Marketing Happy Hour - Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2026

Episode Date: January 8, 2026

In this episode of Marketing Happy Hour, we’re officially closing out our biggest year yet and looking ahead to what’s next. We reflect on key milestones from 2025 — bringing Ally on as co-host,... partnering with brands like Vayner and Digital Summit, expanding our speaking and workshop opportunities, and continuing our mission to deliver actionable insights that help you grow your marketing career.Then, we share what’s new for 2026, including our refreshed brand identity and the launch of the MHH Collective, our first-ever online community designed to support marketers through connection, learning, and real career conversations.To close out the episode, we dive into our top four marketing trends and predictions for 2026, including the evolving role of AI, the rise of online + offline communities, why quality content matters more than ever, and how “treatonomics” is influencing consumer behavior.Whether you’re planning your marketing strategy for the year ahead or thinking about how to future-proof your career, this episode will help you step into 2026 with clarity and intention.Key Takeaways:// AI Will Be a Skillset, Not Just a Tool: Marketers who understand how to work with generative AI — not just use it — will become indispensable. AI will handle efficiency and data, but human creativity and storytelling will remain the differentiator.// Community Is No Longer Optional: Brands that win in 2026 will blend online and offline experiences to build real relationships. Communities that go beyond transactions will drive loyalty, insight, and long-term growth.// Quality Will Outperform Quantity High-quality, intentional content will continue to outperform high-volume posting. Marketers need to align on why content exists and what value it delivers to the audience.// Treatonomics Is Shaping Consumer Behavior: Consumers are prioritizing small, everyday moments of joy. Brands that understand how to meet audiences emotionally — not just functionally — will stay culturally relevant.// Career Growth Requires Proactivity: Investing in learning (AI education, community participation, and skill-building) is essential for staying competitive in a rapidly evolving marketing landscape.____Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collectiveSay hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠Join the MHH Collective: ⁠Join now⁠Get the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Quality versus quantity. I think in 2025 we saw this notion of like more is more is more and you have to be posting six times a day. I think that hyper focus on meaningful, really high quality content across your marketing channel mix. And that's what people respond to, right? Like they respond to things that feel like they were really well made and had that, that human and emotional resonance that we were talking about in terms of AI. Welcome to Marketing Happy Hour. a weekly podcast helping marketing professionals build better strategies and hit career goals. I'm Cassie, consultant and your host through these unfiltered combos with your peers.
Starting point is 00:00:40 Grab your favorite drink and get ready for practical insights to support your journey and marketing. Welcome to the first podcast episode of 2026. How exciting. Welcome. I can't welcome you anymore to the show. You are literally on the podcast cover. You are part of the show. Hey, Allie. How are you?
Starting point is 00:00:58 Good, good. I am so excited to officially be on the podcast with you as co-host. Thank you, thank you. Yes, yes. Long time coming, it's just a natural fit and makes sense. Very excited. That's kind of a part of our just looking forward, which we'll do here in a minute, of just where this brand is headed, as you'll notice by your podcast player, wherever
Starting point is 00:01:22 you're listening, there's a new look to marketing happy hour. It's very exciting. So we'll talk about that in a minute. But, Allie, we're going to talk about 2026 trends and predictions today. Just go through what we think is coming up and what we can anticipate as marketers, just some things to be focusing on. Before we do that, we'll do a look back of 2025, just some of the things that we did and also just things that we are looking forward to in 2026.
Starting point is 00:01:47 But first, before we do any of that, we have to talk about what we are sitting right now. Ali, what do you have a journey, journey? Journey. I think it's a journey. Journey. The till day on the E is a little French for me. I absolutely love it. This flavor is sparkling raspberry dragon fruit, which is really interesting. It also has the lines main for like focus and energy, which I absolutely love. Yes. Yeah, I love a functional beverage that tastes good, but also has a lot of great benefits. I too have a journey, if that is how you say it, but it is sparkling solil citrus. So it is very good.
