🤍🧡💛 | Q4 2026: Candy Corn, Creators & Capital
Source: Agency H5 & Brach’s
It’s been a busy stretch at Channel M, working across growth-stage challengers and enterprise brands.
Here’s a quick look at some of the work and what it delivered:
Earned media and cultural moments. For Brach’s, an “Ode to Candy Corn” fragrance became one of the season’s most talked-about launches. It earned 4.5 BILLION impressions and 1,350+ placements in a few weeks, including People, USA Today, Fast Company, CNN and the TODAY Show.
Creator-led performance. For AAA, creators drove 300K+ new Roadside members at 26% lower cost per member. College Ave cut cost per loan approval 39%. Yerba Madre grew sales 34% YoY with creators as its only paid media.
Data-driven PR. We more than doubled how often Indeed Hiring Lab’s data and economists were featured as the sole expert in stories. When the US jobs report was delayed, we positioned Indeed in mainstream media as a go-to thought leader on the US economy.
Social commerce. Ortho became the fastest-growing Home & Garden launch on TikTok Shop. Lyrically Correct built a 3,300-creator affiliate program driving $645K in sales.
Performance media and AI search. ReserveBar more than doubled ROAS over Black Friday–Cyber Monday on 72% less spend. Wait till you see what’s in store for 2026! Grand Hyatt grew direct-booking revenue 168%. On AI search, one brand went from 22 to 336 mentions in AI answers in under ten months.
Integrated growth. Splash Financial cut cost per conversion 58% and lifted applications 90%. Bartesian hit #1 in its Amazon category with no ad budget.
Brand collaborations and launches. Chime and Milk Bar teamed up on the Get That Dough Cone, a cookie dough treat topped with edible 24k gold, which Chime members could get for $5 instead of $12. BuzzBallz launched BuzzBagz, a line of cocktail-inspired handbags, around New York Fashion Week. Trolli rolled out Electric Blueberry Lemonade, a new flavor in its viral Gummi Pop line.
Brand strategy. The belief-led approach behind Jersey Mike’s growth from 600 to 2,200 stores is helping today’s challengers find the one idea that runs the whole business. And now, multiple franchisee brands are capitalizing on this proven growth model.
Reputation. A major North American airport raised its reputation score 40% in three months, and its CEO’s by 70%.
Flexible talent. Mielle Organics has run six creative disciplines through one fractional team for years without adding headcount. Today, nearly a dozen top-tier marketing agencies use the same model to deliver faster, better and more cost-effective work.
Trade and market access. For the USDA’s first Indigenous agribusiness trade mission to Canada, we set up 130 buyer meetings, generating nearly $1.1M in projected first-year sales for tribal food producers.
Creative Production. In ‘25, our client went to Flavortown to shoot the a Guy Fierie x Bark collab. It launched year it launched, and it made People Magazine. The work was so well received, they were invited us for a Santo Spirit tequila shoot.
Capital. We’ve made investor introductions behind raises from $500K to $70M+, from early-stage consumer brands to a fast-growing health tech company. We’re actively connecting brands with the right capital partners.
Channel M has also been hired by multiple brands to build their brand-to-brand partnerships. The insight: You can’t simply spend your way to growth anymore, and brands are realizing that aligning with partners who share their ethos is a real competitive advantage. We lead that work for our clients, from engaging and qualifying to vetting the strategic partners they’ve identified.
Lastly, our roster is always evolving. We’ve invested in the team itself: new talent, AI systems and an expanding group of partners. If you’re curious how we can help your brand, let’s connect.
If you celebrate, Happy Halloween. 🎃
