Hey team!

What a week to close out the year! We’re putting together some serious holiday cheer, and also snagging some serious attention. Get ready for this flex: SourceCode was just shortlisted for Outstanding Small Agency and Outstanding Technology Agency in PRWeek. If that wasn’t enough, Christa and Kristen just dropped their can’t-miss Global Comms predictions which you can read here. And finally, Kevin Dulaney attended this year's AI Summit NY and shared his takeaways on what matters for B2B marketing. Frankly, our winning streak has never been stronger.

Alright, let’s pivot from the past few weeks and talk about closing out the year. It's that final sprint where late-breaking content requests and "one more thing before the holidays" emails come flying in. It can feel like chaos , but it's also a crucial time to separate the must-dos from the nice-to-haves and actually shape your brand’s narrative heading into 2026.

This week, we’re digging into the most important lessons from the best marketing campaigns of 2025 (and why they worked in a chaotic world) , how comms leaders can wrap up the year without losing their minds , and why some consumers are starting to crave real connection as AI-generated content takes over the feed.

We’re here to help you close out the year on your own terms and set up for an empowered Q1. Let’s dive into how to finish strong.

Let’s dig in.

Greg & Becky

Navigate uncertainty: Lessons from the best marketing campaigns of 2025

TL;DR: This year proved how powerful it can be when brands double down on what feels real: blending emotional resonance with concrete value. Whether it was Chili's bringing back ’90s TV vibes or Dove leaning into imperfect self-confidence over polished beauty, the common denominator was authenticity hammered home through culturally aware storytelling.

Takeaway: 2025 was a year with persistent global conflict, uncertain tariff changes, antitrust and regulatory pressure, and a chaotic sociopolitical landscape. In spite of that, many standout marketing campaigns cut through the noise by leaning on nostalgia, value messaging, cultural cachet, and bold creative moves. These campaigns proved that even in uncertainty, smart marketing still moves the needle. This year’s big winners were the ones who weren’t afraid to move fast, lean in on identity, and give their audiences something real to latch onto.

Consider:

• Could your next campaign tap into a cultural or nostalgic undercurrent that feels real to your audience?

• Are you balancing performance metrics with bold, culturally-aware creative? Is your brand willing to take strategic risks with the data to support it?

Survive the final stretch: How comms leaders can wrap up the year (while keeping your sanity)

TL;DR: As the year winds down, communications teams face a tidal wave of requests from late-breaking content deadlines to executive messaging asks to those “one more thing before the holidays” emails. Doing a quick audit to separate “must-dos” from “nice-to-haves” can help free up bandwidth for the work that actually moves the needle.

Takeaway: While the end of the year can feel like a sprint to the finish line, it can also be a strategic opportunity to shape your brand’s narrative. But with an intentional roadmap, comms leaders can close out the year on their own terms and set up for success in Q1. Use this moment to surface your team’s wins, highlight what your company accomplished in 2025, and position leadership messaging to set the tone for 2026. Plus, make time to carve out headspace for your January priorities. A small investment in prep time can make all the difference in heading into Q1 empowered or overwhelmed.

Consider

• Which of your planned year-end tasks truly need to be completed in 2025? Which can be deferred to Q1 (when you might be able to dedicate more fresh energy towards it)?

• What wins, lessons, and stories from 2025 deserve to be framed as a compelling year-end narrative (executive messages, client/stakeholder comms, or public-facing content) to build credibility and momentum into 2026?

Embrace reality: Amidst marketing’s AI obsession, some consumers are craving real connection

TL;DR: As AI content saturates the marketing landscape, some consumers are becoming “excited for reality,” prompting brands like Apple, Heineken, and Polaroid to lean into real-world creation, practical effects, and behind-the-scenes storytelling to stand out from AI-generated ads.

Takeaway: While AI has helped optimize and strengthen many marketing efforts, brands may be going too far into the innovative direction and given fuel to a counter-sentiment: audiences are craving real human connection rather than robots. It’s a reaction to overpolished, AI-generated content that is often perceived as hollow at best and boring or annoying at worst. To combat the oversaturation of AI content, showing the craft behind the marketing can serve as an antidote to digital overload. As AI was once the differentiator to help brands stand out, authenticity is now the real lever to signal quality and trust.

Consider:

• Are there aspects of your creative process you can show, not just tell? This can include behind-the-scenes videos, real production footage, or craft-forward storytelling that highlights human effort.

• Your brand might benefit from explicitly signaling human creation (even if AI assists behind the scenes) to reinforce authenticity and trust with your audience. How can you portray this authentically to audiences?

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