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We’ve all seen it. Brands invest heavily in experiential, get a single social post out of it and then it disappears.

No pickup. No sharing. No second life.

That’s not a budget problem, it’s a thinking problem as the idea was never designed to travel beyond that moment.

If your concept only works in real life, it was never built to go anywhere. The best campaigns aren’t just experienced, they’re designed to catch on and spread.

A stunt is a moment. Social makes it scale.

Working with Aldi Scotland, we develop creative ideas to travel, rather than just land.

A stunt might reach a few hundred people in the flesh, but amplification on social turns that into thousands, sometimes millions, but only if the premise translates.

Taps Aff and AL-Date worked because they were instantly clear. You got them in a second.

Taps Aff started as an April Fools’ product then became something people could actually get their hands on through influencer packs.

AL-Date moved from hijacking Hinge with voice notes into a microsite, in-store vox pops and a stream of content.

If you need to explain it, it won’t take hold and carry.

The post matters more than the moment

When it comes to landing ideas, it’ not about how it looks in person, it’s how it registers  on a screen.

What’s the hero frame?
Does it make sense instantly?
Would you stop scrolling?

If it doesn’t work as a post, it doesn’t work – full stop.

Most people won’t see your activation. They’ll see a single image on their phone, which means you’ve designed for the feed, not to increase footfall.

Keep it simple. Make it read fast.

Build the headline in from the start

If you want PR, build the story in.

The best ideas come with their own headline:

Aldi launches a dating service for Scots
Scotland’s own canned tap water

If a journalist has to figure it out, you’ve already lost them.

One idea, multiple outputs

With Aldi, every idea is built to connect and stretch.

If it can’t break through , it’s not strong enough yet

.

One idea should flex across:

Social
Motion
Press
Influencers
Interactive

Taps Aff and AL-Date became full content ecosystems.

If you’ve only got one asset in your playbook, it’s under delivery.

Our AR filters for Aldi at the Royal Highland Show turned a physical activation into something people could use and share long after the event.

The difference between a stunt and a story

A stunt happens once; a story keeps moving.

A stunt is an act; a story resonates and people pass on.

The value of experiential isn’t the moment, it’s what happens after.

So instead of asking “how do we make this big?”, ask: “Would anyone share this if they weren’t there?”

If the answer’s no, it’s not a story – it’s a one-off.

As attention spans shrink in a world of constant content, audiences are becoming far more selective about what they stop for. Polished brand messaging on its own rarely cuts through as it used to. What people respond to now is something more human, more grounded and ultimately more believable. That is where the people behind the brand really matter. 

When you hear directly from the people who live and breathe an organisation, the narrative shifts. Whether it is a founder reflecting on the early days of their vision, a leadership team candidly navigating the ups and downs of their industry, or a customer sharing how a service has truly made a difference to their life, the story becomes real. These voices turn brand values from something written on a page into something lived and experienced. They build credibility, create emotional connection and make stories stick. 

For journalists, this shift is just as important. Real stories are easier to pitch and far more engaging for audiences. For brands, it can create compelling storytelling that helps drives awareness and action. 

Three ways we have put people at the heart of the brands we work with:  

Championing men through emotive storytelling 

Male suicide remains the leading cause of death for men under 50. This isn’t just a statistic; it’s a call to action. When we began work on Rock Face’s Father’s Day campaign, we knew we had to move beyond the typical gifting narratives and say something that actually mattered.

We built a campaign around honest insight, the things men often do not say and what they rarely hear in return. At the centre was an emotive film encouraging people to speak openly to father figures, mentors and friends. Survey data reinforced the message, with almost a third of men saying they want to hear they are a great dad, partner or friend. 

By putting those human truths front and centre, the work moved beyond product into purpose. The film generated more than 150k views and gained traction on LinkedIn, positioning Rock Face as a brand contributing to a wider conversation around men’s wellbeing, not just marketing around it.   

Building trust through patient-led narratives 

For Pall Mall Cosmetics, storytelling is the foundation of the brand’s strategy. In a sector where trust is everything, the challenge was how to communicate sensitive experiences in a way that felt honest, relatable and educational.  

So, we decided to step back and let patients speak for themselves. 

We worked with Grandma June, who chose to invest in herself after years of prioritising others, and Carlita, a mum of three who documented her journey from consultation through to recovery. These examples brought a level of openness that goes against the outdated stereotype of surgery. They were personal, emotional stories. 

