The Insight
Percipient thought-pieces and opinions from some
of
the world’s most respected industry leaders.
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Wellness is everywhere now, in our tech, in our daily lives, in our household brands. Tim Cumming looks at its strange history and evolution – from a niche hippyscape to a multi-billion dollar industry – and talks to a range of brands and creatives about selling wellness in the 2020s
Why personal wellness can be infectious
Understanding your own mental and physical wellbeing can put you in a position to be understanding of and helpful to those whom you work with, says Lou Allen, MD at Factory and SIREN. Here, she outlines her journey from depression to positivity and how it impacted on her work and life.
Why trend decks are the biggest lie in advertising
If the answer was 'the metaverse' or 'NFTs', or 'a Labubu', then the question was likely about spotting a trend. Capitalism - and therefore advertising - loves them. But they're not always trends, and they're rarely the correct answer. Former futurologist Amy Kean looks at why being 'on trend' can often mean your advertising is off target.
The songs that sell: How music shapes the Super Bowl
With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, the influx of high-end, mass appeal ads is on its way. But, says Joseph Miller, Founder of Can You Clear Me Now, it's not always the array of celebrities that make a campaign stick in the mind, but the choice of music.
Kindness over convenience: The sound of change
What if the way we used sound changed? asks Laura Montarroso Daher, Founder and Executive Creative Director at Music Collective. What if more thought, more time and more insight was used to make sure the noises we hear around us were more relevant to the environments in which we hear them, and more attuned to the way we might be feeling?
Why the pricing of creativity is the industry’s most costly self-deception
Jon Williams, Founder/CEO of The Liberty Guild, bemoans the outdated models that treat an idea as labour rather than value, suggesting that, as automation increases, the human creative leap is becoming a most precious asset.
Trend watch 2026: Wellness-first creativity
Trin Basra, Executive Creative Director EMEA at Sparks, reflects on how brands can tap into consumers' new appreciation of wellness – it's increasingly not just about health, but more a sense of belonging and humanity in a turbulent uncertain world.
The 10 brands that cut through in 2025
Creative effectiveness platform System1 has crunched the 2025 numbers and revealed the 10 campaigns which had true category cut-through last year.
Why guilt-driven January messaging is backfiring
George Bacon, Founder of GBM Group, looks into consumers’ – and even over-consumers’– increasing rejection of seasonal shame-based marketing, and suggests other ways wellness brands can cut through.