I’ve been thinking about what it actually means to connect with an audience. Not in a “reach and impressions” kind of way, but in a “they felt something” way.
This month’s newsletter is full of examples that get it right. A fast food brand that threw a variety show instead of a press release, a billboard that gave bees a home, and a global marketing team that actually got in the same room together!
Connection shows up in a lot of forms. What all of these campaigns have in common is that they chose to make people feel something, instead of just looking at their KPIs.
– Jeanne Kirby, CMO
Today in marketing school: Connection makes AI click
At our recent Inviso Marketing offsite, we stepped away from the usual rhythm of campaign brainstorms, content edits, and slide design to try something new. Instead of talking about AI, we built agents with a hands-on “Build-a-Bot” session focused on how tools like Copilot can support our day-to-day work.
The goal wasn’t to turn anyone into developers, but to create space to experiment, connect, and solve real challenges together.
The shift was immediate.
Small groups partnered to explore ideas, troubleshoot, and build side by side, making AI feel approachable in a way no demo could. That sense of connection sparked new ideas, practical applications, and momentum to keep experimenting.
The takeaway
AI becomes useful through connection—where people have the space to experiment, learn from each other, and see what’s possible.
Taco Bell releases… skincare?!
Forget press releases. Taco Bell went all out for their 2026 menu announcement. They threw a variety show at the Hollywood Palladium, streamed it on Peacock, rolled out a purple carpet, and had a football champ announce Nacho Fries to a screaming crowd. For an extra serving of crazy, they even launched a new beauty line with citrus-infused under-eye skincare patches. Yes, really!
The whole thing was modeled on Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference—only for Crunchwraps instead of iPhones.
Taco Bell turned a boring menu announcement into a cultural event its fans were hyped about. That’s the part worth stealing. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. If you can make the announcement feel like something worth showing up for, you’ve already won half the battle.
The takeaway
Sometimes, not explaining a joke is exactly why it works. This campaign trusted its audience to feel the absurdity, ask the questions, and share the confusion. In a world where most brands over-explain everything, a little strategic silence goes a long way.
Planning your next marketing campaign? We can help you get it right.
Storytelling at its best: Sell the feeling, not the product
Every gym ad looks the same. Sweat. Effort. A voiceover saying “unleash your potential”. Repeat.
PureGym and McCann decided to show something different. We all know what happens during the workout, but what happens afterwards?
The result is Glow. A giant, luminous ball of post-workout energy that bounces out of the gym and into everyday life, trading fist bumps with baristas and making strangers smile on the street.
Glow is a feeling made physical. The character is built from a bespoke LED suit, operated by a specialist lighting artist, and worn by professional ballet dancers who could handle the weight of the costume.
The campaign angle is smart and simple. Most gym ads speak to people who already go to the gym. PureGym wanted people who don’t. Their audience is people who want to feel better, but find the fitness scene intimidating. So they skipped the influencer muscles and the training montages entirely and led with the feeling instead.
Glow is a distinctive, repeatable, and ownable brand character, and it started with one simple question: what are we not showing that we should be?
June’s word: Connection
Marketingpalooza 2026 brought the Inviso Marketing team together in person, with many teammates meeting face-to-face for the first time. There was a Build-a-Bot workshop, business updates, shared meals, laughs, and late night conversations.
We talk about connections a lot in this industry. Connected experiences, connected data, and connected customers are all daily buzzwords. But the best connections happen when your team is in the same room. We knew each other’s names before, but now we know each other. Marketingpalooza helped everyone build real momentum, strengthening how we show up for each other and the work ahead. We’re already looking forward to the next event!
Marketing in the wild: An OOH campaign that’s creating buzz
National Geographic and Meanwhile agency installed “bloomboards” across Manchester to mark the launch of a nature documentary produced by James Cameron.
These bloomboards are permanent outdoor structures surrounded by more than 500 bee-friendly plants and created in partnership with the District Beekeepers’ Association. They also scattered mini bee hotels across the city.
Rather than asking their audience to care about bees, National Geographic is actively contributing to their survival. As the creative director at Meanwhile put it: “This is not just a two-week campaign, but something [bees] actually benefit from permanently.”
This is what it looks like when a brand’s values, mission, and marketing are the same thing. There’s no disconnect and no greenwashing. The bloomboards remove the gap between awareness and action, making the brand message more credible and meaningful.
Got your own “marketing in the wild” find? We’d love to see it!
Send a pic to max@invisomarketing.com with your favorite bits of IRL ad genius.
Keep making real connections out there! Until next month.
The Inviso Marketing Team