Welcome to another episode of The Barber’s Brief!

Join Marc and Vassilis as they dive into the latest marketing and business news, spotlight a standout case study in their Marketing Moment, and wrap up with the Ad of the Week.

Enjoy the show!

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Timestamps:

00:49 - Is X winning back advertisers?

03:53 - Google Testing 'AI Mode" internally.

06:53 - Unlocking the next frontier of personalized marketing.

11:43 - Why humour in advertising works.

14:54 - Marketing Moment - Choosing the wrong pricing strategy can be costly

19:41 - Ad of the week: New Head of CeraVe

In The News Links:

Elon Musk's X is winning advertisers new and old — but the comeback has a long way to go https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-x-advertising-spending-data-analysis-mixed-recovery-2025-2

Google Search testing ‘AI Mode’

https://searchengineland.com/google-search-testing-ai-mode-451672

Unlocking the next frontier of personalized marketing https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/unlocking-the-next-frontier-of-personalized-marketing

Humour in advertising works.

https://lnkd.in/diRqTWKa

Quick glance: https://www.warc.com/content/feed/Why_humour_in_advertising_works_and_how_brands_can_use_it_more/10268

The Marketing Moment:

Choosing the Wrong Pricing Strategy Can Be a Costly Mistake

https://faculty.wharton.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Hussain-EAP.pdf

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/choosing-the-wrong-pricing-strategy-can-be-a-costly-mistake/

Ad Of The Week:

Anthony Davis is the Head of Cerave

https://youtu.be/DME907CSSt8

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cerave-announces-new-head-of-cerave-hair-campaign-featuring-charli-damelio-anthony-davis-and-paige-bueckers-302375432.html

CeraVe has launched "Head of CeraVe," a new campaign addressing the fact that while dandruff affects 1 in 5 Americans, only 40% seek treatment.

The campaign features social media star Charli D'Amelio, NBA player Anthony Davis, and UCONN basketball player Paige Bueckers, who each shared viral moments highlighting scalp health issues.

The campaign includes a Saturday Night Live collaboration featuring a parody metal band called "Naumôre Dandruf." CeraVe is promoting their new Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner line, which contains 1% Pyrithione Zinc and their signature ceramide blend.

The campaign also includes a sweepstakes offering winners trips to see Broadway shows, Mavericks games, or UCONN games, along with product giveaways.