Since its first edition in 1929, the Oscars have earned a special place in the hearts of millions of viewers around the world. But what makes this ceremony the biggest event in the film industry? And what can companies learn from him?

This year, Brazil is experiencing an unprecedented moment at the 2025 Oscars, with the filmI'm Still Herereceiving three nominations: Best Film, Best Actress (Fernanda Torres), and Best International Film. This achievement not only reinforces the significance of the event but also the power that recognition has in driving talent and highlighting unique stories. Let's understand the impact of the Oscars and how they can inspire corporate practices.

The Oscars: a celebration of talent and effort

The Oscar, officially known as the Academy Awards, goes far beyond an award ceremony. It represents a milestone for the film industry by celebrating talent, creativity, and innovation. By awarding actors, directors, screenwriters, and other professionals, the Oscars give more than golden statues: they provide validation, visibility, and motivation.

And why is this so important? Because public recognition has a transformative power. An actor who wins the Oscar not only sees their career boosted but also becomes a reference for millions of people. Similarly, a film that receives nominations begins to be watched by a much larger audience, generating cultural and financial impact.

This cycle of appreciation and awarding is a key element of the event's success. After all, who doesn't like to see effort being recognized?

Reconhecimento: o segredo para engajamento e motivação

If the Oscar proves anything, it is that recognition works as fuel for excellence. This does not only apply to the film industry; the impact of recognition is universal and can be observed in any context — including the corporate environment.

In companies,recognize the effort and talent of employeesIt is one of the most effective strategies to promote engagement and productivity. Studies show that professionals who feel valued have greater job satisfaction and stay longer in organizations. The effect is similar to what happens at the Oscars: recognition motivates, engages, and inspires.

Just as the Film Academy spends months evaluating and highlighting the best professionals, companies should create award systems that demonstrate appreciation for their employees. After all, who wouldn't want to feel like the "Oscar winner" within their own team?

Learning for companies: how to create an efficient reward system

Rewarding is an art that goes beyond delivering rewards. It is necessary to plan carefully so that the recognition has a real impact. Here are some lessons from the Oscars that can be applied to the corporate world

Transparency in the recognition process

At the Oscars, the nominations and evaluation criteria are widely debated and publicized. In the corporate environment, this means creating clear and fair systems where everyone knows how recognition is achieved.

Valuing diverse talents

The Oscars have been expanding their efforts torecognize talentsfrom different cultures and backgrounds, and companies should do the same. The actors themselves began to demand that more diversity be included in the awards. Diversity and inclusion enrich the team and strengthen results.

Personalized and meaningful awards

Just as the Oscars celebrate different categories, companies can customize their recognition programs. It's not just about financial rewards, but understanding what truly motivates each employee.

Frequent recognition, not just annual

Although the Oscars are an annual event, companies can adoptcontinuous recognition practices. This helps keep morale high throughout the year.

Incentive's role in transforming corporate recognition

A Incentive, national leader in corporate awards,understands the transformative power of recognition. With over 40 years of history, our mission is to ensure that companies of all sizes have access to the best award solutions, aligned with the needs of the modern world.

Recognition goes beyond giving a trophy or a bonus. It's about creating connections, strengthening relationships, and inspiring people. And that's exactly what we do at Incentive. From customized programs to digital tools that ensure transparency and efficiency, we offer everything companies need to value their employees.

Our experience shows that when recognition is well done, results appear: increased productivity, engagement, and talent retention. It's like winning a "corporate Oscar" every day.

Recognition is the key to success

The Oscar remains the biggest event in the film industry because it understands the value of recognition. He celebrates talents, tells stories, and creates memorable moments. And this same power can be harnessed by companies.

By valuing their employees, organizations not only strengthen their teams but also create a culture of success. Whether in the cinema or in the corporate environment, recognizing talents is a practice that transforms individuals and organizations.

As we celebrate Brazil's historic milestone with Fernanda Torres and the filmI'm Still HereAt the 2025 Oscars, take the opportunity to reflect on how you are recognizing the people around you. After all, every effort deserves a reward fitting of it.

The NRF 2025 Big Show, held in New York City, reaffirmed its importance as the leading global platform for discussing the trends and innovations shaping the worldwide retail industry. On January 12, 13, and 14, executives, CEOs, and industry leaders shared their strategies, challenges, and visions that are redefining the market. From the perspective of leadership in retail and franchising, I will explore, next, lessons and cases that stood out at the global event and lessons that can impact retail in the long term.

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be the driving force behind transformation in retail. Companies like Amazon and Walmart have demonstrated how AI is being used to revolutionize processes, improve customer experience, and optimize operations.

At Amazon, AI is integrated across various fronts, from the conversational shopping assistant Rufus, which responds to consumers' complex questions, to logistics enhanced by mobile robots and analysis systems that highlight the main pros and cons of products. At Walmart, partnerships with technology companies like NVIDIA are enabling the use of digital twins to forecast demand, optimize inventories, and even simulate store layouts. Efficiency is not only operational but also strategic, creating smarter and more connected stores.

This widespread use of AI positions the technology as essential to meeting growing demands for personalization, agility, and efficiency.

