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A simple one-hour exercise can reshape how you think about marketing, creativity, and strategy—with no posting required.
Some of the best marketing ideas I’ve had haven’t come from a brainstorm, they’ve come from observing. Whether that involves a campaign I came across on LinkedIn, a founder documenting their journey, a creator partnership that felt unique, or even a platform update that seemed small at first but hinted at a much bigger shift.
None of these moments felt groundbreaking on their own. But over time, they started to connect.
I didn’t start my “Culture Debrief” series on LinkedIn because I wanted another content pillar. Long before that, I was already breaking down individual campaigns simply because I found them interesting. I realized there was often far more going on than just the creative execution or the visuals.
The more campaigns I analyzed, the more I realized I wasn’t really collecting campaigns anymore—I was observing patterns. The same ideas, behaviors, and shifts kept appearing across different brands, industries, and platforms. That’s become one of the most valuable habits I’ve built as a marketer.
I don’t mean spending hours doomscrolling or trying to consume every trend that pops up on your feed. It’s actually the opposite. It’s about being intentional with what you consume.
For me, that means following a handful of newsletters, creator accounts, and publications that consistently surface interesting work. Every Sunday, for example, I look forward to Because of Marketing‘s weekly newsletter. It gives me a snapshot of what’s happened across the industry, and if something catches my attention, I’ll usually spend time digging deeper.
Whenever I come across a campaign or activation, the question I’m asking isn’t, “Was this good?” It’s, “Why did they do this now?”
Take LinkedIn’s new collaboration feature announced around Cannes Lions. On the surface, it looks like a product update. But viewed in context, it tells a much bigger story. LinkedIn is leaning further into the idea that creators don’t grow in isolation anymore—collaboration has become part of the platform’s strategy, and the feature reflects that.
The same applies when a beauty brand hosts an experiential event, takes creators on a brand trip, or invests in community-led activations. I don’t just see the event itself, I look at where it fits within the brand’s wider narrative.
That’s the difference between consuming marketing and studying it.
One gives you inspiration for your next post, the other changes how you think.
I also think we marketers spend far too much time looking sideways. We analyze competitors, subscribe to the same newsletters, follow the same creators, and benchmark ourselves against businesses in the same category. While there’s value in that, some of the best ideas come from looking well beyond your industry.
A beauty brand can learn from a food startup. A SaaS company can borrow ideas from fashion. A consumer brand might find inspiration in how a B2B company builds community.
The more diverse your inputs, the more original your outputs become. So if there’s one habit I’d recommend, it’s this: Block out one hour every week with no intention of posting anything. Read. Watch. Explore. Ask why brands are making the decisions they are. Look outside your industry. Connect the dots.
Because the best marketers aren’t the ones consuming the most content. They’re the ones who notice the patterns before everyone else does.
This post originally appeared at inc.com.
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