This year, marketers saw the return of the familiar alongside the push to diversify their channel mixes. As pandemic restrictions eased, experiential marketing returned in full force, as brands were able to capitalise on fashion-favourite events like Coachella and the Met Gala once again. But new hurdles emerged on social media, as advertising rates rose even as platforms like Facebook and Twitter faced revenue declines and layoffs.

It wasn’t all bad news online: TikTok’s never-ending trend cycle offered inspiration for both products and campaigns. Brands also found success with provocative viral stunts and adopting fashion’s favourite new colour, hot pink.

Marketers had new channels and advertising formats to experiment with, as Netflix rolled out advertising for the first time. In the world of influencer marketing, brands found new ambassadors in unexpected places, leaning more heavily on influencers with “day jobs” or who came from previously ignored demographics (or both).

Top Stories

How to Let Shoppers Know Your Brand Is Worth the Money: As consumers tighten their belts in response to inflation and the risk of recession, brands are seeking ways to tell consumers their products have value.

The Complete Guide to Influencer Marketing — Download the Case Study: As the creator space has matured, brands must be thoughtful about crafting a strategy that leverages influencer marketing’s full power, considering everything from talent scouting to the effectiveness of metrics.

What Fashion Needs to Know About Netflix’s New Ad Tier: Being an early advertiser on the biggest video streamer has its advantages, but there are other factors for brands to consider.

How In-Store Services Help DTC Brands Win at Brick-and-Mortar: A growing number of direct-to-consumer brands have found a winning retail formula by putting a modern spin on routine services such as piercings and eye exams.

Fashion Retailers Race to Become Ad Giants: As the digital advertising space faces more challenges, an opportunity has emerged for retailers to drive revenue with their own advertising arms. But they’ll have to move quickly to carve out a share of the ad market.

Why the New Guard of Digital Brands Are Embracing Wholesale: When even Glossier and Allbirds are signing deals with multi-brand retailers, it’s clear the go-it-alone era is over. Here’s how some new brands are building wholesale into their business plan from the get-go.

Building a DTC Challenger Brand | Download the Case Study: Fashion entrepreneurs need a new playbook to launch, scale and differentiate their companies, as regulations and rising costs mean performance marketing can no longer serve the critical role it once did for DTC brands. Finding the right positioning and capturing market share can mean going back to the brand-building basics, as BoF profiles of Gymshark, Hodinkee and Mejuri show.

Calvin Klein’s New Strategy: Don’t Market the Dream, Market What Sells: As seen in its latest collaboration with skate brand Palace, Calvin Klein is focused on highlighting its most successful categories like denim and underwear.