerably and if we're just saying ‘hey we all just need to be more empathetic and more creative and our jobs are cool’, that's not true. We are definitely going to see a massive headcount reduction in agencies.”

Zoe Scaman

In short: Depth and Specialization will be key.

And here is one more keyword that AI is still struggling with:

Authentizität and AI

The temptation to generate all content with AI is huge.

But brands that rely only on AI-generated content will eventually all sound the same—smooth, perfect, but interchangeable. The real art will be in using AI as an enhancer, not a replacement.

Real passion, personal experiences, imperfect yet human stories—this is what truly resonates.

Or, as a marketer put it:

“When you walk into our booth, you should feel as if you’ve just walked into a garage where people have grease—our grease—under their fingernails.”

Marty Echt, CMO Harley Davidson

3 out of 10 millenials unfollow brands on social media because their content feels ‘fake’.

Young people grew up in the era of fake news, which has made them skilled at spotting deception and resistant to branded hype. Instead, they seek brands that are transparent and authentic.

23% of Gen Z say that authenticity is the most important attribute of a company and its products - more important than anything else.

“Marketers who aren’t evolving their future-looking strategies to engage this generation with transparent, authentic experiences are already falling behind.”

Global News Wire

If we want to capture the increasingly short attention spans of audiences, we need to move away from filtered ad messages, perfectly polished but soulless AI-generated texts, photos, and videos.

We need to show real people, real employees, real emotions, and real scenes. That starts with visuals but should ideally shape every aspect of marketing communication.

Focusing on that makes a brand unique—no matter how powerful the algorithms become.

3 Marketing Recommendations for AI in 2025

AI is evolving at a breakneck speed, and tools that are state-of-the-art today may be outdated in just a few months. The rapid rise of Deepseek at the end of January 2025 has shown us that.

So here are my tips for using Generative AI effectively in marketing:

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1️⃣ Stay up to date

For marketing professionals at all levels, keeping up with AI developments is essential.

Understanding early on what’s truly a “game changer” and what isn’t—along with knowing how to use AI effectively—will be crucial for future-proofing both businesses and personal career value.

“We’re at the forefront of integrating AI to not just work faster, but to work smarter. It’s our responsibility as organizational leaders to ensure that this technology elevates our teams’ creativity and aligns with our ethical values.”

Karim R. Lakhani, Chair, Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard, and Dorothy & Michael Hintze Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School

That means investing in continuous education and actively using AI tools to understand their (current) capabilities and limitations.

“To stay ahead of the curve, we’ve made AI training a priority to ensure everyone can leverage the power of (…) AI solutions. We also launched the GenAI Academy, supporting employee growth and development with the aim of increasing ambassadors and GenAI power users across the globe. We are already seeing benefits that are transforming the way we work and innovate.”

Sheila Jordan, SVP, Chief Digital Technology Officer, Honeywell

2️⃣ Get the most out of AI

ike any tool, AI needs to be used and refined optimally.

Perfect prompting isn’t just about giving precise instructions—it’s also about asking the right questions.

It means forming hypotheses, interacting with AI like a creative sparring partner, critically questioning the results—or letting yourself be challenged.

I often ask ChatGPT and Claude what might be flawed in my thinking or what I might have overlooked.

If we can clearly define tasks while maintaining confidence in our own abstraction abilities, we can get more out of AI. Not just for faster results, but for better results.

If you outsource everything to AI, you stop adding value yourself.

Here are some exciting resources for exactly that:

3️⃣ Develop an AI Strategy for Marketing

In my opinion, AI adoption in marketing is still in its infancy.

Many professionals experiment with tools like the ones mentioned above (or use niche tools privately, like the vacation planner Vacay).

But few organizations have figured out how to best integrate these tools into workflows to truly save time and produce better results.

79% of decision-makers say their company needs to integrate AI to remain competitive.

But 59% struggle to measure the productivity gains from AI.

A clear strategy for AI implementation is essential.

How can AI be integrated into marketing strategy?

60% of decision-makers fear their organization lacks a plan or vision for AI adoption.

But that’s exactly what’s needed.

And it has to come from the top.

Every tool needs a clear framework so that both small and large organizations can use it effectively.

Right now, companies are at different stages of Generative AI adoption:

To move to the next level, they need a clear strategy.

How I Define AI Marketing Strategies in My Strategy Labs & Workshops

1️⃣ Defining an AI Vision for Marketing

A clear, forward-looking statement that reflects the organization’s commitment to AI in order to achieve responsible and positive outcomes.

This is a top-down issue with a bottom-up approach:

The decision to adopt an AI vision must come from leadership. The inspiration for applications should come from operational teams.

2️⃣ Guidelines for Strategic AI Use

Setting concrete outputs and outcomes from AI in marketing, aligned with business priorities.

The key to successful AI adoption is selecting the right processes.

For example:

The global advertising network Dentsu uses AI to enhance creative processes.

Estée Lauder develops new products and improves customer experience with AI.

We need a measurable ROI for AI.

Does your marketing team need an AI strategy?

Tell me about your thoughts—I’d be happy to design a Strategy Lab workshop specifically for you and your company.

Just send me a message.

3️⃣ Responsible AI Principles

Ultimately, AI’s impact will be measured not just by ROI but also by how safely and responsibly it is used.

This can range from establishing an AI governance committee to ongoing training for employees.

