Guinness Returns to the Shirt, Carhartt Shapes Political Cool & Media Tests Its Limits: 09 February 2026

Welcome to the next edition of On The Record, thoughtful analysis on culture, entertainment, tech, fashion, music, sport, and brands. Here’s a round-up of key conversations and campaigns that caught my attention this week.

This week examines how credibility is being actively managed across brands, politics and media. From heritage sponsors re-entering women’s football and fashion codes shaping political authority, to newsrooms navigating legal risk, protest coverage and selective silence, visibility is no longer neutral. The common thread is control: who earns trust, who sets the terms, and what happens when attention becomes conditional rather than guaranteed.

🏟️ Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl was joyful... and a positioning statement.

When Bad Bunny took over the Super Bowl LX halftime show, the spectacle landed squarely at the fault line of US culture, politics and identity.

On the surface, it was joyful, cinematic and celebratory. Beneath that, it was quietly radical.

Performed largely in Spanish, the show arrived amid an aggressive immigration crackdown under Donald Trump’s second administration, with ICE operations dominating headlines and Latino communities living under heightened fear. Against that backdrop, Bad Bunny didn’t protest loudly. He danced.

Joy as resistance

The performance unfolded as a living portrait of Puerto Rican life: sugar-cane fields, jíbaros in pava hats, La Casita, bodegas, domino tables, barber shops, weddings, children asleep mid-party, and workers climbing utility poles during “El Apagón”.

Crucially, the neighbourhood wasn’t a prop. The food stalls, shops and stands on stage represented real vendors and real small businesses, the kind that anchor Puerto Rican communities on the island and across the diaspora. This wasn’t aesthetic borrowing. It was economic visibility.

Live brass, plena percussion and salsa bled into reggaeton and dembow, foregrounding heritage rather than flattening it for mass consumption. Puerto Rican music wasn’t inspiration. It was infrastructure.

This wasn’t accidental. As scholars have noted, Puerto Rican music has long operated as resistance through joy, where protest songs double as party songs. In that tradition, celebration itself becomes political.

Every detail carried meaning

Nothing in the show was decorative.

The opening fields referenced sugarcane labour and rural Puerto Rico.
Traditional instruments (panderos, cuatro, güiro, maracas) asserted Taíno, African and Spanish musical lineage.
La Casita recreated a marquesina party, centring community over celebrity.
The real wedding wasn’t symbolism. A couple legally married on stage, with Bad Bunny as witness.
The Grammy moment, where a child held Bad Bunny’s Album of the Year trophy, reframed aspiration and belonging at a time when Latino children are being detained rather than celebrated.
White plastic chairs, lifted from the cover of Debí Tirar Más Fotos, elevated everyday objects into cultural artefacts.
Power lines exploding during “El Apagón” referenced Puerto Rico’s ongoing infrastructure crisis, post-Hurricane Maria neglect, corruption and displacement.
The light blue Puerto Rican flag, associated with the independence movement, recalled a time when displaying it was illegal under the 1948 Gag Law.

This was choreography as history lesson.

The guest list told a story

The cameos weren’t random flexes.

Ricky Martin represented lineage, the early crossover that made this moment possible.
Cardi B and Karol G anchored the present and future of Latin pop.
Lady Gaga was the most strategic signal of all, a mainstream cultural endorsement that didn’t recentre the narrative.
Cameos from figures like Pedro Pascal widened familiarity without shifting authorship.

This was coalition-building, not crowd-pleasing.

Why language mattered

To sing in Spanish on the Super Bowl stage is not technically controversial. Culturally, in Trump’s America, it is loaded.

Guardian reporting made clear that speaking Spanish in public has increasingly become a provocation, sometimes even a risk, for Latino communities. In that context, an all-Spanish or mostly Spanish halftime show becomes an act of visibility. Not defiance, but insistence.

Bad Bunny has been explicit elsewhere, declaring “ICE out” at the Grammys just a week earlier. At halftime, he chose something more powerful than slogans: normalisation. Spanish wasn’t framed as foreign. It simply was.

