True Religion has doubled the size of its business in three and a half years, says CMO Kristen D’Arcy, thanks to a hefty investment in upper funnel marketing initiatives to increase brand awareness. The company has deepened its cultural ties by tapping into sports and music influencers and increased its sales among women shoppers. We spoke with D’Arcy about the brand’s marketing strategies, 2025 holiday campaign, retail foot traffic and future marketing investments.

Speaking of holiday, Shutterfly’s marketing team is out to remind shoppers that despite uncertain economic times, they should still spend money on their beloved holiday traditions, like sending greetings cards. Chief Marketing Officer Bree Casart takes us through the campaign, its holiday strategy, how it's embracing AI and more.

To stay ahead of B2B buyers' gen AI use during the purchasing process, CMOs need to move from experimentation to execution — closing the gap and keeping pace with increasingly AI-driven buyers. A new report from Forrester, “Generative AI: A Pragmatic Guide for B2B CMOs,” examines some of the key missteps CMOs make in their gen AI journeys and how to avoid them.

Social media app BeReal is leaning into its authenticity and lack of algorithm in a recent stateside marketing push. We review the brand’s marketing plans, which included a stadium takeover and OOH transit ads reminding people to “doomscroll detox.”

Lastly, while $5 million deals with college football athletes might be off limits for smaller brands, there are opportunities to tap athletes as influencers in other sports that rake in less revenue.

Until next week,