Starting point is 00:02:30 I'm a big fan. I too love adaptogens in any form of healthy mushrooms. And so I'm glad that that's in there. But yes, we will be sipping on some fun beverages all of 2026. So stay tuned. Really stoked to try some new things. And we have some great brands. Some different brands have sent us some really fun things.
Starting point is 00:02:52 So excited to share that with you. But, okay, before we dive into the topic of the episode, let's do a little look back of 2025. It was a big year. Allie again brought you on as co-host and now officially, officially co-host. We partnered with VaynerMedia Digital Summit to just create some really awesome content, go to some great conferences. We did a lot of good things in 2025.
Starting point is 00:03:16 We did. I feel like you and I sat at a table, at my dining table, in early 2025. and one of the things that we both felt really passionate about was getting into more conferences, particularly just from a networking perspective, but also kicking up speaking opportunities. I myself did a couple of workshops, particularly with young marketing professionals, just to really build that muscle for myself and also prepare myself kind of to come on as co-hosts a little more seamlessly. And I think it just solidifies the fact that we were really out here the entire year, continuing that mission to just bring actionable insights through the podcast and using the podcast as a vehicle
Starting point is 00:03:57 to take those strategies right to you to help you elevate your career. So I'm really, really proud of what we did this year or last year. Yeah, I think so too. Yeah. I want to kind of hook into something you just said too. Just I think being on podcast, I know not everyone has the luxury to have their own show and to be doing this on a regular basis. However, I think at least for me, just podcast. on a regular basis and practicing my communication skills has helped me with the way I show up in client meetings and presentations that I give at conferences and other places. And so I think maybe that's just a reminder to, if you have any opportunities to like pitch yourself for a show or lead a meeting or whatever it is, the more that you can get out there
Starting point is 00:04:43 and practice the way that you are presenting and communicating and answering questions and asking questions, I think is going to really help in the long run. it's definitely helped me. Yeah, it's huge. And I can sort of watch back the episodes from when I first started to come on really in May of last year into now. And just the comfort level that I have now is, you know, tenfold. I think it's just increased. And it's exciting to see that progress just from a personal perspective, too. Yeah, absolutely. And many more episodes to come. I think we're now at episode 252 of Marketing Happy Hour. And definitely, I mean, feel free to go listen to the first episode ever.
Starting point is 00:05:24 However, like, it's a journey, you know, and it takes time and repetition. So, yes, just the power of consistency is really great. And I'm excited for you to continue to do more episodes. And I just love this meeting. That's a huge milestone. Wow. That should not be understated or stuff under the road. That's huge.
Starting point is 00:05:43 252 conversations in almost five years. That's amazing. Yes. Yes. Well, I mean, looking ahead. we will eventually get to episode 300 this year, right, which is nuts. So I think so, yeah. Yeah, it should happen if my math is correct.
Starting point is 00:06:00 Yeah, we'll see. We'll see. But speaking of 2026 and just looking ahead, happy new year, first of all, depending on when you're listening to this, maybe later. But again, you probably notice that we have rebranded or if you're new here, just know that this is a new look for us. I'm very excited to be refreshed going into 2020. I think one of the goals of this rebrand, too, was just to make it a lot more accessible and
Starting point is 00:06:28 open to everyone and to just be able to welcome people into the brand no matter who you are, walk of life, et cetera. And so just excited to unveil that. People in our community voted on the cover choice, which was fun. So it was great to include people in that. And I think we were a little surprised by some of the choices at times. But hey, we love to see it. You know, it's good to get feedback. I know. We have the orange going, which is like very Florida of us. So it feels, it feels good to have that. But yeah, I just thrilled to kind of see how it's all evolved and feels very representative of where you and I are at in our careers and also our relationship. And so I'm excited to see it all rolled out across our touchpoints. Yes, absolutely. If you visit Marketing Happy Hour,
Starting point is 00:07:16 HR.com, you will notice just the rebrand and the full flesh or full buildout of that, all of the colors, all of the new fonts, some new verbiage, new photos, of course, that shout out to Stephanie Robinson now. We love Steph. She took our photos for us. Steph and Brian did those for us a few months ago, so really appreciate them doing that for us. But yeah, just very excited. The other thing you also notice on the website is that there is a community tab in the menu now.