The ending said everything

The show closed with Bad Bunny holding a football stamped:

“Together, We Are America.”

He spoke his only English words, “God bless America,” then named countries across Latin America before ending with the USA, Canada, and finally Puerto Rico. His final words in Spanish: “We’re still here.”

Not America as exclusion. America as hemisphere. America as shared.

Why this matters for brands and culture

This wasn’t culture-war baiting. It was culture setting.

Joy can be a political language.
Representation works best when it’s structural, not symbolic.
You don’t need to dilute culture to reach mass audiences.
Global relevance now comes from specificity, not neutrality.

Bad Bunny didn’t ask for permission to belong on the Super Bowl stage. He redefined what that stage could hold.

In a moment where MAGA outrage tried to frame the show as un-American, the performance quietly made the opposite case.

Not by arguing. By dancing.

🇺🇸 Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” Failed to Land

Positioned as culture-war counterprogramming to Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl LX halftime show, Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” ultimately landed as a flop, failing to generate meaningful cultural impact or momentum beyond its own ideological bubble.

Headlined by Kid Rock, the livestream featured MAGA-aligned country artists and framed itself around “faith, family and freedom”. Despite heavy promotion from conservative figures, coverage described the event as flat, inward-facing and notably low-energy, especially when contrasted with the scale, production value and global reach of the official halftime show.

Further undercutting the narrative of organic support, screenshots circulated widely on social media during and after the broadcast showing alleged paid-attendance listings on Craigslist, offering cash for people to appear at a live political media event on Super Bowl night. Turning Point USA has not publicly confirmed or denied the listings, but the claims added to criticism around manufactured turnout versus genuine audience demand.

TPUSA claimed roughly 5m live YouTube viewers, with higher total views post-event, though figures are self-reported
The stream reportedly did not air on X due to licensing restrictions
Alleged paid-attendance ads circulated widely, though remain unverified by TPUSA

💡 Counterprogramming can create noise, but without cultural pull, it rarely creates moments.

🏠 Soho House Goes Private Again

📌 Soho House has officially returned to private ownership, ending its four-year run as a publicly listed company. In a letter to members, CEO Andrew Carnie described the move as a way to refocus on members, Houses, and creative community, after years of tension between investor expectations and Soho House’s culture-led identity. The $2.7bn USD exit follows a volatile period, including a near-collapse of the deal when lead backer MCR Hotels faced funding shortfalls, before a last-minute $200m USD raise secured the transaction. With its public market chapter closed, Soho House is signalling a return to its original member-first model alongside renewed global expansion plans.

Shares dropped 21% earlier this month amid uncertainty over deal financing
The take-private deal valued the business at $2.7bn USD
The investor group included figures such as Ashton Kutcher

💡 Going private may give Soho House the breathing space to prove that community-driven brands struggle to thrive under public market pressure.

⚽ Nike Reveals 2026 NWSL Match Ball

📌 Nike has unveiled the official match ball for the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League season. The design features a clean white base with layered blue wave accents that intensify at the centre, paired with a black-and-grey star-like core displaying both the Nike Swoosh and NWSL logo. Continuing the league’s tradition of combining visual identity with on-pitch performance, the ball is engineered for precision, durability, and visibility, while also positioning itself as a fan collectible ahead of the new season.

The 2026 NWSL season kicks off on 13 March
The ball is available to purchase now ahead of opening weekend
Designed for professional match play, balancing performance and visibility

💡⚽ Match balls are increasingly brand assets, reinforcing league identity while turning performance equipment into merch-led cultural symbols.

👟 Why Women’s Sportswear Is Set to Become a $165bn Industry

📌 A new study from Research and Markets predicts a major acceleration in the global women’s sportswear market, driven by the rapid growth of women’s professional sport and participation. The report forecasts the category expanding from $113.7bn in 2025 to $164.7bn by 2031, underpinned by rising viewership, increased licensed team merchandise, and a broader cultural shift towards health, wellness, and athleisure. Even amid inflation, supply chain pressure, and sustainability costs, women’s athletic apparel continues to outperform the wider sporting goods sector.

