James Forr

Thanks to OZ Insight Manager Randy Rossi for sharing some insight into a wedding ring brand called Manly Bands.You can get a feel for the brand’s ethos from this video, which is…

Is it possible for a humble highlighter to become culturally relevant?In 2018 (and again in 2021 and 2022), Stabilo, a brand of highlighters, broke through with a campaign called “Highlighting…

Unsplash/Dragos Gontariu Does the term “creative,” as a noun, irritate you as much as it does us? It strikes us as obnoxious as when on-air people in broadcasting are referred…

Although online shopping has taken over retail in many ways, brick-and-mortar is still huge – projected to account for 72 percent of all sales in 2024.  Moreover, brick-and-mortar provides an…

Unsplash / Anthony Intraversato The Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) has issued a new report about the effectiveness of cause marketing – when brands take a public stand on ESG or DEI issues.…

I stumbled on an interesting discussion about Flintstones Vitamins – and how this brand, which is based on a TV show that hasn’t produced a new episode since 1966, remains the best-selling…

Element 5 / Unsplash One for the hard-core research nerds – in Ohio this week, voters said “no” to a ballot initiative that would have raised the threshold for successful…

We had an internal discussion at OZ last week about restaurants that deliberately treat patrons “badly,” which reminded us of a recent Under the Influence podcast episode about antihero brands. It was inspired…

Barbie opens in theaters this weekend. The build-up for the movie represents something increasingly rare – what one expert calls a “ubiquitous cultural moment.”Barbie is everywhere.  The movie reportedly is supported by…