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In today’s Marketing Pulse, gain insight into how:

• Relationship marketing can become your brand’s competitive edge, leveraging human connections to outshine AI-driven sameness.

• Cringe marketing is redefining engagement, with Gen Z gravitating toward brands that embrace authenticity, awkwardness, and self-deprecating humor.

• Strategic agility, inspired by lessons from pro golfers, helps brands adapt to changing conditions and leverage tools like AI for smarter decisions.

These articles are penned by members of Forbes Communications Council, key marketing and communications leaders shaping the future of these fields.

Let’s dive in!

Is Relationship Marketing the Next Competitive Advantage?

As AI floods the marketing space with automation and generative tools, standing out is harder than ever. The new differentiator? Relationship marketing. Building genuine human connections with your customers is becoming the moat that protects brand loyalty and ensures growth.

Here's why it matters and how to master it:

👥 Evolving Relationship Tactics: Move beyond transactions to build trust, deliver consistency, and reciprocate loyalty. Use AI’s efficiencies to create space for human touchpoints, like live events and tailored follow-ups.

🚪 Retention as a Sales Strategy: It’s costly to acquire new customers—focus on retaining and growing within current bases. Relationship-building drives loyalty, referrals, and long-term retention.

🤝 Blending AI with Personal Engagement: AI supports analytics and scalability, while humans remain key for active listening and empathy. Use AI insights for tailored follow-ups and personalized customer success touchpoints.

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Why Cringe Marketing Is Winning Over Digital Audiences

In a world of polished ads and curated content, an unexpected trend is taking the spotlight: cringe marketing. Think lo-fi aesthetics, awkward humor, and self-deprecating authenticity. This strategy, embraced by brands like Duolingo and Ryanair, is turning “cringe” into a relatable, high-impact form of engagement.

Here's why your brand might want to lean into the awkward:

🤳 Authenticity Over Perfection: Younger audiences crave messy, unpolished content that feels real. Cringe content breaks the fourth wall, disarmed by self-awareness and humor.

✈️ Brands Doing It Right: Duolingo’s TikToks are chaotic, funny, and viral—embracing absurdity, not ads. Ryanair’s glitchy, DIY posts mock themselves while engaging directly with users.

😶 The Rise of Faceless Storytelling: Faceless content reduces risks while fostering audience interpretation and ownership. It shifts focus from personalities to relatable, community-owned narratives.

🎯 How to Cringe Intentionally: Understand your audience (Gen Z loves it; your exec team, probably not). Pilot small and stay self-aware; relatable, not out-of-touch.

Read The Full Article > 

From Fairways to Funnels: What Golf Teaches Us About Marketing Agility

Golf and marketing may seem worlds apart, but both demand adaptability, strategic insights, and teamwork.

Inspired by lessons from PGA professionals, here’s how these principles translate into modern marketing leadership:

⛳ Adapt Your Strategy Mid-Game: Like shifting winds on a course, changing consumer behaviors and budgets require constant adjustment. Agile companies reallocate resources dynamically, outperforming peers 2.2x in shareholder returns.

📊 Let AI Be Your Caddie: AI isn’t just a tool—it’s a trusted partner for decision-making under pressure. While 84% of marketing leaders see AI’s potential for personalization, only 17% use it extensively, leaving adoption as a major opportunity.

🤝 Align Your Team Like a Tour Crew: High-performing teams mirror pro golfers’ support systems, uniting diverse skills under shared KPIs. Strong alignment boosts revenue growth by 58% and profitability by 72%.

⚡ Pivot with Purpose: Whether on the greens or in marketing funnels, success depends on reading the landscape and acting decisively.

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Wrapping Up

If these articles sparked your interest, we have a network that you will absolutely love: Forbes Communications Council.

This exclusive, vetted community brings together the brightest minds in marketing and communications — founders, CEOs, CCOs, CMOs, and other senior leaders of marketing and communications teams.

Put yourself at the forefront of innovation with access to publishing opportunities on Forbes.com, a personalized, SEO-friendly Executive Profile, and the chance to network with other respected leaders in the field.

Join Forbes Communications Council today, and become part of a group driving transformation in marketing.