Monday Memo 12.8

Your weekly “here’s what actually happened” in marketing.

If you missed what went down this past week, here’s your TLDR; expanded, contextual, and actually useful.

1. December content strategy is officially split into two.

Brands are falling into one of two camps right now:

• hyper-seasonal, promo-heavy, end-of-year urgency

• or intentionally quiet, brand-led, long-term positioning

The latter is quietly outperforming in engagement and sentiment.

Short-term implication: Loud promotions are easy to ignore right now.
Long-term implication: Brands that maintain voice and restraint during high-noise periods stand out more than those trying to out-shout everyone else.

2. AI adoption is slowing, but getting more intentional.

The pace of new AI tools hasn’t slowed, but adoption behavior has. More marketers are:

• consolidating tools

• cutting what didn’t stick

• focusing on 1–2 workflows that actually save time

The novelty phase is wearing off. The utility phase is beginning.

Takeaway: The advantage is no longer “uses AI.” It’s “uses AI well.”

3. Social engagement is softening across platforms.

Many brands are seeing:

• steady impressions

• lower comment activity

• fewer reactive engagements

This isn’t a content failure; it’s seasonal behavior. Audiences are consuming more passively and engaging less publicly.

Translation: This is not the week to panic about performance dips. It is the week to track saves, shares, and long-term patterns.

4. Creator partnerships are being reassessed for 2026.

Behind the scenes, brands are reviewing:

• what creator partnerships actually drove value

• which were “nice but not necessary”

• where long-term relationships beat one-off campaigns

Takeaway: Expect fewer scattershot influencer deals and more intentional, ongoing creator relationships next year.

5. Marketing teams are quietly planning simplification.

While everyone talks about “what’s next,” many teams are doing the opposite:

• auditing channels

• cutting low-impact initiatives

• streamlining approval processes

• redefining success metrics

The mood isn’t expansion; it’s refinement.

TLDR (the long version):

Nothing exploded this week, and that’s the point.

• The noise is high.

• The pace is slowing.

• The smart move is clarity, not urgency.

This is the stretch where good marketers stop reacting and start choosing.

And the memo you take into your week:
You don’t need to end the year louder.
You need to end it clearer.

See you next Monday.

-TMI