Shared across national media and social channels, these first-person accounts helped secure high-profile coverage and built a growing sense of community around the brand. That momentum was strengthened further through an International Women’s Day event, where patients spoke alongside surgeons in front of key media. What has followed is an engaged community where patients continue to support and speak to one another, extending the impact far beyond the initial campaign. 

Positioning expertise through leadership and customer voices 

For The Cumberland Building Society, the focus was on raising its profile within the hospitality sector while making its relationship-led approach to lending feel tangible, not theoretical. Instead of relying on corporate messaging, we built the story around both customers and senior leaders – the people at the centre of the company. 

Working with organisations across the North-West and Scotland, including Carlowrie Castle and Brooklands Guest House, we developed in-depth case studies that focused on the real people behind the businesses and the role The Cumberland played in helping them grow. Brooklands Guest House, recent winners of Channel 4’s Four in a Bed, provided a timely hook that we are now building on to maximise visibility. 

Alongside this, leadership commentary and partnerships with Cumbria Tourism helped bolster credibility and sector expertise, grounding the storytelling in real industry context. Together, this approach secured coverage across national, regional and trade media, strengthening both awareness and reputation. 

Why human voices are driving modern PR 

Putting people at the centre of communications is keeping brands relevant. Whether it is an emotional campaign, a patient journey or a leadership perspective, real voices bring depth and meaning that traditional messaging struggles to achieve.

They build connection, strengthen trust and ultimately drive results, from initial media coverage and traffic to long-term brand loyalty and advocacy. 

For brands looking to grow, the question is no longer whether to use the people behind the business but how to use them in a way that feels genuine and meaningful. 

The stories are already there. The opportunity is simply in how you tell them.

In the creative industry, feedback is our most powerful tool for collaboration with your clients. Handle it poorly, and you end up with a demoralised team and a “Frankensteined” final product. Handle it with mastery, you transform your project into a market-shifting brand.

In an effort for time saving and efficiency, many are turning to AI to “grade” creative work. While AI is great at checking technical boxes, creative direction is a human-to-human sport. When we outsource the critique to an algorithm, we trade the “soul” of a project for a sanitised, safe and ultimately forgettable result.

One of the roles of a creative director is to work with clients, the team, and the parameters of creativity within a project. For me, feedback is always better in-person or talking through on a face-to-face call. The reason being is tone.

The internal critique: focus on the “why,” not the “what”

The biggest mistake creative leaders make is giving “prescriptive” feedback. When you tell a designer to “move that logo 20 pixels to the left,” you aren’t leading; you’re micro-managing. We have to give designers the freedom to express themselves but within time and budget.

The “kind critique” framework: A kind critique is objective, not personal. It’s about the work’s ability to perform a task. Use the 3-P method:

Purpose: Remind them of the goal. “Our goal was to feel ‘premium’ and ‘minimalist’…”
Problem: Identify the friction. “…but the heavy use of secondary colours is making the layout feel cluttered.”
Possibility: Open a door. “How can we use whitespace to bring that premium feel back?”

Finding the “Sweet Spot”: The Art of Strategic Range

You cannot find the centre of a target if you don’t know where the edges are. Early in a project, a creative director’s job is to define the parameters.

I advocate for showing “the three pillars” early in the process to find the sweet spot:

The safe bet: Hits the brief exactly as expected.
Evolution: Pushes the brand voice into new, slightly uncomfortable territory.
Revolution: Tests the absolute limits of the brand’s identity.

This isn’t about guessing the right answer; it’s about collaborative discovery. Once you find the “too far” line, the “sweet spot” becomes crystal clear.

The external critique: follow the process

Client feedback is often the most feared part of the process for any designer because you have put your heart and soul into the work.

As a creative, you might need tough skin. Every project will go through iterations, and that’s part of the process. Feedback isn’t a setback, it’s an opportunity to refine and elevate the work. Clients will always have perspectives to share, and that’s okay. By staying open to critique, you can strike the right balance between their vision and creative excellence, ultimately producing something stronger and more considered.

Solution feedback: “I don’t like the blue. Can we try orange?” (This is a solution, and usually a bad one).
Creative feedback: “I’m worried the blue feels too cold for a hospitality brand.” (This is a problem that we, as creatives, are paid to solve).

When you bridge the gap between client concerns and creative solutions, you stop being a “vendor” and start being a strategic partner.

