Conceptual image representing joy as a marketing strategy—bright, warm, and inviting.
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The 2026 marketing trend no one saw coming: Joy as strategy

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The case for joy. Rebellion in soft clothing Urgency is brittle. Joy is renewable. What joy as strategy actually looks like 1. Designing for emotional lift 2. Surprise and delight as brand currency Joy as KPI Did it spark delight? If so, it deserves to ship. Micro-case studies (Joy in the wild) Marimekko’s 2025 collaborations…

Charles, Mabel and Oliver from Only Murders in the Building by a laptop. Image copyright: Disney+.
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Only Stories in the Building. Turning your content into a mystery worth solving

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Opening scene: Everyone’s a sleuth now Act I: Mystery is engagement, not murder Act II: Layered worlds instead of single stories Mini case reference: Amos Rex x teamLab: Massless (2025) Act III: Your audience is the detective Act IV: Build characters, not just content Act V: Don’t just deliver content. Create a case Closing line

Netflix promoted Squid Game Season 2 with a real-life scavenger hunt. A textbook example of using mystery marketing.
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Using mystery to build curiosity in your marketing campaigns

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Deliberate withholding or, why mystery works in marketing A mystery-driven campaign, an example Key elements of mystery in marketing Application examples Practical ways to use mystery in your marketing Real-word examples in action Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them) Turning curiosity into engagement