MAC Cosmetics just put Love Island star Rob Rausch shirtless on a giant Times Square billboard. It’s part of a bigger shift happening in marketing right now.
Brands are ditching their careful five-year plans and chasing whatever captures attention today. Tomorrow it might be some random internet meme you’ve never heard of. Companies are moving this fast because culture changes faster than ever before.
Feelings Beat Spreadsheets
Marketers are throwing out traditional measurements and going with gut instincts instead. They’re calling it “vibe marketing” – making people feel something so they buy with their hearts, not their heads.
Bobbie baby formula put up the first breastfeeding billboard in Times Square and made Cardi B their “chief confidence officer.” Poppi soda ran a Super Bowl ad with pop star Charli XCX that was pure vibes with no clear message.
The strategy makes sense when you look at how people shop now. Consumers have pulled back on spending, with retail sales down 0.2% in January. But they’re still buying “little treats” and luxury items when brands make them feel good about it.
Companies that move fast and stay plugged into internet culture are winning. Those still making PowerPoint presentations about next year’s marketing strategy are already behind.
Expect more weird billboards, random celebrity partnerships, and campaigns that make zero logical sense but somehow work perfectly.
