What’s Driving Growth Right Now
BETTER QUESTIONS. SHARPER THINKING. BIGGER GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES.
Most marketing commentary explains what happened. We're more interested in what brands should do next.
From changing consumer behavior and competitive pressures to brand strategy, creative effectiveness and sales performance, we examine the forces shaping business growth.
Sometimes we challenge conventional thinking. Sometimes we question the numbers. Always, we look for opportunities marketers can act on.
Because great insights should lead to better decisions — and better business results.
People Know Your Brand. What’s Making Them Choose It?
People know your brand. But why should they choose it? Five questions— and lessons from our team’s work across food, automotive, hospitality and more— show how consumer understanding can turn attention into action.
Nothing New in the Can? Give People Something New to Care About.
The KFC–Pepsi split raises a bigger marketing question: How do established brands stay relevant? Product innovation helps. Bold advertising, thoughtful collaborations and cultural participation can create fresh demand.
Starbucks Forgot Why People Stayed. Local Coffeehouses Didn’t.
Starbucks’ struggles and Nike’s missteps reveal a shared risk: losing touch with why customers choose you. As local coffeehouses preserve the experience, bigger brands face a reminder: protect what made you worth choosing.
The Data Pointed Us Somewhere. People Told Us Why.
Five brands. Five examples of how Left Off Madison combined quantitative data with real consumer conversations to shape audiences, creative, and media— showing why qualitative research matters in the AI era.
Luxury’s Retreat Is Premium’s Opportunity
Consumers are rethinking what’s worth paying more for. As luxury moves further out of reach, premium brands have an opportunity to earn that spending. When every dollar matters, better has to matter more.
Attention Is Not the Same as Brand Momentum
American Eagle generated headlines. Aerie generated momentum. Here’s why attention alone cannot fix an unclear brand, uneven assortment or weak purchase frequency. And how portfolio discipline turns buzz into growth.
Digital Recovery Can Hide a Store-Traffic Problem
Digital sales can rise while stores lose relevance. Bath & Body Works and other retailers reveal why better conversion cannot replace a compelling reason to visit, browse and discover.
The Upgrade Cycle Is Back. Is Your Brand Giving People a Reason?
The upgrade cycle is returning, but better technology does not automatically create demand. Brands win when marketers translate product improvements into benefits people can understand, desire and act on.
The CMO Is Not Being Eliminated. Wasteful Marketing Is.
The CMO isn’t dead. Wasteful marketing is. As companies demand CFO-level discipline from marketing leaders, oversized agency models are running out of places to hide.
The Campaign Worked. That's Exactly What Went Wrong.
Advertising did exactly what it was supposed to do: create demand. Then the product sold out before the official launch, forcing the campaign to stop. Here's why "out of stock" isn't a marketing victory — it's often a sign that your growth system wasn't ready for success.
Growth Watch List: 5 Brands In Decline, may 2026
Legacy brands are losing household penetration even inside growing categories. From spirits and restaurants to automotive, grocery, and politics, new MRI-Simmons data reveals a deeper shift underway: consumers increasingly reward brands and institutions that feel culturally relevant, emotionally meaningful, identity-aligned, and future-facing. The warning signs often appear long before revenue decline becomes obvious.