exploring the Powerful Partnerships Shaping Culture Vol. 13
Cash App unveils its first-ever celebrity marketing effort with actor Timothée Chalamet.Cash App’s campaign does something trickier by selling cultural relevance without pandering. Handing the reins to Timothée Chalamet and letting the surreal do the talking allowed the brand to avoid the usual trap of feeling out of touch.Just a weird, funny story with a sharp point: staying stuck in the past won’t protect your values... it just keeps you broke. That’s not just cool for a financial brand, it's also rare.
Polaroid’s new campaign — embracing the analog and a soft rebellion against digital overload. "The Camera for an Analog Life" campaign - to launch Polaroid’s newest camera, Flip - directly tackles digital exhaustion and offers a fresh antidote to digital overload. Polaroid is making a bold statement in a smartphone-saturated world with a disruptive creative designed to make people stop, reflect, and put down their phones. Combining Polaroid photos that capture the beauty of real life, with provocative copy lines including, “No one on their deathbed ever said: I wish I’d spent more time on my phone.” and “Real stories. Not stories & reels.”
Polaroid reminds us of the importance of connection and living in the moment.
Peachy Den just levelled up 🤝 Not just another campaign. Not just another content collab.This is “A Match Made in London”.A full-circle collection co-created with the inimitable Amelia Dimoldenberg. Last season, it was Olivia Neill in a glossy, Devil Wears Prada-inspired short film. This time? It’s something deeper. We’re witnessing a shift from influencer-led storytelling to true creative partnership.Because this is where culture’s heading. Creators aren’t just the face of the brand. They’re co-architects of it.Welcome to the new era of creator collabs. Content isn’t just a marketing layer, it’s embedded in the design process.
Refy’s valet campaign is a masterclass in what it means to put your community first, brands take note. The campaign centers on visiting members of the brand’s real-life community and hand-delivering their favorite products, with the goal of making customers feel genuinely seen and valued. Memorable touchpoints strengthen community, drive authentic engagement, and amplify word-of-mouth reach. Refy has quickly become a standout in the beauty industry due to its highly personal, community-driven strategy that goes far beyond traditional marketing.
Creative studio Koto has partnered with leading travel platform Tripadvisor for a major rebrand. Coinciding with a repositioning of the company’s focus – from ‘travel guide pioneer’ to ‘global planning and booking powerhouse’ – this new brand plans to future-proof Tripadvisor as it forges ahead. With over a billion reviews and counting, Tripadvisor isn’t just a platform for travel — it’s built by travellers, for travellers. This rebrand captures that energy, that curiosity, and that wisdom you can only get from people who’ve been there.
So how did TripAdvisor itself announce the new owl? Why, by tapping into the Kardashians' trend for revealing exactly what surgery they've had undertaken on their faces. Just like the models themselves, TripAdvisor has taken to Instagram to list a series of 'treatments' including rhinoplasty, lip filler and buccal fat removal to explain Ollie the owl's new, fuller face. With Tripadvisor, authenticity is a promise.
Country roots meet high-shine glam in Pantene’s bold new campaign, Fixins for Country Fried Hair, featuring none other than Country Music Star Kelsea Ballerini. It’s a match made in hair heaven: a chart-topping country star known for her fearless style and a brand built on bringing damaged hair back to life. Add in a nationwide tour with a “Fixins Truck” serving up free samples, pro styling tips, and retro diner vibes, and you’ve got a campaign that hits every note—from authenticity to experience. It’s smart, it’s playful, and most of all, it’s rooted in real hair needs.