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- ClickZ Stationery | "It’s just a pencil" — until it's not
ClickZ Stationery | "It’s just a pencil" — until it's not
Plus, Faber-Castell and KOKUYO lead premium market with eco-first innovation
Sophie Bruxner-Randall
June 25, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes
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Lions Unleashed 🦁
What Cannes 2025 Got Right (and Missed) About Brand
✍️ By Sam Carter, CEO of Fospha
At Cannes Lions this year, one word kept surfacing: brand.
In a performance-obsessed world, brand feels harder to defend. It doesn’t show up in ROAS or fit neatly into a reporting cycle. But that doesn’t mean it’s not driving results.
As Rory Sutherland put it, “A brand is like a pension… one day you wake up and go: bloody hell, where did all this equity come from?”
He’s right. Our data at Fospha shows brands investing more than 10% in upper-funnel activity see 2x the overall marketing efficiency. But belief isn’t the issue — buy-in is.
To protect brand budgets, we need better evidence. That’s why we’ve identified early signals—like branded search and engaged visits—that connect brand activity to business outcomes.
Sector Spotlight 🎥
LUXURY MARKET TRENDS
The high-end stationery market is poised for significant growth, with driving factors including rising disposable incomes, increased appreciation for craftsmanship, and demand for premium, sustainable products. This sector faces challenges from digital alternatives but sees opportunities in geographical expansion and integrating smart technologies. Key players, such as Faber-Castell and KOKUYO, lead through innovation, focusing on personalization and eco-friendly options to engage affluent consumers.
STATIONERY LAUNCH
Jem and Cozy's new stationery launch presents three detailed sticker sheets, designed to captivate and engage their audience through a long-form video. This launch is strategically relevant for marketers as it explores effective engagement strategies through comprehensive product explanations and audience interaction opportunities, such as a giveaway requiring participant interaction. The launch provides valuable insights into leveraging multimedia content to enhance customer interaction and brand visibility.
STATIONERY EXCELLENCE
Tombow MONO's esteemed Japanese stationery line, known for its origins in 1963, remains essential for students and professionals by combining historical reliability with innovative designs. This comprehensive range, beloved for its minimalist elegance, showcases products like mechanical pencils and tape runners that highlight practical functionality. Marketing professionals can glean insights into the brand’s enduring appeal, highlighting how simplicity and consistent design can effectively position products in competitive markets.
TRADE EXHIBITION
The "Pen, Paper & Stationery Expo 2026" will be a major B2B event hosted by S.S.V.A. in Mumbai, offering networking opportunities and insights into school and office supplies trends. Scheduled for January 22-24, this expo will coincide with the Indian Gifts & Premium Expo, utilizing a vast 1,75,000 sq. ft. space with 850 booths. For marketers, it presents a valuable platform to explore strategic collaborations and stay updated on industry innovations.
🏆 Announcing the ClickZ 25 of 25 Awards –
Powered by Fospha
While the world’s eyes were on Cannes last week, we’ve been spotlighting a different kind of creativity.
The ClickZ 25of25 Awards spotlights 25 standout DTC and digital-first campaigns that drove real impact this year — across five key sectors: luxury, beauty, wellness, home, and fashion.
Each winner represents smart, scaled, creatively sharp marketing — and we’re thrilled to celebrate their work.
You’ll find the full list — plus sector breakdowns and creative highlights — in our full awards report.
📥 Download the full report below
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👉 Got a standout campaign or behind-the-scenes story to share? ClickZ is always looking to spotlight fresh creative — reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you.
Optimization Hub ⚙️
ECOMMERCE TRENDS
In 2025, eCommerce marketing is driven by five crucial trends:
personalization and enhanced customer experiences using data and AI
the rise of mobile commerce and shoppable content
the impact of social commerce coupled with influencer marketing
the importance of data analytics and marketing automation
the evolving roles of SEO and content marketing.
These trends highlight the strategic use of technology and platforms in capturing and retaining customers, emphasizing the need for tailored experiences, efficient data handling, and adaptive marketing strategies for professionals in the field.
GEOGRAPHIC INSIGHTS
Geographic Insights and Activation (GIA) on Amazon DSP empowers marketers to efficiently tap into underpenetrated markets by leveraging Amazon's first-party data.
This tool enables advertisers to identify high-potential geographic areas, optimize campaigns, and combine online and offline sales data for improved reach and ROI. By addressing challenges of localized personalization and operational friction, GIA offers a precise means to enhance advertising effectiveness and expand customer bases.
ClickZ is a ClickZ Media publication in the DTC eCommerce division