From Hero Products to Heritage Design: Five Signals Shaping Lifestyle Marketing This Week
This first week of August has been a week of “getting down to business” in terms of setting up for the Fall and holiday retail season for many of us. Summer has been a series of distractions for me personally (probably for most of us) … between shifting coasts (East → West) and setting up a new office out here in the Napa Valley, my writing and associated content creation has been (somewhat) shuffled onto the back burner.
My personal processes aside, we’re starting to see more hard data and expert predictions on where the lifestyle brand industry is heading for the next few months.
Below, check out highlights from the Glossy survey, the rise of brands-as-entertainment, Pinterest wants your pins to be shoppable, and 2 new trend reports covering the decor industry see some interesting changes for holiday.
1. Holiday marketers are looking beyond discounts
Glossy surveyed 90 brand and retail professionals and found that 76% expect holiday revenue to increase, while 81% plan to keep discounts roughly in line with last year.
According to Glossy research, brands are putting together clever bundles, gifts with purchase, loyalty perks, seasonal exclusives and complementary brand partnerships rather than running sales all season.
One particularly interesting wrinkle: marketers say they plan to use fewer traditional gift guides this year, even though gift guides remain their historically best-performing holiday tactic.
Laura Brodie, Ritual’s chief growth officer, argued that gift guides may become even more valuable as AI search increasingly draws from curated recommendations and “best of” content.
Why it matters: Small brands shouldn’t assume competing this holiday translates to shouting 30% off louder than everyone else. Bundling, gift-with-purchase offers, exclusivity, and strong gift-guide placement will protect margins while creating urgency for your customers.
2. Heritage beauty brands are returning to their hero products
Glossy also reported that established beauty brands are increasingly refreshing and reactivating their best-known products rather than relying exclusively on an ever flowing stream of new launches. Nars, for example, created a New York pop-up around its longtime Orgasm blush, leaning into memory and recognition with the message “Remember Your First.”
Why it matters: The new-product treadmill is costly and draining. Smaller brands should look closely at the product customers already associate with them and ask whether it deserves a stronger story, updated campaign, new format, or seasonal revival.
3. Brands are becoming entertainment companies
Some lifestyle companies are creating content that functions as entertainment first and advertising second. Innisfree recently worked with comedian Tommy Brennan on playful man-on-the-street interviews in New York. Their Daily Defense sunscreen was present, but product education wasn’t the entire performance.
Why it matters: Brands are moving from isolated posts toward recognizable content properties. For a smaller company, that doesn’t require a full scale production. Consider a recurring founder interview, customer-confession series, weekly ritual, store diary, or behind-the-scenes videos.
4. Pinterest is tightening the connection between inspiration and shopping
Pinterest reported 640 million monthly active users, an 11% year-over-year increase, and second-quarter revenue grew 18% to $1.18 billion. The company is actively working to position itself as an AI-supported visual discovery and shopping platform.
In pursuit of that goal, Pinterest appointed a new global head of content this week. The role oversees visual search, discovery, shopping, creator programs and brand-content partnerships, explicitly bringing content strategy closer to monetization and business outcomes.
Why it matters: Pinterest increasingly wants to close the distance between “I like this idea” and “I will buy this product”. Lifestyle brands preparing Autumn and Holiday material should be building searchable, savable visual collections now, not uploading a few festive Pins on December 12 and hoping for Christmas magic.
5. Two New Trend Reports Project Autumn and Holiday 2026
Have you been wondering what’s happening this Autumn and Holiday? Two new trend reports offer a picture of where things are headed. Key points from this week’s Apartment Therapy New/Next and the Trendalytics Fall Winter Home Decor Forecast reveal:
Heritage is replacing generic nostalgia. Forget about looking vaguely vintage. Your customers are responding to traditional crafts and identifiable niche eras.
Texture is becoming touchable. Your customers are craving the feel of linen, wool, natural fibers, soft upholstery and skin-friendly materials as much as color.
The next version of maximalism is grounded. Organized chaos in the form of burgundy, plum, moss, brass paired with dark woods that provide richness and warmth.
Imperfection is becoming aspirational. Forget the fussiness of traditional style → worn patinas, gleefully collected rooms, and slightly undone styling are pushing back against polish and stodgy lines.
Emotional comfort is the key ingredient above all. Even as color and character return, consumers are still seeking sanctuary, stability and sensory reassurance.
Ralph Lauren Christmas as a genre is a huge thing with consumers.
Why it matters: Lifestyle brands can incorporate these trends through layered product photography, richer seasonal color, tactile props, atmospheric lighting and copy that emphasizes craftsmanship, provenance, comfort and sensory experience. The goal is not to reproduce a decorating trend literally, but to translate its mood into a recognizable brand point of view.
The takeaway for your brand:
Rebuild around recognizable products.
Create recurring content instead of disposable posts.
Offer value without immediately sacrificing margin.
Carolyn Delacorte is the founder of Boxwood Co — a trailblazing PR + marketing firm that’s served lifestyle brands in the food, beauty, decor, and baby industries for more than 28 years.