Starting point is 00:07:50 And that community tab leads you to something very exciting that we are officially rolling out next week. However, if you're listening to this episode, you're getting kind of a preview look at this. But we are launching or have launched essentially MHH Collective, which is our first online community, which is very exciting. I cannot believe it. I feel like we've been talking about this just personally for, for some. so many years and it's it's been such a big dream of yours and it's it's been so great to be able to build it alongside you in terms of the look and feel but also the way that we are approaching the language I hope that if you are reading the site or you're reading any of the copy that
Starting point is 00:08:29 you know we've put out there that you start to resonate with what it is that we're trying to build and what we've built for you as a result of all of these conversations we've had with various marketing professionals over our careers and really addressing that lack of community space where you can feel like you really have people in your corner and in cheering you on, but also just to hop on a virtual happy hour or have a live Q&A with someone that is, you know, an industry expert that you wouldn't have access to otherwise. Of course, our private Slack community, which I think is probably the biggest and most helpful thing for marketers because you'll get direct access, one, to Cassie and I, but also,
Starting point is 00:09:14 the other collective members, right, for a gut check, maybe it's a presentation you're giving and you want some feedback. That is what we hope to use this community for is a space where we all can come together and really support each other in our career journeys. Yeah, I think the biggest thing I would encourage you to do if you join is don't be afraid to ask any questions that you have. The other thing, too, I really want to foster there is even just create a space where marketers can connect with other marketers or business owners, for example, if you're looking for marketing advice and insights in the group, too, to connect with other people in your local community as well.
Starting point is 00:09:51 Like, don't be afraid to set up a happy hour, you know, locally if you live in New York or L.A. or wherever it is, but also just get, like, restaurant recommendations. Like, we want it to be fun, too, at the same time. I think the goal of this brand from day one has always just been to feel like you're sitting around a table and just chatting with friends and getting to know people. And yes, of course, we want to create a resource from a professional level, but also just personally being able to connect with other people and growing relationships. But there are two different tiers of MHH Collective, the Open Bar, which is kind of our full suite of offerings, including those
Starting point is 00:10:30 monthly calls, and then the first round, which is our Slack community specifically. So check out the landing page is linked in the show notes. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, if something is unclear. But we'd love to have you. The goal with this was just to create something that's super accessible. We understand we are all growing in our careers. We're trying to save money, but we also want to invest in something that's helpful. And so I think for us, we wanted to build something that was approachable to everyone,
Starting point is 00:11:00 no matter where they're at. So check it out, and we're super excited to share this with all of you. Cheers to that. congratulations on the launch, cheersing remotely. Yes, you too. Super, super excited. And yeah, we're looking forward to having you. And we obviously hope you'll join us on this journey.
Starting point is 00:11:19 Yes. Literally journey. I know. I was like, wait, that feels really good. Yeah. Yes. Awesome. Well, thank you for just paying attention and staying tuned to our recap and just what
Starting point is 00:11:33 we're looking forward to in 2026. but we have four trends that we're going to share with you today. Just, again, predictions that we have for 2026, things that we are looking forward to this year. But first and foremost, not to beat a dead horse, but AI. I love to beat a dead horse, honestly. Yeah. Okay. Okay.
Starting point is 00:11:55 I can say that, right? That's an okay term. Okay. I mean, yeah, obviously don't do that, but just the phrase, AI. We have to talk about AI. I mean, unfortunately, it is a, unfortunately and fortunately, it is just something that is here to stay. There is a way to utilize it to our ability and to help us push forward ideas and creative, et cetera. But I think ultimately there is a way to best utilize it, especially from a content creation and creative brainstorming process.
