exploring the Powerful Partnerships Shaping Culture Vol. 15
From Burberry’s viral collaboration with TikTok’s Auntie Bemi, to OH POLLY’s immersive e-comm redesign, Depop’s “Depopamine” OOH takeover, and Taylor Swift’s album launch that brands couldn’t resist hijacking, we spotlight how creativity, cultural relevance, and digital storytelling are redefining brand strategy. With ITSU’s viral nostalgia play and Google Pixel’s creator-led camera campaign, these case studies prove one thing: culture-first marketing is the new brand currency.
Burberry X Auntie Bemi - Back to the City
Burberry has been on a roll with its recent campaigns. From the effortlessly sleek swimwear launch to the nostalgia-driven festival edit, the heritage house has been steadily reclaiming its crown—something last quarter’s Lyst Index results made crystal clear.
But the brand isn’t slowing down. Its latest move might just be the boldest yet: a collaboration with TikTok star “Bus Aunty,” better known as Bemi Orojuogun. For the new Back to the City campaign, Burberry taps into Orojuogun’s viral format—her signature bus-stop poses in front of London’s iconic double-deckers—recasting the city itself as the ultimate runway. Joined by a new wave of models, she brings Burberry’s vision to life in a celebration of London’s energy, diversity, and cultural pulse.
OH POLLY transformed their website into an interactive playground. Each product listing comes alive through videos that interact with each other across the site. The effect is more than just visually striking. It feels original, engaging, and distinct in a crowded market. It shows how creativity and user experience can work together to elevate a brand. It is online shopping that finally feels like an experience.
Depop launches the Depopamine campaign
The campaign, spanning OOH, Instagram, and YouTube, aims to engage digital communities and urban lifestyles. Titled “Depopamine,” the campaign uses close-ups of eyes, mouths, and goosebumps to capture that discovery moment.
Murals and targeted city placements tie into Depop’s wider advertising strategy to make circular fashion more desirable. On one side, it showcases vibrant, multisensory visuals that highlight the aesthetics of second-hand fashion and the culture of one-of-a-kind finds; on the other, the tagline “found it on Depop” reinforces the direct link between the brand and the thrill of discovery.
Taylor Swift and the Album Launch That Ignited Brands
Taylor Swift has pulled off a marketing masterclass, one which shows to what extent she’s not just a great pop star - she's a savvy entrepreneur.The announcement of her newest album sparked a cultural earthquake. Within hours, companies like Burger King, United Airlines, and even McLaren created content to ride the wave, even the Empire State turned Orange. This is a prime example of flawless brand riding: aligning a product with an already viral pop phenomenon, gaining visibility and relevance in an emotionally charged context that everyone is talking about.
ITSU Brand Marketing Campaigns
The East Asian-inspired fast food chain has recently flipped the social media script, embracing two of the internet’s most wonderfully bizarre characters, Ronnie Pickering and the Wealdstone Raider, and turning them into TikTok gold. That choice was deliberate.
They tapped into cultural memory people already share, reframed it through the brand so it felt seamless, and harnessed recognition to spark instant salience. The result was advertising that felt scrappy, raw, and chaotic, just like the viral clips it referenced. It did not register as advertising; it registered as culture resurfacing.
These aren’t just nostalgic moments, Jack Colchester of Block Report, the agency behind these campaigns argues, they live in the collective memory of the internet and that’s precisely what makes them so powerful.
Google Pixel has teamed up with some of our favourite creators, creating a campaign that celebrates standing out. Nikki Lilly, Felicity Hayward, Jayde Pierce, Maz Ullah, Amber Davies, Dami Hope to name a few in this stellar lineup, highlight the phone’s ‘stand out’ feature: Its camera. The campaign is high paced, youthful and very much in its own lane. Whilst its competitors focus on hardware and design, Google Pixel knows what we want - the best camera to take selfies with... And who better to showcase this than the best Creators in the business. It’s making us want to have one..