Four brand and marketing insights from our team, delivered every month.
Stockpiling, Again
The return of stockpiling has become increasingly visible, driven by genuine concerns around supply and availability. We saw this clearly during COVID with empty shelves and panic buying, and it’s starting to resurface in ways that feel more desperate.
In recent weeks, petrol stations have seen long queues form as drivers try to fill up while they can. Retailers like Bunnings have reported increased demand for petrol jerry cans. In my own community, there have been warnings about petrol being siphoned from parked cars.
Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour usually doesn’t stay contained. It spreads quickly, moving from one category to the next as people look for ways to get ahead of whatever comes next.
What’s harder to ignore is how quickly marketing moves alongside it.
When retailers promote products tied directly to that anxiety, even in a measured way, it can validate the behaviour. Seeing Jerry Cans positioned as a practical response reinforces those behaviours as much as it reflects them.
Brands can steady demand or accelerate it. Some will lean into the moment. Others will take a more measured approach, highlighting supply and reducing the pressure to overreact.
In markets like this, that distinction is important. The decisions made in the middle of uncertainty tend to shape how a brand is remembered long after it passes.
Read the latest updates about Western Australia’s fuel challenge (ABC) →
// Jonette Brooking, Head of Client Success
My Love / Hate Relationship with AI
The unavoidable truth is the world of data analytics is changing, and this leaves me with a weirdly prescient internal struggle.
I started working in data analytics, driven by a love of solving problems and finding interesting trends that weren’t obvious from the outside. People would pitch a weird idea, and I’d spend my days stewing over it, trying to find efficient ways to get results, riding the train home milling over the best way to link tables and reduce load times.
I was well aware of the power of statistical models to ‘see’ images and understand context in written works, but when I was exposed to the power of LLMs (Large Language Models) it was clear that the writing was on the wall for coding as a profession. Maybe not at the highest ends of the industry (yet) but there is no way to ignore it for menial tasks. Why spend hours on things that a machine can churn out in seconds?
This is where the conflict arises. I don’t want to be a code planner. I don’t want to be a “prompt engineer”. This isn’t what was fun and interesting about analytics. The internal Agentic AI systems we use are able to not only see the code I’ve written, but also write it in my style, spelling mistakes and all.
Is this the future I need to accept? Is this the new normal?
At Bonfire, we move fast with technology, which comes with territory and its own set of issues sometimes, but never really with such fundamental existential questions. We currently have all our data reporting and historical keyword trend data pooling in a single database. Seven internal API connections, multiple ad source connectors for 30+ internal reports, and just one Data Analyst.
The advent of AI has allowed me to prioritise longer tasks and flick the easy stuff to Claude. It’s seems senseless to do it any other way. I guess I’m going to have to ride this wave till it spits me out.
Read about how Claude is already making decisions on Mars →
// Gwyn Hughes, Senior Data Analyst
Marketing to Mums & Navigating Fearful Purchases
Before becoming a mum, I was already overwhelmed by the number of baby products you apparently “need”. I researched, asked for recommendations, and tried to choose the best of the best on a shoestring budget. What I didn’t fully grasp at the time was how different it feels when it’s your turn.
Buying for your own baby isn’t simple. It feels emotional, overwhelming, and at times pressing. There’s a constant pressure to get it right, even when you’re not sure what “right” looks like yet.
I felt that most clearly with sleep. Many of my ‘sleep’ purchases came from fear, especially the fear of overheating, a familiar concern for many new mums. I remember lying awake, second-guessing every layer. Clear temperature guidance, simple Thermal Overall Grade (TOG) ratings, and a few 2am check-ins with my AI co-parent helped me feel confident my baby would stay comfortable through a drop in temperature.
That’s when it clicked. Parents, especially first-timers, are deeply invested. Few audiences care more. The brands that resonate understand this.
What Good Brands Actually Get Right
The brands that stand out aren’t always the most visible. They:
- Are honest about what their product can and can’t do
- Provide clear, practical guidance
- Design for real life
- Build trust through community
They understand what parents need. Clarity. Reassurance. Confidence.
Motherhood doesn’t come with a playbook. The right brands can make the transition feel a little easier, and sometimes that’s enough to help me sleep at night, even when my baby isn’t.
See how Australian brand ergoPouch allays overheating fears →
// Hayley White, Account Director
Creatively Using The Tool That Kills Creativity
It’s no secret at Bonfire that I’m heavily invested in AI. I’m using it every day for content writing and have seen great success. Especially after some harsh learning lessons.
I’ve always loved creative writing and had a knack for storytelling. While I never really succeeded with it academically, I’ve done pretty well so far in my professional career. Combining my instinct for writing with AI felt like a natural step.
However, there was a point when AI started to kill my writing.
The overreliance on these tools in some of my writing was incredibly noticeable. Repeated ideas, blatant cliches, vague descriptors. While I noticed “AI slop” permeating the internet, it took a while to realise I was contributing to the movement.
Now my focus has shifted. How can I use LLMs (Large Language Models) to assist my natural creative writing instead of handing the wheel over to AI? Well, here are some of the ways I’ve done that:
- Understanding a client’s business, services and industry, especially when the work is complex
- Breaking down a brand’s tone of voice and positioning, even when no formal guide exists
- Generating rough drafts that I can pull apart, reshape and rebuild
- Analysing competitor content and identifying gaps worth exploring
Seeing how LLMs can add value rather than write for me has been a monumental shift.
While I’ve found a creative way to use it, I can’t help but feel the same love-hate relationship Gwyn mentioned earlier in this newsletter. Is it inevitable that AI will completely kill creativity?
For now, my goal is simple: stay sharp and keep the craft intact.
Learn how another content writer improves his work with AI (Medium) →
// Codi Cook, Junior Content and AI Technician
Bonfire is an award-winning performance marketing agency based in Subiaco, Western Australia.