On October 16 and 17, 2025, the marketing world converged on Washington, D.C., and the research community, to explore and affirm a powerful new approach: Values-Driven Marketing (VDM). As the Marketing Innovation Summit unfolded at 14 Ridge Square Northwest, industry leaders, strategists, and researchers revealed how aligning brand messaging with consumers’ core values is not just a theory—it’s a measurable force driving advertising effectiveness, brand loyalty, and growth.
The summit, hosted by Brand Innovators, featured a packed schedule that reflected the urgency and energy of a rapidly evolving field. Opening remarks from Brandon Gutman, Andrew Rebhun (Chief Marketing and Experience Officer at CAVA), and Marc Sternberg set the tone for a day that would tackle everything from cultural resonance in branding to the future of creator marketing and the rising role of artificial intelligence in creative strategy.
But the real headline-grabber came the next day, when new research from WARC and Aletheia Marketing and Media, supported by LIONS Advisory, was released. According to the study, campaigns that match a consumer’s values—whether achievement, purpose, or tradition—consistently outperform those that don’t. The findings weren’t just theoretical: in a survey of 5,016 U.S. adults, participants responded to 27 AI-generated, unbranded ads across consumer packaged goods, quick-service restaurants, and financial services. The results were striking. Ads tailored to achievement scored 17 percentage points higher among people who identified with achievement values. Purpose-driven messaging in consumer goods and restaurants exceeded the average by 27 points. In the financial services sector, ads aligned with achievement and tradition values scored 28 and 8 points above average, respectively.
The numbers didn’t stop there. The research found that values-aligned messaging boosts ad likability and perceived relevance—by 2 to 18 points, depending on the value type. When marketers combined values-based targeting with demographic data, effectiveness for Purpose Types soared by up to 193%. It’s a leap that has many in the industry rethinking how they approach segmentation and creative development.
“Understanding the motivation behind audience behavior and finding ways to inspire action is critical,” said Imaad Ahmed, Principal Strategist at LIONS Advisory and Head of Advisory at WARC. “Alongside our partners at Aletheia, we have the evidence to show what a values-driven approach can offer and how to apply it in the real world across audiences, media, messaging and measurement. The opportunity is compelling.”
Alisa Miller, Chief AI Officer at Aletheia and Co-Founder of Pluralytics, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the human element behind the data. “The most effective marketing is built on deep human understanding. This research proves that when audiences are defined by their values and messaging is precisely aligned, ads perform significantly better. Values-Driven Marketing is emerging as a scalable, repeatable and performance-proven discipline for modern marketers in an era of Agentic AI.”
Chris Schembri, Founder and CEO of Aletheia, added, “We’ve spent years exploring how values shape marketing performance, and this research confirms what we’ve seen with our clients time and again: when brands connect with people around what truly matters to them, engagement deepens and conversions follow. Consistently delivering the right message to the right audience, grounded in authenticity and shared values—is what transforms marketing into a force for meaningful connection and growth.”
At the heart of this new approach are six key values: achievement, freedom, pleasure, purpose, security, and tradition. The study tested how ads aligned with these values influenced consumer preference, engagement, and responsiveness. The upshot? Values consistently predicted stronger ad performance and audience receptiveness—regardless of product category.
The summit’s sessions reflected this shift toward values and emotional resonance. In “Cultural Resonance: Building Brands People Feel,” CAVA’s Molly McKenna, Carey Polis, and Cay Young discussed how brands can create lasting emotional connections. Later panels tackled loyalty, creator marketing, and culinary trends, with CAVA’s Brett Schulman and Ted Xenohristos exploring how curiosity and cultural trends are reshaping the food industry. Jillian Gorman of Samsung Electronics America shared insights on consumer experience, while Gregg Molander of AARP explained how the organization is using experience to shift perception and spark connection.
The afternoon delved into the future: “Intelligent Advantage” saw Marnie Boyer (MyFitnessPal) and Mikey Centrella (PBS) examine how AI can drive creativity, agility, and growth. Liz Caselli-Mechael of World Central Kitchen offered lessons from disaster response, highlighting the power of storytelling in building brand trust and relevance in urgent situations.
But the research from WARC and Aletheia didn’t just validate the summit’s themes—it provided a model for action. The study introduced a framework combining behavioral science and artificial intelligence to help marketers operationalize VDM at scale. This model guides brands through audience intelligence, media targeting, messaging alignment, and impact measurement, answering the crucial questions: Who are we targeting? What do we want to stand for? How will we achieve our goals?
Jennifer Posnikoff, SVP of Global Brand Growth and Experience at Virgin, summed up the long-term impact: “If you get Values right, you build long-term brand equity while still delivering short-term performance.”
The research also cited data from Ipsos showing a dramatic rise in consumers choosing brands that reflect their personal values—from 53% in 2023 to 69% in 2024. This trend is reshaping how brands approach both impulse and considered purchases, with VDM proving effective across social and retail media channels.
As the summit wrapped up with a session on redefining the brand–creator relationship, the consensus was clear: the future of marketing belongs to brands that understand, respect, and reflect the values of their audiences. Whether through AI-powered insights or authentic storytelling, the goal is the same—to turn fleeting impressions into meaningful, lasting connections.
For marketers, the message is both a challenge and an invitation. In an age of information overload and shifting consumer loyalties, the brands that will thrive are those willing to do the hard work of listening—really listening—to what matters most to their customers. And as the latest research and summit discussions show, the payoff for getting it right is bigger than ever.