The Bottom Line

A great critique isn’t about having the loudest voice in the room; it’s about having the clearest vision. Whether you’re guiding a junior designer, testing the project’s boundaries or managing a CEO’s expectations, your goal is the same: protect the integrity of the work while collaborating everyone within the project.

p.s All feedback welcome 

If you work in a sector where M&A is part of the rhythm of business, you’ll know this already – deals don’t just happen in boardrooms. They play out in the market, in the media and, critically, inside your organisation.

From a strategic PR perspective, the companies that navigate repeat transactions successfully aren’t just financially prepared, they also have their narrative in place. They’ve done the work to make sure every acquisition, divestment or merger builds towards something bigger.

You can see it in real time. Activity around leading organisations such as Paramount and Warner Bros or Marmite maker Unilever remind us that markets are constantly fluid and deals are rarely straightforward. But what’s less visible – and far more powerful – is the groundwork happening behind the scenes to make M&A transitions land successfully. That’s where a good PR and internal comms strategy becomes a commercial lever, not a support function.

It starts earlier than most people think

One of the biggest misconceptions is that communications switch on at the announcement stage. The reality is that most effective programmes start months, sometimes years, before a deal is on the table.

At this stage, the work is about shaping the story you want the market to already believe about you. That means working with leadership to define a clear, long-term narrative, one that goes beyond the next transaction. It also involves creating a consistent drumbeat of proof – project wins, innovation milestones and thought leadership articles – that reinforce credibility over time.

By the time a deal is announced, your value proposition has already been tested, refined and understood by the audiences that matter. At that point, your growth story isn’t trying to keep up, it’s simply about connecting the dots.

Internal comms is your first deal success metric

If there’s one thing that can derail even the best-structured deal, it’s uncertainty inside the business. Employees experience M&A as change, risk and often silence. Internal comms must be a core workstream, not an afterthought.

That means preparing leaders to communicate confidently and consistently throughout the deal lifecycle, and ensuring employees hear news from senior leadership first, with clear context on what it means for them and the business. Equally, it’s about dialogue – town halls, manager briefings and feedback channels to understand concerns early. Done well, this maintains trust, protects retention and keeps the business moving forward.

Tactically, every deal should build your market story

In repeat M&A cycles, buyers look beyond current performance to assess established patterns. They want to see a business that grows with intent, integrates effectively and delivers consistently. That doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built through a deliberate comms approach over time.

In practical terms, that means treating every deal as a campaign, not a moment. Each transaction should be anchored in a clear strategic arc, whether that’s expansion into new markets, strengthening capabilities or accelerating a shift into new sectors, geographies or technologies – and then consistently reinforced across all channels.

The role of PR is to make that strategy visible and credible. This starts with how deals are announced and framed, ensuring media coverage, executive commentary and stakeholder messaging all reinforce the same strategic story. Beyond the announcement, the work continues with technical articles, case studies and speaking opportunities that evidence strengths and showcase innovation, client relationships and future revenue visibility. Owned channels, such as LinkedIn, provide a steady drumbeat of insight, reinforcing positioning and humanising the business.

Financial performance will always open the door, but it’s this combination of transparency, consistency and proof that helps buyers understand what comes next. It turns a set of numbers into a clear picture of momentum and scalability.

Done well, this approach compounds. Each deal adds another layer of credibility, each campaign reinforces the same strategic direction, and each piece of content builds a more complete picture of the business. The result is that by the time the next M&A transaction comes around, the market already understands your trajectory.

That’s where the real advantage lies. When your positioning is clear and your track record is visible, stakeholders don’t need to be convinced from scratch. Employees stay engaged, clients remain confident and investors can more easily see the value ahead.

Being “sale ready” isn’t just about financial performance or operational efficiency. It’s about having a disciplined, repeatable way of showing who you are, where you’re going and why it matters.

Get that right, and you’re not just ready for the next deal – you’re already shaping it.

When people talk about challenger brands, the same names tend to come up. Monzo. Oatly. Airbnb. Gymshark. Surreal. Rock Face. Booking.com. Peloton. Uber. 

Brands that entered established categories and disrupted them. Not always by inventing something entirely new, but by questioning how things had always been done and choosing to do them differently. 

Because of that, the term “challenger brand” often gets associated with size or stage. A small, startup taking on big incumbents. But that framing misses the real point. 

Being a challenger isn’t about how big you are or how long you’ve been around. It’s about how you think and behave as a brand. 

At its simplest, a challenger brand questions the norms of its category and does things differently. Not necessarily louder or bigger. Just braver. 

