Our team immersed itself in the latest insights on marketing, branding and consumer behaviour at Mad//Fest Up North last week. While the event reinforced many of the strategies we already champion at ICG, it was a great opportunity to share industry thinking about how to engage with audiences, build communities and stay ahead of the curve.
Here are our top takeaways:
Young People Value Trusted News Sources
It's easy to assume that Gen Z and younger audiences are disengaged from traditional news, but the reality is far from it. Research shared by Newsworks highlighted that while teenagers and young adults enjoy soft news (celebrity gossip, entertainment), they are equally interested in hard news, provided it comes from authentic, trusted sources.
The takeaway; Authenticity is non-negotiable, and younger audiences are increasingly adept at filtering out clickbait and misinformation.
Pain Points: Think Bigger Than Your Audience
Solving customer pain points is Marketing 101 but what about the pain points of the wider market? Angela Cameron of Mars Petcare gave the Whiskas Meowzer campaign as a example. Instead of simply targeting existing cat owners, Whiskas capitalised on the rising search demand for low-maintenance dogs and cleverly reframed cats as an alternative. The result? More cat adoptions, increased brand loyalty and a boost in cat food sales.
The takeaway: Expand your thinking. Instead of just addressing your customers' needs, consider adjacent audiences, cultural shifts, and unexpected opportunities.
Building a Community is a Long-Term Play
A successful brand community isn't built overnight. It requires constant nurturing, much like feeding a sourdough starter (a brilliant analogy shared by Melanie Goldsmith of Project 30 Ventures). Brands must continue engaging their core audience while strategically expanding to new ones.
A thriving brand community is more than just a fanbase; it's a valuable research tool. Your audience can provide real, unfiltered feedback, both on social media and offline. Organisations that foster this sense of belonging by listening, responding, and involving their community in decision-making create advocates, not just customers.
The takeaway: Nurture your core audience, but always be looking for ways to bring new people in.
Social Influence: The Pull' Factor
In a world of constant brand messaging, the most credible marketing doesn't come from brands, it comes from people. Eloquently put by Tom Ridges, CEO of Herdify, this isn't about paid influencers it's about creating real-world social influence that makes your brand naturally desirable, talked about and shared.
Think about how Prime Hydration went from an unknown product to a phenomenon. Yes, the Logan Paul and KSI connection helped, but beyond that, the real-world pull' factor limited availability, peer-to-peer hype, and word-of-mouth drove demand. When people see something being talked about and sought after in their circles, FOMO kicks in.
The takeaway For brands, the challenge is to create products, campaigns, and experiences that are so compelling and shareable that they don't need to be forced into conversations they naturally become part of them.
Psychographics Over Demographics
Kenyatte Nelson, Chief Membership & Customer Officer at Co-op, put it best: I'm more of an anthropologist than a marketer. While demographics (age, gender, location) still have their place, the real power lies in psychographics understanding people's values, motivations, and behaviours.
It's not about targeting a 25-34-year-old female it's about understanding why she buys certain products, what influences her decisions and how she interacts with brands.
The takeaway: Brands that understand their customers on a human level will always have a competitive advantage.
AI Can't Predict the Future
AI is powerful, but it's important to remember that it only knows what has happened before, not what will work in the future. While AI is brilliant for automation, data analysis, and predicting trends based on historical data, it lacks the intuition, creativity, and cultural awareness that human marketers bring to the table.
The takeaway AI should be embraced as a tool, but the real magic in marketing still comes from human insight, gut instinct, and creative risk-taking.
Stay True to Your Brand, But Adapt to New Markets
One of the most interesting insights from Mad//Fest was how brands are successfully evolving while staying true to their identity.
Lorraine Rothwell, Head of Brand at Weetabix shared how Weetabix pivoted from engaging with new audiences with inventive use of its iconic product, back to the hero' serving suggestion at the core of its latest marketing campaign, using inclusive humorous and culturally relevant situations.
Adam Zavalis, Vice President Marketing at Asda recently doubled down on Rollback pricing, northern family-based partnerships (Joe Wicks), and its nostalgic Leeds' brand voice (Jodie Whittaker) reconnecting with its core audience while remaining relevant today.
The takeaway: Brands need to evolve, but never at the cost of losing what makes them unique. Change what needs to change, but hold on to your brand's authentic voice and core DNA.
Hope you've enjoyed these insights. If you're looking to take your brand marketing, trade marketing, or digital strategy to the next level, get in touch -we'd love to help!
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
19/11/2025
Sphere Sound Kicks Up Its Heels at Radio City Music HallUltra-immersive system from the singular Las Vegas venue is also ready for sportsBy Dan Daley, Audio Edi...
19/11/2025
The Future of Stadium and Arena Video Control Rooms: Tech Leaders Talk 4K, IP, a...
19/11/2025
One Year at Intuit Dome: Walking Through the Stunning Arena's Advanced Video...
19/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: IMG's Francois Westcombe Goes Inside IMG's Annual Digital ...
