Think pieces

Culture is no longer a marketing input. It is the Operating System for Growth

collage of brand
With attention fragmented and trust in an increasingly fragile state, growth is harder to manufacture than ever. The brands pulling ahead are not spending more - they are embedded in culture. Attention no longer lives in ad breaks. It lives in fandom, memes, WhatsApp groups, music drops, social and feeds and communities where meaning is created and shaped in real time. Nicola Graham explores this topic.

If AI’s the baseline, what's your differentiator?

group of people in an office discussing marketing

Most marketing agencies have AI now, as well as every freelancer and every graduate. And that means AI capability is

Learn Like a Lobster with The Marketing Society

Helena Verellen and Helen Tupper
The Marketing Society Fellow Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis hosted an evening with The Marketing Society in New York, to celebrate the launch of their new book Learn Like a Lobster.

The brand-performance divide is a leadership problem, here’s how to fix it

Analyzing data in a modern office
In this piece, Alicia Coghlan argues that brand and performance marketing are complementary, not competing forces.

China Brand (R)Evolution: Why Global Success Now Requires a Local Soul

Siew Ting Foo at The Marketing Society Singapore Event
The "China Brand (R)Evolution" session at TikTok Singapore highlighted a seismic shift from low-cost manufacturing to purpose-led global expansion. By analysing the "Chu Hai" (going global) phenomenon and the collapse of the traditional marketing funnel, this article explores how brands must find their "cultural code" and empower local teams to survive a market defined by paradoxes and lightning-fast innovation.

Fighting the Shrinkflation of Creativity

idea generation and lightbulb with papers
In the race to move faster and do more, creativity is often what quietly shrinks first. This article from Layal Baaklini explores why that happens and how we as leaders can bring creativity back to full size. You’ll learn five simple ways to protect creative energy and help your team think bigger again.

Why Your AI Efficiency Play Is Making Your Brand Forgettable

Glass brain with fading logos
In this piece Professor Gemma Calvert, Krishnan Menon and Gita de Beer argue that AI is making brands forgettable by prioritising efficiency and sameness over emotionally meaningful experiences that create the lasting memories that drive purchase decisions.

Why Marketing Needs Awards Recognition Now More Than Ever

people collecting an award at The Marketing Society Global Awards

For over four decades, The Marketing Society Awards have illuminated marketing's true power - delivering measurable impact that transforms businesses

Why I think “leadership compatibility” is like the early stages of dating

Professional meeting with urban backdrop
The article explores why working environments and cultural compatibility are a lot like the early stages of dating. Readers will learn why authenticity matters, how to spot the red flags, and why pretending never leads to a healthy match. It encourages both leaders and employees to recognise compatibility early and to walk away when it’s just not “the one.”

Consumer insights in the age of AI and content led, community led world

Engrossed in screens amidst city lights
A think piece by Unilever's Andrea Cappi on why with AI and fragmented audiences, true competitive advantage comes not from more data but from deeper human understanding.

The Invisible AI Gap Nobody in Marketing Wants to Talk About

Focused contrasts in an office at dusk
Every marketing team uses AI now but what they actually do with it varies enormously. Most marketing leaders can't tell who's using it well and who's just typing into it as Cemre Akkaya explains.

The Marketing Society's 10th Anniversary in Dubai: A Reset on What Marketing Strategy Really Means

Mark Ritson at The Marketing Society 10 year anniversary Dubai
At The Marketing Society’s Dubai anniversary, Christina Peyton shares insights from Sophie Devonshire, Mark Ritson and Amina Taher, reminding marketers to slow down and get the basics right. Start with diagnosis and strategy, build emotional memory, take pricing seriously, and use AI to support strong thinking, not replace it.

What can marketers learn from the viral ‘Chinamaxxing’ trend on social media?

Woman with smartphone in golden hour glow
The viral 'Chinamaxxing' trend shows Gen Z is seeking cultural inspiration beyond Western norms. This piece reveals what this means for marketers navigating cultural relevance, representation and the fine line between appreciation and appropriation.

Growing with longtime fans

BTS
BTS's comeback reveals something every marketer should pay attention to - as K-pop chases global scale, its most loyal fans are switching off. This piece explores what happens when brands sacrifice specificity for universality.

How do we Steady Ourselves as Leaders, when the Ground Keeps Moving

YanYi Chee
Leaders who thrive in today's world won't be those who move fastest, it'll be those who remain internally stable while navigating external chaos. This piece explores the pressure responses that derail leaders with practical solutions.

Avoiding the productivity paradox - how to ensure AI delivers impact, not just volume

AI generated image
Think piece by David Pugh-Jones on where AI earns its keep, where it doesn't, and why the marketers who combine human strategic judgment with machine efficiency will be the ones who pull ahead.

Dispatch from Davos:Why Davos matters more to CMOs than ever

Diverse business professionals in circular discussion at EY Davos meeting, seated around table in modern setting
After years attending Davos, for EY's John Rudaizky this year felt different. Here he reveals what the conversations around AI trust, youth opportunity and marketing's evolving role really mean for the work that happens after everyone flies home.

The Curator’s Edge: Why ‘Active Pulse’ Leadership can support growth and a future-ready culture

Collaborative meeting in a modern office
This think piece looks at how `Active Pulse' leadership is replacing the traditional top-down model with a curator-style approach where leaders stay close to the craft, amplify specialist talent and read market signals to drive creative excellence.

How do marketers use AI without reinforcing bias?

Data review and analysis in office
This piece by Roberto Moccia looks at how using AI without critical oversight risks optimising biases which can lead to brands confidently making wrong decisions and what we can do to mitigate this. 

Navigating Challenge and Change: a review

The Marketing Society event in Singapore
Tina Gupta's review of the recent Challenge and Change event reveals how in times of rapid change, senior leaders can navigate the uncertainty by shifting from reactive pressure and overwork to intentional leadership grounded in self-awareness and purpose.

Navigating Challenge and Change Starts From Within

people attending The Marketing Society event in Singapore
Krishnan Manon reviews the recent Navigating Challenge and Change event with Yan Yi Chee who revealed how modern leaders can navigate our fast-paced world by focusing on self-awareness and internal clarity rather than simply pushing harder.