Branding Consumer Insights

Trend - While reality TV and telenovelas remain staples of entertainment, brands are increasingly adopting their emotional or exaggerated intensity, heightened storytelling, and episodic suspense to power product launches and campaigns that aim to sustain attention and build anticipation.

Insight - As consumers face increasing advertising and social media fatigue, capturing attention has become more challenging. In response, some brands are incorporating dramatized, entertainment-led storytelling that mirrors how audiences already consume content, as serialized narratives create emotional hooks and continuity; making products feel embedded in everyday life rather than disruptive advertisements—as characters and integral components to a story in ways that feel memorable and aligned with contemporary viewing behaviors.

Trend - Brands are making wrapping paper products infused with edible flavors or aromas—often inspired by their snacks, desserts, or drinks. Some versions are fully edible and flavored, while others are scented to smell like a specific food, transforming the unwrapping experience into something memorable.

Insight - During holidays and special occasions, shoppers aren’t just hunting for the perfect presents—they’re also looking for packaging that feels personally tailored to their recipients. In response, brands are introducing scented and flavor-inspired wrapping papers that incorporate familiar sensory cues to enhance the unboxing experience and reinforce brand connection. This strategy allows companies to extend their intellectual property into a low-risk, engaging format without developing a new consumable product.

Trend - In an attempt to diversify the offerings in the oral hygiene market, brands are combining sophisticated modern aesthetics and unconventional ingredients that are inspired by sweets. This results in flavored or scented dental products that appeal to adults and children alike.

Insight - Contemporary consumers—especially those part of the Millennial and Gen Z demographics—have always placed an emphasis on novelty when making purchasing decisions. Many are now looking to diversify their every day by opting-in to test out various unconventional products. On one hand, this is successful in satisfying the curiosity that arises when one comes across an unexpected combination. On the other hand, it taps the purchasing adventurism that is characteristic of these demographics.

Trend - Brands are incorporating Brunost into snacks, sauces, spreads and limited‑edition items, leveraging its caramelized sweetness, mild tang and creamy texture; chefs and CPG teams use it to create Nordic‑inspired flavors, premium twists on comfort foods and novel pairings that stand out.

Insight - Consumers are hungry for flavors that feel both comforting and novel, especially those tied to authentic regional traditions. Many are fatigued by repetitive “global fusion” trends and seek ingredients with a clear story and sensory uniqueness. Brunost answers this desire with its caramel?like depth, gentle funk and strong cultural identity, giving brands a way to differentiate without alienating mainstream palates. Its versatility makes it an appealing tool for innovation across categories

Trend - Brands are increasingly recruiting VTubers (virtual YouTubers) to promote products and merchandise. Often utilizing anime-style models, these virtual talents are positively regarded in marketing for their ability to draw in hyper passionate and engaging audiences.

Insight - Brands are often in search of new ways to help with marketing their products to wider audiences, but often struggle to make room in their budgets for creative concepts without the high costs associated with influencer marketing. Increasingly, they’re turning to VTubers—flexible, cost-efficient digital creators whose content naturally resonates with Gen Z. By leveraging VTuber collaborations, brands can engage younger digital natives with campaigns that feel authentic and culturally aligned.

Trend - Brands launch mochi‑style gummies in sugar‑coated, fruit and cream fillings across both cannabis and non‑cannabis SKUs; products emphasize pillowy texture, portable dosing, novel flavor pairings and premium packaging, sold in adult‑use channels, dispensaries and mainstream snack aisles alike.

Insight - Snackers and cannabis consumers seek differentiated, shareable confections that feel premium and novel. Many buyers want a softer, more decadent chew than standard gummies and appreciate portionable dosing or single?serve indulgence. For THC buyers, ritual and microdosing demand precise, trusted dose formats; for mainstream shoppers, texture and novelty drive trial. Altogether, brands that capitalize on the textural experience of mochi as a growing trend gain dedicated consumer followings.

Trend - Chains debut burgers that blend French onion soup and burger flavor profiles, often topped with caramelized onions, umami-rich jus or onion glaze, melted Swiss or gruyère, and crispy baguette-style buns. Offered as limited-time combos that include soup-style dipping sauces and onion-forward sides.

Insight - Customers crave familiar comfort flavors delivered in bold, convenient formats. QSRs adapt to these pressures by transforming non-traditional dishes into burger-style offerings by concentrating savory broth into glazing sauces, layering slow-cooked onions for texture, and choosing cheeses and breads that reproduce the soup’s creamy, toasty profile while keeping assembly fast and price-friendly. These items drive demand for consumers unsatisfied with traditional fast food offerings.

Trend - Going beyond simply launching functional beverages, sparkling water brands are ensuring that their drinks are not only health-focused, but are also aesthetic while delivering positive messaging. These drinks boost consumers moods from mental, and physical standpoints, appealing to younger customers.

Insight - Younger consumers seek beverages that deliver tangible benefits and reflect their identity. They value mental wellness, immune support, gentle energy and hydration while rejecting overtly medicinal or clinical cues. At the same time they respond strongly to optimistic language and aesthetics that feel authentic. Brands that fuse subtle functional claims with cheerful design and community-driven campaigns can convert curiosity into habitual purchase by making functional hydration feel fun.

Trend - Companies are creating marketing campaigns and products that explicitly resist, mock, or sabotage AI technology. These initiatives often involve deliberate technological rebellion, parody campaigns that expose AI hype, and products designed to slow down or counteract digital efficiency.

Insight - After years of AI promises and productivity pressure, consumers are experiencing a form of technological rebellion where imperfection and inefficiency become desirable. This backlash stems from feeling manipulated by overhyped AI solutions that often create more problems than they solve, combined with anxiety about being replaced or surveilled by machines. People want permission to resist the relentless march toward optimization and instead embrace deliberate slowness, planned obsolescence of digital tools, and intentional technological sabotage as forms of digital protest.

Trend - Brands across various industries, such as apparel, accessories, trinkets, and foodservice, are launching products inspired by popular true crime stories. These products offer comedic twists and messaging in order to lighten the mood and help consumers cope with the horror of the situations.

Insight - Consumers immersed in true crime media seek outlets that diffuse anxiety and prevent emotional fatigue. The oversaturation of grim news, combined with the need for stress relief through playfulness, and a desire for unique, dialogue-sparking items has led to brands capitalizing off of the popularity of true crime. These brands leverage dark humor to turn unsettling narratives into lighthearted, conversational products, creating a sense of control and camaraderie around taboo topics.