19/11/2025
Inside Brighton & Hove Albion's fan-first media machine By George Bevir
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
Brighton & Hove Albion'...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 1: Kansas Athletics Brings New Production Power to Rebu...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 2: A Pro's Guide to Kansas Athletics' New Video...
19/11/2025
MLB Media Rights Shakeup: NBC Inks Three-Year Deal for Sunday Night Baseball, Pe...
19/11/2025
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade attends the premiere of Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 26, 2025, in Pa...
19/11/2025
Awards season is heating up, and the International Documentary Association just ...
19/11/2025
Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ken Bedingfield and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were joined by state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking o...
19/11/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
19/11/2025
Calrec gives Phoenix Broadcast Solutions its full support in strategic multi-year enterprise partnership New Singapore OB company invests in Calrec technology f...
19/11/2025
October brings a larger audience in front of TV screens. The cooler autumn weather and the continuation of new programming schedules brought increases in both t...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Vitec has acquired Datapath, a developer of real-time video processing for large-scale video walls, AVoIP content distribution and KVM control in mission-critic...
19/11/2025
NEVADA CITY, Calif. Telestream has introduced ARGUS Version 2.3, which introduces Live Look, a feature that lets operators inspect live and on-demand streams vi...
19/11/2025
STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK Charter Communications, Inc. has announced a major deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that establishes AWS as one of Charters stra...
19/11/2025
TOKYO Atomos has announced a major firmware update that brings integrated camera control to the Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX its new CFexpress-based monitor-recor...
19/11/2025
Berklee's Signature Series Reimagines the Musical and Visual Artistry of Col...
19/11/2025
PlayBox Neo departed the NAB Show New York 2025 on a high note. The company's all-new PlayBox Neo Suite made a splash on the show floor, drawing strong inte...
19/11/2025
AAVBR (American Audio Visual Baton Rouge), a leading full-service event production company serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, has enhanced its product...
19/11/2025
In its mission to deliver live event services combining advanced engineering with a creative approach to captivating live sports and entertainment experiences, ...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK Short-form vertical video has exploded across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, but a new survey commissioned by Media.net, a provider of c...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK YES Network, the regional sports network home of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets, and CAMB.AI have struck a partnership they said will leverage ...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has issued detailed guidance on filings that were disrupted by the government shutdown. While many of those fil...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK The popularity of NFL games is largely responsible for continued seasonal momentum in TV viewership into October (measured Sept. 29-Oct. 26), according...
19/11/2025
DirecTV has announced that its MyFree DirecTV streaming service has added seven new channels. Those include four sports services, NBA FAST, Red Bull TV, DAZN Ri...
19/11/2025
SURREY, U.K. Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has launched Flair Bridge, a compact device that transforms how operators control the company's motion-contr...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission, which is continuing to rapidly ramp up its operations after the end of the federal government shutdown, has se...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Martin Freeman, Jessie Buckley, Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon, Eddie the Eagle and ...
19/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz collaborates with Broadcom to enable testing and validation of n...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Innato, starring Imanol Arias and Elena Anaya, arrives on Netf...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Guillermo del Toro Sits Down With Troll 2 Director Roar Uthaug...
19/11/2025
Some projects feel monumental from the moment the first phone call comes in. When BCE, the host broadcaster appointed to coordinate the national coverage, asked...
19/11/2025
November 19 2025, 08:00 (PST) BAY AREA HOST COMMITTEE AND DOLBY PARTNER TO DELIVER IMMERSIVE FAN EXPERIENCES
During the Week of Football's Biggest Game...
19/11/2025
Michael D. Higgins: Ireland's Ninth President features RT Archives footage and interviews across seven decades
Watch Wednesday 19 November at 9:35pm on RT...
19/11/2025
Scripps Research scientists receive $1.1 million to advance AI modeling for HIV vaccine development New AI system helps scientists rapidly pinpoint the most pro...
18/11/2025
Independent media across Central America are operating under intensifying financial pressure, yet there is a clear appetite for models that can sustain both ind...
18/11/2025
NBA Debuts New Comms Infrastructure and Systems for RefereesTwo-phase rollout is intended to improve game flow, enhance officiating accuracyBy Dan Daley, Audio ...
18/11/2025
Platinum White Paper: How Aggreko Delivers Certainty For Broadcasters On The Wor...
18/11/2025
Kiswe Extends DTC Products With Kiswe Core Cloud-Based Tool for Distributing Con...
18/11/2025
Spanish Basketball Federation partners with ScorePlay to power digital transform...
18/11/2025
HBS selects BBright encoders and decoders to connect ST 2110 live production wor...
18/11/2025
Ashes to Ashes: Inside TNT Sports' hybrid and maverick' production plan...
18/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Mimi Fotopoulos, Director, Talent and Production Operations, Tenn...
18/11/2025
SVG LIVE! Conference Explores the Tech Side of Sports and Entertainment ConvergenceLive sports and music productions increasingly share gear and infrastructureB...
Our team immersed itself in the latest insights on marketing, branding and consumer behaviour at Mad//Fest Up North last week. While the event reinforced many of the strategies we already champion at ICG, it was a great opportunity to share industry thinking about how to engage with audiences, build communities and stay ahead of the curve. 