What’s crucial is that companies regularly address the biggest benefits and concerns while ensuring compliance with the GDPR and the EU AI Act.

If there’s no AI strategy or framework, employees will take AI adoption into their own hands.

And that’s a risk for companies.

Banning AI in marketing is like refusing to be on digital channels as a brand.

You can do it.

But it won’t help.

With digital media, customers were there before companies arrived.

With AI, it’s the employees who are ahead of their employers.

Final Thoughts

We’re at a crucial moment in AI adoption in businesses.

Just like we look back on the time before computers (or, for designers, before Photoshop), one day we’ll wonder how marketing ever functioned without AI.

AI is already helping people be more creative and more productive, while giving experienced professionals an edge in the job market.

Great marketing creates excitement, fuels dreams, and provides solutions to people’s problems.

“Advertising should have an edge,” a legendary marketer once told me at the start of my career.

AI still struggles to create that edge.

Because the data it pulls from is mainstream and mass-market.

Can AI even create new content, strategies, or insights?

Or are we heading toward an explosion of homogeneous content that excites no one?

Marketing has to excite.

Whether B2B or B2C.

AI can help.

But it still can’t do everything to create truly exciting marketing strategies and campaigns.

And that’s why—despite using ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Midjourney, and other AI tools every day—I still write this newsletter completely by myself 😊

Thanks for reading,

Florian

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During my vacation, I read 116 Trendreports, and today I will share my top insights for marketing and marketing strategies.

I often receive questions like:

• What really matters?

• What can be leveraged for our brand?

• What needs to be considered in marketing strategies?

So, I’ll provide some guidance for you here.

I’ve identified 5 key trends overall.

Today, I’ll cover the first three:

🧘 The Age of Healthspan – From Perfection to Balance

🔥 Digital Campfires – Unlocking the Potential of Niche Communities

💚 Green is the New Black – Sustainability, but Realistic

Two additional trends are, in my opinion, so impactful that they deserve their own newsletter. I’ll dive into these in separate postings:

🤖 GenAI Explosion – Hype, Risk and Revolution

🎭 Entertain or Die – The Entertainment Revolution

Ready?

Let’s go!

TREND 1 🧘 The Age of Healthspan

From Perfection to Balance

What is the best-selling watch in the world?

It's the Apple Watch.

And what is the number one reason why consumers buy them?

Health.

People want to live longer.

That’s nothing new.

But over the past year, many have started making even more lifestyle changes to improve their future quality of life (myself included—I’ve almost completely stopped drinking alcohol).

The goal: living longer, but staying healthier while doing so.

People are looking for preventive solutions and products tailored to specific issues.

But here’s the interesting twist:

We’re witnessing a fundamental shift from “perfect health” to “sustainable balance.” The Healthspan Generation is no longer chasing quick fixes or miracle cures—they’re investing in long-term well-being.

What does this mean for brands?

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Instead of individual products, people are seeking holistic solutions.

Instead of promises, they want proof.

And most importantly: rather than another lifestyle dictate, they’re looking for authentic companions on their health journey.

Brands can meet this demand with innovations that support optimal well-being at every stage of life.

The numbers are clear: 82% are looking for personalized health solutions. And—especially interesting—73% are willing to pay more for products that demonstrably extend their “healthspan.”

Data Points

• 52% of consumers believe they will be healthier in the next five years than they are today.

• 54% know which vitamins and supplements they need to achieve their specific health goals.

• While 73% of consumers are investing more in their health than ever before, paradoxically, 2 out of 3 people feel overwhelmed by the constant pressure to self-optimize.

• 23% of adults worldwide reported feeling lonely on the previous day.

• 78% of consumers list “healthy aging” as a top priority.

• The Global Wellness Summit Report 2024 forecasts a 32% market growth for “Longevity meets Lifestyle” solutions by 2026.

Marketing Potential

In a world striving for health but exhausted by the effort, successful brands become “wellness mentors” who preach balance instead of perfectionism. Consumers expect brands to support them in their pursuit of health—not by promoting perfectionism, but by celebrating perfect imperfection.

The growing prevalence of headlines, books, and articles on topics like “Soft Life” and “Slow Living” shows that consumers are not just looking for fitness and health trends but for mental relief and genuine relaxation. “Business as a Hammock”, as my friend Thomas Klaffke describes in his report Business as Un Usual, reflects a lifestyle where brands focus on reducing stress rather than adding more to-dos.

Marketing Case Study: 🏋 Technogym – From Fitness Pusher to Lifestyle Coach

The Italian fitness company is revolutionizing its marketing with the “Wellness Lifestyle Navigator.” Instead of traditional workout trackers, the new app offers mindfulness exercises for meetings, “business meditation,” and adaptive training plans tailored to stress levels.

Technogym focuses on inspiring content that connects fitness with mental health and well-being. Campaigns showcase how adaptive training and mindfulness exercises can noticeably enhance daily life.

Technogym emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach to health and well-being, combining physical fitness with mental health in its marketing.

This innovative strategy has helped increase brand engagement by 40% and transform the perception of “must-do fitness” into “want-to wellness.”

Even “ordinary” brands can tap into the Healthspan trend!

• An automotive manufacturer can transform vehicles into “mobile wellness pods.”

• A hotel can make “sleep science” its core promise.

• Apps can integrate “digital wellbeing features.”

• Restaurants and bars can introduce “mood food” and “brain health menus.”

The magic lies in blending a brand’s core competencies with the Healthspan narrative.