Market value forecast to grow from $113.7bn (2025) to $164.7bn (2031)
Compound annual growth rate of 6.46%
Women’s athletic apparel grew 3.2% in 2024, outpacing the wider sporting goods market (2.9%)

💡👟 Women’s sport is no longer a brand adjacency, it’s a growth engine reshaping performance wear, merch, and lifestyle apparel strategies.

🧦 Vivianne Miedema Launches Charity Collab Supporting War Child

📌 Vivianne Miedema has partnered with Guts & Gusto to support War Child, using football culture as a vehicle for social impact. The collaboration centres on a limited-edition pair of socks inspired by classic football kits, designed to be simple, wearable, and intentional. Featuring Miedema’s number 9 and a personal message about standing up for what you believe in, the project reflects her long-standing commitment to the cause. A War Child ambassador since 2019, Miedema was closely involved in shaping the collaboration, with all proceeds going directly to support children affected by war.

Miedema has been a War Child ambassador since 2019
The product is a limited-edition sock, inspired by heritage football design
100% of proceeds go directly to War Child

💡🧠 Athlete-led charity collaborations are increasingly favouring understated, culture-first products that signal values without sacrificing wearability.

📈⚽ Investing in Women’s Sports Is Delivering Real Returns

📌 New performance data shows that women’s sports are no longer an experimental media buy but a proven commercial channel. Over the past year, advertising spend in women’s sports more than doubled, while campaigns placed within women’s sports media delivered results 40% more effective than the average primetime ad. As audiences across women’s football, basketball, volleyball, and athletics continue to grow, brands are increasingly reallocating spend based on measurable engagement, performance, and ROI rather than perceived risk.

Advertising spend in women’s sports more than doubled year-on-year
Campaigns delivered 40% higher effectiveness than average primetime ads
Women’s sports now rank among the fastest-growing media investments in sport

💡📊 What’s happening isn’t a trend cycle, it’s a market correction, with women’s sport proving its ability to drive attention, loyalty, and revenue at scale.

🧠⚽ U.S. Soccer Commits $30m to Female Athlete Health Research

📌 U.S. Soccer Federation has announced a $30m USD investment to launch the Kang Institute, a new platform designed to address long-standing gaps in female athlete research. Backed by a transformative donation from business leader and women’s sports advocate Michele Kang, the initiative will focus on female-specific injury prevention, menstrual health, and mental health. The programme aims to replace outdated, male-centric training models with research-backed best practices that better support women and girls across every level of the game.

$30m USD committed to female athlete health research
Focus areas include injury prevention, menstrual health, and mental wellbeing
Designed to inform training, performance, and long-term athlete care

💡🧠 This marks a structural shift in sports science investment, recognising that performance, wellbeing, and longevity in women’s sport require research built for female bodies, not retrofitted from men’s models.

🍺⚽ Guinness Returns to the Shirt With Bristol City Women

📌 Bristol City Women have unveiled Guinness as their new front-of-shirt sponsor as part of a multi-year partnership, marking the brand’s return to UK kit sponsorship after more than 30 years. Guinness 0.0 will feature across all three Robins shirts, which had remained blank this season, signalling a renewed commercial confidence in the women’s game. The deal follows Mercury13 acquiring a majority stake in the club in September, and adds momentum to the group’s ambition to attract global brands into women’s football ecosystems. Beyond the shirt, Guinness will also invest in the matchday experience at Ashton Gate, working with fan groups and Bristol’s creative community to deepen cultural and local engagement.

Guinness returns to UK shirt sponsorship for the first time in 30 years
The partnership follows Mercury13’s majority acquisition of the club
Guinness 0.0 will feature across all three Bristol City Women kits

💡🍺 Heritage brands are increasingly using women’s football as a credible, culture-forward re-entry point into sponsorship, pairing visibility with community-led activation.

