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MIXED MEDIA AND COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
FOR UNIQUE PORTFOLIOS

Jack Pierce 
Mixed Media Brand Creative

Resetting the Pace: Hospitality Marketing, Branding & Industry Reflections 2025

  • Writer: Jack Pierce
    Jack Pierce
  • Jul 20
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jul 21

As seasonal contracts shift, I’ve stepped back to focus on something a little more long-form for the upcoming season. This time has given me the headspace to recognise the landscape, hear the exchanges, notice what’s changing and what’s being overlooked by the public eye.


If you’ve noticed an eerie sense of uncertainty or disconnectedness, you’re not alone. Here are five industry reflections that have helped me reset and stay true in times of uncertainty and challenge.


When Credit Goes Missing, Integrity Matters Most:


As social media features become the new format for recognition, a recent study featured in the Frontiers in Psychology highlights the impact of credit misattribution, revealing that 60% of participants reported a significant drop in motivation when achievements go unacknowledged. Where many just want to succeed, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of perceived unfairness. While not every moment is visible, its value still matters.


As I reconnect with past work, that happens behind the scenes before the brand spotlight switches on and influencers pick up the reins. I soon realised that you have to enjoy your contribution with full love and integrity.


Recognition goes beyond public visibility. Whether it’s research, creative strategy, design or brand management, if you’re a quiet force, stay committed. The values you hold will outlast any surface-level narrative.


Hospitality is in private splitting:

Only together can we fix it. Behind the polished posts, bar awards, and Christmas campaigns, another story is quietly fermenting. Senior leaders are shifting roles, major players face legal scrutiny over toxic workplace culture, and more than 84,000 jobs have been lost.


This isn’t fear-mongering, nor an attempt to tear things down. Positive change is possible, but only if we acknowledge where the fractures are.


It’s a call for more honest, grounded conversations about what’s no longer working. If we’re serious about rebuilding a more resilient and relevant hospitality sector, we need to move away from outdated systems and towards agile inclusion, modern brand experiences and healthier working environments.


While festive campaigns may offer temporary relief, long-term recovery demands more than nostalgia and quick wins. What’s needed now is a shift in mindset: one rooted in honesty, collaboration, and community-led impact.


After all, we can’t start a new sector if we spend too many days in the sunshine.


Technology is changing brand delivery:

From AI-powered services to virtual shopping and swayed creative campaigns, technology is reshaping how we design and deliver our brand experiences. But with innovation comes risk, especially when it relates to brand quality, authenticity and the use of intellectual property.


Dealing with the risk of innovation driven by tech isn’t about keeping up with modernisation or replacing people; The future of hospitality will depend on technology thoughtfully, not just to keep pace, but to lead with purpose and preserve the human touch that makes brands meaningful.


Introverted Creatives have more potential than ever:

In a world flooded with volume, visibility and viral videos, neurodivergent thinkers are finally getting noticed. Not as a social phenomenon or hashtag. But as the future of authentic, strategic creativity and cognitive well-being.


Yes, the words ADHD and Autism are often thrown around as buzzwords, used carelessly at times. But behind the filters, it's something far deeper. For me, it's been both a blessing and a challenge, ultimately shaping how I think, process and see what could be a very unique and free world. Beyond me are great minds reimagining brand storytelling, reshaping consumer connection, and designing with intention, yet many go undiscovered and unnoticed.


When inclusion becomes more than a box to tick, everything changes. Teams grow stronger. Brands go deeper. Culture gets real. In a system that’s designed to crave meaning over titles, duties and general office noise, quiet minds are building the loudest legacies. HR teams need support to help create a new space and one that might just be the way out of this.


Teams grow stronger. Brands go deeper. Culture gets real. In a system that’s designed to crave meaning over noise, quiet minds are building the loudest legacies. HR teams need support to help create a new space and one that might just be the way out of this.


Botanicals are once again booming:

From CBD cocktails and adaptogens to kombucha-led menus, the rise of botanicals in the drinks sector is no longer niche; it’s mainstream. What was once boxed into niche wellness is now being openly talked about.


Consumers are actively seeking out clean-label, mood-enhancing options that align with new lifestyle rituals, balancing pleasure with purpose and flavour with function. Opposed to leading brands and luxury items.


As hidden pastures are revealed, the beverage landscape is quietly shifting, where ancient ingredients, science, and legislation are intersecting. The boundaries between indulgence and intention are being challenged, but unmistakably, by those willing to rethink what flavour, function, and lifestyle mean.


So, as we set to navigate the second half of the 2025 season, the tides are shifting and fast, from new leadership, market challenges, property developments, to conversations around inclusion. There is a change coming and one that might forever change the hospitality trajectory.


The coming months will demand resilience, creativity and a wholesome kind of collaboration like never before. Leaders and teams alike will need to engage in open dialogue, challenge legacy structures and commit to meaningful transformation, not just to survive, but to build a sector that is more relevant, equitable, and vibrant for years to come.


Whether you’re navigating this change, returning to the office after Heaton Park, or starting your summer break, sometimes the quiet reflections are the most important. If you liked this piece or found it helpful for your projects, please like and share it with your network!


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