3 Marketing Recommendations for 2025

1. Develop targeted self-care offerings and informational content around your products to address specific life moments. Sell solutions, not just products.

2. Health is no longer a clinical concept—it’s a stage for magical moments and sensory experiences. Can your brand transform wellness touchpoints into Instagram-worthy “joy spots”? Think atmospheric lighting in fitness studios or handwritten motivational notes on smoothie bottles.

3. Audit your marketing for hidden perfectionist ideals and shift from “healthy” to “worth living.” Health isn’t a competition but a feeling of balance and satisfaction. Marketing content should avoid preaching unattainable ideals and instead highlight how small, genuine steps can enrich life. Move away from polished images of perfection and towards stories that celebrate authenticity and the joy of living.

TREND 2 🔥 Digital Campfires

The Potential of Niche Communities

Fifteen years ago, when I started in marketing, Facebook was still new, Instagram had just launched, and TikTok was nowhere in sight.

Back then, being on social media felt different.

It was like being at the forefront of something new.

A sense of exclusivity.

Today, Facebook feels outdated.

Instagram is overloaded, and TikTok’s future is uncertain.

That’s why, over the past few years, we’ve seen a shift away from the major platforms. They’re losing their magic, while niche communities are becoming an exciting new starting point for customer relationships in 2025.

In a world marked by loneliness despite digital hyperconnectivity, new hubs of authentic connection are emerging: micro-communities.

The reason? People aren’t looking for followers anymore—they’re looking for like-minded individuals.

The idea of “Digital Campfires” is nothing new - Sara Wilson coined the term in her piece for Harvard Business Review and has subsequently written and spoken about it at length, including giving talks for multiple brands.

The Strategist Zoe Scaman calls it “Fandoms”, others simply say “Community”.

“The evolution of fandoms and user-generated content is rewriting the rulebook. From democratized creative tools to the rise of communities and open content – a new era of collaboration and fan participation is unfolding for brands.”

Zoe Scaman, Strategist

From Communities which only talk about the latest LEGO Sets, to fans of console based animal games, guides for romantic AI-Chatbots, up to questions about the best flower stores in London.

Data Points

• 62% of Generation Z want to be part of micro-communities that are not shared with their immediate social circles.

• 72% of all brands are building digital communities that align their business interests with the values of their target audience.

• 66% of companies report that engagement in niche communities has positively impacted their brand. Thus 78% of businesses plan to increase investments in creator marketing as traditional social media platforms lose organic reach.

• 52% of young consumers prefer purchasing directly from influencers.

• 84% of consumers say that a brand’s community directly influences their attitudes and feelings toward the brand.

Marketingpotenzial

Niche communities are becoming the new epicenters of the digital world.

In times of increasing perceived loneliness, we seek places where we can feel part of a community.

Whether on Reddit (my new favorite platform), Discord, or brand-owned hubs, people find like-minded individuals and genuine belonging. Those who participate authentically gain fans, not just customers.

Niche communities can be powerful drivers of deeper brand loyalty and cultural relevance in marketing. These small communities offer a platform for brands to interact authentically and personally with specialized target groups, fostering greater trust and true connection.

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This presents both immense potential and a significant challenge for brands.

It only works if brands create exclusive and relevant content for these groups and aim to be a part of the community, not just its leader.

In 2025, success won’t just belong to brands with the biggest advertising budgets but also to those with the most vibrant communities.

This requires a shift in thinking.

Marketing must understand the dynamics of fandoms and niche communities and integrate them into their strategies.

Some are already doing this very successfully:

Marketing Case Study: 💄 Glossier – Giving is at least as important as taking

The beauty brand exemplifies what “Community as Commerce” truly means:

Their “Into The Gloss” forum not only generates UGC but also provides direct product feedback.

The result? 70% of their product innovations are derived from community insights.

Through social media, Glossier focuses on approachable communication and interaction: on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, fans are engaged not just as consumers but as co-creators. The brand regularly reposts content from its community, fostering an authentic connection.

A prime example is the campaign around the “Cloud Paint” blushes: fans were invited to share their favorite color mixes, which not only boosted product visibility but also significantly strengthened brand loyalty.

Originally a D2C e-commerce brand, Glossier has recently expanded into physical spaces, such as the New York flagship store. This location has become a community hub, featuring Instagram-worthy “experience zones” and personalized consultations.

Here, fans can not only test products but also experience the brand as a lifestyle.

The Glossier case is excellently analyzed in this podcast by the Harvard Business Review.

Marketing Case Study: 🖥️ Dell – The IT Squad on Reddit

Dell leverages Reddit as a platform to engage with its community of IT experts and tech enthusiasts on an equal footing.

Through the “IT Squad,” the company creates dedicated spaces where users can not only address support topics but also exchange best practices, news, and tips with each other.

Dell emphasizes authentic interactions by involving internal experts who actively participate in subreddits, answer questions, and provide valuable insights.

The blend of technical expertise, collegial support, and community-driven discussion makes Dell approachable to the tech scene while strengthening brand loyalty.

The “IT Squad” combines peer learning with entertainment—and increased B2B conversions by 45%.

Marketing Case Study: 🚃 Japan Railways’ Community Magic

What does train travel have to do with communities?

A lot!

