The Illusion of 'always-on'

Why most brands need to turn it off to turn it up!

Author

Beth Chapman
May 14, 2025

We’ve been sold a lie. That if your brand is 'always-on,' you’ll always win.

More content.
More ads.
More noise.

But marketing isn’t a pipeline.
It’s a pizza.

Welcome to the Margherita Funnel

Where the gooey, cheesy middle (AKA the brand-building, fame-driving stuff that doesn’t convert instantly but sticks in people’s heads) is what fuels long-term growth.
And yet, most brands?

They obsess over the crust.

The neat, measurable lower funnel ads that keep the CFO happy but rarely make the brand feel, well… like a brand.

The result?

An endless stream of always-on campaigns that might keep the dashboard ticking... but don’t make anyone feel anything.

Loewe: masters of the cheesy middle

Loewe gets it.
They don’t chase the algorithm.
They’re not feeding the machine with daily posts.
They move at the pace of culture, not content calendars.

Take their tomato moment.
When a social media manager at Lyst and Vogue jokingly posted about Loewe’s tomato obsession... what did Loewe do?
They didn’t send an email blast.
They didn’t reply in the comments.
They sent him a bespoke tomato clutch bag.

Zero ad spend.
Maximum brand fame.
And suddenly the entire fashion industry was talking about Loewe again.
That’s the cheesy middle at work.
Memorable. Cultural. Sharable.
No crust required.

On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, we have Tesco.
They recently relaunched F&F Clothing showing us how the pizza works at scale

Completely different market, completely different customer - but same principle.
Tesco’s F&F clothing brand refresh with their 'Style it Out' campaign proves that mass marketing doesn’t have to feel try-hard.
It’s witty, sharp, and effortlessly cool.
It doesn’t feel like content-for-content’s-sake.
It feels like a brand with a point of view.

They’ve ditched the soulless, studio-shot promos and instead leaned into humour, attitude, and moments that make people smile.


Proof that you can turn it up even when you’re playing in the mass retail space.

Please STOP posting for posting’s sake!

The brands that win today aren’t the ones shouting the loudest.
They’re the ones taking a beat.
Thinking differently.
Investing in the cheese – the brand moments, the cultural plays, the creative ideas that actually make people care.

So next time someone in your team says 'we need more posts this week'...
Ask them what part of the pizza they’re feeding.
The crust?
Or the cheese?

Because the brands brave enough to turn it off are often the ones that turn it up the loudest when they come back.

And what if you’re on a shoestring budget? I hear you ask!

Good news.
This approach isn’t just for Loewe with their couture budgets or Tesco with their media buying clout.

In fact, if you’re bootstrapped or Series A-scrappy, you need this mindset even more.
Because when you don’t have deep pockets, the worst thing you can do is scatter cash on 'always-on' dribble that nobody notices.

Instead:

  • Pick one thing and go deep.
    What’s the weirdest, most memorable, most shareable thing your brand can do?
    One brave move beats 100 boring ones.

  • Borrow audiences, don’t buy them.
    Collaborate. Hijack trends. Slide into someone else’s moment (like Loewe did with the tomato clutch).
    When you can’t afford reach, get crafty with relevance.

  • Make scarcity your superpower.
    Can’t post daily? Good. Post rarely – but make it unmissable when you do.
    Be the brand that shows up like an unexpected party guest, not the one who never leaves.

  • Trust the cheese.
    Your crust (ads, retargeting, email flows) will never save you if the cheese (brand, distinctiveness, memorability) is bland.

Stay Bold, Stay Brilliant

Did you enjoy this latest post? Please do share on LinkedIn and shout-out. I love to hear from you.

Need help making bold moves? Let’s chat. Forward this to someone who needs a little inspiration, or drop me a line - I’m here to help.

Let’s make moves,
Beth

Disclaimer: I share advice from my own experience. Every business is unique, so tailor these ideas to fit your needs.