Worth the Detour

Michelin turns a functional product into a philosophy—while Google deepens Demand Gen reporting, Meta tests AI creative refresh to fight fatigue, and Zara leans into app-only drops to drive scarcity and repeat visits.

Author

Javier García
December 16, 2025 • 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

Michelin – “Worth the Detour” (2025 Global Brand Campaign)

Michelin’s “Worth the Detour” reclaims one of its oldest brand ideas and makes it deeply emotional. The ad follows different drivers choosing the longer route on purpose: a couple driving an extra hour to visit a small family restaurant, a motorcyclist taking a mountain road instead of the highway, a parent detouring to show their kid the town where they grew up. The tyres are never explained. They’re simply there, carrying people toward moments that matter. The film ends with a quiet line: “Some journeys are chosen.”

Key marketing lessons

• Revive heritage with meaning: Michelin updates its classic “detour” idea without nostalgia overload, connecting it to modern life choices.
• Sell the reason, not the product: Tyres aren’t the story. What people do because they trust them is.
• Emotion elevates utility brands: A functional category becomes aspirational when framed around memory and intention.
• Slow pacing builds credibility: Calm storytelling signals confidence and longevity, not urgency.
• Purpose without preaching: The campaign doesn’t explain why detours matter. It simply shows that they do.

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Weekly Tip

Make Assumptions Explicit

Confusion often comes from what’s left unsaid. Making assumptions visible improves clarity and trust.

• State who the message is for and who it’s not
• Clarify context instead of expecting readers to infer it
• Remove ambiguity around terms or references

When assumptions are clear, understanding is faster and misinterpretation drops.

Weekly Challenge

Expectation Reset Post

This week, realign how your audience understands your work:

• Identify one expectation people often have about your niche that isn’t realistic
• Create a post explaining what actually works and why shortcuts fail
• Keep it practical and grounded in experience, not theory
• End with one clear action they can take instead

Track comments and saves. Content that resets expectations attracts more serious, higher-quality followers.

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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