Edition 100.

Welcome to Edition 100 of The Brand Bloc! Our Centennial 🥳

Are we now too old to be moving as fast as modern marketing and media? Let’s dive in.

5 brand bytes to inform and inspire you this week:

1. Less toxic, more inspo

Pinterest is making a bold move for the title of “least toxic app in the room.” Its new campaign encourages people to get off social media, with the line: “The best thing you can find online is a reason to go offline.” In the 60-second video spot, a curious child’s voice wonders, “How did they live their lives without posting about it?” as nostalgic clips of life from yesteryear (some Pinterest employees’ home films were used, too) flicker across the screen. It’s sharp positioning at a moment when social fatigue is real, and more people are questioning how much of the internet still feels human.

The takeaway: Logging off might be the product, and many brands (big and small) already lean into offline activations. Think dinners, meetups, and Brand-chella, anyone? (I discuss below.)

2. Follow the money

Trend reports are nice. But the money trails are tell-tales, too. A peek into which digital channels are pulling in more ad revenue tells you where audiences are, and where brands may want to expand or double down.

The IAB (a major trade association that sets the standards for digital advertising) reported this week:

• Social media ad revenue is up 32.6%
• Digital video spend is up 25.4%
• Commerce media is up 18% (these are ads in shopping environments, where people are already close to purchase)
• Creator ad spend expects an 18.9% increase in 2026 (this is brand spend that flows to creators and influencers)

Translation: ad spend is more social, more video-led, more commerce-connected, and more creator-powered.

3. Brand-chella

Step-and-repeats are a thing of the past. Some of the world’s most socially native brands didn’t just drop samples in goody bags or slap a logo on a wall. They built mini brand worlds inside the larger world of Coachella. Vogue called it a “big brand renaissance,” with celebrity-led, tech-driven activations that stood out more than generic visibility. Utility helped, too. Think lounge spaces, dining moments, and even ice cream manicures and branded showers people actually wanted to spend time in (while in the heat of the desert). Brands that built their own mini worlds at the festival: YouTube, Pinterest, Rhode, GAP, Barbie, Magnum Ice Cream, Method, and so many more.

The takeaway: the best brand presence didn’t feel like sponsorship. It felt like being part of the story.

4. Rooting for the (brand) underdog

Congrats are in order for startup candy brand Behave. After nearly going bankrupt in 2024, the brand “bet everything on TikTok Shop.” Behave’s founder told Modern Retail she cleared her calendar and posted four to five TikToks a day for 60 days. Two weeks in, one video took off. She said the first viral TikTok “literally saved the business.” One of the brand’s SKUs sold out on TikTok Shop in three days, helped catch Target’s attention, and started rolling out in almost 2,000 Target stores just last Sunday. Demand, when visible, can travel fast.

Question: what would be *your* Hail Mary brand play?

5. I’d love to feature YOU

In this next centennial era of The Brand Bloc, I want to feature YOU!

The brand builders, thinkers, and makers in this growing community.

Let’s celebrate what you’re building.

Yes, you can still expect the bytes I’d drop in the (brand) group chat each week 😉

But I also want to make room for the people behind the brands. You.

Hit reply and tell me about yours!

(Whether it’s new, growing, or been around the block.)

P.S. Don’t forget: this 2-minute biz quiz is here for you — and thank you for those who’ve already locked in their unique business Idea Stage.

More brand bytes next Sunday at 5!