The NRF 2025 also made it clear that omnichannel is no longer an option, but a requirement for retailers who wish to remain competitive. Practical examples that reinforce this idea highlight the importance of integrated strategies focused on traffic to the physical store, which plays an increasingly central role in the customer experience with the product and in the relationship with the brand.

Two key insights into this are: hybrid stores,iIntegrating the physical and digital, where retailers offer a seamless experience that combines convenience and personalization; and social commerce, where platforms like TikTok and Instagram are increasingly relevant for driving sales and engagement, as demonstrated by Pacsun, which reported 10% of its digital sales originating from these platforms. This integration allows companies not only to meet customer expectations but also to surprise them with innovative and meaningful experiences.

Sustainability has emerged as one of the central topics of the event in recent years. This theme reflects a definitive change in consumer mindset. The new generations, especially Z and Alpha, prioritize brands that share their values, and this requires a complete restructuring of retail operations, such as waste reduction, where sustainable packaging, recycling initiatives, and reuse programs are at the core of brand strategies; and eco-friendly products, as the demand for local, organic items andplant-basedIt continuously grows, expanding the concept of conscious consumption beyond the food sector to include personal care and household items. In this sense, those who manage to combine sustainable practices with operational efficiency will be ahead of the market and can serve a niche that is only growing in retail.

Despite the growth of e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail is reinventing itself as a space for connection and experimentation. Even with AI and new technologies, direct contact with the customer, with personalized and humanized service, continues to be a competitive and relevant differentiator in the relationship between brand and consumer.

I bring two cases that stood out in this regard. At American Girl (Mattel), doll customization not only increases customer engagement but also raises the average ticket per visit. The brand invests heavily in the construction ofstorytellingon social media, attracting the younger generation and also awakening a sense of nostalgia in adult customers. At Foot Locker, investments in interactive technology and personalization for the female audience demonstrate how understanding the evolution of customer expectations can transform a business.

Physical stores now transcend the simple act of selling products, becoming points of contact that create unique and memorable experiences.

The NRF 2025 also addressed the economic and technological challenges faced by the sector, while highlighting promising opportunities. The challenges are a iinflation, technological disruption, and growing consumer expectations that increase pressure on retailers. Regarding opportunities, advanced personalization driven by data and AI, and social commerce offer new ways to engage and retain consumers.

The vision for the future

The retail of the future will be defined by the ability to balance technological innovation with meaningful human experiences. Personalization will be one of the main competitive differentiators, but it must be accompanied by an ethical and transparent approach to data use. Sustainability, innovation, and an unwavering focus on the customer will be at the center of successful strategies.

The importance of leadership within companies was also a highlight at the fair. Creating and maintaining a strong culture has become an industry imperative, focusing on developing this culture through people, communicating and disseminating clear purposes and values both inside and outside the companies.

Again, we realize how the greatplayersRetail stakeholders are aligned regarding the protagonism of people in the business strategy. In this sense, service, customer experience, training, and behavior are words that are repeated in different contexts.

NRF 2025 demonstrated that the retail industry is constantly evolving, and only those who embrace change with creativity, resilience and purpose will thrive in an increasingly dynamic industry.

We are at the beginning of a new year, a moment when we traditionally set goals and establish objectives that will guide the company's path throughout the year. However, those who think that simply putting the first "big idea" that comes to mind will be enough are mistaken. On the contrary, to do this correctly, it is necessary to evaluate the company's history, starting with the 2024 balance sheet.

I know that saying this may seem a bit obvious, but many companies still do not carry out this process. There are some managers who believe they should wipe the slate clean of the previous year as soon as the recess ends and the real work begins. Well, based on my experience, unless it is a new organization in the market, it makes no sense at all to pretend that nothing happened before.

You must be wondering: why? The answer is simple: starting everything "from scratch," ignoring the existence of prior work, destroys all chances of your business thriving. After all, even if you give up on it and start another company, change fields, or want to do the same work differently, you need to understand the past to get the present right and ensure a better future.

In this regard, the recommended approach would be to have a document containing the data with the previous year's balance, in order to understand the current situation of your company, identifying mistakes and successes, as well as knowing where it is doing well and where it needs improvement. Without that, it's hard to know where to go. And as the laughing cat would say in the classic storyAlice in Wonderland, if you don't know where to go, any path will do.

However, be aware that 'any path' is not a good option when we have a business we want to grow, especially with employees who depend on us and the job. Therefore, using OKRs – Objectives and Key Results – can be a great solution to determine the best course of action at the moment, both for the year and especially for the next three months.

Yes, three months is an ideal amount of time; after all, a year nowadays seems like a decade, and OKRs help us a lot to work better with shorter cycles. In this way, it will be possible to correct what went wrong, if necessary, by starting to work based on results. And once you set the goals and establish the objectives – short, medium, and long term – to achieve these expected results, it will be easier to determine which path you should follow.

And remember: it's okay to admit that the chosen path wasn't the best or that it wasn't what you expected; these things can happen and are more common than you might think. It is always possible to recalculate the route and take a new direction. We can make mistakes, but as long as they are new mistakes.