And the reality is that you don’t need to be a challenger brand to have challenger energy. In fact, some of the most successful established brands today are the ones that have kept that mindset long after they stopped being small. 

The trap established brands can fall into 

As brands grow and become market leaders, their instinct can slowly start to change. 

Often without anyone consciously deciding that it should. 

Instead of challenging the category, they start protecting their position within it: protecting market share. Protecting legacy thinking and processes that have worked well in the past. 

Over time, this can gradually shift a brand from being progressive to being defensive. 

The irony is that the very things that helped them become successful in the first place can also make them slower and more cautious as they scale. More layers of approval. More complexity. More pressure not to get things wrong. 

But categories don’t stand still. Consumer expectations change. Culture evolves. New competitors enter the market with fresh ideas and fewer constraints. 

If established brands don’t evolve with those shifts, they can start to look dated surprisingly quickly. 

Which is why challenger energy matters, even when you’re already the market leader. 

In many ways, challenger thinking shouldn’t disappear when a brand becomes successful. That’s exactly when it matters most. 

Sometimes you see this in the categories you least expect 

Some of the clearest examples of challenger influence have appeared in sectors where you might least expect it.  

Banking is a good example. 

Over the past decade, challenger banks like Monzo, Starling and Revolut have helped shift the tone of the entire category. They moved banking away from corporate, product-led communication towards something more human and relatable. Less about accounts, rates and financial jargon. More about everyday life and helping people manage their money in a way that fits how they actually live. 

They didn’t just launch new products. They changed the conversation. 

What’s interesting now is how established banks are responding. 

Lloyds’ recent brand evolution is a good example. The bank isn’t suddenly trying to position itself as a disruptive fintech or pretending to be a challenger brand. Instead, it’s evolving how it communicates and shows up in ways that reflect what clearly resonates with audiences today. Less corporate and product-first, more human and customer-focused. Less about transactions, more about the life ambitions that money supports. 

It’s a smart response to how the category has changed. And importantly, it’s done in a way that still feels authentic to Lloyds as a brand. In other words, it’s not imitation. It’s adaptation. 

What established brands can learn from challengers 

None of this means established brands should try to behave exactly like challenger brands. But there are a few lessons that are worth paying attention to. 

1. Know what you stand for. Commit to it. 

Many large brands often try to say everything to everyone, which can lead to diluted or overly complicated messaging. Challengers tend to do the opposite. They define a clear point of view and commit to it. Clarity and conviction cut through better than complexity. 

2. Move faster. Remove unnecessary friction. 

Big organisations can slow themselves down with layers of approval and risk aversion. Challenger brands show the advantage of speed – testing ideas, learning quickly and adapting when something works. Acting faster than the rest of the category can be a competitive advantage in itself. 

3. Sound human. Not institutional. 

One of the biggest shifts challengers have brought is tone. Less corporate language. Less jargon. More relatable, conversational communication that reflects how people actually speak and think. Brands that sound human tend to connect more easily. 

4. Fix what the category has learned to tolerate.

Great challengers often identify frustrations the rest of the category has simply learned to accept. Airbnb simplified travel booking. Monzo brought transparency to banking. Often the biggest opportunity comes from solving everyday friction. 

5. Question the ‘rules’ of your category. Regularly.

The moment a brand stops questioning how things are done, it risks becoming stuck. The brands that continue to evolve are the ones that regularly challenge category norms and ask whether those rules still make sense. 

Challenger energy doesn’t mean trying to be cool 

It’s worth clarifying one thing: thinking like a challenger doesn’t mean ripping everything up and starting again.  

It doesn’t mean suddenly becoming bold, divisive or controversial for the sake of it.  

And it definitely doesn’t mean putting on a sideways baseball cap and trying too hard to look “down with the kids”. 

Challenger energy isn’t about being rebellious. It’s about being aware. 

Aware of where your category is heading, what your audience actually cares about and having the confidence to evolve when needed. 

Sometimes that evolution can be significant. Other times it is surprisingly simple – changing the tone of your messaging, how your brand shows up visually, or rethinking parts of the customer experience that feel outdated. 

The point is not to copy challenger brands. It’s to stay curious, proactive and willing to question the norms of your category. 

The brands that last never stop challenging 

Challenger isn’t a stage of business. It’s a stance. 

The brands that win long term never stop questioning their category, evolving with the world around them and finding new ways to stay relevant. 

