How Madison Avenue is borrowing from Marvel’s playbook: The rise of brand universe building
The latest power player in the universe-building business isn’t Disney or Warner Bros, it’s your sunscreen brand. Ben Clare, executive creative director at We Are Social, explains more.
In a marketing landscape where traditional campaigns are increasingly tuned out by ad-weary consumers, some brands are tearing up the script, creating what most CMOs can only dream about – worlds people actually want to spend time in.
Late Checkout. Alexis Bittar. Vacation. These aren’t just brands now. They’re complete universes with their own gravity, pulling people in not because they need to sell you something, but because they’ve built something worth experiencing.
They’re among a savvy few who’ve recognised a fundamental shift in social: what separates forgettable brands from unforgettable ones in the feed isn’t better design or bigger budgets—it’s better storytelling.
