The Indicator | February 27th, 2026

Legacy brands Gold Bond and Vaseline are attempting to attract younger consumers by shifting their image from basic necessities to “cultural icons” and “intentional lifestyle choices.” This repositioning, driven by parent companies Sanofi and Unilever, involves modern marketing, cultural engagement, and co-creation. The strategy is partially a response to the trend of premiumization, which has boosted the popularity of newer, sophisticated brands as well as established ones like Aquaphor and Dove, prompting other brands like Gold Bond to shed its dated image. (Business of Fashion) 

Gap Inc. launched Encore, a new three-tiered loyalty program with Barclays and Mastercard, covering Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta. Benefits include early access and savings, with an optional Encore Mastercard for accelerated points both in and outside Gap Inc. brands. The program emphasizes “fashiontainment” and pop culture, offering members unique experiences in film, music, and travel through partners like Disney and Live Nation. (WWD)

Ramadan has become a significant commercial and cultural event, driving a major consumer shift among its nearly two billion observers, especially boosting the luxury sector. Luxury retailers, such as Harrods, are capitalizing on their growing GCC clientele with pre-Ramadan engagement and 2026 exclusive product lines featuring regional talent. High-end brands like Amouage are launching GCC-exclusive products, and digital marketplaces are also seeing massive growth, with Cult Mia‘s Middle East sales making it its largest market in 2025 due to Ramadan preparations. (WWD)

Platforms like Meta are auto-generating unwanted, altered, AI-derived ads from brands’ content, causing “headache-inducing results” and customer complaints. For example, the British brand Snag found Meta’s opt-in AI changed models’ appearance, race, and created errors like a woman with three legs, despite the brand’s anti-AI policy. This unconsented AI generation, also criticized on TikTok, risks brand authenticity and consumer trust. Experts fear this “slop” will cause an advertising “trust crisis,” making high-quality, human-led content essential until AI improves. (Glossy)

Achieving a viral social moment isn’t guaranteed to drive sales, but brands like Cakes Body have learned to engineer virality and prepare operations for the resulting sales surge. At its peak, Cakes utilized 25,000 brand ambassadors, turning the best content into paid ads, achieving more revenue in one month than the previous two years. Cakes uses an in-house team to create authentic, trending content and capture behind-the-scenes moments. Other brands, such as Seniq and Béis, also utilize intentional virality strategies like limited launches, pre-orders, and waitlists to manage inventory and create hype.(Modern Retail)