The Great Revival of the IRL Activation
Until recently, it was the norm to connect virtually to push marketing, an alternative to hosting physical events. Now we’re seeing a digital “touch grass” moment, a great creative movement away from always-online engagement and towards in-person experience, embracing the old ways of interaction before meaning was reduced to a like or follow.
Some are calling it the analogue revival. We call it about time.
Here are some of the trends we believe will make their way to marketing mainstream this year.
A moment with our intern: Abby Dalziel
From PR campaign ideation to on-site client meetings, our superstar intern and recipient of the 2025 Cole Lawson Scholarship, Abby Dalziel, excelled in every project that came her way.
Joining the Cole Lawson team in February 2025, Abby stepped into seven jam-packed weeks of hands-on experience, gaining exposure across social analytics, event management, media release writing and pitching, client liaison, creative briefing, media monitoring, and much more.
Before she wrapped up her internship, we asked Abby about her time with the team. Here’s what she had to say.
Why MECCA Keeps Winning the Australian Beauty Game
When American beauty brand rhode announced it would launch in Australia through Mecca, not Sephora, a few beauty insiders raised an eyebrow.
After all, in the United States rhode is sold through Sephora. So why switch retailers when launching in Australia?
Partly because Mecca understands the Australian beauty shopper better than anyone else. Even rhode founder Hailey Rhode Bieber recognised that dynamic.
That difference says a lot about the way Mecca has shaped the Australian beauty market over nearly three decades.
BREXIT 2.0 and 3.0
On the surface, the public tension between Brooklyn Beckham and his wildly famous parents looked like classic celebrity drama. Underneath, it was something more interesting: a glorious case study on what happens when one of the world’s most tightly managed personal brands starts to lose its grip on the narrative.
In a media environment where everyone has a stage and silence is quickly filled by others, reputation isn’t something you can set and forget. It’s something you actively manage, adjust on the fly and, when necessary, step in to stop it from drifting off-script.
The New SEO
No longer is it about ranks, SEO boosts, or outsmarting Google’s algorithm – it’s about being recommended.
The way consumers are navigating to find answers is evolving, and our strategy to reach them needs to evolve with it. With a new way of searching comes a new way of boosting visibility. These strategies are about earning authority through trusted sources and giving AI reasons to select your brand as the answer to a specific prompt, constantly proving it’s relevancy.
Striking Gold
On Thursday 30th October, the night of nights for our industry took place – the annual Golden Target Awards hosted by Communication and Public Relations Australia (CPRA).
We could not be prouder of our incredible team whose work was recognised on the national stage, with not one, but two national Golden Target Awards for 2025 across the following categories:
BRONZE - INTEGRATED MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGN
“A coffee with Kochie”: Brighter Super’s retirement advocate – Cole Lawson Communications
GOLD - EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR – AGENCY
Tayla Harvey – We Are Brooklyn
A huge congratulations to our team, and to every award winner and agency who walked away with their own Golden Target Award on the night.
September Scroll-stoppers:
September’s been a lot of things, but boring certainly isn’t one of them.
Some big decisions were being made between Conrad and Jeremiah, causing a teen drama social media movement unlike the world has witnessed, and green lights were WAVED for tourism campaigns all over. There were ads that made ads worth watching again, collabs of our dreams unfolding on the big screen, and some exceptionally good use of music marketing to boot.
Because we are chronically online, we have pulled together our top media picks from the month to add to your vision board for your next campaign (and pop-culture knowledge).
Hot news in the beauty loop: The future looks like MECCA
The largest beauty store in the world just opened its doors and naturally, it’s in Melbourne.
MECCA’s new flagship on Bourke Street isn’t just a shop. It’s a statement. A 1,800-square-metre sensory playground that’s flipped the script on what retail can (and should) be. And while beauty lovers jostled for a chance to step inside, it’s what’s under the surface that has brands and business owners buzzing.
Instagram Updates Its Indexing
As of July 2025, Meta has officially confirmed that public Instagram content like reels, posts, captions and hashtags will now be indexed and possibly presented in Google’s search results.
