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Marketing in Times of Chaos: Corporate Social Responsibility

Instructor: Gil Haddi
Corporate Social Responsibility
Download the Corporate Social Responsibility Trend Report
In the final module for this course, we tackle the most powerful approach brands have at their disposal: building purpose for your brand. By looking at best-in-class case studies within Corporate Social Responsibility, you'll be inspired to understand how to carefully approach cause marketing, become part of the conversation and stay relevant in the mind of modern consumers.

By the end of our Marketing in Times of Chaos course, you will have a deeper understanding of where to take your brand messaging, how to make powerful statements that resonate with consumers and how to keep your marketing efforts relevant and top-of-mind.
Related Trend Report: Corporate Social Responsibility
Workshop Questions:
1. How can you be more proactive about your brand's mission statement?
2. How can you be more transparent with your consumers?
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Featured Insights

Systemic CSR
Consumers call for ever-more authentic forms of corporate social responsibility
Trend - Corporate social responsibility is integral today. The Internet enables consumers to research whether a company's CSR plans are more marketing-based than action-oriented, and so brands are utilizing their reach to advocate within greater systems of power (as opposed to ways that exist solely within the brand's eco-system).
Workshop Question - How can your corporate social responsibility initiative go even further beyond marketing?
3
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Insights by Trend Hunter AI

Participatory Retail
Stores are becoming hands-on learning environments for shoppers

Trend - The brick-and-mortar retail environment is being redesigned around hands-on participation add-ons rather than solely display-led browsing. Stores are organizing workshops, DIY stations, community events, and other types of activations that align with their branding, industry, and product offerings. This shift gives shoppers a reason to physically show up in stores, beyond their need for a purchase.

Workshop Question - How could your brand turn product discovery into a guided activity that helps customers learn, test, or create something for themselves?
7.4
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Destination Beauty
Beauty retailers are turning stores into interactive trial experiences

Trend - Beauty retail is expanding beyond product display into environments built for testing, play, and social sharing. Phydigital store experiences, interactive pop-ups, and other temporary activations are being deployed to encourage longer visits and more meaningful consumer engagement. Many of these concepts borrow cues from entertainment, fandom, and cultural storytelling rather than classic merchandising.

Workshop Question - How could your brand turn a routine purchase environment into a place people would choose to spend time in?
8.7
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Americana Sips
Heritage aesthetics are shaping contemporary can and bottle design
Trend - Beverage brands are drawing on classic American visuals such as patriotic color palettes, vintage typography, and iconography to create packaging that feels familiar and authentic; transforming cans and bottles into storytelling tools that evoke cultural identity.
Workshop Question - How can your brand use packaging to communicate authenticity and cultural relevance?
8.1
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AI Nuance
AI is evolving to interpret culture, context, and inclusivity with greater sensitivity
Trend - As AI matures, some brands are using it less for automation and more as a cultural lens. Tools like M+C Saatchi’s Cultural Power Index, Brandtech’s Bias Breaker, ARI, and Empwrd’s chatbot show how AI can decode cultural relevance, counter bias, and interpret nuance to help brands navigate complexity with cultural and ethical awareness.
Workshop Question - How might your brand make your presence feel relevant and human?
5.1
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Flavored Bacon
Bacon products increasingly opt for adventurous or unconventional flavorings
Trend - Brands are introducing bacon products that have been infused, seasoned, or cured with unconventional or enhanced flavor profiles beyond traditional smoked or salted varieties. These products, spanning maple bourbon to cinnamon-crusted, allow consumers to elevate everyday meals with unique flavors.
Workshop Question - How can your brand transform a mundane product or service into a novel item/experience?
4.9
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Revisited Cake
Brands are creating black forest desserts to appeal to nostalgic consumers
Trend - Black Forest cake, an iconic German dessert layered with chocolate, cherries, and whipped cream, is resurfacing across modern bakeries, cafes, and dessert items. Once viewed as a nostalgic indulgence, it is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity, fueled by consumer interest in retro trends.
Workshop Question - How can your brand use its product to evoke fond memories in its target consumer?
5.1
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80s Opulence
Gen Z revives 80s corporate aesthetics office culture during productivity boom
Trend - As economic instability and remote work reshape the workplace landscape, younger generations are paradoxically romanticizing corporate culture. Gen Z, who largely missed traditional office experiences, is embracing productivity aesthetics inspired by 80s Wall Street opulence, characterized by a fascination with corner offices, business attire, and stimulant-driven workdays.
Workshop Question - How could your brand incorporate elements of productivity aesthetics into its marketing or product development?
5
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Rent Report
Companies create services that help consumers build credit by tracking rental payments
Trend - Banks and fintech companies are introducing services that help tenants report their rental payments to major credit bureaus like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. These services enable tenants to leverage their largest recurring expense—rent payments—to build or strengthen their credit profile.
Workshop Question - How does your brand consider its target consumers' estimated income?
5
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Trend Campaign
Brands are encouraging consumers to post in campaigns to start widespread trends
Trend - Brands are taking to social media platforms to launch interactive campaigns that encourage users to post unique content to enter. These post-based campaigns are intended to start wider spread trends where consumers boost the reach of the campaign far beyond its original audience.
Workshop Question - How can we leverage interactive and participatory elements in our marketing campaigns to inspire user-generated content that catalyzes new trends on social media?
4
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Inclusive Hairstyle
Video game developers increasingly invest in textured hair-centric initiatives
Trend - Game companies are launching efforts to enhance diversity and expand the variety of hairstyles in character customization. Focusing on Black hair textures and other historically underrepresented styles, these organizations aim to create a space where all players feel valued and represented equally.
Workshop Question - How can your brand ensure that its initiatives reflect and include a diverse range of identities?
5.2
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