New Incubation Ventures的动态

The way young generations interact with brands is evolving..and fast! ?? Gen Z and other emerging generations such as Gen Alpha are more critical and savvy than ever, so how do brands stay relevant? Our CEO Jay Richards was welcomed to Golden Drum International Festival of Creativity and spoke about mitigating the risks of being cancelled in an age where social media can be hard to navigate. ?? Attendees learned how to avoid these pitfalls and gained the tools to connect meaningfully with the next generation of consumers. Golden Drum International Festival of Creativity brings together creative, marketing and advertising professional communities in Europe to celebrate the ideas, creative teams and individuals within the industry. #GenZ #GenAlpha #Insights #Brands #Business #SocialMedia

Loved talking culture, trends and creators yesterday at SXSW Sydney. From the success of niche creators building communities on Instagram, we see that culture has fragmented into communities and subcultures that thrive, and social trends form from these communities. Brands that really know their audience well, understand which of these communities they can genuinely play in, to be part of the conversation. Often for brands, playing with micro-trends that come and go can be fun, but it can be better to plan strategically for macro trends - These can be themes (Summer, Oympics) or types of content like the IG photo-dump. This is one of the strengths of Instagram, the different surfaces lend themselves to content trends that stick. As the creator economy continues to grow, estimated to double in value to $480 billion by 2027, creators are driving culture. We've seen the transition from influencers to creators, and now creators are becoming media channels themselves, creating their own sell-out brands - @brideydrake, @kat_clark_ - as well as innovating with content shows that we would have seen in the past on linear TV @jimmyrees (Jimmy's State of Mind). Creators are able to tap into cultural moments and trends quickly, and they have an innate understanding of their audience. With over 3.5 billion reels shared every single day on Instagram, the power of their content is immense.

Culture has become such a ubiquitous term in marketing that it is in danger of losing its relevance. Yet the truth is so many brands and agencies are clustering around culture because cultural relevance is so vital to grabbing the most finite of resources: consumer attention. Gregory Jones, European CEO of Smarts, believes it is vital to take a more nuanced approach to culture. He believes brands chasing flash-in-the-pan moments face challenges, and to us, that’s not how you build a lasting presence in culture. “To build that long-standing presence, brands need something that we call ‘cultural endurance’." Read the full interview via the Creativebrief platform: https://lnkd.in/ewJamBVF

From AMC Theatres X Nicole Kidman to the TikTok Rizz Party X Marc Jacobs, Gen Z loves a good collab… which is why I am SO thrilled to announce the latest Gen Z-approved collaboration, the USC Annenberg X ACC Think Tank coming at you live with our inaugural report “Unveiling Gen Z: What They Want You to Know in Their Own Words.” Born of a months-long research initiative between ACC and USC Annenberg, this report delves deep into the unique social dynamics that shape Gen Z consumer behavior, covering four hot topics Gen Z wants your brand to know more about: (1) how they're embracing multiple identities beyond traditional markers (2) the crucial role of humor (both intended and unintended) in cultivating brand engagement (3) how they're expanding the concept of the "third place" (4) the influence of social currency on how they spend their $$$ currency Check out the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gHpVyJgD This work is brought to you by Cool Boss? Monica Chun, Michael Nyman, Professor Matthew Le Veque, me, work besty Antonia Abramowitz, and 14 insanely talented USC Annenberg graduate students—some freshly graduated and on the job market! HIRE THEM!! (Matthew Calma, Samantha Carpintero, Fernando Cienfuegos, Hien Dong, Victoria Fetzer, Midori Jenkins, Andre Kar, Michael Kittilson, Arantxa Landa, Paola Nieto, Mary-Kathryn R., Amrita Sundaresan, Rafiq Taylor, Grayson Wolff)

After reading?The Weekly Echo Chamber?by Dazed Studio I felt a strong connection to thoughts I've been having lately about how often brands talk about "tapping into culture" as if it's just the latest playbook—a trendy term to follow (much like "elevated," the buzzword of 2024). But "culture" is so much more; it's the heart of how we connect and what we value. For me, culture is about the shared experiences and values that shape how we see the world—whether it’s deep-fried memes, demure words, a new hit song, or films. It’s not something brands can simply “adopt” without depth (people notice!)—it requires genuine understanding, respect, and true participation. Some brands mentioned in the newsletter, like SSENSE, stand out because they clearly aren’t just ruled by metrics. They join conversations quickly and in ways that genuinely make sense (had to use this word??). With the rise of algorithm-driven tastes, I see this not as a threat but as an opportunity for brands to truly break through by listening and engaging meaningfully. In the end,?"cultural relevance is the new currency."?Is your brand rich? Which other brands do you think they contribute to the conversation in ways that feel authentic?

Connecting brands to the culture and brands being a pivotal part of the culture is not new. What's changed now is that culture -as we know it- is everywhere, even in TikTok dances (see Apple dance, its creator is not annonymous like in meme culture, instead she is credited and she was invited to a Charli XCX show). To be a cultural platform is to act as a connector, as Supreme did with skate culture, or Adidas with hip hop music, entering the scene completely, giving the budget to the creators, inviting them in to test and create the product, and not as a 1 year branding strategy. SSENSE works because it acts as media (see MTV, Buzzfeed, Vice, PopCrave), and what you get is a pop magazine tone of voice that amplifies a variety of other brands. Trying to make a brand become part of the culture only through social media memes has a quick expiry date, and it feels disingenuous and forced - that's why I don't think only creating Barbie or Brat themed posts works, even in the era of "supercontent" - what works is creating a universe of your own, like Loewe does. Not with a brand territory between other 6 or 7 brand territories, but by having a characteristic subculture be your only focus. Not hiring big brand ambassadors for their name, but hiring a varied community that could be in an afterparty together, as Mugler did. Real brand positioning takes moving the brands' product, way of thinking and way of investing.

In today's polarized world, brands are more cautious than ever, often shying away from controversy to avoid backlash. With culture wars brewing around every issue, the media landscape is becoming more homogenized, as brands pull back from content that might provoke debate. This shift may protect corporate reputations, but it's stifling creativity and silencing meaningful conversations. Is it time for brands to balance caution with courage? Read here - https://lnkd.in/gg5QWhUx #Media #Inclusivity #Creativity #UKMarketing

As brands build partnerships to enter new markets, they need a strong understanding of the cultural map of a given audience. Learn why valuing creator expertise is key to unlocking the full potential of collaborations. #CreatorEconomy

It's day four at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and this year, there are more creators at Cannes Lions than ever before. How are top-performing brands leveraging and investing in creator partnerships in today's marketing landscape? ???? Read the Deloitte report to gain insights from a new study by our CMO Program! https://bit.ly/3tyQ7RB

"As consumers, we're inundated with more noise than ever before. And so, as a brand, a key way that we can stand out is through creativity—but it has to come through in a way that feels authentic to us and to our audience," shares Katie (Risch) McAdams on why creativity is vital for good business. Check out more via Ad Age by MediaLink.