This is Contagious

Contagious
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This is Contagious is a show that explores how ideas shape brands and culture. Join Alex Jenkins, Chloe Markowicz and Katrina Stirton Dodd from the Contagious team as they unpack the thinking behind the world’s most interesting ideas – from trends and technology, through marketing and media, to campaigns, creativity and everything in between.

  1. Oct 7

    How brands are winning in 2026: lessons from the Contagious Brands Report

    What does it take to become a brand people actually want to spend time with? The Contagious Brands Report 2026 brings together 45 brands finding unconventional answers to some of marketing’s biggest challenges - from earning attention and building communities, to making products more desirable, embracing AI and responding to affordability concerns. This episode reveals some of the standout brands in the report, from sunglasses sold in art-gallery-like spaces to tractors-as-a-service, AI film festivals and a pickle brand turning students into creators. Along the way, they explore what marketers can learn from brands finding new markets, new opportunities and new ways to keep people coming back. We’ll explore Why destination retail overindexes on ROI per square footHow brands are designing products to generate stories and attentionWhy some brands are turning employees and students into their marketing department How brands can turn customers into communities, and communities into value Why reframing value can be as powerful as changing the productWhy the thrill of potentially owning crab-soup sake is attracting Gen Z in Japan If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

    How brands are winning in 2026: lessons from the Contagious Brands Report

  2. Sep 23

    Creator marketing myths: what brands get wrong about creators

    Becky Owen, CMO at social agency Billion Dollar Boy, joins Contagious to challenge the received wisdom about how brands should work with creators – from the three-second rule to the idea that good content is all that matters. Drawing on new research, the latest Contagious podcast explores how brands should work with creators, from using emotion and microdramas to build audiences, to deliberately creating imperfection to fight AI slop. We also look at why creator fandom can now come before the streaming deal, and how brands are having to rewire themselves to keep up. We’ll explain: Why the three-second rule may be tanking your campaign performanceWhy creators are deliberately embracing messy bedrooms and mistakes to prove they're humanHow the same emotion can boost performance in one category and tank it in anotherHow creators have become data-driven marketers, not just media channelsWhy some brands are exploring equity and longer-term relationships to make creators genuinely invested in their successHow social creators are using micro-pilots to build fandom before getting picked up by streaming platformsWhy Argos turned everyday kettles into gallery-worthy objects  If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  3. Sep 9

    Low-budget bangers: how brands win on a tiny budget

    Dirty mattresses. Giant hairballs. Bad Bunny. The Pope. This CFO-friendly episode explores how brands can overindex on impact by investing in creativity rather than throwing money at the problem. The Contagious team analyse some of their favourite low-budget marketing campaigns, unpacking the creative principles behind them and asking how brands can turn tiny budgets into big ideas, big conversations and even bigger earned media. We’ll explain: How to weaponise your audience as a media channelWhy withholding information can be more powerful than broadcasting itHow an ick factor can make out-of-sight products impossible to ignoreWhy the WTF factor works so well in outdoorHow to turn existing infrastructure into emotion and engagementHow one tiny physical change can become a huge media event How shoplifting can become brilliant PR If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  4. Aug 26

    The joy of joining in: Twitch, togetherness and the new rules of brand participation

    Mary Kish, Head of Community at Twitch, joins Contagious to break down why people are flocking to Twitch – and why brands should care.  As a streamer herself, Mary doesn’t just work at Twitch, she lives the culture. In this conversation we explore why experiencing things together matters more than ever and how participation kicks the ass of passive viewing when it comes to building engagement.  We also explain:  How Twitch builds community in a world that feels lonely  The power of ‘I was there’  The origin of ‘rizz’  How a falcon rehabilitator found her people through Twitch  The main character energy of ‘chat’   The golden rule for brands on Twitch If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  5. Aug 12

    Worldbuilding 101: How to turn a brand into an immersive commercial universe

    Tracing a line from Tolkien to Mattel’s toyetics, the Contagious team explores why brands are moving beyond storytelling to create richer, more immersive worlds.  We look at the rules that make fictional worlds believable and how worldbuilding can help brands escape commoditisation, fuel always-on creativity and give people something to believe in, belong to and buy into. Along the way, we explore: How Jellycat’s worldbuilding whimsy helped drive 66% revenue growth Why the story is in the world, not the other way around The toyetic rules that make Barbie Land believable How Disney’s underground Utilidors keep fantasy intact When a brand should act like a character, not a company How Trader Joe’s became a tiki-themed grocery store and why Londoners carry its tote bags Why your brand might need a map more than a sales strategy If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  6. Jul 29

    Disruption, community & zero distance: inside E.l.f.'s marketing playbook

    Kory Marchisotto, the president of E.l.f. Brands, joins Contagious to unpack how a scrappy startup selling premium cosmetics at affordable prices evolved into a beauty powerhouse.  This episode explores the ideology, marketing and organisational culture behind E.l.f. Beauty’s explosive growth. We dig into how its biggest innovations were led by its community, how the company encourages healthy conflict and why its mantra is ‘anything is e.l.f-ing possible’.   We also explain: Why E.l.f. started selling empty bottles to its fans The difference between shaping and leading culture Why people were clamouring to get financial advice from a beauty brand How girls dropping out of sports could impact their future career success How to create the workplace conditions necessary for innovation to thrive Why E.l.f. maintains ‘zero distance’ between its C-suite and its fans. How to jolt people into awareness around important issues If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  7. Jul 15

    The Loneliness Disconnect: how big tech made us lonely and how brands are responding

    AI companions. Lonely cities. Yakult Ladies.  In this episode, Contagious investigates the rise of loneliness and why brands as diverse as Heineken and Games Workshop are winning by becoming the new facilitators of human connection.  Along the way, we explore lonelygenic cities, discover what brands can learn from 19th Century Parisian architecture, asking whether boyfriends are embarrassing and whether we’re trapped in the Me Operating System. We’ll explain: Why the real world is becoming a brand's biggest advantage How cities and environments shape social behaviour The real reason teenagers are using AI companions What’s fuelling the social skills apocalypse The hidden health impact of loneliness Why technology creates the illusion but not the value of connection Why Taylor Swift has done more for social cohesion than Mark Zuckerberg If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

  8. Jul 1

    Cannes Lions decoded: the campaigns, conversations and creativity that mattered

    The Contagious team returns from Cannes Lions 2026 to deliver our sunburnt take on the awards, the talks and what it all means for the industry.  Hot from the Croisette, we find out whether How Brands Grow is a brutally boring read, why the UN needs marketers more than ever, how the industry's best work is turning problems into opportunities, and how creative treasure can be found everywhere - from a dot-matrix printer receipt to a 12-tonne chocolate heist. Along the way we delve into: How to navigate the AI bifurcation without losing your humanity The psychology behind humorous responsibility Why lived human experience is becoming marketing's biggest moat How the biggest award winners turned problems into creative opportunities Why the marketing funnel is giving way to communities, conversations and participation How to tell if your CEO has no imagination If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

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About

This is Contagious is a show that explores how ideas shape brands and culture. Join Alex Jenkins, Chloe Markowicz and Katrina Stirton Dodd from the Contagious team as they unpack the thinking behind the world’s most interesting ideas – from trends and technology, through marketing and media, to campaigns, creativity and everything in between.

Information

  • Creator
    Contagious
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Contagious
  • Show Website
    This is Contagious

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