|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Weird and Wonderful Consumer Trends Steering Brands Into 2026; Gifting Goes Secondhand; The Marketer Trying to Make Us Forget Disney Drama
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good morning. Today, “human-made” marketing will rise in 2026; why marketers should honor Thriftmas all the year; and Disney campaigns to put politics out of mind.
Please note: The CMO Today newsletter is taking a break for the holidays and will return Jan. 2. See you in the new year!
|
|
|
|
|
|
The rave revival, luddite culture and organic intelligence will loom large in 2026. Thomas R. Lechleiter/WSJ
|
|
|
|
|
|
As forecasts for 2026 pile up like snowdrifts, The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute’s Katie Deighton went beyond the usual voices and tapped a group of futurists, strategists, consultants and investors to make their most interesting (and occasionally bizarre) predictions for 2026.
Hot to go: Flavor-fixated and increasingly cost-conscious Gen Z diners will look for ways to turn up taste as they trade down to to cheaper meals, says Elly Truesdell, founder of the food-focused VC fund New Fare Partners:
|
|
|
“Fast food and classic quick-service restaurants will lean into premium condiments for limited time offers, while more sauce brands will break out with small packets. And don’t be surprised to see these condiments showing up in purses and big pockets, as people start carrying ‘special sauce’ on the go.”
|
|
|
|
Organic shopping: The human touch will take new meaning as AI flattens mass culture, the trend strategist Anu Lingala tells Katie:
|
|
|
“We’ll see higher-end brands sharing ‘behind-the-scenes’ and ‘the making of’ style content that proves their products and marketing were created with human involvement, like Apple did for its 2025 holiday campaign, revealing the puppeteers and others behind its forest animals.”
“We’ll also see the emergence of more labels like the ‘Organic Literature’ certification, which intends to verify and vouch for human authorship.”
|
|
|
|
But beware a parallel rise in “humanwashing.”
See five more here, on everything from the rave revival to the luddite class.
|
|
|
|
|
Content from our sponsor: Deloitte
|
|
|
CEOs Demonstrate Renewed Optimism, Focus on Resilience
|
|
A fall CEO survey points to renewed confidence in the global economy coupled with measures to control costs and foster supply chain resilience. Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shoppers, stores and brands are steadily developing secondhand strategies. Shuran Huang for WSJ
|
|
|
|
|
|
More and more marketers want to celebrate “Thriftmas” every day.
More consumers say they are buying used jewelry, toys and clothes as gifts this year, risking the disappointment of extended family and friends to keep their budgets in check, Jennifer Williams reports.
The shift is lifting ThredUp, Savers Value Village and other thrift retailers, which usually see sales slow during the holidays but have been taking steps to reduce the stigma around used goods.
Savers Value Village has tried to combat stereotypes by making sure its 365 stores are well-merchandised, clean and well-lit, like any other shopping experience. Goodwill has been doing the same.
The shift might surprise some gift recipients, but retailers, big brands and startups have spent years angling for position in secondhand sales.
-
IKEA, Levi’s and the Hennes & Mauritz fashion brand COS introduced official resale programs back in 2020, for example, aiming to bolster sustainability credentials and get a cut of a market they’d been missing.
-
Secondhand e-commerce has steadily improved the customer experience, giving eBay competition from resale sites like “circular fashion” marketplace Depop and refurbished-tech platform Back Market, which where a former Sonos CMO is giving used electronics a new shine.
-
Abstaining can’t stop the second-hand market. Peloton finally opened a resale marketplace this summer.
-
Looking forward, Target is adding Digital Product Passports to its Universal Thread clothing to track apparel through life stages including resale and recycling. The EU will require many kinds of products to carry such DPPs starting in the next few years.
Thriftmas will soon be over, but “pre-loved” marketing seems here to stay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disney's Times Square billboard this month features fan-created animations as part of a Christmas marketing campaign. Ben Whitmore/Disney
|
|
|
|
|
|
Disney this year got dragged back into the woke wars with its “Snow White” remake and angered both conservatives and liberals when the company briefly benched Jimmy Kimmel.
Chief Brand Officer Asad Ayaz wants us to forget all that for the holidays, spearheading a “Best Christmas Ever” campaign featuring an online video with 34 million views and an animated Times Square billboard featuring hand-drawn characters.
Ben Fritz writes:
|
|
|
For most of his nearly two decades running Disney, Bob Iger didn’t think he needed someone in Ayaz’s position. As chief executive, Iger believed it was his job to manage the image of the world’s best-known entertainment brand, according to people who worked with him.
....The rare about-face by the CEO in 2023 was an admission that he needed help restoring the luster of a company that had grown increasingly complex and become embroiled in a bitter political battle with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a person familiar with Iger’s thinking.
|
|
|
|
Ayaz, 47, has a lot in front of him. He isn’t a likely candidate to succeed Iger, but is widely viewed as a potential “next next” CEO. In the meantime:
-
He just released the first teaser trailer for Marvel’s next “Avengers” entry.
-
He’s coordinating events at parks and on television for Disney to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
-
And he’s preparing for the 100th birthday of Mickey Mouse in 2028.
But it’s hard to imagine Disney steering clear of politics for long, whether it wants to or not, especially given another big event coming in 2028—the next presidential election.
|
|
|
|
|
The community where marketing leaders drop the corporate speak and share what’s actually happening. The WSJ CMO Council unites leaders from the world’s most influential brands including Adobe, Audi, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Meta, Taco Bell, P&G and Verizon.
Tap into the connections and WSJ intelligence that move careers forward and separate the prepared from the scrambling.
Request Information
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shoppers were busy on Black Friday in Sunrise, Fla. Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg News
|
|
|
|
|
|
The U.S. economy continues to power through the trade and immigration shocks of 2025, defying widespread expectations of a slowdown or even a recession. [WSJ]
What marketers can learn from Google’s embrace of fully AI-generated advertising. [Ad Age]
Hidden costs lie in wait for brands that try to save money through AI ad creation. [Digiday]
Retail and brand leaders’ wish lists for 2026 include slower launch calendars and more retail recognition for TikTok Shop hits. [Modern Retail]
A Texas judge temporarily blocked the state’s new law requiring app store operators to verify users’ ages. [Texas Tribune]
Larry and David Ellison’s partnership, now battling Netflix for control of Warner Bros. Discovery, has turned out to be one of the most unusual and interesting in business. [NYT]
A court denied Warner Bros. Discovery’s attempt to stop Sling TV from selling packages that last as little as one day, a ruling that hinged on the contractual meaning of “subscription.” [THR]
🎧 Listen: Katie Deighton visits “Marketplace” to explore the rise of “storyteller” job titles. [Marketplace, at 7:28]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
