Marketing Trends Analysis

Iterating on the "systems of context" concept I shared earlier this week. Instead of systems of record and systems of engagement, I see #martech stacks evolving into: (1) SYSTEMS OF TRUTH — a small set of platforms, such as CRM, MDM, and DAM, that arbitrate correct and canonical data, most of which is increasingly stored and distributed within a universal data layer of a cloud data warehouse (lakehouse). (2) SYSTEMS OF CONTEXT — a large number of platforms, apps, and now AI agents that combine data and services to serve the specific context in which an employee is working or a customer is engaging with the business. This includes core martech products such as MAP, CEP, DXP, DSP. I believe CDPs are increasingly a system of context too, assembling combinations of data for specific campaigns or programs, but not necessarily serving as the arbiter of truth for the underlying source data. (To me, identity resolution is an example of establishing context to incoming data at a particular touchpoint.) What's exciting is that we're now moving from mostly FIXED systems of context — apps with relatively rigid boundaries, functions, and UX — to a multitude of DYNAMIC systems of context with AI agents and automations. A dynamic system of context crosses traditional app and data boundaries to tailor an experience or process to serve more specific "jobs to be done" — whether employee-facing or customer-facing. The software adapts to the context of that moment, that purpose, that individual. These AI agents and automations can leverage (or even live within) more fixed systems of context, such as a CRM or CEP. Context can be layered: a CDP feeds contextual data to a CEP, which in turn feeds contextual framing and services to a customer-facing AI agent. By the way, you don't need all of the pieces shown in this diagram. I just placed common #martech products here to show where they approximately fit in this model. There are also plenty of other pieces that I didn't include. But hopefully this gets the idea across. Thoughts?

The global beer industry is changing faster than many expected. For decades, growth was driven mainly by volume, distribution power, and traditional lager brands. Today, the next growth battle is happening around lifestyle, wellness, functionality, and experience. Heineken’s move into functional beverages is not just a product launch. It is a strategic signal. The industry is now entering a new phase where beer companies are no longer competing only with breweries. They are competing with energy drinks, hydration brands, wellness beverages, flavored sparkling drinks, and even fitness-oriented consumer products. What makes this important? • Younger consumers are drinking less alcohol in many markets • Health-conscious consumption is growing globally • Premiumization alone is no longer enough • Beer companies need new consumption occasions beyond bars and nightlife • Functional beverages offer higher-margin growth opportunities This is why global brewers are investing heavily in: * Alcohol-free beer * Functional hydration drinks * Low-calorie beverages * Vitamin and electrolyte-based products * Lifestyle and wellness positioning From a market strategy perspective, this is portfolio diversification and future-proofing. Interestingly, this trend could also create opportunities in emerging markets like Ethiopia. As urban consumers become more health-aware and modern retail expands, the demand for low-alcohol, alcohol-free, and functional beverages may grow significantly over the next few years. The future beer company may look less like a traditional brewery and more like a diversified beverage platform. #BeerIndustry #Heineken #BeverageStrategy #FunctionalDrinks #MarketInsights #ConsumerTrends #Innovation #BusinessStrategy #MultilinkInsights

Consumers Pull Back Spending as Core Inflation Creeps Up May’s PCE report just landed with a thud! At a time when the Federal Reserve is looking for disinflation momentum, the data showed the opposite: inflation remains stubborn, and consumers are beginning to retreat. Core PCE (the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge) rose 0.2% month over month, hotter than expected. Year-over-year, it ticked up to 2.7%, moving further from the Fed’s 2% target. Headline inflation held steady at 2.3%, but there’s little indication of downward momentum. The bigger story, however, may be the consumer slowdown. Personal income fell 0.4% in May. Disposable income dropped 0.6%. Real consumption declined 0.3%, marking the sharpest monthly pullback since last fall. Households spent less on goods (down $49 billion overall) with only a modest offset from a $20 billion rise in services spending. One of the most striking declines came in motor vehicles and parts, which plunged more than $40 billion in a single month. This data comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis as part of its monthly Personal Income and Outlays report. The PCE (short for Personal Consumption Expenditures) is not to be confused with CPI or PCI. It is chain-weighted to reflect how consumers shift behavior in response to price changes and is favored by the Federal Reserve for that very reason. It captures not just what things cost, but what people actually do in response. For the Fed, this report complicates the path forward. Inflation is not coming down quickly enough to justify immediate rate cuts, yet the economic engine powered by household consumption is showing signs of wear. The drop in income was driven in part by reduced government transfer payments (especially lower Social Security payouts) but the underlying tone of the data suggests softness beyond that. Private-sector wages still rose 0.4% for a second straight month, which implies the capacity to spend is there. The pullback, then, appears more behavioral than circumstantial: consumers are choosing to hold back. That shift will ripple through supply chains, retail inventories, and pricing dynamics in the months ahead. There’s an old idea that consumers can spend their way out of a slowdown. But in May, they didn’t. With inflation still elevated and household budgets under pressure, the Fed may have no choice but to keep rates steady into the fall. The longer that inflation stays sticky while consumption slips, the more complex the policy tradeoffs become. At Havas Edge, we track PCE not just because understanding what people earn, how they spend, and where they pull back gives us advance warning of demand shifts, pricing sensitivity, and message receptivity. #PCE #fedinflation #useconomy