Starting point is 00:12:29 You know, we always talk about this all the time on the show. human creativity is still ever important. And so not leaning full force into using AI as kind of the final product, but using it to generate ideas and to amplify what we're already creating and building. And then I think, too, the other thing that we need to kind of pay attention to, we always think about creative as like the main area that we use AI. But there's a lot of things happening around generative AI and then personalization and content and creative and then also just AI search as a whole other topic, which I know the team over at Vayner is doing a lot of research around this. They have a whole team just kind of incubating around AI and how to utilize
Starting point is 00:13:16 it in the marketing space. And so we'll definitely be tapping into them throughout this year and just hear what they're learning. But I think just paying attention to how can your brand be, optimized in order to show up for relevant searches on chat GPT and all of these different platforms. There's also AI checkout is coming and so people are literally searching for products and checking out via chat GPT. That's something that's still rolling out now. But again, there's a lot happening here. It's overwhelming. I mean, we could do like six episodes on what we need to be paying attention to an AI. But yeah, I don't know. Is there anything that is kind of coming to mind for you, Ali, or some things that you're going about to do with it.
Starting point is 00:13:59 I think truthfully, we talked a lot about AI in 2025. We had a lot of guests on that. We're talking about AI in their use cases. And I think what I learned from those guests and what we learned at different conferences and in different conversations is that it really is a tool to help us. It is not the end result. And so how can we continue to balance that sort of AI tool with the humanity and the creativity that comes from us innately, as marketers, particularly. And I think just that, you know, that insight and emotional resonance comes from a human. And I think that continues to be really powerful. And I really think marketers play a big, big role in their organizations and how they're like different organizations or even
Starting point is 00:14:46 understanding AI, to be totally honest. I think a lot of these big tech organizations, are rolling out different AI platforms and the way from a marketer standpoint to really stand out is actually to become that subject matter expert. So one of the things that I wanted to suggest here to listeners too, and I'm taking this advice myself, is to really help position yourself as someone that actually does know about AI. And the way that you can do that is sign up for a LinkedIn learning course or sign up for a section course for anyone who we can include section in the show notes. Section is exceptional. And they have a lot of different AI courses where you can just take a one-day course and it's a crash course and you learn
Starting point is 00:15:25 some different things that you may not have learned from a use case perspective to then put into practice. So I think the way you learn to best adapt AI to your team makes you invaluable, if that makes sense. And so I think maybe that's something we can all flex into, knowing that it's here to stay and knowing that it's going to be a tool that we're all going to be expected to use in some way, shape, or form. I think the other thing on top of that, too, is a lot of brands I'm noticing, again, Vayner being one of them, have these innovation hubs within their teams now where those teams are directly responsible for going out and testing new platforms, testing new tools, and bringing the learnings back to the team. If you do not
Starting point is 00:16:08 currently have something like that in your organization, don't be afraid to pitch it. You know, go to your leader and say, hey, I'm really interested in learning more about AI or whatever it is. can I kind of lead a workforce within the team to be in charge of testing these ideas and sharing how we can best utilize them? And I think that really stands out to your leaders, of course, but allows you to be the one also just learning and helping yourself professionally, too, because we have to be on top of these platforms. If you're not learning how to use AI, unfortunately, you're going to get left behind. And it's kind of one of those necessary evils. And so the more that you can kind of force yourself in a way to always be learning and figuring out how to utilize platforms like that, I think is going to be really beneficial to you.