Not every community has to be digital. In this third brand example, it’s the offline aspect that makes it so exciting:

Japan Railways’ “Station Stamp Adventure” transforms an ordinary journey into a cultural treasure hunt. Each station features its own uniquely designed woodcut-style stamp.

remishimazu

A post shared by @remishimazu

Japanese Railways successfully combined physical experiences with digital storytelling, creating an organic collector community. The campaign draws on Japan’s deeply rooted stamp-collecting culture, which has shaped tradition and community for centuries.

Every time users visit a station, they can collect a unique woodcut-style stamp. These stamps, inspired by the art of Japanese woodblock printing, are designed in a warm, nostalgic style using just six colors, blending traditional aesthetics with modern collector enthusiasm.

"We actually went to one of the stations in Tohoku, and we discovered a notebook - a travel notebook. So visitors were able to add their own comments, and keep a journal of what they have seen or what they have done in that area. And when we put in our comments ourselves, we turned the pages back and realised a family had written that same experience 15 years ago. And that gave us this feeling of connecting to somebody who was here in the same place, in a different time."

Yoshihiro Yagi, Executive Creative Director dentsu

Visitors can use the accompanying app to see not only which stamps they’ve collected but also who else has visited the same location. This fosters a sense of community and belonging through a collaborative, non-competitive fandom.

Travelers don’t just collect these stamps—they share their “Stamp Stories” in dedicated online communities, organize stamp-hunting events, and even create their own stamp-inspired art.

Japan Railways understood:

Communities need more than digital platforms—they need rituals.

The act of collecting woodcut stamps becomes such a ritual, blending tradition, art, and mobility. The stamp designs create an emotional connection by celebrating nostalgia and craftsmanship.

At the same time, the railway infrastructure transforms into a stage for shared experiences, where customers don’t just travel but become part of a larger story.

It’s a masterpiece in cultural community building—a campaign that seamlessly combines emotions, experiences, and a sense of belonging.

“We can give future generations a real-world childhood. We can prioritize play. We can delay entry to social media platforms until at least 16. We can encourage young people to just hang out with each other, without supervision and without smartphones. We can take elements of childhood from previous eras and re-introduce them in modern life.”

Freya India, Freelance Autorin

3 Marketing Recommendations for 2025

1. Familiarize yourself with niche communities related to your brand, expertise, topics, and products on platforms like Reddit. Observe how others position themselves, engage, and build trust within these spaces.

2. Develop a “Community First” content strategy. Instead of polished brand messages, share authentic stories around your expertise as a person or brand. Have your experts deliver real value through AMAs (Ask Me Anything) sessions.

3. Identify your brand’s “collectible factor”—that one element that not only attracts people but also connects them. Whether it’s insider guides, exclusive events, or limited collections, ensure it gives your community a reason to engage with your brand and share their stories.

TREND 3 💚 Green is the new black

Sustainability, but Realistic

The era of well-intentioned eco-promises and moral lecturing is over.

While “green” used to be optional, by 2025 it will become part of business DNA. The European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are ushering in a new era of transparency, offering massive potential for marketing.

But here’s the twist: consumers are tired of “purpose preachers.”

They don’t want more manifestos about a better world—they want concrete, affordable solutions for their everyday lives.

The big challenge for brands?

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Finding the perfect balance between entertainment and environmental responsibility. Because one thing is clear: sustainability not only needs to be effective and affordable but also solve a real problem.

The percentage of consumers who buy “green” products solely for sustainability reasons is small. So “green” products and services must first satisfy a genuine need.

Consumers are looking for stylish shoes, cool gadgets, exciting events—and only in the second step do they consider whether these are sustainable. Sustainability alone is no longer a competitive advantage.

Consumers place the responsibility for lower prices on companies.

Interestingly, we’re starting to see the first businesses reporting revenue growth driven by sustainability initiatives.

The future doesn’t belong to the brands that talk the loudest about sustainability—it belongs to those that implement it the smartest.

No brand, not even Patagonia, is perfectly green.

I might face criticism from the green bubble for this perspective, but I believe we need to stop thinking in “black and white” and start celebrating incremental progress.

“Millions of people doing things imperfectly is better than a handful of people doing things perfectly.”

Vicky James, Head of Marketing Ocean Bottle

Data Points

• 82% of German consumers expect companies to actively engage in sustainability.

• 40% cite high prices as the main barrier to sustainable purchasing decisions.

• 44% of businesses report improved profitability due to sustainability initiatives.

• 70% of companies in Europe plan to increase their sustainability investments within the next two years.

• Two-thirds of all consumers avoid brands or products due to sustainability concerns.

One more thought on this topic:

🍊 I know Trump is changing the game.

I know the EU will probably reduce the regulations around ESRS and ESG.

But nature doesn’t care about policy.

And some things like the low costs of solar energy are going to bring lasting change.

So I really liked this trend analysis on sustainability:

Marketing Case Study: 🌊 Ocean Bottle – Impact with Lifestyle

Ocean Bottle has successfully combined sustainable products with a lifestyle element, building a global fanbase in the process.

The core of their marketing lies in a simple yet powerful mission:

For every bottle sold, they fund the collection of 1,000 plastic bottles in coastal areas, clearly communicating an immediate positive impact on the environment.

They have transformed the necessity of plastic collection into a stylish lifestyle statement and a thriving business—not a charity project.

The bottles aren’t just cool (prioritizing utility for customers first); they’re also genuinely sustainable:

Through an integrated QR code, each bottle becomes a portal, allowing consumers to embark on a transparent and tangible impact journey. They can witness live how “their” 1,000 plastic bottles are being removed from the oceans.