Because the moment a brand becomes comfortable defending its position, it usually starts to lose it. 

You don’t need to be a challenger brand to think like one. But the brands that last are the ones that never stop challenging. 

Healthcare marketing often lives under immediate pressure. Appointment slots need filling, new services require promotion and campaigns must generate measurable returns quickly. Paid search, promotional offers and tactical campaigns can absolutely drive immediate results. However, for healthcare providers, sustainable growth rarely comes from quick wins alone. 

In a sector where trust is paramount, long-term brand building is what ultimately drives patient loyalty, advocacy and reputation. 

Patients don’t choose healthcare providers the same way they choose consumer products. Whether selecting a dentist, hearing specialist or private medical provider, people are making decisions about their health and often their finances. This means credibility, consistency and reassurance play a far greater role than a single promotional message or paid campaign. 

Channels such as PPC and targeted digital advertising are powerful tools for capturing demand when patients are actively searching for treatment. They can generate immediate enquiries and support revenue targets. But on their own, these tactics rarely build the deeper trust required for long-term patient relationships. 

That’s where brand building comes in. 

Strong healthcare brands are built through consistent visibility, authoritative expertise and a clear narrative about what the organisation stands for. PR, thought leadership, organic search, content marketing and brand storytelling all play an essential role in reinforcing credibility over time. 

For example, healthcare brands that already have strong public trust can use creative campaigns to reinforce their role in everyday health decisions. When new research from Boots revealed that nearly a third of UK adults report falling ill after the summer holidays as children return to school, the retailer used the insight to highlight the support available through its pharmacy services. 

To bring the message to life, a Boots pharmacist swapped the high street for the school gates, acting as a “lollipop pharmacist” for the day – helping children cross the road while sharing healthcare advice with parents and reminding them that pharmacists can diagnose and treat a range of common conditions. The campaign also highlighted the accessibility of services such as the NHS Pharmacy First Service, reinforcing the role of pharmacists as a convenient first point of care. 

The campaign worked not because it pushed a promotion, but because it reinforced an existing brand truth: Boots pharmacists are trusted, accessible healthcare professionals embedded within local communities. By combining research, community engagement and expert advice, the activity strengthened credibility while gently encouraging people to consider pharmacies as an alternative to GP appointments for common conditions. 

When brand awareness and credibility are already established, paid campaigns perform more effectively. Patients are more likely to click, enquire and convert because they recognise the name behind the advert. Trust reduces friction in the decision-making process. 

Importantly, long-term brand investment also protects reputation. Healthcare organisations operate in an environment where reviews, patient experience and public perception can significantly influence growth. A strong brand built on consistent messaging, transparency and expertise provides resilience when challenges arise. 

Some healthcare brands show how long-term trust-building pays off through authentic storytelling. Bupa, for instance, highlights real patient journeys and outcomes in its campaigns, focusing on the human impact of care rather than just promoting services. By consistently sharing these stories, Bupa reinforces its reputation as a trusted, patient-centered provider, demonstrating that credibility and empathy are more powerful for long-term engagement than short-term tactics alone. 

The clinics and healthcare brands that succeed over time are rarely those chasing the latest marketing tactic. Instead, they are the organisations that invest consistently in trust: showing up in the right places, sharing expertise, telling their story and building meaningful relationships with patients and communities. 

In healthcare, reputation isn’t built overnight. But when marketing strategies prioritise both demand capture and long-term brand credibility, the results are far more powerful than either approach alone. 

As a former journalist I couldn’t help but watch new BBC series, The Papers, with some fondness and more than a touch of nostalgia.

The two-part fly-on-the-wall documentary profiles leading Scottish publications The Herald and The National as they became seven-day operations, publishing The Herald on Sunday and The Sunday National for the first time in place of the now-defunct Sunday Herald.

The trials and tribulations of pulling together pages was played out against the demands of covering major news stories, including ex-PM Theresa May suffering the biggest defeat in history at Westminster over her Brexit plans.

For anyone who is interested in news and current affairs, it was a fascinating insight into how stories are developed and then presented.

Unfortunately, it also shone a spotlight on the ongoing decline of print and the diminishing resources available. Circulations across the industry have shrunk dramatically over the past decade as readers migrate from print to digital. According to research organisation Mintel, national newspapers experienced a 10% drop in circulation last year to just over 1.8bn. The picture isn’t much rosier for regional newspapers. Annual regional newspaper circulations are expected to fall by 9.6% this year, to around 1.15m.

