The time is upon us. No, not Christmas: the launch of Wicked: For Good in cinema, just in time to bring music and magic into our colder days and darker nights. After last year’s Wicked: Part One, cinemas are reporting that advanced sales for the film were double that of its predecessor. But the new movie has much more to offer than just 138 minutes of song.

Wicked, as we all know, is based on The Wizard of Oz, and the cast of this original tale carries lessons that our industry should bear in mind as we lay out plans for a new year of campaigns and creativity.

Dorothy’s famous companions, Tin Man, Scarecrow and The Cowardly Lion, set off on their journey with the intention of regaining a lost trait - heart, brains, and courage. Each represents a flaw in their character, but they call to mind three critical gaps that we marketers all-too-easily fall into.

Mechanical marketing

Ask a creative or marketer what they do at their best, and they will tell you that they create feelings and foster emotions. And yet System1 data shows that 52% of the UK’s ads are “dull” - met with complete neutrality by consumers. No one knows the risks of not having enough heart better than the Tin Man.

Despite our best intentions, it can be easy to lose the heart behind a campaign. When marketing budgets are tight, marketers often struggle to justify their emotive, brand-led campaigns to their stakeholders. Instead, often tough times can drive marketers to opt for campaigns and media plans that offer pure measurability, data, and click rates.

When marketing campaigns run purely for short-term sales, brands risk missing out on long-term loyalty. Many channels are effective at building trust, deepening emotional resonance, and delivering measurable results and ROI without losing what makes a brand feel human. For instance, WARC data shows that campaigns with mail in the mix are 52% more likely to report ROI benefits, even without click-through rates and retargeting.

All heart

Data matters, but it takes real brains to interpret what that data means, tell a compelling story, and inspire brands to invest more. Smart, thoughtful campaigns last because creativity is guided by insight, and insight is elevated by creative storytelling.

Neither works alone: creativity without intelligent planning falls flat, while data without the imagination and brains to tell the story of success behind it fails to move a client or an audience. As we enter the season of heart, with Christmas adverts appearing by the day, we’re reminded that even the most emotional stories are built on behavioural insight, tough sales targets and carefully crafted omnichannel strategies - whether they feature brussels sprouts or 90s records.

The Scarecrow represents the other side of the brand-vs-performance coin. The Scarecrow approach can get carried away with big ideas while forgetting the importance of results. Maybe it’s a beautifully cinematic campaign so full of heart and brand that it forgets to include a call to action. Maybe it’s a creative idea a team loves so much that no one sets clear KPIs to measure its success. Without the brains behind the brilliance, even the most heartfelt work risks blowing away with the wind.

Cowardly campaigns

While the previous two mistakes represent the classic battle of brand vs performance, the third and final oversight is, in my opinion, the most important one.

The Cowardly Lion’s lack of courage speaks to a pressure marketers often face to funnel their money into what works, and what has worked in the past. Marketers often talk about the 70-20-10 rule, in which brands allocate 70% of resources towards proven channels and tactics, 20% for experimental channels, and 10% on completely untested initiatives. By being brave and thinking beyond usual channels with that final 30%, marketers can reap new rewards rather than delivering the same results. Media disruption, in which marketers test how their brand performs in new channels, is fundamental in a fast-evolving media landscape. But those who stick to well-trodden ground risk missing out on differentiation and impact.

It’s a powerful thing to step outside of the channels that are expected, or that have worked in the past, but bravery delivers results. No one puts it better than Nishma Patel Robb, Founder and CEO of The Glittersphere and marketing genius. Speaking to Rory Sutherland on Mail Unleashed, Nishma talked about breaking out of brand bubbles through exciting creative ideas and new channels. Even during her time at Google, physical media channels offered a new audience and a plane for creativity that brought an intangible brand to life.

Being brave and experimenting creatively is critical to staying new and understanding what consumers want from any brand.

Changing for good

As Dorothy’s friends seek out heart, brains and courage, the new film serves as an important reminder for us marketers to have all three if we are creative powerful campaigns that will cut through amidst the hundreds of other ads that consumers see each day.

Waitrose is an expert at finding this balance. Its Christmas advert is cinematic and perfect for television, with clips and cultural references that keep the Love Actually-themed campaign (and the featured produce) alive on social media. But it’s a brand that understands the personal touch, too. The supermarket’s Just For You campaign uses highly personalised mail to reward its best, most valued customers with tailored, luxury coupons, seeing over 50% redemption rates. Its offers and images are powered by programmatic technology, while the more personal channel delivers impact, a masterclass in how to avoid all of marketing’s missing pieces.

As we go into 2026, marketers will continue to find success in being brave, brand-led and intentional about the results they want to achieve. There may be no wizard, but when we get it right, it can be magic.