Starting point is 00:16:56 Yeah, that's huge. And couldn't agree more on that one. I do feel like it's, it is a necessary, it is a necessary piece of the marketer's toolkit moving forward. And I just don't think we've necessarily broadly talked about that yet. However, I do think it's going to continue to become relevant. And I am sure. that we will be talking about it all throughout 2026. Yes, I think so too. So moving on to trend number two, online and offline community building. Again, something that you have probably heard over and over again, even in 2025. But it is, I cannot stress this enough that this is going to be incredibly important. I think till the end of time, you know, people crave community. People need to be around other people. They need to be building relationships. Of course, through the kind of COVID, era, we shifted heavily to offline. We still are doing that as well, or I'm sorry, we shifted heavily to online. And we're still seeing that, you know, there's communities like MHH collective
Starting point is 00:17:57 popping up to where people can connect with people in different cities. However, I really do think we're going to see more of this IRL experiential surge again. People want to be in person with people and just building experience, making memories, et cetera. And so I think, you know from a brand perspective is figuring out how can you foster that how can you offer opportunities for people to kind of engage with others both on and offline and getting really creative in that area and i think the the main thing from a from a marketing lens is to think of it as a channel it's its own channel now right this like offline community building like how can you the digital community you've cultivated and bring it offline and into real life and so think like
Starting point is 00:18:41 live events or direct access to something very hyper-specific that your community cares about or these really 360 integrated experiences. And I think we did see a lot of brands do that in 2025, and they were really successful at it. I do think we'll see more of that in 2026. Anything that really transcends beyond like the typical transactional relationship of a brand and consumer, I think is just going to be huge this year. And I'm personally excited to take part in a lot of those. As a part of different fandom communities, I'm excited to see what my favorite fandoms do in, in 2026 to kind of foster that offline relationship.
Starting point is 00:19:22 In addition to the online one, though, too, right? So how can we continue to plus up our digital experiences as well? And I'm excited to see what that looks like. Yeah, I like that you mentioned that. I think I'm always a big advocate for. expanding outside of your industry to learn how you can do better within your industry so for example you know you mentioned fandom communities we're a part of many of those we are also part of like these niche Disney vintage communities and
Starting point is 00:19:50 I think there's a lot to be learned from those obviously that has nothing to do with marketing however we can kind of figure out what gets people excited what gets them to rally around a specific topic and how can we take that and translate it into what we're building for the different brands that were working with. And so yeah, I think to your point, get out there, be a part of communities and then start figuring out what is something that you can offer a value to your audience and start to test it and launch it and see what happens. Absolutely. And I think that's great advice, right? It's like join one of these communities. Like I am sure that there is something that you are hyper fixated on or
Starting point is 00:20:28 excited about that you can join and see that sort of that community that is built online and and see how it translates to offline, but also it shows you a lot about consumer behavior. So I agree, even though what we are participating in doesn't necessarily relate to marketing, we glean a lot of insights, I think, for our personal careers and the campaigns that we are planning based on what we learn from this consumer behavior and the things that we are excited about. And I think these like micro communities will continue to become that like giant force in driving social media culture and conversation that will eventually lead to marketing strategies. So I'm excited to see what we learned this year and how that consumer behavior changes. Moving
Starting point is 00:21:12 into trend three, I think another thing that is top of mind for me, particularly is this notion of quality versus quantity. I think in 2025, we saw this notion of like more is more is more and you have to be posting six times a day and you have to be doing this for the algorithm. And I think that hyper focus on meaningful really high quality content across your marketing channel mix so that all of your social media platforms but where else can you use it so we just talked about online communities can you use it there can use it on your website right that is what will continue to cut through the noise because that quality is if people can feel that and they know that's what you're really proud of as a brand and that's what people respond to right like they respond to
Starting point is 00:21:58 things that feel like they were really well made and had that that human and emotional resonance that we were talking about in terms of AI. Yes, absolutely. I again, to your point, I think quality comes from a number of different angles, right? Like quality can be the entertainment that you provide, the education that you provide. There was a really good post we were just talking about this offline, but we follow this vintage creator named Amber. And she posted, I mean, she grew an insane amount in 2025. And so she was kind of talking about like what some of the strategies are that she used. And she talked about this where, you know, originally people talked about you have to post three times a day.
