Hello marketers ☕🧇

Hope you’ve had a great week and have plans for the weekend!

Let’s get into today’s hot news.

Top Story

Burberry’s heritage‑revival test at London Fashion Week (18 Sept 2025) — Under CEO Joshua Schulman, Burberry is doubling down on classic British heritage (trench coats, iconic motifs) and more recognisable ambassadors, aiming to shift from niche fashion credibility back toward broader commercial resonance. Read more

What does it mean for me? If heritage or local identity is part of your brand story (or can be), lean into it — well‑chosen visuals & voice that feel “of here” can move perception fast, especially during cultural moments like fashion week.

Platform Updates 🧑‍💻

• Instagram shifts: hashtags ≠ reach boosters anymore — Adam Mosseri confirms Instagram now treats hashtags more as categorisation; reach is driven more by content quality, alt text, keyword use & engagement (comments/DMs). brandnation.co.uk

• Instagram launches multi‑part Reel linking — Brands/creators can now post episodic-style Reels (part‑series) so viewers can flow through content in sequence. brandnation.co.uk

Policy & Regulation ⚖️

• MAHA Food Strategy (U.S.) targets marketing of unhealthy foods to children & additives (9 Sept). The Make America Healthy Again Commission is pushing for guidelines / self-regulation around marketing of unhealthy foods to kids, and scrutiny of things like dyes, chemicals, and “GRAS” (Generally Recognized As Safe) compounds. Reuters

• New marketinglaw/ASA guidance in UK. Among updates: stricter rules for ‘before & after’ advertising, challenges to health claims, and unauthorised food health claims / HCP (health care professional) endorsements. Osborne Clarke

Brand / Category Moves 🏃‍➡️

• H&M pulls off a cultural event to reboot credibility — Its “H&M&180: The London Issue” at London Fashion Week fused public fashion show, panels, performance & community events to raise the bar amid retail pressures. Vogue Business

• YouGov’s UK Biggest Brand Movers – September 2025 — A set of brands showing statistically significant improvements in awareness, perception and purchase funnel metrics between July & August. YouGov

Data & Trends 📊

• Google’s “Perspective” update: quality, expertise, depth now rewarded — Thin or generic AI content is being penalised; content that provides real insight & a strong user journey ranks much better. Digital AI Marketing

• UK ecommerce is evolving, not just growing — Sterling & Wells note that conversion, UX, post‑purchase experience and trust are becoming more decisive than just traffic. Sterling & Wells

Quick Hits 🥊

• Seek to build episodic content (e.g. multi‑part Reels or stories) to reduce drop‑off and drive repeat engagement.

• If you rely on Instagram growth via hashtags, shift your strategy: focus on alt text, keywords, engagement & visual storytelling.

• Audit your content: remove or rework weak, shallow, generic pieces — in SEO and AI contexts those can drag your visibility down.

• For ecommerce or product brands: invest in UX & post‑checkout experience (returns, delivery, packaging) — small improvements here yield outsized returns in 2025.