Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
There’s a lot going on right now and it’s stressing us all out. Wars. Politics. Economy. All of it has quietly become our new normal, often without us realizing the impact it’s having. Sometimes we just need a break from these stressors. A laugh, or at least a little distraction.
So, what are people doing about it, and even more interesting, what are brands doing? The answers might be more entertaining than you might expect.
The Permission to Be Ridiculous
One of the more interesting things happening in brand-land right now is a kind of calculated ridiculousness. Brands are leaning into strangeness, not as a creative accident, but as a deliberate strategy for giving people a moment of levity in an exhausting news cycle.
This is not new. Take Liquid Death, launched in 2019. It’s canned water. That’s the product. And yet the brand hired a witch doctor to curse plastic bottles, auctioned a casket cooler cobranded with Yeti (love that brand btw) for $68,000, collaborated with e.l.f. Cosmetics on a coffin-shaped makeup kit that sold out in under an hour. The whole enterprise operates as though someone asked, “what if a water company acted like a heavy metal band?” and then committed to the answer without blinking.
And things keep getting stranger. The Picklerita—a mash-up between Sonic and Grillo’s Pickles. A summer slush with pickle juice, lime, ice, and boba. Really? And why? Perhaps, it’s why not! Not to everyone’s taste, yet enough people couldn’t get enough of it simply because of its wackiness. It may quench your thirst but that’s not the point. It was designed to provoke curiosity, laughter, and more than a bit of confusion. We’d bet people were not thinking of the news while sipping on this exotic mixture (even if you like pickles).
Another favorite was the odd co-branding between Crocs and Krispy Kreme: a donut-decorated shoe. You can’t help but giggle or at least have your mind skip a beat and wonder again why, or more importantly, who would wear them? No offense to those that might own a beautiful pair of these glazed rubber whatevers as you walk around smelling like a blueberry cobbler since you bathed with the Dunkin’/Native body wash.
What do these all have in common? They all have a way for people to share in a fun experience, have a laugh, and maybe for a moment they realize that we’re all in this together and it’s OK to be silly if it helps.
The Great Logging Off
On the other end of the spectrum, some brands are doing the opposite of demanding attention. They’re offering escape from it.
According to the BBC, the biggest 2026 travel trend is quiet over everything—quietcations, also known as hushpitality. The movement centers around comfort, silence, and unplugging.
Hector Hughes, co-founder of Unplugged offers cabins in the UK where guests trade in their smartphones for Polaroid cameras, actual paper maps, and board games. “When we first started Unplugged in 2020, digital detoxing and analogue living was pretty much unheard of,” he says. “Now, over half of our guests cite burnout and screen fatigue as their main motivation for booking.”
Vogue ran a piece declaring being completely unreachable “the ultimate power move.” When fashion magazines start treating silence as a luxury status symbol, something cultural has genuinely shifted.
Rage rooms (spaces where you put on protective gear and smash things with a bat) are still going strong. What started in Tokyo is now a projected $314 million global industry. Cities are hosting outdoor scream clubs. Forest retreats are offering sledgehammer sessions in addition to gentler forest-bathing experiences. Different approaches for different folks, but the insight is simple: sometimes people need a physical outlet or shift for feelings that have nowhere else to go, and the brand that provides the room is welcome.
What This Means for Brands
There’s a common thread here. Whether a brand is handing you a pickle slush, sledgehammer, or solitude, what they’re really offering is the same thing: relief from seriousness. A moment, an hour, or a week away from the onslaught of everything coming at us. It’s kind of a release valve in a world that as hard as we might try, is not easy to brush off or realize the impact it is having on us.
This is not to say that you need to come up with something whacky or position your brand to being Zen-like. Though, you don’t need our permission to do so, and it might be fun even ideating about it. For these brands, it worked. They were attentive and in-tune with the broader world around them, and more importantly, their customers.
If your initial reaction is that this is too scary, weird, or not for my brand, then you are already on the right path. That’s how it should feel. Growth or change of any kind is initially uncomfortable because it’s not what we are used to.
Give us a call and let’s be scared together about the exciting opportunities that just might help your customers giggle, get curious, and never forget that you gave them a bit of respite when they needed it most.
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Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
Relationships. Routines. The stuff that tends to get overlooked once the year is fully underway.
Your brand often falls into that same category.
Most organizations don’t ignore their brand on purpose. It just gets pushed aside while everyone focuses on execution. Marketing keeps moving. Projects stack up. Decisions get made. The brand itself doesn’t really get revisited or the regular attention it requires.
Over time, that creates a quiet drift. Messaging starts to sound a little safe. Different teams describe the company in different ways. Decisions take longer because there isn’t a clear gut-check for what fits and what doesn’t. Nothing is broken, but things feel heavier or staler than they should. We often see this when leadership feels aligned, but sales and marketing describe the company differently, or when the website sounds polished but doesn’t match what customers experience.
When the Honeymoon Phase Is Over
This is usually the point where people start asking for more marketing. Sometimes it’s very specific; more channels, more campaigns, a refreshed website. Any of those could be the right move.
But often, what’s really missing is a new and honest look at the brand underneath all that activity.