On the flipside, online consumption is growing, and overall reach has never been higher. More than half of adults – 53% – access news via free websites and apps, while 42% say they read traditional print newspapers and 38% read national newspapers online.

The challenge for the industry is how to monetise online output in the face of the free content published by Google and Facebook and audience resistance to paywalls.

Encouragingly, there are signs that ‘fake news’ has helped to create a more favourable environment for authoritative news sources such as newspapers, TV and radio.

Certainly, it was clear from The Papers that journalists remain highly committed professionals who, despite ongoing budget cuts, care deeply about covering the stories that matter to their readers.

These are people who put their heart and soul into what they do, often at personal cost, by working long hours and enduring increasing workloads to mitigate against reduced staffing levels and to keep up with the new digital age. In the first episode of The Papers, journalists were shown breaking stories on social media and creating online content including podcasts, in addition to the day job of sourcing and reporting the news.

And what does all this have to do with brands and their marketing communications goals?

I may be a dinosaur in a minority of one, but I’d argue that the drive and commitment demonstrated by the team behind The Herald and The National together with the continued respect that the public has for quality journalism makes a strong case for businesses investing in media relations and engagement.

Yes, it is important to stay ahead of the market, consider the options and invest in the platforms that are right for your audience.

But brands looking to influence behaviours – whether that’s growing sales, recruiting top talent or enhancing reputation – shouldn’t write off ‘the papers’ just yet.

If you’d like to discuss how to combine PR and digital marketing for maximum impact, get in touch today.

As we kick off a new year and think about how brands get people talking, one thing feels clearer than ever. Physical presence and real human interaction are key.

In a world where so much brand communication lives on screens, people are craving moments they can step into. Things they can experience, touch, try or be part of. When brands show up in the real world, they create space for connection, inviting people in and giving them something to remember.

Done well, they help people engage with a brand in a more meaningful way, drive trial of a product or service, and put real faces behind the logo.

And while digital remains essential, it’s no longer enough on its own. Whether a pop-up, a live experience or a simple interactive idea, these touchpoints help brands feel more rounded and present.

After a period of playing it safe, brands are backing themselves again. They’re taking creative risks, expressing clearer opinions and making braver choices. In an overcrowded attention economy, standing out is no longer optional. It’s essential.

A recent example is our work with the male grooming brand Rock Face, where we delivered an activation designed to bring their scent credentials to life. We took to the busy streets of major city centres, partnering with a scientist to conduct a chemical-based study on the impact of scent on heart rate. The activation combined influencer involvement and product sampling, with timings strategically aligned to a multi-channel brand campaign during Rock Face’s peak trading season.

We also delivered a highly visual activation for Booking.com, which emphasised their commitment to local communities, in addition to creating noise around the opening of their new Manchester offices. ​Using the derby football match as a hook, we brought to life the ‘red or blue’ debate by creating the ultimate Manchester ‘Stunt Stay’ – a perfectly split half-red, half-blue house, located at the middle point of Old Trafford and Etihad stadiums.​ The campaign created a content-rich opportunity including a photo-stunt for earned, owned, paid and shared channels.

Why activations matter more than ever

At their best, activations do more than generate headlines or social buzz. They put products and services directly into people’s hands or, where that’s not possible, give audiences a clear and compelling call to action.

Sampling, trials, demos and live experiences allow people to experience a brand rather than be told about it. And when there’s no physical product, activations still work by inviting people to sign up, show up or rethink something.

Whether it’s B2B or B2C, decisions are still made by people. A finance director or procurement lead is no less human than a consumer browsing the high street. Activations that recognise this, and speak to people rather than job titles, are the ones that cut through.

Strong foundations make bold activations easier

Successful activations don’t happen in isolation; they’re built on clear brand foundations.

When brands know who they are, decisions get easier. Creative routes sharpen, tone of voice becomes instinctive, and audiences feel that confidence too.

Without this clarity, activations risk becoming noise. Visually impressive, perhaps, but disconnected from the bigger picture. With it, even simple ideas can feel distinctive, memorable and powerful.

Top five tips for a successful brand activation

Start with a single human truth. What do you want people to feel, think or do?
Make participation effortless, not forced
Design for experience first, focussing on creating something that will genuinely be of benefit.
Anchor everything in the brand. From visuals to language to behaviour, an activation should feel unmistakably like the brand behind it.
Remember who you are really talking to and speak to them in way that will allow you to connect.

