What We Learned This Week on Marketing For The Now: Back-To-School Edition

The Back-to-School buzz is officially here, and this week we doubled down with not one, but TWO special #MarketingForTheNow episodes! We teamed up with top brand leaders to unpack their fall marketing strategies and how they’re gearing up for the season’s biggest moments. Missed the episodes? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

In our first episode, we went global with a special EMEA edition, spotlighting marketing leaders from across Europe. Brand leaders from Unilever, SXSW London, [UNVRS] in Ibiza, and more shared how they’re locking in their audience this fall to set the stage for holiday success.

Then, we crossed the pond to dive into all things Back-to-School with marketing heavyweights like Walmart, Poppi, Adobe, and more! From immersive brand experiences to creative collabs on Roblox, the focus was all about staying strategic and authentic to connect with today’s consumer.

Ready to dig in? Here are the key takeaways:

Community as Talent

There’s a shift happening. Rather than tapping into influencers, brands are tapping into communities. Why? Because that’s where real brand loyalty lives.

Brian Garofalow, CEO of Skullcandy, shared how his brand creates authentic content by working with people in their community – not just influencers. He highlighted the importance of staying true to your brand’s roots while using strategic partnerships and ambassadors to reach your core audience organically. Adding to this, Michelle Wong, CMO of Sprinkles, honed in on the power of pop culture trends (like Brat Summer) and shared how it’s possible and necessary for brands to tap into trends in a relevant yet authentic way.

This idea of community as talent was reinforced in our US-based episode as well! Allison Ellsworth, Founder and Chief Brand Officer of Poppi, shared how they tapped into the college rush season by seeding to sororities as a way to connect with Gen Z through organic content. She highlighted the importance of being real, especially in a digital-first world where Gen Z can tell when a brand is “trying too hard”.

Jason Iliffe and Nicola Gunby, co-founders of CLIQ, are also at the forefront of this shift. They shared how brands like Gymshark and REFY are winning by focusing on authentic, community-driven experiences (like Gymshark’s running club and REFY’s recent community-first brand trip) rather than chasing the number of followers an influencer might have.

What you need to know: Shift your focus from influencers to communities. Genuine brand loyalty thrives on authentic, community-driven experiences that truly resonate with your audience. Embrace pop culture trends, but do so in a way that aligns with your brand’s identity.

Immersive Brand Experiences 

Brands are stepping beyond the traditional retail boundaries! Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, highlighted how they’re meeting consumers where they are—online and in virtual spaces. Walmart’s partnership with Roblox, through the Walmart Realm, is a prime example of creating immersive shopping experiences that blend real-world products with virtual trends, tapping into fresh audiences.

Hussain Ismail, Director of Editorial Strategy at Adobe, shared their approach with Adobe Max, a conference of 10K+ creatives. Beyond being a content goldmine, Adobe is treating the event like a TV network would, by maximizing on-the-ground coverage with their community. This strategy fuels a high volume of content and deepens engagement with their brand both in-person and online.

What you need to know: It’s time to meet consumers where they are at. Immersive brand experiences that blend real-world products with digital trends drives deeper engagement and creates rich content opportunities.

The Formula for Viral Gold: Creativity and Culture

Tapping into cultural moments authentically is the secret to amplifying brand messaging. Yann Pissenem, founder and CEO of [UNVRS], shared how his team took a bold creative idea, infused it with cultural relevance, and hit the mark—earning over 50 million views on a viral UFO video featuring Will Smith.

Selina Sykes, Global VP Digital, Media and Commerce, Beauty & Wellbeing, at Unilever reinforced this, highlighting how brands can make a lasting impact by aligning with long-term cultural trends, rather than chasing short-lived moments, to foster deeper connections with their audience.

What you need to know: Align your creative ideas with cultural relevance. That will help you create deeper, long-lasting connections with your audience and drive both engagement and brand success.

Take a Risk with your brand

Taking risks in marketing is a must! Michael Torres, Chief Communications Officer at Hevolution Foundation, emphasized the power of testing, learning, and adapting in to change. Selina Sykes of Unilever backed this up, encouraging marketers to push boundaries and keep experimenting.

What you need to know: Stay close to your audience, take risks, and let the data guide you. Marketing trends are always evolving, but by staying in-sync with your consumers, your brand can stay ahead of the game.

That’s just a glimpse of the insights we covered, but there’s so much more to dive into! Catch the full episodes at mftn.vaynerx.com.

At VaynerX, we’re all about pushing the boundaries of marketing each month with #MarketingForTheNow. What topics do you want us to explore next? Or better yet, which marketing or business leader should we spotlight? Let us know what you’re curious about, and we’ll see you next month for more!