SLOWING DOWN & STAYING PRESENT IN A SEASON OF HURRY
EVERY BRAND’S BIGGEST WIN RIGHT NOW IS STAYING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT.
Somewhere between “Pumpkin Spice is back!” and “New Year, New You,” retail lost its sense of time.
Every CPG brand owner knows the rhythm by heart: you plan holiday in July, spring in November, and by the time December hits, you’re mentally in Q2. It’s part survival, part strategy…but it’s also kind of madness.
Because in the rush to plan ahead, brands risk missing the most valuable part of marketing; being present.
THE SEASON OF HURRY
Every retailer feels the pressure. There’s always another promo to prep, another collection to drop, another email to send yesterday. The urgency feels like good business, but constant forward momentum can quietly flatten creativity.
When every campaign is about “what’s next,” we forget to celebrate “what’s now.”
And the irony? Customers can feel it. They can tell when a brand is phoning it in from the future instead of showing up for them today.
SLOWING DOWN ≠ FALLING BEHIND
Being present doesn’t mean ignoring the calendar. It means aligning your story with your customer’s actual moment in time. This could look like messaging such as “We are savoring the season, come join us.” Or a gift guide that is focused on ritual rather the every product you can cram in.
When brands honor the present, their outward appearance and marketing reads like a conversation instead of a countdown.
RETAILERS: YOU DESERVE TO SLOW DOWN, TOO
Let’s not forget the humans behind the brands. Retail teams burn out trying to keep up with an industry that’s perpetually sprinting. The paradox of the season built on connection, joy, and generosity is that the people creating it are often too rushed to experience any of it.
middleman’s take? You don’t need to be first to be relevant. You just need to be real.
So here’s your permission slip to slow down. Not because the calendar says so, but because your brand deserves to live in the same moment your customers do.
Because presence sells. And peace of mind converts.