The Marketing Mixtape: Mythbusting, Culture and Connection (September 8 to 15, 2025)
Mary Kay, Wild Turkey, Pampers, Fanta and Peach & Lily: the campaigns of September 8 to 15, 2025 and how each brand rewrote its own story.
This week was about brands correcting what people assume about them. Mary Kay took on its dated image with humor, Wild Turkey leaned into family legacy and Peach & Lily let creators speak in their own words.
About the Mixtape
The Marketing Mixtape is our running commentary on campaigns worth studying. The brands featured are not The Vibe Curator co. clients. We highlight them because the strategy behind the work is worth learning from.
The campaigns
This week, bold brands erased boundaries and built new bridges, between generations, genres, and the power of an unapologetically fresh story.
Mary Kay’s “Miss Conceptions” campaign sets a new playbook for mythbusting: no more grandma jokes, no more misconceptions. With humor, “no filters,” and fast-moving multi-channel content, the iconic beauty brand reintroduces itself to Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha. AI-driven tools and modern packaging anchor the refresh. This is vintage cool recast for today’s creators and community builders.
Wild Turkey rolls out a global campaign that ties family legacy to new rituals, starring bourbon’s living legends Jimmy and Eddie Russell. Instead of chasing trends, Wild Turkey leans into authentic storytelling, blending roots, craft, and connection for the next cohort of whiskey lovers.
Pampers’ latest work proves there’s always room for more realness: raw parent moments and genuine emotion take center stage, with hearts and homes at the core of smart brand-building.
Music, value, and crave culture shape Checkers & Rally’s hip-hop fueled drive-thru loyalty, while Fanta keeps nostalgia trendy and Halloween hands-on, with monster cans designed for OOH delight and social media splashes. And Peach & Lily reminds us that brand trust starts with letting voices be real, inviting creators to share, discover, and influence in their own words, free from logo pressure.
The takeaway
This week’s mixtape shows a clear truth: the coolest marketers are owning their story, breaking with tradition, and building fierce, fandom-first legacies one honest move at a time.
Go deeper
Want the full playbook behind this? Read Brand Collaboration Examples: 12 Partnerships and What Small Brands Can Learn. 12 recent brand collaboration examples, from Gap x KATSEYE and Rare Beauty x Tajín to Pop-Tarts x Liquid Death, and the lessons small brands can use.
Keep reading
Brand Collaboration Examples: 12 Partnerships and What Small Brands Can Learn 12 recent brand collaboration examples, from Gap x KATSEYE and Rare Beauty x Tajín to Pop-Tarts x Liquid Death, and the lessons small brands can use.
How to Market to Gen Z in 2027: What Actually Builds Loyalty How to market to Gen Z in 2027: what the latest research says about discovery, trust, AI content and loyalty, plus a practical playbook for small brands.
Creator Marketing for Small Businesses: A 2027 Playbook How small businesses can work with creators in 2027: finding the right partners, budgets, briefs, content rights and measuring results without a big agency.
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Erika Gardner, Founder and Chief Strategist, The Vibe Curator co.
Erika Gardner founded The Vibe Curator co. in 2016. She leads brand strategy, websites, email and SMS, and fractional CMO work for growing brands from offices in Houston and Atlanta.
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