👋 What’s growing: Brands advertising with Walmart. The retail giant opened new ad slots both in-store and online. Together, these channels give advertisers access to around 90% of US households.

Not too shabby.

STRATEGY

These “dead” marketing trends are alive and kicking

Dig up one of these former fads to power your growth breakthrough — no shovel or necromancy needed.

Unpopular opinion: there is no best marketing technique.

“They” want you to believe that some techniques are “what’s working” right now (looking at you generative AI), while others are dead and gone.

We’re all suckers for promises of quick returns, and that’s what “they” are counting on to get you to buy a $500 online course.

To “their” point, techniques and channels go through cycles of hype and saturation before eventually getting normalized, but you know what? That’s not dead. That’s solid and predictable. Sounds like a great time to hop on.

With all that being said, here are some “dead” fads you might want a fresh look at.

Blogging (seriously)

Yes, a lot of businesses still have a blog page. But what’s seemingly long gone are the days of everyone taking blogging seriously. Blogging (originally weblogging) was all that and a bag of chips around the 2000s, when we were all coding like pros on MySpace. Did you know that Twitter was originally billed as a “microblogging” platform?

Its popularity waned, but the medium didn’t die. It just got less party and more business. More Business Insider, to be exact.

The second most popular blog on the web (as of February 7) is Business Insider. On her LinkedIn page, Editor in Chief Jamie Heller gives some hints about why it’s so successful:

• An AI-powered improvement in the search function makes the blog easy to navigate for a better UX (click here for tips on how to improve yours)

• First-person essays or “as told to” pieces share real-life experiences of a subject (which Google loves)

• Opinion pieces tackle tough subjects, giving a unique point of view and adding something new to the conversation (this gets people talking)

In a LinkedIn article, Lee Densmer recommends that large companies budget $10K to $50K a month for content, planning to spend anywhere from $400 to $1500 per blog post. You don’t have to jump in at $50,000 a month, though — start where you’re at and grow into it if it’s worthwhile for you.

Facebook Groups (to build a following)

Early adopters of Facebook Group marketing included Apple, Victoria’s Secret, and…Gwen Stefani. (Really: Her team supposedly marketed ‘Hollaback Girl’ over there in 2005 to reach a large student user base. Pretty innovative at the time.)

Key considerations:

• It’s still the 3rd most active social media platform after YouTube and WhatsApp (DataReportal).

• If you go for it, stick to a narrow market, says Neil Patel

• You need at least 3000 highly targeted group members to start making money unless your members are super engaged (according to Startups.com)

Getting there isn’t fast or easy but big names like Instant Pot, ALDI Aisle of Shame and WWE are killing it there. If Instagram, TikTok and short form video isn’t your thing, this could be it.

The Skyscraper Technique

The Skyscraper Technique was named and popularized in 2013 by Brian Dean. It goes like this: (1) You see what ranks. (2) You write a bigger, better article. (3) Then, you reach out to anyone linking to those articles and ask them to link to yours instead. ‘Cause it’s better.

It was wildly popular, which was exactly why it wasn’t easy. Every-damned-body was building “skyscrapers,” and most of that content was plagiarized from the original more than it was improved. Moreover, everyone was going after the same links. You can imagine how annoying this was for authoritative sites, which were being flooded with identical email templates copied and pasted from LinkedIn SEO influencers.

Why should you revisit the Skyscraper?

Link building has always been a slog. The best SEOs still do it, though, because it works better than anything else.

Just pick strategically important keywords, write articles that are truly awesome, and do your backlink homework. Just because it sounds simple doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Want to know more? Here’s a guide on link building.

P.S. If you’re already thinking about reviving your blog strategy, get more bang for that buck by working with someone who has the SEO chops to win backlinks. Hiring a full stack content marketer is a six-figure commitment, but it’s more efficient than hiring a copywriter and an SEO specialist.

Takeaway: They’re not dead. They’re underutilized.

Looking back at dead trends is a sneaky way to hack your growth.

Everyone already did it wrong, so the people still in the game are the ones who have done it right. There are plenty of reliable resources to help you skip over the common mistakes and get right to the tactics that work — no sketchy online courses needed. Plus, these platforms have already pushed past their saturation point and normalized. Your returns will be more predictable and steady.

How much money do you think gets wasted by businesses that jump on every trend, pump dollars into it, and dump it when it’s not everything they read on social media? 

We don’t know the exact number, but it’s probably a lot. Proxima estimates that anywhere from 25% to 60% of marketing budgets are wasted annually due to bad strategy.

