A cozy island game where nothing much happens has quietly become a masterclass in building worlds people actually want to spend their time in. Here’s what brands can learn from games like Animal Crossing about designing calmer, more communal experiences offline.
For a game where almost nothing dramatic happens, Animal Crossing has held people’s attention for years.
You catch bugs, craft furniture and chat to animal neighbors about absolutely nothing. Yet millions of players happily spend hours wandering these small islands, visiting friends and slowly shaping their own corner of the world.
Sport has stopped being just a sponsorship channel and has slowly but surely become the operating system for culture. Leagues, brands and athletes can all win if they treat every fan touchpoint as part of an always‑on, integrated experience, rather than a row of logos on shirts or around a pitch.
Alex Zeevalkink
Hannah Bowler dives into Mattel’s slow, deliberate shift from selling toys to building franchises – and asks its head of licensing and partnerships, Ruth Henriquez, about the decision of betting on fans, fast collabs and decades of nostalgia to make the model stick.
Hannah Bowler
After two decades of growth, Pinterest is stepping into the cultural spotlight – doubling down on experiential activations, product differentiation, and moments where the platform has a legitimate role to play, on and offline.
Hannah Bowler
Elf Cosmetics is rebuilding its innovation pipeline around social media. The beauty brand treats fans as co-creators and has made the traditional lengthy path from feedback to product disappear, turning that speed into its real competitive edge.
Hannah Bowler
Listen on Spotify Listen on Apple Music Watch on YouTube Welcome back, it's week three of the Brandmakers podcast, and Hannah is joined this week by Louise Foley, who is director of marketing, Europe at Pinterest. Louise and Hannah got stuck into the subject of trends and signals, and what marketers need to do to stay on the right side of cultural relevance. She also detailed her own marketing strategy and her push into fun and meaningful experiential events. Disclaimer: we recorded thi
Hannah Bowler
