Culture Talk(s):Your Weekly Hit of What’s Shaping Brands, Creators, and Culture
Rhode has done what Rhode does best and IMMEDIATELY attached itself to the Love Story moment. Maura is getting her bag in more ways than one and Timothee Chalamet has been a very bad boy.
McDonald’s CEO Burger Meme
We all saw it. The horror movie of the McDonald’s CEO eating the burger. Potentially one of the creepiest things I have seen after Brian XX walking *that* show at Fashion Week. The internet responded in the way the internet should. So, as any company worth their salt knows what to do ( we see you GWYNETH ) they responded with humour. In McDonald’s case it was a meme. McDonald’s brand identity is strong already, it did not need to ‘protect’ itself from backlash, however by leaning into the awkwardness of the video they inevitably brought more attention to their new burger than any other marketing would have done. Maybe some cynics, myself included, wonder if this video was intentionally cringe, just to generate a media response far greater than any traditional campaign? The only person hurt is the CEO, and I’m sure he’s fine.
Elf x Maura
Maura Higgins, who now owns a Birkin Bag, has teamed up with Elf Cosmetics in her ‘faithful to Elf’ campaign. Maura, who came second in Celebrity Traitors to Rob Rausch, is a perfect counterpart to Rob’s recent Mac x Rob Rausch campaign. This one is a masterclass in reactive cultural marketing. What really elevated it was the brand war that followed. MAC hit back in the comments saying “Oh baby, we paid for that Birkin…” and Elf responded by referencing Maura’s role on The Traitors, calling it something “a Traitor would comment.” Strategically, Elf is the challenger brand here, and positioning itself as the scrappy, witty underdog going up against a legacy player like MAC fits its brand identity perfectly. Maura is the perfect vehicle: she’s got crossover appeal across the UK, Ireland, and the US, she’s mid-peak culturally after The Traitors, and her persona - bold, unapologetic, a little chaotic - suits Elf’s tone far better than MAC’s more polished aesthetic.
Robyn X Acne
This is a rarer and more considered kind of partnership - one built over years rather than manufactured for a moment. Robyn and Acne Studios Creative Director Jonny Johansson describe a long-running creative friendship: they hadn’t even seen each other’s latest work when the campaign came together, yet both were independently exploring the same theme - questioning and celebrating the classic idea of female identity. Strategically, it’s brilliant timing: the campaign dropped just weeks before the release of her ninth studio album Sexistential and a major world tour announcement meaning Acne Studios gets to ride one of the most anticipated cultural returns of the year. Both brands amplify each other - Robyn’s credibility lends Acne Studios emotional depth, while Acne’s visual authority gives the album rollout a fashion-world stamp of cool.
Sarah Pidgeon x Rhode
Rhode has always been good at identifying exactly the right cultural moment to attach itself to, and this is no exception. Both Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and Sarah Pidgeon have been trending on TikTok, celebrated for their shared effortless elegance and understated beauty - making the casting feel less like a brand decision and more like an obvious inevitability.Rhode gets to be the brand that introduces her to that world, which carries real cultural cachet.The character, the talent, and the product are all pulling in the same direction.
OLIVIA’S OPINION
Oh lil Timmy Tim. How far you have fallen. You were our blue eyed boy, and you went and ruined it by saying you think ballet and the opera are pointless. How foolish, and the internet, as well as brands, have made sure you know. Reformation sent an email out with the headline ‘Outfits you can wear to the Ballet and the Opera.’ Just one example of brands adopting cultural moments to align with their personal agenda. Here are some of my favourite responses to Timothee’s big slip….
George’s POV
REFY just opened a community hotline. 📞
Not for customer service. For product development. They’re asking their community to call in and share their complexion pain points. What they’re using. What isn’t working. What their dream product looks and feels like. And they might feature your voice in the campaign.
💡 This is smart on multiple levels.
Every product development meeting at REFY starts with community feedback. Real people testing samples. Honest reactions shaping the brief. They don’t bring a product to market unless it’s been validated by the people it’s built for. The hotline takes that process and turns it into a campaign moment.
Here’s why this matters strategically:
👉 It creates emotional investment before the product even exists. When you’ve called a brand and told them what you want, you’re now waiting for them to deliver on your words
👉 It generates raw, authentic audio content. Real frustration. Real language. Real desire. That’s campaign gold
👉 It reframes product development as participatory storytelling. The audience is part of the origin story.
REFY has been doing this for years. The Mallorca trip that brought loyal customers (not influencers) into the brand world.The REFY Project that shade-matched over 800 real people across LA, New York, Miami and London for their concealer launch. The “Iconic Never Gets Old” campaign that centred older women as protagonists.
Every move reinforces the same idea. Community shapes the brand. The brand amplifies the community. Most beauty brands treat community as a distribution channel. REFY treats it as the creative engine.
A voicemail hotline is lo-fi. Almost retro. That’s the point. In an era of AI-generated content and polished brand films, a phone call feels disarmingly human.
The smartest campaigns in 2026 won’t look like campaigns at all.
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