“We say ‘Do Good, Look Good, Feel Good’ - There is a section of people who want to be seen to be doing good as well as just doing so. By using Ocean Bottle we give them that ‘me’ before ‘we’ effect.”

Vicky James, Head of Marketing Ocean Bottle

Ocean Bottle also relies on communities.

Their “Ocean Impact Leaders” program transforms passionate customers into brand ambassadors with a real mission. Through local clean-up events and user-generated content campaigns, they’ve created a network of changemakers who don’t just share a bottle—they share a vision.

This community-driven expansion generates a viral effect that goes far beyond traditional marketing—it builds an ecosystem of positive change.

3 Marketing Recommendations for 2025

1. Use sustainability claims that reinforce your brand’s value proposition and link these qualities to purchasing factors such as effectiveness, quality, or safety. Sustainability alone doesn’t sell.

2. Focus product development on attributes with strong growth in your category and market. Fish where the fish are.

3. Transform dry sustainability facts into compelling, entertaining stories that inspire and move people. People don’t follow facts—they follow feelings.

In 2025, sustainability can no longer be just a marketing agenda.

It must be embedded into the company’s overall strategy, with marketing’s role being to craft a compelling story that builds genuine trust with consumers.

And whoever defines the politics, sustainability is in for the long game.

Because we will feel every non-progress in heatwaves and natural disasters.

🎬 Final thoughts

We’re already well into 2025.

The currents of our society are shifting behaviors.

Consumers want “more” and “different” from brands—both technologically and culturally.

I hope my insights, analyses, and recommendations have provided you with some initial starting points and made your entry into the new marketing year a little easier.

AND:

There are two more trends I’ve identified:

🤖 GenAI Explosion – Hype, Risk and Revolution

🎭 Entertain or Die – The Entertainment Revolution

You can check them out in their own deep dives.

Thank you for reading along!

Florian

Hi 👋 I’m Florian Schleicher. This is the FutureStrategies newsletter of FUTURES. Thank you so much for reading along 💚

Happy New Year!

After a break of almost 4 weeks and an exciting, thrilling and relaxing trip through Brazil, I am officially back at my desk today (bom dia 🇧🇷).

It has now become my little ritual to share my book tips at the start of the year. So here are my current top 3 recommended reads on marketing, strategies and sustainability.

These books inspired me last year, gave me new ideas and sharpened my focus on certain issues. Maybe they will do the same for you?

The 3 books I recommend this time are:

1️⃣ Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution by Uri Levine

2️⃣ Sustainable Marketing: The Industry’s Role in a Sustainable Future by Paul Randle & Alexis Eyre

3️⃣ The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson

The latter was my favorite book from 2025!

Here are a few impressions from the books:

1️⃣ Fall in Love with the Problem, Not the Solution by Uri Levine

Uri Levine, Co-Founder of Waze (the traffic app that all Uber drivers use), shares his most important insight in this book:

Successful innovations do not come from falling in love with a solution, but from a deep understanding of a problem. Using many examples from his own career, he shows how to identify problems that are worth solving.

9 out of 10 start-ups fail.

Because they hastily develop solutions for which there is not (yet) a market.

In his book, Levine advocates really listening to customers first and understanding at a deep level the true need for which solutions are being sought.

The first step for a company or a new product should always be a diagnosis with the following questions:

1. How big is the addressable market? How many people have this problem? How many businesses suffer from this issue?

2. How painful is it? Pain can be measured by one or both of two factors: amplitude (really, really painful) or frequency (how often we suffer from it). Once you define your problem, go back to the matrix and see where it fits).

Uri Levine

Anyone who knows me knows that I have been working with this approach in my marketing strategies for a long time. I have already written an article about it here:

FutureStrategies

✋ The No. 1 marketing mistake and how you can avoid it

➡️ You can also listen to this posting in my podcast 🎧…

Read more

2 years ago · Florian Schleicher

And another exciting takeaway for me from the book is captured in this quote, which is about marketing KPIs:

The most important metric is... retention. Everything else, like customers willing to pay and partnerships with third parties are important, but if you customers don't stick with you and don't keep using your product that means you don't create value for them, and that you will die.

Uri Levine

2️⃣ Sustainable Marketing: The Industry’s Role in a Sustainable Future by Paul Randle & Alexis Eyre

Marketing and sustainability - is that even possible?

Yes!

The two authors of “Sustainable Marketing” show how marketing can play a key role in building a more sustainable economy.

They present both strategic frameworks and concrete tactics that can be implemented immediately.

Paul Randle and Alexis Eyre shed light on the responsibility companies have when it comes to positively influencing consumer behavior and promoting sustainable values at the same time.

Marketing has a huge responsibility to shoulder. The engine of growth in our global economic machine, it catalysed the Great Acceleration and currently shows little sign of stopping. It’s the dinosaur at the end of the Cretaceous period staring at the metorite as it crashes into the planet thinking “that’s going to ruin my outdoor campaign!”.

Alexis Eyre & Paul Randle

With a clear, entertaining and helpful analysis of trends, examples and case studies, the book offers an exciting new perspective on the role of marketing in a greener future. It challenges us to think long-term and use marketing as a driver for real change.

Special Highlight: The Sustainable Marketing Compass, which the two present in the book, offers a strategic framework that helps companies to combine sustainable goals with effective marketing strategies while balancing values, responsibility and impact.