Why Lionsgate Hiring TikTok Fan Editors Is a Big Moment for Culture & Marketing 🦁🎥 Okay, so real talk: Lionsgate just did something pretty ahead of the curve; they’re hiring the same TikTok creators who made viral fan edits to help promote their films. 🎬 Instead of trying to copy the raw, fast-cut, neon-text, remix-everything energy of TikTok, they’re embracing it, by working with the people who already speak that language. Why this matters: edits aren’t just “fan stuff” anymore. TikTok creators are turning raw movie clips into micro-trailers, mood pieces, and inside-joke culture and studios are waking up to how powerful that is. ❗️ This isn’t just marketing; it’s co-creating with your audience so the hype feels real. Take Jacob Elordi and Saltburn - that one edit set to Flume’s “Never Be Like You” blew up, racking millions of views and transforming the film into a TikTok-obsession. Gen Z didn’t just like the movie, they made it theirs. That’s not just fandom. That’s cultural ownership. For brands, this is the lesson: stop pushing polished assets. Instead, listen to how your audience is remixing you, then let them lead. When you tap into what people are already obsessed with, you don’t just ride a trend, you spark a movement. 💥 #TikTokMarketing #FilmStrategy #CulturalTrends #GenZ #FanEdits #Lionsgate

Consumer Confidence Cools: Top 10 Reasons why Consumer Confidence has Fallen: 1. Persistent Inflation eroding purchasing power and savings, with inflation expectations rising. 2. Interest Rates too high for many borrowers with prime borrowing rate +400bps higher vs. 2020-22 period, debt balances have risen and mortgage rates dampening housing affordability. 3. Housing Affordability all time low as median home price news tarts/existing sales plunge. 4. Job Market Cooling as unemployment rose to 4.1% by October 2024, but the real story is the U-6 rate that rose to 8.4%; job gains in prior years were masked by US government hires. 5. Stock Market Volatility is impacting consumers as individual investors have record holdings as the S&P 500 just corrected 10%. 6. Government Policy on Trade/Tariffs creates uncertainty as a 25% levy on imports from Mexico and Canada and additional duties on Chinese goods raise inflation fears with the prospect to disrupt supply chains. 7. Consumer Debt Burdens are building as sub-prime borrowers have exhausted savings, while falling behind on payments and even prime borrowers are turning cautious as they become more indebted. 8. Income-Expenditure Gap has deteriorated as real wage growth of 1.8% in 2024 failed to keep pace with expenditure increases: housing costs (7% for homeowners/5% for renters), healthcare (6.3%), and food (4.2%). 9. Recession Fears are on the rise, as the proportion of consumers anticipating a recession over the next 12 months rose to a yearly high according to The Conference Board. 10. Declining Retail Sales are clearly evident with consecutive months of contraction signaling weakening consumer demand,confirmed by McKinsey’s ConsumerWise survey (Q1 2025) that noted a drop in discretionary spending across income groups, further confirmed by merchants such as Walmart and brands such as Nike. Advice 1: AAA-rated ABS securities are fine; however, first loss & subordinate tranches are under pressure, perhaps wise to buy very selectively at distressed levels, take caution with loss assumptions. Advice 2: HELOCs- my favorite sector within consumer sector; origination quality/underwriting criteria are critical; good value to capture. Advice 3: ABL Funds with excess consumer credit exposure may prove volatile, best to underweight consumer credit.

When thinking about the state of the consumer, we look at many dimensions. The two main ones, however, are ability to spend and willingness to spend.   Ability is fairly easy to grasp as it’s mostly economic and numerical. It’s basically how much money (or credit) people have to spend on retail. Willingness is a whole other matter. It’s largely psychological and is often based on feelings.   At this moment in time, the ability to spend remains somewhat constrained. However, the willingness to spend has weakened and is still falling. This isn’t a comfortable situation for retailers.   Among other things, what this kind of environment necessitates is persuasion. Retailers have to work much harder to appeal to people’s emotions, to nudge them into buying by making them feel good about products.   Bath & Body Works is doing an interesting job of this at the moment. Its signs prompt people to think about how products will make them feel. So, suddenly, spending on a candle becomes worth it because it delivers emotional value.    Thinking about why people buy and the value a product has to them is one of the things that increasingly separates retail success from failure. It's not an especially hard thing to do, but it does require a good grasp of who the customer is and what they want. #retail #retailnews #consumers #economy #spending #retailsales Bath & Body Works

