The Value of Waiting

Barilla turns patience into meaning, as Google flags demand spikes, Meta speeds creative learning, and fashion brands embrace drop culture.

Author

Javier García
January 01, 2026 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

In partnership with

Introduction

Welcome to another exciting week!

Table of Contents

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Best Ad of the Week

Barilla – “The Wait” (2025 Global Brand Campaign)

Barilla’s “The Wait” is built around a counterintuitive idea in modern advertising: slowing down. The ad shows different people waiting for pasta to cook. No music at first. Just boiling water, steam, small glances at the clock. A couple sets the table properly instead of rushing. A father tastes the sauce one last time. A student resists checking their phone. Only near the end does soft music come in. The film closes with one line: “Good things take the time they take.”

Key marketing lessons
• Turn patience into a value: Barilla reframes waiting as care, not inconvenience, elevating cooking into a meaningful ritual.
• Own your category truth: Pasta already requires time. Instead of hiding it, the brand embraces it as a feature.
• Use silence as storytelling: The absence of sound makes viewers feel the pause, not just watch it.
• Lifestyle over product shots: The focus is on behaviour around the meal, not the food itself.
• Cultural relevance through contrast: In an always-on world, choosing to wait becomes a quiet act of rebellion.

A reminder that some brands don’t win by moving faster. They win by reminding people why slowing down feels better.

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Weekly Tip

Reduce Mental Friction

Good content doesn’t ask the reader to work harder than necessary. The smoother the experience, the longer attention lasts.

• Use familiar words instead of clever alternatives
• Keep logic linear, avoid jumps in reasoning
• Answer the obvious question before it’s asked

When understanding feels effortless, trust builds quietly—and your message goes further without pushing.

Weekly Challenge

DM Question Sprint

This week, start conversations instead of broadcasting:

• Send one thoughtful question per day via DM to an engaged follower
• Keep it relevant to your niche and open ended
• Respond properly to their answer, don’t just acknowledge it
• Write down any repeated themes or problems that appear

By the end of the week, you’ll have real insights straight from your audience and at least one strong idea for future content.

Submissions + Feedback

Hope you enjoyed today’s post, if you know someone who may be interested, feel free to send it to them.

Also, if you want me to cover any specific subject on the next issue or share some feedback, feel free to reply to this email.

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