This Is How Nostalgia Marketing Works So Well

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s no secret that nostalgia holds a special place in our hearts. Just ask basically anyone doing marketing right now – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone not learning heavily on the concept to push their product.  But nostalgia is a powerful tool, no matter how you slice it. Nostalgia has the power to transport us back in time, evoking warm memories and emotions. No matter what strings of the heart they Read more…

This is How Buc-ee’s Turned Gas Stations into Tourist Traps

“If you know you know.” So said the billboard in yellow block capitals on a stark black background as I was passing through my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was advertising Buc-ee’s, a gas station about an hour away. Weird marketing move, I thought, but only briefly. I’m no stranger to seeing billboards for places far away. I am living, after all, in the hometown of “See Rock City” whose advertisements stretch from Texas to Read more…

How Markiplier’s Iron Lung Could Make YouTubers Movie Stars

If you’ve been on YouTube in the past decade, then there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Markiplier. We even covered him in our previous article talking about Unus Annus. He can’t stay out of the spotlight, as he recently released a teaser trailer for his horror film Iron Lung.  Now If you don’t know what Iron Lung is, that’s fair because it’s relatively obscure. It’s an indie horror game that Markiplier played twice to audience Read more…

Trauma-Informed Marketing: Or, What Happens When You Put Empathy First

You’re a pretty regular person, right? Special in your own ways, to be sure. But you’d likely refer to yourself as pretty normal. And that’s awesome! Because we all have our own intricate way we’re put together.  And in that web of what makes us unique, no matter how normal we may be, sits quite a few things that make us tick. Our earliest memories of grandma baking bread or falling and hurting our arm Read more…

Wendy’s Social Media Is Completely Unhinged & Probably Successful

“Yum. Chocolate so fake, it couldn’t kill a dog and cream so fake, vegans can eat it. Team Hydrox, forever!” – Wendy’s TikTok, on Oreos. You don’t have to go far to find marketing disasters in the world of fast food, or really, food and drink more broadly. Marketers in the industry are so desperate to have their companies noticed that they force themselves into realms where marketers in less competitive industries wouldn’t dare go, sometimes brilliantly, sometimes catastrophically. Read more…

Daft Punk, or: Building a Massive Brand by Anti-Marketing

Imagine building one of the most culturally significant bands of the 21st century. Now imagine doing that while experimenting radically in a genre where copying others is a proven path to success. While never showing your face. Daft Punk did just that, and their success has been remarkable. Their sophomore album, Discovery is considered the 140th best album ever on Rate Your Music. Their fourth album – released eight years after their prior studio album Read more…

3 Massive Marketing Failures From The Fast Food Industry

The food industry is a highly competitive and constantly evolving landscape where marketing plays a crucial role in driving consumer demand. And while sometimes it can be a fun place filled with silly drinks aimed at kids, there are also plenty of instances where marketers have stumbled and fallen after taking what seemed to be a great idea and running it right into the ground. There have been some notable failures that have resulted in Read more…

This Is Why People Find Super Mario 64 Conspiracies Scary

Did you know every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized? Well, at least that’s the theory. It’s said that even back in 1996, Nintendo was able to create an AI that adapted to a player’s skill level, playstyle, and even desires. It’s so subtle you’d never notice it, until you try someone else’s copy and realize how strange and unfamiliar it is. This, of course, is a lie. A 25 year old game like Read more…

How To Throw A Successful Event: A Recipe

I love events. It is no secret and has been a passion of mine since I was a wee child. My favorite part of my birthday as a kid was planning my party’s itinerary. I loved a good theme. And you can bet your bottom dollar that there were party favors.  Flash forward to my twenties, and I’m always the one planning the parties, signing up for the corporate fun teams, and I would have Read more…

Why Gen Z Is Obsessed With Shrek 22 Years Later

“Shrek is love, Shrek is life.” – Famous meme from 4chan (NSFW) The original Shrek movie came out all the way back in 2001, over two decades ago. And yet even to this day, it remains a remarkably popular movie, especially among Generation Z. Despite being 22 years old, Shrek is – at the time of writing – positioned at #602 according to IMDb’s Popularity rank. If you look at Google Trends, you’ll notice that Read more…