How to do marketing in real life

Retail used to be about foot traffic.

Now it’s about camera traffic.

This week, we break down how brands (and countries) are turning physical spaces into content machines and why it’s the new cheat code for attention.

China’s Louvre and the Era of Retail Spectacle

What Happened: Oren visited Foshan, China — home to a massive interior design district and a mall called The Louvre. It’s not just a name. Inside, you’ll find French castles, period-piece pianos, and over-the-top replicas built purely for photo ops.

The Fathers Take: In the modern world, “cool” beats convenient.

The next wave of retail isn’t about better prices or locations. It’s about building a destination — a space so eye-catching, people drive hours just to see it, post it, and be part of the moment.

Design Your Store for Social Media

What Happened: Glossier opened an new flagship location in SoHo. Every inch of it is instagram ready.

The Fathers Take: If your store isn’t camera-ready, you’re leaving marketing on the table.

The neon selfie wall era is over. Make the bathroom sink worth posting. Make the sample wall a set. It’s not just aesthetics, it’s strategy and reach.

Incentivized UGC at Scale

What Happened: Every day more and more platforms emerge looking to capitalize on driving UGC to companies/businesses at scale.

The Fathers Take: Which ones of these platforms wins is yet to be seen. That said, the model is simple and straight forward: businesses need a way of rewarding everyday people (and influencers) for posting their products online. With new tech, this process is becoming easier than ever to track and reward.

Final Sermon

The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing, it feels like a moment worth sharing.

We broke down all of these examples plus a lot more in detail on our podcast this week. Check it out:

Blessings,

The Brandfathers