🧥❄️ Zohran Mamdani’s Carhartt Moment Shows How Political Cool Is Built

📌 New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani turned his first major snowstorm into a case study in modern political credibility, using clothing not as costume but as narrative control. Across multiple briefings, Mamdani appeared in purpose-built outerwear, culminating in a custom-embroidered Carhartt jacket during the height of the storm. The choice landed because it aligned function, labour symbolism, and cultural fluency, positioning him as competent and current rather than performative.

The jacket was custom-embroidered by Arena Embroidery, a Bushwick-based studio with fashion and cultural credibility
Carhartt, founded in 1889, carries deep associations with labour, durability and subcultural authenticity
Mamdani paired the visual moment with hands-on visibility, including shovelling snow and live public briefings

💡🧠 Political “cool” isn’t about style alone, it’s about coherence. When presentation, action and context align, cultural signalling stops looking strategic and starts reading as earned, turning crisis moments into credibility-building ones.

⚽🤝 Leah Williamson Backs Grenfell Athletic FC Through Nike Grant

📌 Leah Williamson has partnered with Nike to support Grenfell Athletic FC via an Athlete Think Tank grant. The funding will strengthen the club’s community programmes, which use football to create positive opportunities for young people in the local area. As part of the initiative, Grenfell Athletic FC also received new kit, helping to support training, participation, and grassroots development.

Funding delivered through Nike’s Athlete Think Tank grant
Investment supports community-led football programmes
New kit provided to aid training and grassroots participation

💡⚽ Athlete-brand partnerships are increasingly channelling resources directly into community infrastructure, turning visibility into tangible, local impact.

🎶🗣️ Grammys 2026: Artists Speak Out Against ICE and Immigration Enforcement

📌 At the 68th Grammy Awards, political statements around U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) emerged as a defining theme of the night, with multiple artists using the platform to criticise the agency and stand in solidarity with immigrant communities amid recent nationwide protests. Several winners brought the issue into their acceptance speeches, while others made symbolic statements on the red carpet.

Artists who spoke out against ICE during the ceremony

Bad Bunny — Opened his acceptance speech for Best Música Urbana Album by saying “ICE out,” condemning ICE and emphasising immigrant humanity, earning a standing ovation.
Billie Eilish — During her Song of the Year speech, stated “No one is illegal on stolen land,” calling for continued protest and activism against ICE.
Olivia Dean — As Best New Artist winner, spoke about her immigrant heritage and celebrated immigrant courage.
Kehlani — Used her platform on the red carpet and in interviews to criticise ICE and advocate ICE Out messaging.
Shaboozey — Voiced support for immigrants and criticised enforcement policies in acceptance remarks.

Artists who made symbolic statements or gestures

Justin Bieber & Hailey Bieber — Wore “ICE Out” pins on the red carpet.
Joni Mitchell — Also sported an “ICE Out” pin at the ceremony.
Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) — Wore an orange whistle in solidarity with Minneapolis community alerts about ICE.

💡🗣️ The intensity and breadth of anti-ICE statements at the Grammys went beyond music accolades, with artists leveraging arguably music’s biggest night to amplify a political protest that has resonated widely across culture and society.

📰⚖️ Arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort Raise Press Freedom Concerns

📌 The recent arrests of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort while covering protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have intensified scrutiny around the criminalisation of on-the-ground reporting in the US. Neither journalist was accused of inciting unrest or organising protest activity, yet both were detained while documenting events, prompting warnings from press freedom organisations about the growing risk faced by reporters covering state power, enforcement, and dissent. The incidents have been widely interpreted as part of a broader pattern in which journalistic scrutiny, even when measured and procedural, is increasingly treated as interference.

Don Lemon and Georgia Fort were arrested while reporting, not protesting
Both cases prompted public concern from press freedom advocates
The arrests sparked widespread media, cultural, and late-night backlash, reframing the incidents as press freedom issues rather than isolated events

💡🧠 When journalists documenting power are treated as participants rather than observers, the boundary between public order and press suppression becomes dangerously thin.

