The era of polite marketing is over

A CEO scrubbing a Target toilet live on camera.
A protein bar brand selling frozen cod.
Startups covering the New York subway with ads designed to annoy you.

Inc. Magazine just mapped the CMOs who defined 2025 — and the pattern is unsettling.

Tom Rinks (founder of Sun Bum and creator of the Taco Bell Chihuahua) put it bluntly:

“I predicted marketing would become chaotic. I underestimated how much.”

The campaigns that defined the year

David (protein bars):
Launched frozen cod.
The logic: take protein obsession to an absurd extreme.
People bought it. In massive numbers.

Sarah Paiji Yoo (CEO, Blueland):
Publicly scrubbed Target toilets to prove her cleaning product works.
Not a metaphor. Literal store bathrooms.

Ramp (valued at US$32B):
Sent the company’s economist to a Russian sauna.
Completely random. Completely unforgettable.

Tech startups:
Blanketed the NYC subway with rage-bait ads — messages designed to irritate you.
Because irritation = engagement.

As Fast Company put it:

“Marketers capitalized on a tense moment by openly irritating audiences to drive engagement.”Prioritize Empathy and Active Listening

The paradox traditional CMOs hate

Traditional marketing:
Build goodwill, trust, and positive associations.

Marketing in 2026:
Create confusion.
Trigger negative reactions.
Watch engagement explode.

Inc.’s conclusion is blunt:

“If 2025 was carefully channeled chaos, 2026 will be calculated madness.”

The difference?
The chaos used to be accidental.
The madness will be strategic.

The question separating winners from losers:
Are you comfortable being hated by 80% of the market if it means 20% become obsessed with your brand?