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A Monday briefing on the biggest shifts in PR, marketing and brand storytelling. If last year was about discovering what AI could do, this year feels like it's becoming about discovering what only humans can do. That might sound strange given the pace of AI development, but this week's stories all point towards the same conclusion ... that the competitive advantage is shifting again, Not necessarily towards better tools, we all have access to them, but towards better judgemen

A Monday briefing on the biggest shifts in PR, marketing and brand storytelling. One thing became very clear this week ... the communications industry isn't simply adopting new tools, it's changing what it values and that's really exciting. This week's three stories all point towards the same conclusion ... human judgement is becoming more valuable, not less. Here's what caught my attention this week ... 1. AI visibility is replacing SEO as the next communications battlegro

At first glance, you'd be forgiven for concluding that Blackwing simply sells pencils, beautifully made pencils, admittedly, but still ... pencils. In a world obsessed with AI, apps and digital tools, it might seem like an unlikely business to build a devoted following around yet writers, musicians, artists, architects and designers don't just use Blackwing, they collect them and recommend them and talk about them because Blackwing understands something that most brands miss

A Monday briefing on the biggest shifts in PR, marketing and brand storytelling. Every industry has its signal and its noise and one of the challenges of working in communications right now is that there is a lot of noise. New platforms popping up every other week, new AI tools making audacious promises, dozens of new reports and endless temporary trends. This week, three signals caught my attention, not because they were necessarily the biggest stories in marketing right now

Think collaborations are only for people with big audiences? Think again. In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores how meaningful collaborations can help you grow your business, expand your reach and create new opportunities without feeling transactional or forced. From joint projects and podcast appearances to local partnerships and creative collaborations, Karen shares why some of the most valuable opportunities don't come from algorithms or advertising, but from

Worried that your marketing is just adding to the noise online? In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores how to create marketing that feels more human, more meaningful and, ultimately, more effective. In a world of endless content, it's easy to feel pressure to post more, say more and compete for attention but what if the answer isn't to be louder, it's to be more connected? Drawing on lessons from Everything & Nothing, Fossoway Stables and years of helping business

This week’s strongest communication moments all shared something extremely important and increasingly rare ... they trusted the audience. The brands and organisations that stood out this week understood something important .. attention is no longer won through interruption alone, it’s won through good judgement. 1. Quiet confidence as positioning Example: Apple’s WWDC 2026 messaging Ahead of this week’s WWDC event, Apple’s communications remained strikingly restrained compare

For a while, it felt inevitable that HMV would disappear. Streaming arrived, downloads exploded and music shops began vanishing from high streets one by one. Honestly, from a purely practical perspective, it made sense. Why browse shelves when you can search instantly? Why would you buy physical media when everything lives in your phone? But HMV’s story became interesting precisely because it didn’t disappear. What people missed wasn’t just access to music, it was the experie

Always feel like you’ve run out of things to say? In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores one of the most common frustrations creatives and small business owners face when it comes to marketing ... the pressure to constantly come up with new content ideas. The good news? You probably don’t have a lack of ideas, you just need better ways of noticing and capturing them. In this episode, Karen shares practical ways to make content creation feel simpler, more natural a

Some brands have to fight to be noticed and others simply become essential. Maldon Salt belongs firmly in the second category - it's in your kitchen, it's in my kitchen, it's in every kitchen. They've never needed a dramatic rebrand, there are no endless product launches or frantic trend-chasing, just a small box of sea salt flakes that chefs, cooks and food lovers reach for again and again. Somehow, that consistency turned a cupboard staple into a cult brand. The Difference

Struggling to stay consistent with your marketing without feeling overwhelmed by it all? In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores one of the biggest challenges creatives and small business owners face: how to keep showing up consistently without turning marketing into another exhausting full-time job. From unrealistic expectations and perfectionism to trying to do too much at once, Karen shares practical ways to create a more sustainable rhythm that actually fits yo

A weekly edit of the stories shaping PR, marketing and modern storytelling For a long time, brands were taught to aim for mass appeal ... be broad, be universally relatable and avoid narrowing the audience. Ironically, the internet rewarded the complete opposite. The brands building the deepest connection right now aren’t trying to speak to everyone. They’re becoming more specific and far more intentional about who they’re for and how they communicate that. This week’s edit l

Most travel companies sell convenience ... flights, rooms, locations, prices ... but Airbnb understood that there was something bigger than all that. People don’t just want somewhere to stay, they want to feel like they belong there, and that shift from accommodation to belonging changed everything. The Beginning Airbnb famously began with air mattresses on a living room floor ... a practical solution to a problem, namely hotels were full during a design conference in San Fra

Ever written something for your business and thought … “why does this sound nothing like me?” In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores one of the most common struggles creatives and small business owners face when it comes to marketing, finding a voice that feels natural, clear and genuinely reflective of who they are. From overthinking and comparison to trying too hard to sound “professional”, Karen shares why so many people lose their voice in the process of creat

A weekly edit of the stories shaping PR, marketing and modern storytelling This week’s examples all have something in common, they understand that good communication doesn’t happen in isolation. It lives in culture, behaviour and in the small details people notice, and remember ... from football shirts to public transport to a supermarket sandwich, these are three recent examples of brands understanding not just what they’re saying, but where and how they’re saying it. 1. Whe

At first glance, YETI sells coolboxes ... very expensive coolboxes, and cups, and bags, and outdoor gear built to survive almost anything. But spend a little time with the brand and you realise something pretty quickly ... YETI isn’t really selling products, it’s selling a way of life. The Difference Most outdoor brands focus heavily on performance ... technical features, materials, durability etc and YETI does some of that too, but what really sets them apart is who they cho

Feeling overwhelmed by marketing advice and the pressure to show up on every platform? In this episode of The Story Coach, Karen explores one of the biggest misconceptions in modern marketing ... the idea that you need to be everywhere, all the time, in order to grow. The reality? You don’t need more platforms, you need more clarity around where your audience is, where your strengths lie, and what you can realistically sustain. In this episode, Karen shares ... • why trying t

A weekly edit of the stories shaping PR, marketing and modern storytelling Some communication works because it’s clever, some works because it’s loud and some works because it just feels … right. This week’s examples come from beauty, finance and food, all showing how brands are leaning into participation, familiarity and everyday relevance. 1. Participation as storytelling Example: Glossier’s community-led product drops Glossier’s recent product activity continues to blur th

Feeling like your marketing is a bit all over the place but not sure where to start? In this episode of The Story Coach, we shares three simple, practical things you can do this week to bring a little more clarity, consistency and confidence to how you show up. No overwhelm or complicated strategy, just small, actionable steps that will help you move forward. In this episode, we talk about: • why marketing often feels harder than it needs to • the power of getting clear on on

A weekly edit of the stories shaping PR, marketing and modern storytelling There’s a difference between telling a story and having one to tell and the brands that stand out right now aren’t just producing content, they’re drawing from something real ... a point of view, a place, a person, a purpose. This week’s examples come from hospitality, sport and retail, three very different sectors, all showing how storytelling works best when it’s rooted in something tangible. 1. Plac