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Brand and marketing news, and what it means for your business.
Rebrands, platform changes, rulings and reports, each read for what a growing business should do next.
Irn-Bru’s 125th Anniversary Refresh: Amplify What People Already Love
Irn-Bru’s packaging refresh, announced in December 2025 ahead of the brand’s 125th anniversary, is a good example of a different kind of rebrand: one that turns up the volume on what is already…
ASA Rules Against an Advertorial Posing as an Independent Review
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a ruling against a dishwasher tablet brand whose Facebook ad led to a page that looked like an independent review, when the advertiser owned…
ChatGPT’s Missing UTM Tags: Why Your Direct Traffic Jumped
If your Direct traffic rose and your ChatGPT referrals fell in the second week of October, you may not have lost any visitors.
Edinburgh Airport’s Rebrand: Keeping the Tower, Facing the Critics
Edinburgh Airport has unveiled a new brand identity as it begins a £500 million investment programme, keeping its control tower and aiming for a “modern and confident” look.
Google’s Universal Cart Is Live in the US: What Small Shops Should Do
Google began rolling out Universal Cart on 15 October 2026. It lets shoppers in the US save products from several stores in one cart across Google Search, including AI Mode, and the Gemini app.
2026 Is the Year of the Cancelled Ad: How to Avoid a Campaign Backlash
Creative Bloq has described 2026 as the year of the cancelled ad, a year when campaigns are quickly criticised, picked apart and often withdrawn with a hurried apology.
Black Friday Searches Are Down in the UK: What It Means for Small Businesses
A report covered by PPC Land suggests searches for “Black Friday” in the UK have dropped by around 36% since 2019, based on analysis from Marketing Signals.
Bob’s Red Mill’s New Packaging: Making Products Easier to Find
Bob’s Red Mill, the whole-grain food brand, has launched a redesign aimed at making its products easier to find on the shelf.
Shopify Canvas: Designing a Store by Talking to an AI Agent
Shopify has launched Canvas, a visual workspace that lets merchants design an entire store by talking to Sidekick, its AI agent.
The IPA’s 2026 Christmas Consumer Report: What Marketers Should Take From It
The IPA has published its 2026 Christmas Consumer research, based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults.
Warburtons’ 150th Anniversary Packaging: One Colour Across the Range
Warburtons has unveiled new packaging for its 150th anniversary, built around one signature colour used across its whole range.
Apple Music’s New Black-and-White Icon Draws Backlash
A new black-and-white Apple Music icon has appeared in iOS and macOS beta builds, and the reaction online has been largely negative.
Coke and Coke Zero Look Alike: A Packaging Lesson
Months after Coca-Cola unveiled its new global design system, Creative Bloq reports that the redesign is still causing confusion.
Gemini 4 in Google’s AI Mode: What It Means for Search Visibility
Google announced its Gemini 4 model on 30 September, and on 13 October it became available in AI Mode for AI Pro and Ultra subscribers worldwide.
Google Ads Starts Pulling Promotions From Your Website: What to Check
From 12 October, Google Ads started automatically finding promotions on advertisers’ websites, such as coupons and deals, and applying them to some search campaigns.
Google’s October 2026 Update Status: Spam Update Done, No Core Update
Site owners are asking whether a Google update is rolling out this month.
Jack Morton’s New Identity: Rebranding After a Merger
Experiential agency Jack Morton has unveiled a new global brand identity, around nine months after its merger with Impact XM.
McLaren’s New Identity: A Wordmark From a Garage Sign
McLaren has revealed an evolved brand identity that brings its road-car and racing businesses under one connected visual system, with a new wordmark drawn from a sign above the Bruce McLaren…
Meta’s Ads Super Burst and First Impression Ads Explained
Meta has announced new brand advertising formats, including Ads Super Burst, which lets advertisers reserve a short, concentrated window of reach, and First Impression Ads, a limited test of the…
Meta’s Reels Trending Ads and Aggregated View Time Explained
Alongside its new Ads Super Burst format, Meta announced two changes that matter to anyone running short video ads: an expansion of Reels Trending Ads, and a measurement test called Aggregated…
PGI’s New Logo: Timing a Rebrand Around a Trade Show
Automotive products company PGI has unveiled a new corporate logo, with plans to show its new corporate identity at AAPEX 2026 in Las Vegas.
Two Meta Ad Deadlines in October: Product Browsing and New Terms
Two Meta changes land at the end of October, just as the holiday shopping period begins.
What a Membership Organisation’s Rebrand Can Teach You
Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), a network of mission-led businesses, launched a new brand on 19 October after a year-long process with the agency Ruthless & Wellington.
UK Packaging EPR in 2026: What Brand Owners and Designers Should Know
The UK’s packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme has a producer organisation in place, and it changes how packaging decisions are made.
Coca-Cola’s New Global Identity: A System, Not a New Logo
Coca-Cola unveiled a new global visual identity in July 2026, and the interesting part is what it didn’t do.
Cracker Barrel’s CEO Is Leaving a Year After the Logo Row: What Every Brand Can Learn
Cracker Barrel announced on 27 July 2026 that its chief executive, Julie Masino, is leaving, nearly a year after the restaurant chain’s logo redesign caused an uproar.
Rebranding Hestory: Defining a new chapter
When Hestory Mens Grooming approached us for a rebrand, they faced several challenges with their existing brand identity.
Beyond the Flat Screen: The Rise of Immersive 3D Digital Design in 2025
Welcome to 2025, where the flat, lifeless interfaces of yesterday are making way for immersive, 3D-powered experiences that pull users into the screen.
Fashion Meets Architecture: Dior’s Immersive Design Exhibition in Seoul
Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams has just opened in Seoul — and it’s not so much a retrospective as it is a full-blown, immersive design experience.