'Ben Thinking' -- No rage bait. I promise.
Well. Unless you hate what I write.
Greetings! It’s the first week of December! We’re in the holiday end game now. Are you being asked for your Christmas list? If so, can you give me a few suggestions? I don’t know what to tell people. I guess I just need to embrace that I’m the age where a wallet, golf balls and a new flashlight are exciting.
Before we get too far away from Thanksgiving, I have to ask – how was the holiday dinner table? A lot of people were worried about this year, but I think it was overblown. This isn’t 2020. Or 2024.
But people seem to be on edge a little more than usual, so I get it. Of course, Oxford’s 2025 word of the year may have something to do with it too: Rage bait.
Rage bait, defined as deliberately posting something online to incite anger and drive up engagement, has us all wound a little tight. (Or, as demonstrated by the Variety movie list I reference at the end of this newsletter.)
By naming ‘rage bait’ the word of the year, do you think more people will realize the intent and that this content is designed specifically for the purpose of messing with us?
Maybe the 2026 word will be “ignore”?
Hey, a guy can hope, can’t he?
Anyways, onto what I’ve ‘Ben thinking’ about.
(See if you can guess Mike’s image theme – all images were done in Nano Banana.)
The 82 books top business leaders couldn’t put down. (Bloomberg)
Here’s something for anyone who’s struggling with their own Christmas list!
I look forward to taking a closer look at a few of these – were any of them on your 2025 list?
This week’s best headline: Being ‘hot’ is now a job requirement (Business Insider)
Ah ya got me, Business Insider.
As a Libra, I’m incredibly vain. I believe that some virtual meetings platforms are better than others. (No? That’s just me getting older? Fine.)
But this? If this story is even close to being accurate…we have some problems. And are a loooong way from the Covid years when we boasted not wearing make-up, not shaving, not doing our hair, etc.
Only 22% of marketers think they can justify their value to the CFO. (Marketing Dive)
What’s this now?
My favorite quote is right in the opening: “We’re entering a pivotal year for marketing.”
Again?
They’re all pivotal.
Marketers live in the reality that a lot of what they do is hard to justify. Which is why the real takeaway to this article is just how important it is to have a relationship with your CFO to make sure you’re speaking the same language.
We can help with those conversations. We can also help ensure you’re measuring what you want to measure. Because if we’re doing our jobs…marketing objectives should be driving business objectives. And therefore, pretty closely linked when it comes to showing value.
Be careful with those expectations… (Fast Company)
A new study is showing that whether you expect a lot…or very little, from your team—you’ll probably get it.
I am no stranger to the phrase ‘you get what you tolerate’…but maybe I’ve been putting the emphasis on the wrong part all these years. I used to think ‘tolerate’ was the most critical part of that statement. As in, it’s other people’s performance that triggers the action (or inaction). But maybe it’s the ‘you’ in that line…as in ‘what message are you sending about what you’ll tolerate?’
Do that. Get that.
Anyway, an interesting read to take into the new year with you.
What’s trending? Here are 11 digital marketing trends for 2026.
(You’ll have to download the report…but you won’t be sorry.)
Christina Howard shared this one with our team, and it’s a great one. But don’t take my word for it…
Ellen Presutti, Senior Account Director
"Even the AI activists among us (myself included) have to admit: AI slop is at an all-time high. And with the line between what’s real and what’s AI getting blurrier by the day—has anyone else confidently called something “AI”… only to find out it was real?—it’s a tough moment of reckoning
That’s exactly why the trends in the Digital Marketing Trends 2026 report stood out to me. In a world where people are constantly questioning what’s authentic, customers are gravitating toward brands that show up as their unpolished, human selves. And while the report focuses on digital specifically, I think these insights apply across every corner of marketing and communications. It's a clear signal that our biggest differentiator moving forward won't be technology (though, that's important, too)—it'll be how genuinely we show up for our customers."
Holiday season brings holiday parties…
…and holiday parties bring reminders on how to act at those parties.
Business Insider gives us nine mistakes to avoid making at those events. Sure. You may be asking yourself ‘do we really need to be told this?’…and then you go to a party. Just read it. Or share it. Or both.
15 social media trends to track for 2026 (SocialMediaToday)
It’s that time of year…where everyone has a trend to share. But here are 15 that I think are worth your time. (And no, I’m not just sharing because they claim long-form content will make a return in 2026.)
AI’s impact on SEO – ICYMI
AI mode is going to include ads in its results.
Retailers are building AI-only sites that we can’t see but AI will crawl and return higher results so you (the consumer, doing the searching) won’t go to the actual site.
These and a lot of other examples I could list but won’t (because I do that over in my other newsletter, The AI Round-up) have put brands and the people who manage them in a dicey spot.
Here are the articles to keep handy. We’re able to help when you’re ready to tackle what this means for your brand.
4 Things Your Brand Should do Right Now to Optimize for AI Search.
5 Critical Questions to Help Your SEO Survive in 2026.
Keep Your Brand Visible…Credible…and Discoverable in the World of AI Search.
This is supposed to be fun!
Simpsons’ Santa’s Little Helper is used in an outdoor campaign for greyhound adoption.
Just seems too perfect to have passed up.
Some Cliff Clavins for ya:
- Guess what the most visited site in the world is….time’s up. It’s Google, duh. Ok, but what are the other ones?
- What is this list, Variety? The top 100 comedies? Here’s a tip – maybe the top 10 should be funny? Good movies? Yes. Are they all comedies? Uh, no way.
- What is this list, Rotten Tomatoes? The Top 100 Christmas Movies? Ranking them by rating shows that the masses are…well, you know.
- There are between 25-30M real Christmas trees sold each year.
Feel free to share with anyone else you think would enjoy the articles and resources!
Thanks for reading!
Ben
Feel free to call me at 330.212.3710.
Are we connected on LinkedIn yet?