This week brought more evidence of the rapidly changing media landscape, highlighted through a fascinating lens: the US political sphere and how its players are engaging diverse, key audiences. As presidential campaigns often serve as harbingers of communication trends, their approaches are worth noting for anyone in the field. In just two days recently, Vice-President Harris appeared on five major media platforms: from traditional outlets like 60 Minutes and The View to podcasts like Call Her Daddy and the Howard Stern Show, and finally, late-night TV with Stephen Colbert. This blend of traditional and newer media points to an essential evolution in how leaders think about audience reach. Harris' appearances on platforms like Call Her Daddy and Howard Stern—channels that skew younger and often different from traditional news outlets—are not accidental. They reflect a deliberate strategy to meet diverse, influential audiences where they are. Former President Donald Trump also has mixed traditional and direct media, in particular when he's been focused on reaching young men. He's showed up on the Logan Paul podcast, as well as Theo Vonn and Tim Pool, and is scheduled for Joe Rogan this week. This is a key lesson for us as communicators: Reaching decision-makers today requires an evolving media mix that includes creators, influencers, and platforms that resonate across generational lines. It’s easy to assume these channels serve only consumer audiences. But let’s remember: Millennials and Gen Z aren’t just consumers—they’re BDMs, developers, and CxOs, as well as customers of products like GitHub Copilot and Microsoft 365. Many of them aren’t consuming traditional media like CNBC or The Times of India daily. So, if we want to reach these future decision-makers, we need to engage them where they already are, from TikTok to niche podcasts. As communicators, it's vital that we continually refresh our media consumption habits to match this new reality. Start conversations about what your audience is listening to, watching, or reading—whether it’s newsletters, podcasts, or even news on social platforms. It’s one of the best ways to understand the shifting landscape and ensure we’re telling the right stories in the right places. Let’s continue to challenge ourselves to think about the evolution of media, ensuring we’re balancing traditional outlets with the dynamic, influential platforms of tomorrow. In communications, evolution isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity.

New data from BCG’s latest Global Consumer Radar shows that while spending intent remains high, cracks are emerging in consumer confidence—especially among lower-income households and in mature markets. Our survey of 7,000+ consumers across eight markets reveals early signs of pullback, diverging sentiment across regions, and increasing pressure on affordability and trust. Tariffs are emerging as a key consumer fault line. In our North America deep dive, consumers report feeling the impact through price pressure, reduced product access, and job insecurity. Many in Canada and Mexico are shifting toward local brands, while US sentiment has grown sharply more negative since January. These shifts matter. Pricing, sourcing, and brand strategy must now reflect what consumers value most: transparency, affordability, and trust. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gJb-fswm #Geopolitics #GlobalTrade #Tariffs #ConsumerSentiment #ConsumerRadar

Retail spending growth has ground to a halt. That’s despite New Zealand’s population growing by close to 2.8% and continued increases in international visitor numbers. That highlights the squeeze on households’ spending power from high inflation and interest rates. We’re also likely seeing some households putting their cards back in their wallets due to nervousness about the economic outlook and the softening in the jobs market. The biggest slowdown has been in discretionary areas, like spending on furnishings and appliances. However, the cost of living squeeze is also affecting spending on necessities like groceries – our recent discussions with retailers highlighted that many families have been switching to more budget-friendly options, and they’re foregoing ‘nice to haves’ in favour of necessities. We expect households to remain cautious with regards to their spending over the coming months. You can find Westpac’s full research library here: https://lnkd.in/gAPtvQtp Westpac New Zealand Kelly Eckhold Michael Gordon Darren Gibbs #newzealand #retail #households #inflation  

MarTech, AI, and Automation: Where does commercial real estate marketing stand? Marketing in commercial real estate has always been different from other industries. It has longer sales cycles, high-value transactions, and a mix of B2B and B2C dynamics. But with the rise of MarTech, AI, and automation, the way we engage with clients, generate leads, and measure success is changing rapidly. Technology is making a real impact in CRE marketing today: - Data-driven targeting – AI-powered analytics help identify the right audience, understand tenant needs, and personalize outreach efforts. - Automation for lead nurturing – Automated email sequences, chatbots, and smart workflows are improving efficiency. - AI in content and SEO – AI-generated insights guide content strategies, helping brands create high-value, data-backed content that positions them as industry leaders. - Virtual and augmented reality – Digital site tours and AR experiences are transforming how spaces are showcased, reducing dependency on physical visits. - Performance-driven campaigns – The shift from traditional sponsorships and broad digital ads to hyper-targeted performance marketing is leading to better ROI. Technology will never replace the human expertise required in commercial real estate marketing, but it will enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and create deeper connections with clients. How is your organization leveraging MarTech, AI, and automation in real estate marketing? #commercialrealestate #realestatemarketing #technology #ai #martech #businessgrowth