But what does it actually mean in terms of exposure, and more importantly, what does it mean for your brand? Let’s talk about it.
An influencer economy
The world of influencers is largely unregulated. There is no one size fits all, and it is up to the brands to do their homework, choose collaborations wisely, and navigate a path that best protects and promotes their reputation. In this blog we divulge our secret to making the most out of your influencer engagement.
Why food is infiltrating your feed
We Are Brooklyn dishes up everything you need to know about the delicious technique of sensory marketing - from what it is, why it works, who’s doing it best, and how you can sink your teeth into including it in your own marketing mix.
The Severance effect
@apple TV+ didn’t just promote Severance, they activated it. They turned a slow-burn psychological thriller into a multi-dimensional experience that blurred the line between fiction and reality. And in doing so, they delivered one of the most compelling marketing campaigns in recent memory.
Here’s how they did it and why brands should be taking notes.
The White Lotus logic
With The White Lotus Season 3 now unfolding, it’s the perfect time to revisit the first two seasons. This show isn’t just about luxury resorts and dysfunctional elites - it’s about influence, storytelling, and the psychology of positioning.
Let’s break down what The White Lotus teaches us about brand strategy.
Why founders need to nail their narrative
The power of a great founder’s story is not just about recounting how you started; it’s about sparking connection and showing your audience why you exist, what drives you, and why they should care.
Your story is your superpower. It’s more than an origin tale—it’s a weapon for cutting through the noise.
This blog outlines 5 ways to make it unforgettable.
Why journalists are ghosting you
Are journalists ghosting you? There might be a few tricks to treat yourself to the coverage you deserve.
To keep your pitch from going six feet under, watch out for these fearsome faux pas that could be haunting your campaign—and discover how to resurrect your PR game from the grave.
Victoria's Secret: Learning from the past to build a more inclusive future
VICTORIA'S SECRET'S(VS) is officially back on the runway scene with a whole new aspiration for inclusivity – but did the angels walk the walk, or were they all talk?
While there is still a long path ahead, the recent showcase of the brand’s realigned vision for diversity is certainly a step in the right direction.
One truth can be taken from VS: if a brand isn’t adapting to changing buyer preferences and behaviours, it’s dying. The Victoria’s Secret hiatus is a clear example of the repercussions that come with reluctance to change, compelling the perfectly packaged brand to transform its pink stripes, re-learn its demographic and how to speak to them, and reemerge stronger than ever.
We Are Brooklyn’s Group Director Judith Silva distils all the key takeaways of Victoria’s Secret’s runway refresh, and strips back the layers on how businesses can learn from the past to build a more inclusive future. Uncover it all in the blog below:
A moment with our intern: Kacy Miaco
Kacy has navigated a fruitful early career in communications. We had the pleasure of having her on our We Are Brooklyn team earlier this year as part of her UQ Cole Lawson Scholarship, which saw her assisting in PR outreach and strategy development, as well as content creation during our peak busy seasons. We asked Kacy about her experience working in consumer communications and plans beyond university. Here’s what she had to say.
A moment with our intern: Laura Matthews
Joining the team as our Summer Associate to assist with the high influx of projects, Laura has excelled in her ability to deliver key social media output, internal communications, client liaison, and media outreach. We took a moment to sit down with Laura and reflect on her time with the We Are Brooklyn crew, and her grand plans for the future. This is what Laura had to say.
Building a brand 101: Unveiling the secrets behind Barbie’s marketing success
The Barbie movie marketing campaign has become a masterclass in how to build excitement for a brand. Find below our top takeaways enacted by the marketing masterminds behind the movie’s promotion, and how you can apply it to your own communications strategy moving forward.
The Barbie takeover: How Mattel rebuilt a brand through movie marketing
The marketing campaign behind Barbie is a one-of-a-kind triumph.
How did Mattel dust off the box, break Barbie out of the mould to fit a 2023 lens, and turn a toy into a cultural phenomenon?
Read all about how Barbie is painting the town a new shade of pantone pink, and how you can apply the same tactics to elevate your own brand in our latest article.