The official countdown to Q4 starts now! There's a lot going on, so let's get you up to speed. September brought Fashion Month and the start of the NFL season — which means ample opportunities for brand moments — and have you seen Tube Girl? No worries, we've got you covered.
So from us to you (🫶) — here's everything you need to know now within the marketing + creative space.
Consider this newsletter a resource for marketers, by marketers. Enjoy!
All About Quiet Luxury – And it’s Impact on Marketing
Social is an endless scroll. Where to stop? Here we analyze relevant moments, cultural trends and the marketing geniuses behind it all.
Quiet luxury — it's always been around, but recently the trend has been popping up all over our social feeds — with many crediting its current popularity to season 4 of HBO's Succession and celebrities like Sofia Richie Grainge. Some feel that this is more than a trend, but a reflection of a shift in the consumer mindset: people want to invest in timeless pieces rather than rotate through trendy items. So what does this mean for marketing? With any trend, there's impact on the marketing space — here are some ripple effects we've seen from the quiet luxury takeover:
Non-Luxury Brands Leaning Into the Aesthetic
Though quiet luxury is all the rage, it's an expensive fashion trend, which begs the question, can you partake in the quiet luxury trend for less? Non-luxury brands say yes, and many have been jumping at the chance to fill that gap, bringing the clean, minimal, logoless aesthetic of quiet luxury down to a more affordable price point. One example is H&M, who has gone full force leaning into this aesthetic for their autumn / winter campaign, bringing clean lines, tailored silhouettes and muted tones to the masses.
Brands are Flocking to Quiet Luxury 'It-Girls' for Collaboration
With #quietluxury having nearly 290 million views on TikTok, a new tier of creators and celebrities are taking center stage as the quiet luxury 'it-girls' of the internet. We've seen commentary on Emily Mariko's quiet luxury wedding, Jennifer Lawrence has recently made waves for looking effortlessly chic in brands like The Row, but most notably Sofia Richie Grainge has become everyone's fashion inspo for the quiet luxury look — and brands are taking notice. Most recently Sofia has launched collaborations with David Yurman, Jo Malone London and K18 Hair — and if we had to bet, there are more chomping at the bit to tap into her quiet luxury universe.
Prominent Partnerships With Quiet Luxury Brands
While we're seeing brands rush to work with quiet luxury celebs and creators, we're also seeing celebs known for loud luxury style flip a switch, rushing to work with brands that are tapping quiet luxury. One of the most prominent examples of this is Kylie Jenner, who has been seeing trading in logo-clad catsuits for chic silhouettes, and most recently launched a massive collaboration with Acne Studios — a brand known for logoless, contemporary designs.
So, is quiet luxury an aesthetic trend or will it have staying power as a new shopping mindset — our best bet? There's more where this came from.
NFL Kickoff Means Brands are Being Bold
The news cycle is never-ending. Marketing is ever-evolving. Here we’ll keep you in the know on timely topics and key learnings that can elevate your marketing game.
Football is back — which means a full-on marketing blitz from brands across the board. Of course, the NFL has long been a marketing machine, but this season we're seeing brands taking campaigns to a whole other level. Here are a few that have caught our eye:
Snapchat and Princess Cruises Turn Stadium Into the Pacific Ocean
Yes, you read that right. This season, Snapchat and Princess Cruises debuted an AR experience at SoFi Stadium — they will be turning the field into the ocean during home games. The AR visual shows 3 LA Rams players racing to a cruise ship on surfboards, allowing fans the chance to win a cruise from Princess Cruises. Talk about tapping tech!
Amazon Prime Video Turns Focus to Stressed Out Streamers During Thursday Night Football
This year, Prime Video is yet again hosting Thursday Night Football, and this last week, they used that audience to launch a campaign addressing one of their biggest challenges — users giving up on streaming due to the oversaturation of options in the space (last year 72% of consumers told Bango Survey that streaming paralyzed them with choice). The spot positioned Prime Video as a one-stop shop for all streaming — as well as a less overwhelming platform, encouraging consumers to cut the cord with others. We've yet to see if this ad resonated with fans, but using a massive audience like TNF to push a big message? Bold move.
Gatorade Pushes Their Energy Drink With Multi-Channel Approach
Gatorade's Fast Twitch energy drink is coming in hot this NFL season — and it's hard to miss. This year Fast Twitch boasts a partnership with NFL RedZone, and can also be seen as the sponsor of the NFL's sideline towels (made in an easy-to-spot neon green). Additionally, the energy drink is running competitions allowing fans to enter to win tickets, and their Instagram feed is crawling with NFL players — truly no channel left behind!
With the season just beginning, there's so much more to come! We can't wait to see which brands jump in next.
Marketing Trends of Fashion Month
It's Fashion Month — starting with fashion weeks in New York and London and wrapping up this week and next in Milan and Paris, we have to break down some of the marketing trends we've seen dominating.
