GoKawiil
Tech News
According to commentary comparing AI rollout strategies to brand-building, companies that mandate AI use and require training programs are seeing employees complete the requirements but then revert to their previous work habits. The piece argues that compliance-driven adoption does not translate into genuine, sustained use of AI tools.
A contributor to Entrepreneur describes a startup founder who hired a marketing agency and, after six months, had a new brand deck, content calendar and social media growth, but no traceable new customers. The piece argues this happens because founders and agencies typically agree on deliverables like post counts and email volumes, without ever defining what business outcome the engagement is meant to achieve.
A commentary piece traces corporate identity design back a century, noting that early visual identities were built by craftspeople with deep expertise in applied arts. It argues that today, having a polished visual identity is no longer enough to set a brand apart from competitors.
Gregg Renfrew, founder and CEO of beauty brand Counter, has been named one of Fast Company's Best Dressed in Business for 2026. Her style is described as blending classic tailored pieces like navy blazers and white button-downs with bold accents such as leopard-print pumps and statement jewelry, while reserving bright red for high-stakes appearances like TV interviews and speeches.
A new industry piece argues that chief information security officers and chief marketing officers must proactively coordinate before a security incident occurs, rather than only communicating during a crisis. Security experts including David Elfering of Carrix and Diana Kelley of Noma Security recommend establishing standing touchpoints and joint crisis communications plans so security risk can be explained in business terms rather than technical jargon.
Oatly creative director Michael Lee says the company has long refused to create a standard brand book, the style guide most large companies use to keep messaging consistent. He says new creative hires are told to 'unlearn everything you know about marketing,' and the company instead gives its creative team unusual autonomy to write and execute its own briefs. Oatly's shift traces back to 2012, when new CEO Toni Petersson and creative chief John Schoolcraft rebuilt the marketing department around creatives rather than traditional marketing structures.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that after years of brands chasing attention through content, emails and notifications, consumers are now seeking analog experiences like dinner parties, run clubs, and phone-free events. The piece suggests marketers should reframe their goal from maximizing time spent with a brand to helping people use their time more meaningfully.
Speaking at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden explained that removing executives and managers who habitually blocked new ideas was central to reviving the company after a difficult stretch. He framed this cultural shift in leadership as the main driver behind Adidas's recent recovery.
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that most small businesses like restaurants and bars overprice branded merchandise, charging $25 to $80 for items that often cost only $5 to $15 to produce. The writer says this pricing discourages purchases and wastes an opportunity, since customers who love a product or experience are often willing but reluctant to pay high markups for logo gear.
A marketing strategist warns that ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini frequently describe companies inaccurately, citing discontinued products, misattributed positioning, and wrong pricing or locations. He recommends founders run a 'mirror test' by asking multiple AI tools the same questions about their business to see how they're being represented online.
Rare Beauty, the cosmetics brand founded by Selena Gomez in 2020, directs 1% of its sales revenue to the Rare Impact Fund. The fund is pursuing a goal of raising $100 million to broaden access to mental health resources for young people.
Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden and SVP of Innovation Marc Makowski discussed how the company rebounded after severing ties with Yeezy in 2022. They credited a renewed focus on culture and performance for pushing Adidas to record 2025 revenues of $28.7 billion, outpacing rivals in the athletic apparel sector.