I had the honor to interview them in my podcast where we also talk a lot about the book - here are the links to Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

3️⃣ The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands Through the Power of Archetypes by Margaret Mark & Carol Pearson

This book was my favorite book from 2024!

It combines the depth psychology of Carl Jung with modern brand management.

I even wrote my own article about the model of archetypes in strategic marketing:

FutureStrategies

🌟 Using the 12 archetypes in marketing

Is your brand Hero, Ruler, Lover or Creator…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Florian Schleicher

Mark and Pearson show how brands can use timeless archetypes to build an emotional connection and create a competitive advantage. From the Hero to the Outlaw, each archetype model provides brands with a clear strategy on how to emotionally anchor their values and messaging.

This book is a blend of psychology, storytelling and marketing strategy that helps to make brands not only visible, but also tangible. It is particularly exciting for anyone who wants to understand the emotional power behind great brands and harness it for themselves.

I found the analysis of well-known brands and their archetypal patterns particularly helpful. The concepts presented are both theoretically sound and practically applicable, which also makes the book a valuable tool for brand positioning for me.

“Marketing without a system for managing meaning is analogous to ancient navigators trying to find port in treacherous seas on a starless night. What they need is an enduring and reliable compass - a fixed place that illuminates both where they are and where they must go. For marketers, the theory of archetypes can act as this compass.”

Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson

⭐️ Special: Identify your brands archetype

Do you want to find out which archetype can shape your brand and discover how you can use it to build a deeper connection with your target group and communicate your messages more clearly and powerfully?

I can help you with that!

Here is a brief overview of how I work with my clients in an archetype workshop or mentoring session:

1. Diving into the brand DNA

2. Understanding your own target group

3. Selecting the brand archetype with methods

4. Telling archetypal brand stories as tests

5. Implementation of the archetype in all communication channels

That's it - in three weeks I will send you my next Marketing Deep Dive post.

Have a nice start to the new year and thanks for reading along,

Florian

I read 48 books this year.

Some of them good, some okay and some extremely exciting.

But one of the best books I've read this year is “The Hero and the Outlaw” by Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson.

The two consultants describe the model of the 12 archetypes that can make up a brand, which is already familiar to many. I have been working with it myself for a few years, but since reading the book, I have been inspired by it once again.

So today I would like to take you on a short journey through this strategic system of brand development and show you how brands - especially sustainable brands - work with it.

1️⃣ What are brand archetypes?

2️⃣ What do the archetypes stand for?

3️⃣ How can you work with brand archetypes?

4️⃣ Sustainable brands and their archetypes

5️⃣ Finding your own archetype

1️⃣ What are brand archetypes?

Marketing sometimes seems complicated:

So many decisions every day. So many possibilities. And at the same time, less and less attention for your own topics. There is now so much content that it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep your brand “ahead” of the competition and keep up with all the simple entertainment.

What is needed is a clear marketing strategy and this includes an emotionalizing vision at its center. Our marketing strategy must focus on one direction (not several), because we want to be remembered by our target group with a stringent image.

After all, the world rewards specialization.

Instead of going broad and drowning in a flood of generalists, we want to be number one.

Specialization as a strategy is a bold statement. It says: We know who we are, what we stand for and where we create unrivaled value.

In a world of infinite possibilities, we should be the only choice for a unique problem of our target group.

And this is exactly where the 12 brand archetypes can help:

“Marketing without a system for managing meaning is analogous to ancient navigators trying to find port in treacherous seas on a starless night. What they need is an enduring and reliable compass - a fixed place that illuminates both where they are and where they must go. For marketers, the theory of archetypes can act as this compass.”

Margaret Mark & Carol S. Pearson

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2️⃣ What do the archetypes stand for?

The 12 archetypes can be categorized according to what they express, what feelings they convey to their target groups, what they stand for and what they want to achieve:

Stability and control orientation

• Creator

• Ruler

• Caregiver

Connection and pleasure orientation

• Lover

• Everyman/-women

• Jester

Mastery and risk orientation

• Hero

• Magician

• Outlaw

Independence and fulfillment orientation

• Innocent

• Sage

• Explorer

Each of these archetypes has its own goals, behaviors, statements and strategies - but more on that below.

The two experts based their model on the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung: In the 1940s, he developed a series of general personality archetypes. As a psychologist, Jung focused on people.

This system can be applied very well to brands and serves as an orientation and guide for the overall direction of our brand, but also how small elements such as social media posts should work.

Entire product lines can take on a meaning that gives them symbolic power in our lives.

A tuxedo (an evening dress) means that an occasion is important.

Champagne means we are celebrating.

A gold ring used to be a sign of marriage, but a successful advertising campaign has helped to confirm the social convention that “A diamond is forever” - I wrote about that campaign here.

Behavior has meaning.

Even and especially with brands.

Here is a little story about that:

Before we go any deeper: No archetype is “worse” or “better” per se - the choice always depends on your own situation and the needs of your target group.

Each archetype stands for core needs, goals, fears, strategies and talents.

We can observe the effect of many archetypes on a daily basis and directly deduce what target groups may need.

Let's take a little trip into the world of Innocent, Explorer and Sage - all three come from the need for independence and fulfillment - but answer the challenge differently:

We're all a bit tired after all. The tremendous pace of modern life, the striving of Heroes and the restlessness of Explorers leave people with little rest. This means that the very idea of slowing down can be spiritual.