Starting point is 00:22:43 And the more content that you push out, the more you're going to grow. And her point was I have seen more growth from posting once a day, something that really offers something of value to my audience. It educates them. It helps them. or it is something where I'm allowing them to get to know me as a creator. Just spending a little bit more time on the quality of those pieces of content is much better than just shoving content out as much as possible. And even though she's a creator, I think as a brand, we can learn a lot from that
Starting point is 00:23:16 and focusing on the intention of what we're putting out there. What are we looking to do? What is the objective of this content? How are we helping the audience through this? and what are some of the key takeaways or the action points from this piece of content and then just having fun with it and quality doesn't also by the way mean highly produced and it has to look perfect it's more of just what you're offering through that content and so i think just remembering that and also educating your leaders and your team on this notion too you know i think a lot of times
Starting point is 00:23:49 we're getting away from this more now which is great but a lot of times in the past leaders would go to marketers and say, we need to be growing. We need to be posting more. We need to be doing XYZ. And now that that strategy is changing, right? So I think the more that you can create this really intentional experience around your brand through your content is going to be the best way to grow, I think. Really, it also challenges creativity, right? Because you kind of take a look at your content mix and you're like, is this actually the most creative we can be with what the resources we have. And maybe the answer is yes and maybe the answer is no. And so I think as an action like coming out of this. A good takeaway is to really take a look at that content library you have and or
Starting point is 00:24:28 are producing for 2026. And are there ways that you can take that content and give it a longer shelf life because of the quality and resources you're putting behind it? So just good for thought on that one. Yeah, absolutely. I think the last thing I'll say on this too is I love this idea of looking at creators and applying a lot of those strategies to brands. It's almost taking this creator approach when you're building a brand presence online. And I think the reason creators grow so quickly and that we love following them is because it feels like they're friends of ours. Like we're on FaceTime with them, just kind of chatting and hearing about their lives. And so I think even from a quality standpoint, also figuring out how can you humanize your brand even more.
Starting point is 00:25:14 Is there a spokesperson? Is there a founder that you can put at the forefront? And just have them have genuine conversations with the audience through social and offer education and offer entertainment through that way. I say this all the time. I've said this for years, but humans connect best with humans. And so I think around this quality topic, also figuring out how can you just personalize your content a little bit more in that way from the brand perspective. And I think brands are doing a good job at that and we'll see more of that too.
Starting point is 00:25:45 Yeah, definitely. A lot of the brands we spoke to in 2025, we're already kind of making those shifts to try and give a little bit more of a behind the scenes look into the people that are actually behind the brand and how they are, you know, functioning and the things that they choose for their social. So I'm excited to see more of that too for sure. Yeah. Absolutely. All right, you want to kick us off for the last. I do. I'm excited to this is one from you. I'm really excited to hear about it. So this is the study of treatonomics, which I don't think is like an official coin term yet by any means.
Starting point is 00:26:21 However, this is quite literally the study of a little treat and enjoying every day. And the reason I wanted to say this one is particularly because you and I both participate in this actively. And I think a lot of a lot of women, particularly our age that we, you know, are participating in this actively. So we love like our little trinkets, our treats, our blind boxes. what is happening in sort of the cultural landscape right now is that instead of these big milestones, people are marking inchstones. And so what I mean by that is like having something to celebrate small every single day. And so I love this concept.