The bandwagon is an expensive ride. Try some proven pathways instead.

CULTURE

The marketing mascot graveyard 

Users everywhere are saying ‘good riddance’ to Duo the Owl.

Duolingo used a fatal car crash to guilt-trip us into practising our Spanish. Honestly, we’re glad to see the back of that passive-aggressive, bug-eyed green bird.

Side note: The brand’s language guidelines state it should never be “sarcastic or smug” or “mean-spirited,” but we’ve heard rumors of literal kidnap threats, so we’re not sure if they nailed that.

Which other brand mascots have already died?

Linda Ferrell of Auburn University Harbert College of Business says it’s become harder for mascots to appeal to diverse audiences, which is why brands often decide to axe them.

In some cases, mascots had to be canceled because of claims they were out of touch or even offensive.

RIP:

• The Kool-Aid Man: Went “missing” in 2020, but it was just a marketing stunt

• Ronald McDonald: Potentially vanished because it’s sketchy to use a clown character to get kids (who don’t know anything about nutrition) to crave unhealthy food. Or, maybe it’s because those real-life “creepy clown sightings” of 2016 made the world wary of clowns

• Aunt Jemima: Rebranded by Quaker Oats because it was based on a racial stereotype

• Uncle Ben’s: Also rebranded following accusations of racism

• Tony the Tiger: Removed from cereal packs because he existed to influence children to consume high-sugar products masquerading as a healthy choice, much like Ronald McDonald

Is this the end of brand mascots?

There’s a school of thought that says mascots can’t hold up in modern strategies focused on data-driven, personalized experiences.

But Richard Harriford, author of ‘Cracking the Memory Code’ says mascots might not be on-trend, but they’re a shortcut to memorability. 

In fact, since fewer brands now have mascots, they’ve become a competitive advantage.

Take Wendy’s, which keeps audiences engaged with a strong, sassy personality. Freddie the Chimp helps Mailchimp stand out in a typically dry market. And the Sour Patch Kids’ mascots are taking over TikTok (despite being about 40 years old).

Brand mascots create a fun experience and bring depth to a brand. There’s a definite space for them in 2025, as long as brands learn from the mistakes of McDonald’s and the gang.

On the day of Duo’s “death”, there were more worldwide downloads for the app on iOS than any other day this year

We don’t know if the marketing team has pulled a Kool-Aid-style stunt, but since Duolingo’s performance was already looking good, this seems unlikely.

Maybe the humans behind the brand were just as sick of the owl’s attitude as the rest of us.

DATA POINT

Time spent on social media is dropping

A little less screen time sounds great for our collective mental health. It could be keeping social media marketers up at night, though.

For the first time in at least 12 years, users are spending less time on social media.

Statista reported that in 2024, the average daily social media usage around the world dipped to 143 minutes per day, which is down from 151 daily minutes the previous year. 

Daily usage hasn’t been this low since 2018.

At the end of 2023, Morning Consult reported that 61% of adults with a social media account have become more selective about what they post. So, we’re seeing less sharing as well as less doom-scrolling.

All of this means brands need to be in more than one place. If you’re solely building on social media, that’s like building a house on someone else’s foundation. 

A healthy business has an audience on owned platforms, like your website and email list. Any unexpected platform changes (like the will-they-wont-they TikTok saga of the last few months) won’t completely destroy your brand.

In no way is social media on the way out, but do you think it’s usage rate will continue to drop? Could it eventually become less influential in human lives?

We’d love to hear your thoughts! Hit reply and let us know.

ANNOUNCEMENT

SMX Advanced Returns In-Person – June 11-13, Boston

Join the world’s top search marketers at SMX Advanced to get what’s next in search. 

Why Attend?

Exclusive programming - a guestlist of bona fide SEO and PPC legends.

Advanced tactics - expert-led training and open Q&As.

Unparalleled networking - structured and informal networking aplenty.

Two Ways to Attend:

✅ All Access Pass ($1,295 Super Early Bird, ends March 29)
✔ All keynotes, sessions, Q&As, & clinics
✔ Exclusive Masterminds roundtables
✔ Full networking access + meals
💥 Save 15% with code TTGB15!

🎟 Expo+ Pass (Free!)
✔ Keynotes, clinics & select sessions
✔ Expo Hall & networking events
✔ Refreshments during breaks

Don’t miss the search marketing event of the year—register now!

This week’s issue was written by Amy Hawthorne and edited by Catherine Solbrig.