Functional Brands Going Fashion
One thing we're loving seeing this Fashion Month? Functional brands going fashion-forward. Last year, we saw outdoor sports brand Salomon collaborate with Maison Margiela on vests and footwear, this year Salomon is back at it again [partnering with emerging designer Jane Wade] for her Spring 2024 show. Another 'function-to-fashion' moment? Running shoe brand Brooks partnered with fashion creator and writer Olivia Marcus for an event celebrating the launch of their Ghost Max sneakers. Not only was the event a celebration, but it leaned into "off-the-run" styling, highlighting a capsule wardrobe, built by Marcus, featuring the sneaker.
Experiential Pop-Ups Are on Every Corner
Experiential is everywhere — and Fashion Month has been no different! This year experiential brand pop-ups have been all over our social feeds — and brands of all shapes and sizes are partaking. One event of note was Chanel's Lucky Chance Diner — a pastel wonderland celebrating their latest fragrance launch with a side of sweet treats. Dove also made an appearance with a 'Pit Stop' pop-up aligned with their most recent deodorant campaign. Both events garnered influential visitors and social moments galore.
Fashion Dips a Toe Into AI
Of course, we've been chatting about how AI is being leveraged in the marketing world, but now we're seeing it in the fashion world (??). AI is having a moment this Fashion Month — and it's generating conversation. In London, we saw Susan Fang's show feature pieces adorned with AI-generated images as well as hand-drawn florals, a collection that represented merging technology and humanity. In New York, Collina Strada's show garnered buzz as it was entirely made by their team feeding prompts to generative AI tools. From a marketing perspective, these shows exemplify that early adoption of a trend or technology = all eyes on you.
With all that's happened this Fashion Month, it's hard to believe that there's even more to come! We'll be keeping our eyes peeled to see what's next in Milan and Paris as the month comes to a close.
Marketing Wins we <3
Who doesn’t love a marketing win? Below are recent marketing moments we couldn’t help but share — and their main takeaways.
Sweetgreen Announces Collab With Reneé Rapp
Talk about a match made in ~heaven~, last week Sweetgreen announced they partnered with Reneé Rapp on the bowl of her dreams! As a vocal, long-time fan of Sweetgreen, Reneé made the perfect partner — and the collaboration didn't stop there. With killer creative direction and a free pop-up concert at a Sweetgreen in Reneé's hometown, this collab knocked it out of the park.
💡 Takeaway: Authentic partnerships are successful partnerships — and when launching one, go full force! The partnership with Reneé alone would have made waves, but all the details made all the difference.
MAC Cosmetics Taps Tube Girl
If you've been on TikTok the last couple of weeks you've seen Sabrina Bahsoon, AKA 'Tube Girl' grace your feed. Known for dancing like no one's watching on the London Tube, Sabrina has been taking the internet by storm, and MAC took notice. asking her to make her runway modeling debut in their MAC Face Show.
💡 Takeaway: Don't wait! See a viral moment that has synergy with your brand? Jump on it — like, now! Though making shifts in strategy to accommodate fast-moving trends is tricky, more often than not, the early bird gets the worm.
Apple Announces iPhone 15 Pro With Olivia Rodrigo Music Video
With the announcement of the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple partnered with Olivia Rodrigo to film her music video, "Get Him Back", entirely on the new iPhone. The video features impressive shots and special effects that would be impressive regardless of the film equipment — the fact that it was shot on the iPhone? All we can say is, 'wow'.
💡 Takeaway: Show don't tell — something Apple's been doing for years with their various #ShotOniPhone campaigns — an approach that not only builds trust, but tells a powerful story using few words.
Stats to Know for Holiday Planning
It's that time of year... 'tis the season for holiday campaign planning. This year, we want to help you take the load off, so we'll be sharing tips and tricks to help you maximize your holiday efforts while minimizing your stress — because everyone deserves a #BreefBreak.
Holiday planning is in full swing — here are some quick stats to note when planning your campaign:
📱 50% of active U.S. TikTok users said they bought an item after seeing it reviewed on the app. (AdWeek)
🤝 73% of consumers say they feel a deeper connection to brands they interact with on social. (HubSpot)
👩💻 82% of consumers say they trust influencer recommendations. (Fohr)
💸 89% of marketers say ROI from influencer marketing is comparable to OR better than other networks. (Sprout Social)
📹 46% of consumers want to watch product videos before they buy. (Shopify)
🎧 87% of podcast listeners listen to podcast ads — 89% feel they are effective. (Startup Bonsai)
Marketing Jargon
In marketing, it feels like there's a new term being thrown around every day. We've got you! Here are a few you should have on your radar (and mention in your next meeting).
Omnibuyers: A consumer who shops when they want, how they want and where they want. Today's shoppers value quick and effortless experiences across channels — marketers who are rethinking their strategies to meet the needs of these shoppers are driving big results.
OOH: The acronym for "out-of-home advertising" — refers to any type of advertising that users experience outside of their home. Examples include billboards, signage and public activations.
Programmatic Advertising: Automated media buying — i.e. purchasing ads using automated tech and algorithms. The benefits? Low-cost, large-scale reach and real-time data.
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That wraps issue no. 8 of The Breef POV! Keep an eye on your inbox for the next edition. In the meantime, browse more on The Breefing Room.
