“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing” is a quote from Tom Fishburne, a marketing cartoonist, or in his own words, “Marketoonist,” who built his career around poking fun at advertising culture. By highlighting how brands often try too hard to sell instead of simply connecting with their audiences, Fishburne’s quote has become one of the clearest explanations for why certain marketing succeeds: audiences do not want to feel marketed to.
Consumers today are hyperaware. We can spot a forced brand partnership or an overly polished campaign from a mile away. With the constant stream of content across social media platforms, we have developed a “sixth sense” for being sold to, and we are pros at hitting the “skip ad” button.
The campaigns that actually stick are usually the ones that feel like they belong in our feeds naturally. Duolingo is a great recent example. On TikTok, the brand uses its mascot, Duo the Owl, to personify the company with a playful (and sometimes aggressive) personality that thrives in comment sections and viral trends. By behaving like a creator instead of a corporation, Duolingo has built a relationship with its 17 million followers. By the time you realize you’re watching an ad, you’ve already laughed and felt a connection.
On the other hand, sometimes the smartest marketing move is simply being in on the joke. In late 2025, Anthropologie found itself at the center of a viral TikTok prank in which creators pretended to “unbox” ordinary rocks they had supposedly bought from the retailer for absurd prices. While the joke was clearly poking fun at Anthropologie’s expensive, aesthetic-driven branding, instead of ignoring it, the company leaned into it. Anthropologie responded with playful content and fake luxury rock listings, turning the meme into free publicity. The brand was everywhere online, but it felt more like internet culture than an ad campaign.
These brands succeed because they understand that people want connection, humor and authenticity before they want a product placement. Whether it’s a witty social media thread or a thoughtful long-form video, the goal remains the same: if a brand can make you feel something before they ask for your credit card, they’ve already won.
Fishburne’s observation may sound simple, but it captures something essential about advertising in an era of social media-driven attention spans: when marketing feels genuine enough to blend into culture, people stop resisting it and start engaging willingly.