Experiential marketing has become one of the most powerful ways for brands to connect. Activations are designed to spark emotion, bring together communities, and turn moments into measurable impact.

There’s a pattern I’ve noticed over the years.

The campaigns that really land, the ones that feel confident, connected and hard to ignore, nearly always start in the same place. Not with channels. Not with formats. And definitely not with a media plan.

They start with a clear idea. One central thought that everything else connects back to.

You might call it a unifying platform. Or an overarching creative direction. Or simply “the campaign idea”. The label doesn’t really matter. What matters is that everyone involved is aligned on the same thing: what’s the idea we’re building from, and what’s it all in service of?

Because when that’s clear, everything else becomes easier.

With a recent client, we saw this very clearly. Initially, there were multiple campaign ideas running in parallel, each trying to solve a slightly different problem. Individually they made sense, but together they competed for attention.

Once everything was aligned around one clear, connected idea, the work immediately felt more confident and coherent. Not because we added more activity, but because everything was finally pulling in the same direction.

From the audience’s point of view, it’s all one experience

One of the biggest reasons this approach works is also the simplest.

People don’t experience brands in channels.

They don’t separate PR from social or paid from content. They just experience a brand across different places, moments and formats. To them, it’s one journey.

When campaigns are planned channel-first, that disconnect often becomes obvious. Messages fragment. Creative loses consistency. And the audience is left to join the dots themselves.

Years ago, I worked with a high-profile UK high-street retail brand that planned campaigns channel by channel. Each team was doing good work, but it never quite added up to a single experience.

When we flipped the thinking and started with one central campaign idea instead, decisions became quicker, messaging tightened, and the campaign finally felt joined-up from the outside. The work didn’t change overnight. The clarity did.

An idea-led approach fixes this by design. It starts with the story, then works out how that story should be expressed in different places in a way that feels connected, intentional and recognisable.

The idea shapes the strategy. The strategy guides the channels.

One idea doesn’t limit creativity. It focuses it.

There’s sometimes a fear that committing to one central idea will box teams in.

In reality, it does the opposite. Clarity creates freedom. It removes guesswork, speeds up decision-making, and means creative energy goes into making the idea work harder, rather than constantly reinventing it.

The campaigns that struggle most are usually the ones trying to say too many things at once.

More broadly, this is something I’ve seen repeatedly over the years, and even more so now as marketing budgets come under pressure.

One focused campaign, built around a single clear idea, will almost always work harder and feel bigger than three or four separate ones all trying to say different things.

When spend has to work harder, focus stops being a nice-to-have and starts becoming essential.

When you start with one clear idea everything ladders up to, channels stop competing for attention. PR has something meaningful to talk about, social reinforces the story, and paid knows exactly what it’s there to amplify.

The result is one experience, not lots of separate parts.

Call it what you like, but it’s about alignment

Whether you call it a campaign idea, a unifying platform, a creative direction or just “the thing we’re all building from”, the principle is the same.

The most effective marketing doesn’t start with channels. It starts with clarity. A clear idea at the heart of the strategy, giving everything else something to connect back to.

When that’s in place, channels stop behaving like separate workstreams and start working together. Decisions get easier. Creative gets sharper. And from the audience’s point of view, it all feels like one joined-up journey.

That’s why at BIG Partnership we work in an ideas-first way. Not because channels don’t matter, but because they work best when they’re built around one clear, connected thought.

That’s what we really mean by strategy-led, idea-driven marketing.

Trends matter because they explain why people are changing, not just what they’re doing. They sit in the space between what’s happening now and what’s about to feel normal, helping brands make sense of shifting behaviours, expectations and priorities before they fully settle in.

In 2026, that clarity matters more than ever. Brands aren’t short of options or opportunities. They’re short of focus. Understanding the right patterns helps brands decide what’s worth acting on, what to ignore and where to put their energy to create real relevance and impact.

These ten trends are the ones we’re seeing repeatedly in real client work. Practical signals that can help brands make smarter decisions as we head into 2026.

1. The human touch matters most in an AI-first world

AI is everywhere. Faster, smarter and increasingly invisible. As automation takes care of functional tasks, the real value shifts to what humans do best: judgement, taste, craft and personality. Tone, warmth and instinct still matter. A great example of this in action is the recognition recently given to headline writers, including The Sun’s front page team, for their wit and human flair. This serves as a reminder that creativity can still cuts through in ways AI can’t replicate.

