4 Truths About Modern Marketing
Who’s worked at TikTok, Hulu, Taco Bell, FARFETCH and Samsung?
Meet NICK TRAN.
He’s the guy behind a Tom Brady Super Bowl ad. The Taco Bell app on PlayStation. And the former Global Head of Marketing at TikTok.
We sat down to talk content, brand, and the future of social.
Below are 4 takeaways from the episode. But trust me, that barely scratches the surface.
1️⃣. Event > Content > PR > Influence Flywheel
Nick’s take: “ If I were building a marketing engine today, it would revolve around organic social, experiential, PR, and influencers. They all fuel each other.”
A lot of marketers treat channels like silos. Nick treats them like a flywheel. You don’t just do PR. You do something worth talking about. You don’t just post on social. You capture the energy of a real event and give people something to share. You don’t just hire influencers. You bring them into the story.
Here’s how it works:
1. Run an unforgettable experience
2. Capture amazing content
3. Turn it into a media moment
4. Use influencers to amplify everything
Takeaway: Planning an event? Don’t stop at RSVPs. Design it for content. Build in press hooks. Invite creators who can extend the moment. Make every campaign feed organic, earned, and influencer all at once.
2️⃣. Niche > Viral.
Nick’s take: “You might see the same exact viral video done a hundred different ways from a hundred different people. And I think when you have that start to happen, it dilutes.”
Everyone’s chasing the same formulas.
Same MrBeast-style hooks. Same 10-second edits. Same viral trend. Just with a different brand slapped on it.
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But here’s the problem:
Even if your content is great, it gets lost in a sea of sameness.
The feed is too crowded to build real attention anymore.
So where does it go next?
Beyond the feed. Into the niche.
This could look like:
– Niche platforms on shared interests. (👋 Marketingland)
– Creator-led communities (group chats, Discords, Substacks)
– IRL meetups (run clubs, pop-ups, creator collabs)
Takeaway: You don’t need to go viral. You need to go specific.
Create for someone so clearly that it filters out the wrong people.
Depth wins where virality fades.
3️⃣. Original > Optimized
Nick’s take: “As everyone uses the same tools, same formats, and same hooks, content will all start to feel the same.”
When everyone’s using the same editing apps, AI scripts, trending sounds, and formulaic hooks… it all starts to blur.
That’s why people scroll past “perfect” content. And, stop for stuff that feels human, fresh, or weirdly specific.
It’s not about going off-brand. It’s about showing more of what makes you not like everyone else.
Takeaway: Audit your last 10 posts. If they could have come from any other brand, rewrite your playbook. Inject your voice, your point of view, your inside jokes. Specificity is the new scroll-stopper.
4️⃣. Loyalty Isn’t Inherited Anymore
Nick’s take: “ Loyalty, which used to be passed down generation after generation, is no longer automatic. I would die on this hill: the brands we all know today are unlikely to be the brands that our kids will know.”
Brand loyalty used to run in families. If your parents used Crest, Tide, or drove a Ford, chances are you did too. The options were limited. The switching costs were high. And brands had a generational grip.
That’s gone.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are digital natives raised on infinite choice. They scroll through five product recs before they brush their teeth. They see a brand once, click twice, and discover a competitor before the ad even finishes. They’re more skeptical, more values-driven, and more likely to shift based on vibe than habit.
Loyalty today is less about legacy, more about alignment.
What does your brand mean to them right now? Are you saying something worth listening to? Are you part of their world, not just shouting from yours?
Takeaway: Legacy doesn’t mean a lock anymore. Audience cares about identity, relevance, and value (and valueS).
That’s a challenge. It’s also an opportunity for you to steal market share.
Show up where your audience is – IRL, on digital, and emotionally.
Flex your mission, and why your product matters, not just what it does.
Younger generations prefer to buy from brands that align with their identity AND their needs, in the moment.
And once you start showing up, don’t stop: if you don’t stay top-of-mind, you’ll lose your opportunity when your audience is ready to buy.
Relevancy fades fast. Without staying connected to your core audience, you risk becoming irrelevant. (Which might actually be Gen Z’s worst fear.)
