Sharp insights and strategies to help give you and your brand a bold edge.

🛑 FEAR IS THE BUDGET KILLER

What’s really holding brands back in 2025?

Not tech. Not talent. Fear.

At the Northwestern Medill IMC Conference last week, two colleagues from early in my career, Rishad Tobaccowala and Clive Sirkin, hit this truth square on:

“90% of why change doesn’t happen is fear.” – Rishad

“Our job as marketers is to help fear go away.” – Clive

Yes. Exactly this. Because when brands operate from fear, they get safe. And when they get safe? They get stuck.

I created FEARLESS to help brands break out of the safety spiral. And if ever there was a time for bold, it's now.

⚠️ IN THIS ECONOMY, MARKETING IS UNDER FIRE

Marketing budgets are the first to be questioned during economic downturns—and in 2025, they’re hitting post-pandemic lows.

A recent WARC (World Advertising Research Center) report offers advice for CMOs on defending marketing investment. Why? Because short-term pressure is real—and so is the misalignment:

• Only 27% of CEOs and CFOs say CMOs exceeded expectations last year.
• Just 34% believe marketing and growth are on the same page.
• Most CEOs/CFOs are focused on short-term results—while CMOs are trying to build brand value long-term.

This disconnect is costing brands dearly.

🧠 MARKETING’S SUPERPOWER? UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE.

"Understanding people certainly impacts your ability to communicate with others ” – John C. Maxwell

CMOs are uniquely positioned to connect the dots between consumer truths and business impact. When we do it well, we translate insight into strategy.

🎯 FEARLESS BRANDS IN ACTION

🍟 McDonald’s: Memory Meets Momentum

McDonald's is a great example of how this was done well.

Faced with declining traffic, McDonald’s leaned into the consumer—creating long-term brand impact with short-term hype.

They tapped into the truth, that most people in the U.S. grew up with McDonald’s memory that the brand played in their lives.

• “Famous Orders” campaign + Travis Scott Meal = 🔥
• +30% avg sales per restaurant
• $4.4B in revenue attributed to brand story efforts
• Marketing investment? Flat or declining.

Bold strategy wins—with a powerful consumer insight.

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🎧 Spotify: LTV Over Vanity Metrics

After a shaky Q2, Spotify’s CEO Daniel Ek called out short-termism and reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to long-term marketing investment.

He told investors Spotify Music Promotion doesn’t aim to “optimize for reaching an arbitrary goal”, but instead prioritizes driving its lifetime value (LTV) metric.

“Lifetime value is such a powerful metric because it inherently captures the balance and trade-offs between chasing short-term opportunities and driving long-term strategic initiatives,” he said. “It really acknowledges that not every decision will yield immediate returns and that our progress is not always linear.”

Read more about it here

☕  Starbucks: Back to Brand Roots

The Spotify CEO isn’t alone. Brian Niccol, the Starbucks CEO, is also championing the brand and not putting it all on the shoulders of the CMO (especially since they no longer have a CMO 😮). He is doubling the marketing investment to refocus on what sets Starbucks apart, the brand.

Fearless. Focused. Distinct.

Read more about it here

⚡️ THE FEARLESS WORKSHOP: YOUR BRAND’S ANTIDOTE TO SAFE THINKING

Fear gets in the way of clear communication, brave creativity, and business growth.

The FEARLESS Workshop is where we change that. We ditch hesitation and build bold, insight-led strategies that win in tough times.

🚫 Playing it safe? That's the real risk. ✅ Building bold? That’s how we win.

📩 Ready to Build a Brand that Doesn’t Flinch?

Let’s make bold your default. Contact me to book a FEARLESS Workshop for your team.

FEARLESS is a mindset. Strategy makes it real.

🎯 Your Fearless Challenge This Week:

Spot the fear. Flip the script. Where is fear showing up in your brand, your team, or your messaging? Name it—and ask what bold would look like instead.

Be Bold.

Be Strategic.

Be Fearless.

Until next time,

💥 Anna

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