Starting point is 00:27:02 And I wanted to bring it to the episode particularly because, you know, there's a lot of heaviness going on in our world and we're not blind to that. there's a lot of economic volatility and the global outlook and all of that. And so this concept, this, this concept is about injecting that optimism and excitement in a controlled way, like into those small daily pleasures. And so as I was researching for the episode, I found from Cantar, who I'm not sure if anyone uses Cantor or knows of them, but their global monitor, which comes out on a yearly basis, 36% of consumers are actually prepared to go into short-term debt to spend on things
Starting point is 00:27:42 they enjoy. That's huge. I'm also a part of that 36% by the way. Yes, me too. I definitely foresee this continuing into 2026 and it'll really continue to be split by this sort of cultural niche, like, you know, the blind box of it all, but also like the geographical niche in these like, you know, these travel, the travel bug and the, you know, weekend trips and things like that. because brands, I think, will also need to work to kind of stay at the forefront of this, pending product portfolio as well. But I also think there's a way to take it kind of a 30,000 foot view too, which is, like, as a brand, are you contributing to creating joy in the everyday moments, in the everyday
Starting point is 00:28:26 consumption of your media, whether that be digital, physical, and beyond? What can you as a brand help do to contribute to those small joys, to make someone feel seen, heard, and excited. I just think we, again, we live in such a heavy time and to have this sort of enjoyment, whether it be a Starbucks coffee or a journey at 5 p.m. like what, no matter what it is or a blind box, that type of, that type of connection with your consumer can only happen if you are showing up as authentically as the brand. So. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. And I even think translating this to less tangible things and even just from like an online experience like what what kind of content can you put out or something that people are excited to consume that is is joyful
Starting point is 00:29:19 at the end of the day in the middle of the day I think about all of these fun content series like now this for example like they do a really good job at creating very exciting fun content online that we just get so excited to watch the videos and consume that and And so I think from, yes, a financial investment perspective, but also like, how can you just create little joys in general around your brand that people are excited to just rally around? I think that's huge. But yeah, I'm excited to see more of this. I think one way that brands have really translated this too is like, was it was it Kava
Starting point is 00:29:55 that made like the chip? The keychains. What was that? The key chains. Thank you. Like stuff like that. I think, yeah, I think brands. brands are going to do more things like that too like creating little fun things that not only
Starting point is 00:30:11 people can build their bowl but they can pick up a fun item or trinket that they're taking home with them stuff like that like you know i i think we can get creative with that as brands and i'm excited to see what people do yeah another one that i that just came to my mind while we were sitting here cast was the the summer Fridays uh the lip like the lip bomb key chains where you like clip them on to your lip balm and it's like a bespoke key chain that you designed it's it's so focused on this like hyper personalization and i just i love that because it feels so unique to you um which i think same with kava right like they had a different chip like face for each different keychain that they put out because they were like you get to choose your own adventure and pick which one you want
Starting point is 00:30:55 and that represents you and where you're at right i think the same with this like you know this lip you know, this lip bomb keychain mentality. I think it's, we're starting to see that, that sort of hyper-personalization and focus on consumer behavior. And you'll also see it in vending machines and, you know, different blind box websites and things like that. I mean, it's just, I do see a lot more of that. I think it's a big, big thing.
Starting point is 00:31:23 Yeah, yeah. This is exactly why Japan is going to be a major problem for me because it is literally the world of little joys. And so it's, but it's, it's so funny to notice like what you're seeing on social as something that people are gravitating towards. Like I personally gravitate towards things like that. Like it's, it feels silly in retrospect. But like, again, to your point, there's so much happening in our world. And so people just get so excited to inbox something that's just kind of fun and brings a little smile to their face. And so again, I think how can you create that essence around your brand? Absolutely. And I think, um, just to, to round us out here,
Starting point is 00:32:00 Our goal this year obviously is to be that space for the small joys, whether you listen to us in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, as part of your routine, we're just very grateful you're here to start 2026 with us. Yes. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening. Again, MHS Collective is live. Go check it out.
Starting point is 00:32:18 And let us know what you want to hear this year on the podcast. We have a lot of great episodes lined up, but always love just hearing from you, what topics you want to hear on or just what brands you want to hear from or people. you want to hear from. So let us know, shoot us a DM on LinkedIn, on Instagram, wherever. And thank you for listening and thank you for being here for another year. We're so excited. Thank you. Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, I would love your feedback. And if you're ready to take things to the next level, sign up for my weekly newsletter in the show notes. You'll get weekly career and marketing insights
Starting point is 00:32:55 straight to your inbox. And if you have an idea for a future marketing happy hour episode, shoot me an email. Hello at Marketing HappyHR.com. Thank you again and I'll see you next Thursday.

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