Buddhist monks, yogis and mindfulness coaches teach exhausted Westerners to slow down and be in the moment. Commercials that appeal to Innocents need to be slower and less edgy than those aimed at Explorers. So we're talking about natural sounds and gentleness in approach and imagery.

A brand that uses the Innocent archetype in its marketing offers simple answers, stands for goodness, morality, nostalgia and often draws on childhood memories. Cleaning products and healthcare providers also work with this. The prices of these brands are often low (because they are simple) and their companies have clear values.

On the other side are Explorer brands. While Innocents want to live in paradise, Explorers want to explore the world - they are looking for a better world and brands that help them to do so.

For these people and companies, it's about making statements - by choosing the right milk, coffee or syrup, Starbucks gives its customers the opportunity to make a statement and discover new things.

It is important to the company that no one has to wait in line for too long (which is why they order separately and then pick up), because Explorers get restless easily. And no matter where you go, the nearest Starbucks in the USA is usually just a few blocks away.

Hansel and Gretel, The Homer Odyssey or Start Trek - they all represent Explorer stories.

Organizations that are Explorer archetypes value individualism and stand up to pervasive rules and hierarchical decision-making structures - they foster opportunity and potential. Flexible working time models, stakeholder involvement and plenty of room for maneuver for the people involved also awaken the archetype internally.

In short: Explorer brands give their target groups freedom through a journey, experiences and breaking out of routines.

The third archetype from the “Independence and fulfillment” category is also about finding paradise. However, not by searching within as with Innocents or the Explorer's Journey. The Sages are about finding the truth through knowledge, growth and learning.

From the New York Times, to CNN, Oprah Winfrey or Google - the basic principle of Sage brands is “The truth will set you free”.

We then find this in their brand messages as “It's not just a new car. It's all the best thinking.” or ”A car that sometimes runs on gas power and sometimes runs on electric power from a company that always runs on brainpower.”

Chip manufacturer Intel has also cleverly anchored this in its marketing strategy, as Mark and Pearson describe in their book:

If brands want to reach target groups that are Sages, the best way to do this is to demonstrate external expertise. And vice versa, these brands provide expertise and information to their customers. They want to encourage them to think for themselves, to feel smart and to become experts themselves.

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There is an incredible amount of detail and subtlety to each of these archetypes, and it's not for nothing that the book is almost 400 pages long. Here is another helpful summary of these three archetypes of Storybrands:

If you are interested in learning more about brand archetypes, here and here are a few links that provide exciting insights in addition to the book itself.

3️⃣ How can you work with brand archetypes?

Brand archetypes can be a perfectly visualizing component of a marketing strategy. Precisely because they provide a clear direction and thus offer orientation in everyday life.

Three questions I always hear when working with clients:

🤹‍♂️ Can my brand/my personal brand have several archetypes?

I think not.

We want to be strong as a brand and strength comes from focus.

Microsoft, one of the most complex brands in the world, with target groups ranging from consumers to small and medium-sized enterprises, to Fortune 500 companies and governments, from healthcare companies to the education sector, also manages to stand for an archetype:

“Microsoft acts to to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. It is a mentor and enabler, providing tools and insights that allow individuals and organizations to thrive in a technology-driven world.”

Recognize which archetype this is?

Microsoft is Sage, the wise one.

Across all products and services, from Xbox to MS Teams, to Windows or Office products - Microsoft has been focusing on one archetype and thus knowledge-focused solutions since 2014.

So if Microsoft can manage to focus on one archetype, then other brands can too.

💕 Can archetypes change?

Yes, archetypes can change over time.

Especially when a brand adapts its strategy or positioning to grow with the world around it. Again, Apple is an inspiring example:

Originally, the brand embodied the Outlaw, rebellious and uncompromising against the status quo, as its slogan “Think Different” impressively demonstrated.

But with its global success and pioneering role in design and innovation, Apple evolved into the Creator archetype - a symbol of boundless creativity and the quest to equip people with ingenious ideas.

The important thing is to recognize which archetype is needed right now for your own organization and target group approach.

🦸 Can I be successful without a brand archetype?

Of course!

Archetypes are just a tool that works in combination with products, marketing strategy and customer experience.

I find it very helpful to work with them in some projects because a defined archetype provides tonality, imagery and storytelling to make the message authentic and consistent. They help to create a clear identity, appeal to the target group emotionally and stand out from the competition.

But many people and companies are successful without ever having dealt with archetypes.

What all successful companies have in common, however, is that they have a clear and strong marketing strategy.

4️⃣ Sustainable brands and their archetypes

Sustainability is no longer a unique selling point in many industries.

An archetype therefore also helps sustainable brands to stand out from others by highlighting their unique perspective and role in the sustainable transformation.

The archetype model gives sustainable companies a strong emotional basis to reinforce their messages, inspire people and maximize their impact - all in the spirit of a future that is not only economically successful, but also environmentally and socially responsible.

So let's take a look at three sustainable brands and the archetypes they serve:

🍍Too Good To Go

I was able to guide Too Good To Go and its marketing story for 2.5 years as the start-up's Head of Marketing. I have written a separate article about my learnings and 5 secrets of success here.

Too Good To Go has made it its mission to combat food waste and inspire people to take action together.

Their vision is the “dream of a planet without food waste”

By saving valuable meals and collaborating with users, the brand shows a strong drive to improve the world and bring about positive change.

