Hyperlocal and boutique experiences are at the heart of IHG's bold push to capture the next generation of travelers. From sold out tattoo pop-ups to tailored celebrations for birthdays and anniversaries, IHG's luxury properties are finding footing with Millennials and Gen Z by elevating life's smaller moments. This week, Doug Parks sits down with Vicki Poulos, IHG's Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, to talk about how she's empowering the portfolio to evolve from its storied past into exciting new frontiers with a fresh approach to laidback luxury.

When you're on a rocket ship trajectory like C4 Energy, moving at the speed of the business is no easy layup. From in-housing media and content production to launching their first real LTO and Official Energy Drink of Summer(TM), winning in the competitive beverage market takes a team that's willing to move fast and take risks. This week, Doug Parks sits down with CMO Robert Zajac to talk about how they're building a fully integrated marketing machine, creating meaningful product differentiation, and empowering athletes at all levels.

Golf is back! Prior to the great lockdowns of 2020, interest in the sport appeared waning. But the hunger for safe outdoor spaces and then the rise of golf-adjacent platforms like Top Golf, reinvigorated interest. Dewar's has always had a natural affinity to the sport, but even the brand's steward, Global VP of Bacardi's Scotch Whiskey division admits that the brand has to overcome its identification as your grandfather's whiskey. On this week's Brand Insider, Brian Cox explores his deep integration with golf sponsorships as well as the challenge of marketing a legacy to younger demos. Both jobs are a …

As the ad community gathers in Cannes this week to celebrate their institutionalized mediocrity, let's counterprogram a bit with a brand that insists on not taking itself too seriously. There are only a handful of spirits ads that consistently rise above the usual tropes. With its novel "spokescart" concept and "The Good Gets Great" tagline Tito's Handmade Vodka always gets us to stop and take notice.

Culture is the dominant theme in marketing for now. Drafting off of, plugging into, photobombing pop culture trends and social memes has become a hedge against the white noise of media clutter. As with all marketing trends, this smart move casts off a lot of social crapvertising and gratuitous meme surfing that drips inauthenticity. So DOVE men's care's recent campaign caught my eye as a way to do culture adjacent work in a way that actually speaks to the brand. Unilever plugged into an unlikely social media trend - men posting images of their dirty sneakers and complaining about the …

Change is the hardest thing about marketing. Our entire job is focused on changing human behavior when inherently, people just don't like change. We're creatures of habit. We settle in a routine that fits our lifestyle. We stick with products that we know are going to work for us. We eat the same food that we already know we're going to like.

Legacy. It's what every brand strives to leave behind. How will they be remembered? For most brands today, that's about becoming a permanent placement in pop culture history, if such a thing exists. How do we weather the storms, the ups and downs that any long-lived company sees? How do we capitalize on viral moments, turning a little stroke of luck into a multi-million-dollar businesses?