Nov 11th This Week in Brands

Nov 11th 2025 - Industries trend, brands move, stories and inspiration

11 NOVEMBER 2025

This week across industries

This week in brands is all about stepping into November with creativity, curiosity, and just the right amount of caffeine-fueled reflection. From campaigns that make you nod to insights that make you rethink your strategy, marketers are showing us how to connect with audiences in ways that really matter. Mind‑blowing lessons served fresh from the Prolific North Live insight-party!

If you are in brands marketing, read this one first

Prolific North Live was alive with ideas last week! Berghaus, Jet2, Pringles, and a ton of bright ideas on what makes brands click today. Missed the event? No stress. Here’s the one piece you’ll want to catch up on (and maybe share in the next team huddle).

With a full year of experiments behind them, marketers shared their best learnings on how campaigns can thrive when creativity meets strategy. Key lessons included: culture-led activations like Berghaus x Liam Gallagher succeed when authenticity drives storytelling; TikTok brands grow by leaning into native content and community engagement rather than traditional ads; and AI initiatives need strong data foundations, as 95% of pilots fail to deliver ROI without it. For brands and agencies, the takeaway is clear: combine meaningful storytelling with scalable insights to make campaigns resonate.

Read full article on Prolific North here

Retail & eCommerce

Amazon Brings AI Video Ads to UK Brands

Amazon Ads has launched its AI‑powered Video Generator in the UK, allowing advertisers of all sizes to create high‑quality video ads in minutes by uploading product visuals or Amazon pages. The tool uses Amazon’s retail data insights to generate multi‑scene, motion‑rich videos with brand customisation,letting smaller brands enter video advertising without huge budgets. With video now the most engaging ad format, this move could reshape how creative gets made. (Learn more here)

Fried Chicken Meets the Upside Down

Mother created an imaginative ad transforming KFC into Hawkins Fried Chicken, set in the world of Stranger Things. The campaign follows a team of employees navigating supernatural chaos to deliver HFC to the town. It blends authentic storytelling with brand alignment, reinforcing KFC’s values while immersing fans in the Stranger Things universe. Beyond the ad, the collaboration includes digital and real-life activations, even featuring a special new sauce. The partnership highlights how entertainment tie-ins can create meaningful brand experiences, not just awareness. (Read more here)

Hospitality

Marston’s has opened the UK’s first commercially‑led hospitality training academy inside a women’s prison, at HMP Styal in Cheshire. The academy, called The Hope & Anchor, will train up to 32 women a year in kitchen and restaurant roles, preparing them for employment in hospitality after release. The programme partners with Novus Education and New Futures Network to deliver skills, qualifications and direct job routes into Marston’s pubs. It joins other prison‑leaver pipelines run by Marston’s and supports their commitment to inclusive recruitment and reducing re‑offending. ( Read the details here)

Financial Services

Quilter launches bold UK‑brand campaign ‘Money Needs a Plan

UK wealth manager Quilter has rolled out a new brand platform titled “Money needs a plan”, created with agency Joint, designed to challenge the UK’s weak investment culture and encourage savings to work harder. The campaign uses OOH, DOOH, social and radio channels and coincides with Quilter’s sponsorship of the Quilter Nations Series. As Brand Manager Sarah Ireland puts it: “We’re passionate about encouraging more people to become investors and to feel confident about their financial decisions – because money needs a plan.” (Read full story here)

Fashion & Beauty

Brands urged to embrace ‘K‑Beauty 3.0’ to boost growth and loyalty

The K‑Beauty 3.0 report by Mintel and Black Swan Data (with CEW UK) highlights the evolution of K‑Beauty into a science‑driven, performance‑led era. It shows that consumers increasingly seek efficacy and advanced ingredients rather than just trends or novelty. Brands can leverage this by offering multi‑format ranges, products designed for daily use, and solutions that build trust and long‑term loyalty. The report underscores that translating scientific credibility into engaging, accessible products is key to driving growth in the UK market. (Read details here)

British Fashion Council unveils 2025 NEW WAVE: 50 rising fashion talents

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has revealed its 2025 NEW WAVE: Creatives list, spotlighting 50 emerging talents across styling, photography, set design, and cultural roles. Now in its seventh year, the initiative supports brands, publications, and institutions by highlighting fresh voices shaping the fashion industry. ( Learn more here)

Insights and Industry Moments Spotlight
Data, trends, and moments shaping brands and consumers

B2B Marketers Shift from Lead Gen to Brand Influence

According to recent Data from Marketing Week’s State of B2B Marketing 2025 survey of ~450 marketers, B2B marketers are shifting from pure lead generation to brand‑building and influence. The report shows that 45% are using employees as influencers, while 44% focus on cultivating deeper account relationships. Success is now measured by being on the buyer’s “first‑call list” rather than immediate conversions, with tactics including content, social, and personalised engagement. (More details here)

Stop thinking about visibility and focus on significance

What really stuck with me at Prolific North Live was the idea of moving beyond just chasing visibility and focusing on significance. It’s about being a brand people genuinely trust and remember, not just the one they see the most. With AI tools like ChatGPT changing how people discover brands, credibility and relevance matter more than ever. One stat that really hit me: 84% of people pick a brand they’re already biased toward before even searching. It’s a reminder that the small, early moments of brand connection can have a huge impact—far more than short-term reach alone. (Read the highlights here )