Digital & Social Committee Thought Leadership

Frontier Airlines and Good Good Golf reveal how challenger brands are winning without traditional media budgets. Their strategies — rooted in cultural insight, owned media, and community — could reshape how marketers think about brand building.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping brand discovery, and creator content is redefining retail media performance. Marketers may need to rethink both content structure and creative strategy to stay visible and competitive.

At a January 2026 meeting of the Creator & Influencer and Digital & Social Committee, attendees learned how Inspire Sleep built an integrated digital campaign around "The Golden Bachelorette," as well as how Stop & Shop developed a social media strategy that prioritized speed, cultural relevance, and measurable impact.

During a session at a November 11 meeting of the ANA’s Commerce Marketing and Media Committee, audience members learned how Heinz partners with local food influencers to assist independent restaurants and reinforce its association with quality.

During a session at a May 2025 meeting of the ANA’s Digital and Social Committee, mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s shared lessons from its experience integrating itself into the sports world.

Caitlin Lento from Penguin Random House (PRH) shared how the publisher has reimagined its social media strategy by leveraging high-performing organic content through paid boosting.

During a session at a May 2025 ANA Digital and Social and Media Committee Meeting, Live Nation discussed the importance of content creator culture.

Crafted shared its latest commerce predictions and trends, including the increasing role of user-generated content in retail media and how brands can seamlessly integrate creator content into retailer paid media.

During a February 2025 ANA Digital and Social and Commerce Marketing Committee Meeting, Courtney Davis, senior manager at Pharmavite, discussed ways to enhance brand reach and relevance through cultural connection.

Toy company Basic Fun! was relaunching its Littlest Pet Shop line of bobblehead animal figures. To market the toys, the brand undertook an online brand ambassador program, which it described at a January 2025 meeting of ANA’s Digital and Social Committee.

At a January 2025 meeting of the ANA’s Digital and Social Media Committee, Kraft Heinz shared its experience in developing a cooking app to attract an audience of millennials and members of gen Z with vigorous personalization.

Gamefam shared how it works with brands to authentically connect with gen Z and gen Alpha to build fruitful relationships in the metaverse.

The Harris Poll shared insights highlighting how Trump’s election victory was a result of branding himself as the candidate focused on the key concerns of voters including the economy and immigration.

eos shared how it harnesses the power of creator marketing to redefine beauty and personal care advertising.

Razorfish's Amos Ductan explored some of the early search trends in AI and what brands need to know to stay ahead in this rapidly changing environment.

MNTN and Spot Pet Insurance discussed the parallels between connected TV (CTV) and digital channels and how digital strategies and tactics can be leveraged for CTV campaigns.

Capcom shared how it worked with Nomadic Agency to reposition Street Fighter 6 as a social lubricant and more than just a fighting game.

Cookie brand Tate’s Bake Shop shared a high-level view of the refreshed brand positioning that it is developing with its agency, VCCP.

MINI USA and their agency RQ shared their approach to influencer marketing that connects with target demographics by engaging the group's trusted leaders. In a world where consumers are making purchasing decisions based on values, they explored how leveraging influencers to message shared values sparks engagement.

Lenovo's brand ambassador program has evolved beyond traditional marketing tactics and how it has become a powerful tool for engaging with their customers, reaching new audiences, and increasing brand awareness and loyalty.