Consumer Reactions to AI in Branding In our latest Burning Questions study, we asked 250 consumers: “When you hear that a brand uses AI to create content, what’s your gut reaction?” The answers were split—35% felt neutral, 34% leaned negative, and only about 30% were positive or conditionally positive. Concerns centered on authenticity and creativity, […]
Download the full report (PDF 2 MB) We compiled these trends from over 100 brands, comparing year-over-year data for the date range July 1, 2025, to July 31, 2025. July 2025: Strong Engagement Meets Selective Spending Consumer engagement remained strong throughout July, driven by retail events such as Prime Day, the Fourth of July, and […]
Why Human Brands Still Win Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It writes our emails, recommends our playlists, tailors our shopping carts, and increasingly, shapes how brands show up in the world. And listen—we love a good tool. Anything that makes the work faster, smarter, or more efficient? We’re in. But there’s a line.A big one.Because when […]
Download the full report (PDF 1.1MB) We compiled these trends from over 100 brands, comparing year-over-year data for the date range June 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025. June 2025: Traffic Up, Consumers Browsing More Engagement was up in June, with sessions rising 9.29% year-over-year, reflecting sustained consumer interest. However, this growth in traffic translated […]
Here’s What You Need to Know Good news, catalogers: there’s a new postal incentive in town, and it’s designed just for you. If you’re sending printed catalogs through the mail, there’s a golden opportunity to trim your postage costs while continuing to drive powerful results through the mailbox. What’s the New Discount All About? The […]
Why Empathy is Your Brand’s Secret Weapon What if the most powerful marketing tool you have isn’t your budget, your media mix, or even your data — but your ability to be human? In a world where brands are louder, faster, and more automated than ever, the ones that actually connect are the ones that […]
Download the full report (PDF 1.1MB) We compiled these trends from over 100 brands, comparing year-over-year data for the date range May 1, 2025, to May 31, 2025. May 2025: Engagement Up, Conversions Lag Retailers experienced encouraging year-over-year growth this May, with increases in sessions, orders, and overall demand. These trends point to heightened consumer […]
Dilly dilly. I’m lovin’ it. Get a Mac. Why is it so easy to rattle off the brands that introduced us to these catchphrases? Because Bud Light, McDonald’s and Apple are among the best at telling stories, catching us off guard and even making us laugh. They understand the power of an ad campaign and […]
Omnichannel Marketing Part 10: Measure It Any seasoned direct marketer knows the importance of understanding the numbers side of the business. You have to know both the left-brain (analytic) and right-brain (creative) rules for maximum success. My philosophy is “know the rules before you break them.” People often ask me for the most important direct […]
