Podcasting has grown up. It’s no longer two people yelling into a USB mic in their kitchen (though, to be fair, some of those shows are still great). Now we’ve got networks — real, curated ecosystems of shows — connecting brands with hyper-engaged audiences in ways banner ads can only dream about.

For most consumers, it’s not enough for products to just taste and look good: they need to do good too. 

What does it really mean to “go viral” on Instagram in 2025? And more importantly—how do you replicate it? We recently took a deep dive into a real-world case study that breaks the mold: the Instagram account @rhymecology.

Whether you laughed, cringed, or rage-tweeted your way through Happy Gilmore 2, one thing’s for sure: it was packed with cameos and product placements. Golf brands, fast food chains, energy drinks—even the sunglasses had their own close-up.

At Merrick Creative, we’re spending the summer doing what we usually do: building brands, telling stories, surfing (the web, that is), and pushing creative work forward. But this season, we’re also running a little experiment—finding practical ways to bring AI into our everyday workflows.

Athletes have been influencing consumer decisions long before the word “influencer” existed. (Think MJ and his shoes – enough said.) Here are best practices to actually make athlete partnerships work – without wasting budget on empty fame.

Working on a skyline-shaping development one week and a grocery-aisle breakout the next will stretch your brand muscles in multiple directions. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned at Merrick Creative, it’s this: smart ideas travel.

Great content doesn’t always need a big camera crew. In fact, some of the most engaging brand moments happen spontaneously — and the iPhone 16 makes it easier than ever to capture them in high quality.

Every great design firm needs at least one realist, aka the Print Production Manager. My name is Tiffany Gronski and my purpose is to fabricate and print projects to align with the vision of our designers and clients.