When a brand is clear, a lot of things start to feel easier. Teams make decisions faster because they know what they’re promoting and protecting. Marketing feels more focused because it has something solid to build from. Customers feel it too, even if they can’t quite explain why your message feels easier to understand than someone else’s.
What “Showing Your Brand Some Love” Actually Looks Like
Giving your brand a little love doesn’t mean starting over or blowing everything up. Most of the time, it just means slowing down long enough to ask a few honest questions and then making the necessary adjustments.
Does our story still line up with where we’re headed? Are we talking about ourselves the same way customers actually experience us? Are we being authentic? If someone new joined the team, would they be able to explain what makes us different without a script?
When those answers are clear, a lot of things get easier. The brand stops being something you manage in the background and becomes something you actually use to make decisions. Marketing becomes more focused. Marketing, sales, operations, all the teams start pulling in the same direction.
A Simple Brand Check-In Goes a Long Way
As the year settles in, this can be a good moment to check in on your brand. And don’t just do it yourself. Talk through those questions with the leadership team or even with a few long-time clients who know you well.
A brand that’s cared for is easier to work with, and easier for people to connect with.
Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
New year, new marketing. But really?
When we usher in a new year, it naturally creates space to reflect on what we want to do differently or better, both personally and professionally. From a marketing standpoint, this is also a good time to consider how to be more effective and efficient with time, investments, strategies, and priorities.
For many organizations, this is also the right time to revisit their marketing fundamentals and make sure strategy, brand, and execution are aligned with business goals.
That said, different is not always better.
Each year seems to bring an accelerated wave of new technologies, shifting demographics, and evolving competitive and economic pressures.
When all of these external changes are swirling around, it’s easy to get overwhelmed about what to focus on and what to do next. This is where stepping back becomes critical.
Regardless of the technology, whether it’s AI, the latest jargon like “vibe marketing,” or the many things outside of your control such as competition, the economy, or trends, the smartest move is often to refocus on the fundamentals.
Focus on what you can control: your brand, your messaging, your budget, and your resources, both internal and external.
What does it mean to focus on the fundamentals?
Focusing on marketing fundamentals means stepping back and evaluating a few core areas that drive long-term performance and better decision-making.
This is a good time to take a closer look at a few key areas.
Your strategic plans
Does your organization have a clear strategic plan? Is your marketing plan aligned with the broader business objectives? If those two aren’t connected, it becomes difficult to make smart decisions about priorities and investments.
Your brand platform
Your brand platform, not your logo or visual identity, should serve as your guiding light. If you haven’t developed one, or if it hasn’t been revisited in several years, now is the time to reassess it.
Do your mission and vision clearly reflect why you exist and what you are working toward long term? Are your values showing up in how you operate, not just how you describe yourself? Does your personality and tone of voice come through consistently in your communications?
Your target audience
When was the last time you conducted research to truly understand your customers? Why they choose you, why they don’t, how they may have changed, and who you might be missing altogether.
Do you understand their path to purchase or engagement, and where friction exists along the way?
Your communications
How well does your messaging resonate with your target audience? Are you being authentic and distinct? Are you reaching people where they are, as efficiently as possible? And how are you measuring whether it’s working?
Too often, organizations focus on the what and move too quickly past the why. We jump from tactic to tactic or chase the next new thing we’re told we need to do to avoid falling behind.
This isn’t to say new technologies don’t matter. They can absolutely play a role. But before jumping to solutions, it’s far more effective to start with the fundamentals.
Strong marketing fundamentals create better decisions, stronger alignment, and more effective execution over time.
Align your marketing with your business goals first. Then make informed decisions about what to do and how to do it.
Short-form video continues to reshape how audiences discover and engage with content online. One of the newest formats is YouTube Shorts, a feature designed to help brands connect with viewers.
What Are YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts are vertical, short-form videos that are up to 60 seconds long. Shorts appear in a dedicated Shorts feed within YouTube and are served up to users based on interests, not just subscriptions.
Unlike traditional YouTube videos, Shorts focus onfast-paced content that captures attention within seconds.
Why YouTube Shorts Matter for Brands
YouTube Shorts offer a unique opportunity for brands to expand reach without requiring long-form production.
Increased visibility Shorts are pushed to a broad audience through YouTube’s algorithm, helping brands reach viewers who may not already follow their channel.
Videos You don’t need highly polished videos to be effective. Quick clips from events, behind-the-scenes moments, product highlights or tips can perform well.
Cross-platform efficiency Content created for Shorts can often be repurposed for other platforms like Instagram and TikTok, maximizing the value of each video.
How Brands Can Use YouTube Shorts Effectively
For the trades, YouTube Shorts work best when they’re informative, authentic and purposeful.
Ideas include:
Quick tips or industry insights
Event highlights and trade show moments
Behind-the-scenes looks at your team or process
Product features
Answers to common customer questions
Shorts Support Long-Term Growth
While Shorts are short in length, their impact can be long-term. Regularly posting Shorts can help:
Increase brand awareness
Drive traffic to long-form videos
Support thought leadership
Keep your channel active and visible
When used strategically, YouTube Shorts complement your broader videos and content marketing efforts.
By meeting audiences where they already consume content, brands can increase visibility, build trust and stay competitive in a crowded digital landscape.
