Marketing. It’s a Vibe (Apparently).

I first came across the term “vibe marketing” while reading an article by my friend and journalist Kiri Masters. As she unpacked the concept in the context of retail media, I felt seen. I’ve been banging the vibe marketing drum for a while, I just didn’t know someone had already named the drum.

See, not long ago, I was looking at yet another evolution of the shopper funnel. Or maybe it was a wormhole. Possibly a flywheel. It’s all a blur. But it got me thinking: the shopper journey is as simple as it is complex. As linear as it is nonlinear. As predictable as it is wildly unpredictable.

And that’s because shoppers, consumers, buyers, whatever you call them, are human beings. And human beings are a vibe.

Unlike AI, humans are ruled by emotion. Their behavior can be rational or irrational. It can be driven by want, or by need. It can shift with context, culture, or a TikTok trend they watched three seconds ago. Humans are not one-size-fits-all. They’re one-vibe-fits-right-now.

So what is vibe marketing?

‍At its simplest, vibe marketing is the acknowledgment that emotional energy matters. It’s about tuning into the emotional frequency your audience is on, and meeting them there with authenticity. It’s not about abandoning data and AI; it’s about using them to listen better, and then letting human-led creativity do the talking.

In retail media, this matters more than ever. Brands and retailers are often flooding Product Description Pages with “content,” feeding shoppers more information, more options, more everything. But shoppers don’t just need more. They need the right thing, at the right moment, delivered in the right tone. That’s a vibe.

That’s also why The Desire Company exists: to infuse real human connection, through expert-led, science-backed content into the commerce experience. Because the best-performing content isn’t just informative. It feels right.

Four Things to Know About Vibe Marketing

1. It’s a marriage of AI and humanity.
   Use AI to understand behavior, patterns, and timing. Use humans to connect, inspire, and influence.
   
   
2. It respects humans for the complex creatures they are.
   Shoppers aren't linear. They're layered. Vibe marketing accounts for emotion, impulse, and intuition.
   
   
3. It’s essential for authenticity and effectiveness.
   When content doesn’t feel authentic, shoppers scroll right past it. Vibe marketing stops the scroll.
   
   
4. It really is a vibe.
   When you get it right, people don’t just believe; they buy.

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