The PR Agency Has Partnered With Poppi Co-Founder Allison Ellsworth and Bobbie Chief Brand Officer Kim Chappell to Unveil the Modern Playbook for Brand Marketing
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SolComms, an award-winning and high-energy public relations agency for startups and scale-ups across healthcare, consumer, and technology, today unveiled The State of Brand 2026: The Ultimate Guide to Attaining Cultural Relevance and Winning Consumers. The trend report is co-authored by SolComms Chief Executive Officer and founder, Bruno Solari, Vice President of Consumer, Kylee Kaetzel, Allison Ellsworth, Co-Founder of Poppi, and Kim Chappell, Chief Brand Officer at Bobbie.
“Gone are the days where marketers can think in five or ten year plans. These days, it’s about tomorrow, not the next 16-months, because culture and what captures consumers’ attention is changing faster than ever,” said Solari. “At SolComms, we counsel our brands to live in the now by analyzing what are the moments, cultural or political, that they should be owning, and strategizing around how to execute in a way that attracts and retains customers.”
How to Keep It Relevant Without Making It Weird
Authenticity still matters especially on social media. Nailing it on social platforms is a completely different problem. When a big cultural moment happens, it seems silly not to acknowledge it. But consumer interest is waning. If a brand wants to tape into a culturally-relevant moment, it should be because their product or service directly ties to the trend.
When it comes to partnerships, consumers love anything that feels—or actually is—limited edition. It’s why collaborations between brands still work, as long as it’s not oversaturated.
“While I wholeheartedly believe that brands should insert themselves in trends that are relevant, there is something to be said about how nostalgia sells,” said Kaetzel. “Trends are fleeting, but nostalgia is a strategic way to blend generations — fostering a deeper connection between consumers and brands.”
Chronically Online vs The Right Fit
The creator economy is expected to grow to $480 billion by 2027, doubling from the $250 billion today. What this means for brands is that working with creators and influencers is no longer a nice-to-have but a necessary and vital part of any marketing budget. In fact, it’s becoming a bigger part of every marketer’s budget, with 62 percent of industry executives saying that their influencer budgets have increased year-over-year, with 33 percent planning to spend more than $5 million this year.
“Many companies are looking to work with the top creators today, something that isn’t possible for every brand,” said Ellsworth, who recently exited to PepsiCo for nearly $2 billion. “At Poppi, we were lucky to be one of the first brands to partner with Alix Earle and Jake Shane – back when they had much smaller followings. Marketers should be on the search for the next big creator and grow together.”
Zero In, Don’t Zoom Out
Now, it’s easy to get lost and try to send signals to millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen X (when people tend to remember them). There’s a lot of money on the line to reach all these generations. But, in most cases, it’s better to double down on your core audience than to chase new ones that may want nothing to do with your brand.
Navigating Politics
We no longer exist in a world where consumers expect to hear crickets from brands during worldwide and national issues. And if a brand removes or diminishes any of its previous positions, consumers will let the company know by spending their money elsewhere. But as long as the company stays true to whatever its core values are, consumers will likely stay with them.
“At Bobbie, we have fully leaned into the intersection of brand, politics, and advocacy. Last year, we partnered with Cardi B and named her our Chief Confidence Officer. Alongside the brand she championed national Paid Leave for all working parents and safer births for women in the U.S.,” said Chappell. “This is a natural cause for us as our brand is by and for mothers. And the strategy of merging a celebrity and talent campaign with our advocacy work truly moved the needle and got our message across to consumers and lawmakers.”
To access the full State of Brand report, please visit https://www.solcomms.co/headlines/the-state-of-brand-2026.
About SolComms:
SolComms is an award-winning integrated communications agency for startups and scale-ups at the intersection of corporate and consumer. Based in New York, NY, the agency launched in 2023 and takes a human-first approach in everything they do, prioritizing empathy, mentorship, and fierce collaboration. Their approach had led them to become the agency of record for cutting-edge companies across healthcare, consumer, and technology verticals, including Atropos Health, Suki, Baked by Melissa, Bogg, Naturepedic, Teal Health, Dutch, and Wisp, among others, while catapulting these companies and their executives into relevancy. Visit https://www.solcomms.co/ or SolComms’ Instagram and LinkedIn for more information.
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