Community has become such a throwaway phrase, and just another check box for marketers. It is well to remember that the real roots of retail were at the local level, delivering necessary services to discrete communities and being deeply entwined in their economic health. The online retailer, 4th Ave Market recalls exactly that dynamic, and takes its name from an historic business section in Birmingham, Alabama. It's the largest Black-owned online beauty and haircare retailer in the US. It's grounded in a long tradition of Black-owned businesses, not only serving their communities, but empowering them and working cooperatively to build …

LEGOLAND Florida will be the first theme park resort destination to become a Certified Autism Center (CAC). Marketers and employers have only begun to recognize cognitive diversity. But as Kelly Hornick, Director of Marketing and Communications for LEGOLAND tells Brand Insider this week, focusing on niche constituencies is not just about serving oft-overlooked customers. These kinds of outreach have a multiplier effect far outside the initial target.

Gaming is as huge as it has been hard for marketers to crack. Advertising traditionally is all about interruption and distraction, but players engage their favorite shooter or tile-match app specifically to avoid distraction, to immerse their senses, to focus attention. PepsiCo is among the true pioneers marketing into this space. Paul Mascali, who leads that effort, tells Brand Insider this week that enhancing gameplay, not distracting from it, remains the simple rule of marketing into game experiences. The goal is not just to be in the game, but to think like a game designer.

Walgreens is fundamentally changing its relationship to the people it serves. The prescription customer has become the healthcare patient, and Walgreens has had to marshal its data and communications to craft personalized interactions with a massive base, who have often been invisible to the healthcare economy. At MediaPost's Pharma and Health Insider Summit last month, we explored with Walgreens-Boots Alliance's VP of Customer Experience Fauzia Somani how the company is making this transition from pharmacist to healthcare provider.