These characteristics are typical of the Hero archetype, which is characterized by courage, determination and a desire to save the world. Hero brands always have a strong enemy - in this case, food waste.

Brands like Too Good To Go want to inspire their target groups (to take action themselves), empower them (to make a contribution) and actively move them (to go out and save food).

👕 Patagonia

I have already written a separate article about Patagonia here. The outdoor brand stands for a spirit of adventure and the protection of the environment. The brand encourages its customers to explore nature and work to preserve it.

With initiatives such as supporting environmental organizations and promoting sustainable practices, Patagonia embodies the aforementioned explorer archetype, which is defined by independence, freedom and the pursuit of new experiences.

Patagonia is often perceived as an outlaw because the company goes against conventional practices in the fashion industry and is actively involved in environmental issues.

But their communication and marketing is clearly about paradise, the nature we want to preserve, and not about changing the system through radical action.

👗 Reformation

The fashion label Reformation stands for a clear conscience when shopping for clothes and is known for its sustainable fashion and unconventional approach to the fashion industry.

I have written more about the brand of Reformation in this article.

I think, Reformation is a Lover - archetype brand. This attitude is reflected in their communication and partnerships, such as the collaboration with Patagonia to promote sustainable fashion. 

Reformation places great emphasis on stylish, feminine designs that promote attractiveness and self-confidence. The brand emphasizes that sustainable fashion does not have to sacrifice style.

By emphasizing self-confidence and personal expression, Reformation creates a deep emotional connection with its customers. The brand's communication aims to create a sense of desire and personal identification.

Lover brands are about attracting attention through appeal and all the senses. The tonality of these brands is sensual, empathetic and sensitive. Many fashion labels but also car brands or champagne fall into this archetype.

This archetype supports its target groups in feeling beautiful, comfortable and seen. Beauty is at the forefront for Lovers, according to the motto “Your striking beauty is impossible to ignore”.

Being sexy and buying sustainably - Reformation says: Yes, it's possible.

The right archetype is also like a compass for sustainable brands - it shows the way to an authentic identity that not only inspires, but also has the power to bring about real change.

5️⃣ Finding your own archetype

With all this new knowledge, you may now feel inspired, want to read up further and perhaps already have an initial feeling as to which archetype corresponds to your brand and your target group.

Here is a brief overview of how I work with my clients in an archetype workshop or mentoring session:

1. Diving into the brand DNA

2. Understanding your own target group

3. Selecting the brand archetype with methods

4. Telling archetypal brand stories as tests

5. Implementation of the archetype in all communication channels

I am interested!

Thanks for reading along,

Florian

My Simple & Sustainable Marketing Academy is starting its 4th edition 🥳 And we start in February 13th 2025.

You have the chance to attend 5 live online sessions with me, get over 25 strategic methods that you can apply directly to your project, a lot of examples of sustainable companies and projects, plus: a special session with Carl-Emil Jensen, the Global Director of Creative at Too Good To Go.

Direkt zu deinem Ticket

Do you want to take your marketing to the next level?

⭐️ Perfect for founders and marketing managers

Are you an entrepreneur or marketing manager and want to learn how to take your marketing to the next level in order to achieve goals and sustainable growth?

It's very simple:

🗓️ The 4th edition of my Simple & Sustainable Marketing Academy (SSMA for short) starts on February 13, 2025, and consists of 5 online-live-sessions

🗺️ This is my 2-month marketing learning program for 20 marketing managers, entrepreneurs and founders - 100% remote.

🤑 Tickets are available in 3 levels and start at € 249,00

🧩 I'll show you how to take your marketing to the next level, with over 25 strategic methods, tools and lots of practical examples.

💸 Be quick, there are only 20 tickets this time because I want to make the SSMA even more exclusive for all participants. The first tickets have already been sold.

🔬 Additionally there will be 4 self-experiments where you can apply the new methods and tools directly to your own projects and your company and then get my feedback.

✅ 5 Online-Live Group Sessions

Over the course of two months, I will share my expertise on specific marketing topics with you on the following subjects:

♟️Was what makes a successful marketing strategy.

🔎 How to really understand your target groups.

📚 How you can use storytelling to tell your stories.

🎨 How content marketing helps you draw attention to your brand in the long term.

🍍 How it all comes together in a special session about Too Good To Go together with me and the Global Director of Creative Carl-Emil Jensen.

The 5 live sessions will be held in English. And all presentations will be recorded - so don't worry if you can't make it to the live session.

Here is a short preview of the content of the Simple & Sustainable Marketing Academy sessions:

🆙 3 level-options for you

You get the best value for money with the Personal+ ticket. You also get a personal 1:1 session with me, another Ask-Me-Anything session and a deep-dive session with our PR expert.

If you want to get started more easily, there is also a Growth and a Beginner Ticket.

👪 You'll also get access to our Slack community with your co-participants, which you can use to ask me questions directly outside of the sessions.

💚 What previous participants appreciate about the SSMA

Over 80 participants from 11 nations have already taken part!

These include companies such as N26, Forest Gum, Julius Meinl, Burger King, faircado, munch, Raiffeisen Bank and many more.

So you are part of a tried and tested and sophisticated format.

Here you can see what they particularly liked about it.

I am super excited to help the new group take their businesses to the next level.

Infos und dein Ticket

Just take your time to look at everything and I look forward to seeing you this time!

See you soon,

Florian