2. The here-and-now mindset: short-term feel-good wins

Long-term goals feel harder to commit to in an unpredictable world. Instead, people are focusing on small, achievable moments of joy. Brands are responding by rethinking loyalty and rewards – favouring instant emotional payoffs over distant benefits. Little wins now beat big promises later.

Brands such as Lidl, Octopus Energy and Vitality have been praised by consumers for weaving these moments into essential, ongoing expenses. Using simple, tangible rewards like baked goods, free coffees and cinema tickets, turns necessary spending into something that feels immediately rewarding.

3. Retail therapy evolves into retail joy (with intention)

People are still savvy and selective, but they’re ready to spend again when it feels justified. Shopping is becoming more emotional and more considered. The little moments of joy matter, but the emotional part of the decision must feel like it has a strong rational part, to make it feel good. Online retailers like ASOS are doing this well, balancing the joy of buying something you love, with a discount code but knowing you have a clear, fair returns model. Flexibility remains, but boundaries are clearer, making spending feel both enjoyable and responsible.

4. The return of brand swagger

After years of playing it safe, brands are backing themselves again. Clear opinions, strong creative choices and less apologising are back. Swagger doesn’t mean arrogance. It means confidence and clarity. Ryanair and Aldi continue to prove that knowing exactly who you are (and sticking to it) builds trust and loyalty.

Aldi’s playful but pointed parody campaigns (from product lookalikes to tongue-in-cheek legal disclaimers) communicate value without defensiveness. The humour signals confidence. Aldi doesn’t need to claim superiority, just equivalence at a lower cost. They own it time and again and more and more brands are following suit of just ‘being themselves’ consistently.

Check out a recent campaign from us for Aldi Scotland where we made a bid to raise awareness of St Andrew’s Day with an ‘Andrew approved feast’ – surveying Andrews, Andys and Drews across the country on their favourite festive flavours. 

5. The big simplification

Life is complicated enough. Brands that reduce friction will win. A great example is the rise of simpler ranges, clearer language and transparent choices which make people feel calmer and more in control. M&S’s “Only… Ingredients” range strips products back to their essentials, turning simplicity into a premium experience. From one-ingredient cornflakes to brands that make processes easy, keeping it simple is in.

6. Sustainability shifts from virtue to tangible value

Big sustainability claims are losing impact. What matters now is usefulness. Durability, efficiency and real-world benefits speak louder than slogans. Brands like Vinted and Octopus Energy lead with practical outcomes – saving money, smarter usage – letting sustainability prove itself through everyday value.

Even big energy companies are increasingly pulling back from big, headline-grabbing sustainability pledges (like net-zero by 2030/2050 or massive renewable energy shifts) and instead reframing those promises to more measurable actions.

7. It’s not B2B or B2C – it’s business-to-human (B2H)

It’s so simple, but it’s something that many brands forget: regardless of whether selling to businesses or consumers, ultimately decisions are still made by people. People with pressures, emotions and limited attention. Brands that communicate clearly, empathetically and without jargon feel more human – and more trustworthy.

Check out our blog on B2H here.

8. Age is increasingly just a number

Traditional life stages matter less than mindset and relevance. Aspirational ageing is about energy, curiosity and cultural connection. And for younger audiences it’s about making people feel seen and heard. Spotify understands this notion of age inclusivity well, bringing people together through taste and shared moments rather than rigid demographics.

9. Participation is the norm

People no longer just watch brands – they expect to participate in them. From digital engagement to real-world experiences, participation deepens emotional investment. McDonald’s Secret Menu taps into this by inviting fans to hack, share and shape the brand themselves, bringing unofficial menu creations into the mainstream this January. Meanwhile, MyProtein continues to understand this trend, regularly activating interactions that manifest with physical communities, showing how brands can go beyond transactions, turning customers into active contributors rather than passive audiences.

10. The un-boring of ‘boring’

There’s no such thing as a boring brand anymore. Everyday jobs, processes and skills are being reimagined through personality and pride. From pipe unblocking to baked potatoes, anything can be content if it’s human and done well.

These trends point to a clear opportunity for brands in 2026: be human, be confident and make life feel a little easier. When brands understand what people are feeling, not just what they’re doing, they’re better placed to create ideas that feel relevant, not random.

Trends are only useful if you do something with them. If one of these feels relevant to your brand, we can help translate it into something meaningful for your marketing in 2026. Get in touch.