📰⚠️ Questions Grow Over Media Silence on Trump Mentions in the Epstein Files

📌 As renewed attention falls on court documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, media critics and transparency advocates are questioning why mainstream coverage of references to Donald Trump has remained limited. Reports indicate that files containing Trump’s name were briefly accessible before being removed, while images in which he appeared were released with his face redacted. At the same time, victims’ identities and, in some cases, explicit images reportedly remained unredacted, raising serious concerns about whose privacy is being protected and whose is not. Compounding this unease, an estimated three million Epstein-related files remain unreleased, leaving significant gaps in public understanding.

Mentions of Trump in released files were reportedly removed shortly after publication
Images allegedly showing Trump were redacted, while victims’ identities and nude images were not
An estimated three million Epstein-related documents remain sealed or unreleased
Media observers have questioned whether legal threats, ownership pressure, or risk aversion are influencing editorial decisions

💡🧠 The issue is not the presence of a name in unproven documents, but whether fear of litigation, concentrated media ownership, or proximity to power is shaping what gets scrutinised, and what quietly disappears.

🧠📉 Signs of Fracture as MAGA Influencers Begin Creating Distance From Trump

📌 A growing number of high-profile media figures who once helped amplify Donald Trump’s cultural and political dominance are now showing visible signs of distance. While not a coordinated break, recent commentary across podcasts and creator-led platforms suggests increasing discomfort with Trump’s volatility, legal exposure, and fixation on grievance. The shift points less to ideological realignment and more to a recalibration of influence, credibility, and audience trust as risks around Trump intensify.

Notable figures showing distance or criticism:

Joe Rogan has repeatedly questioned Trump’s temperament, behaviour, and fitness for office, stating publicly that he does not want Trump as president again.
Tucker Carlson has criticised Trump’s lack of discipline and strategic focus, warning that chaos and personal vendettas weaken the broader movement.
Elon Musk has openly challenged Trump’s age, divisiveness, and relevance, despite previously aligning with Trump-adjacent rhetoric.
Ben Shapiro continues to frame Trump as electorally risky and strategically damaging, despite alignment on policy issues.
Piers Morgan has shifted from defender to frequent critic, questioning Trump’s credibility, legal exposure, and loyalty demands.
Theo Von has increasingly questioned Trump’s coherence and fixation on the past, framing him as culturally stagnant rather than forward-looking.
Andrew Schulz has criticised Trump’s ego, legal chaos, and inability to stay on message, arguing that Trump now limits cultural reach with younger audiences.
Lex Fridman has pushed back against personality-driven politics, favouring systems and institutional accountability over individual loyalty.
Dave Smith has intensified criticism of Trump’s executive overreach, framing MAGA loyalty as incompatible with libertarian values.
Tim Dillon has increasingly mocked Trump’s legal exposure, narcissism, and obsession with retribution, contributing to cultural fatigue rather than reverence.
None of these figures have aligned behind an alternative candidate
Criticism centres on credibility, electability, and control, not ideology
Each maintains audiences that significantly overlap with Trump’s base

💡🧠 This isn’t a collapse of MAGA ideology, but a fragmentation of influence. As Trump’s personal and political risk profile grows, creator-led media figures are hedging, loosening allegiance to protect their platforms, audiences, and long-term relevance.

🎙️🇬🇧 Keir Starmer Tests a Softer Media Strategy After Comms Misfires

📌 After a prolonged struggle to land a confident, consistent communications style, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to be trialling a more relaxed, personality-led approach across both media and public appearances. His government’s communications strategy has so far been widely criticised for feeling rigid, overly defensive, and slow to cut through, leaving Starmer looking uncomfortable outside tightly controlled settings. Recent moves suggest an attempt to correct course by borrowing from long-form, informal formats popularised by figures such as Gavin Newsom, alongside a more conversational tone in live environments.

Starmer appeared on Untapped, hosted by Spencer Matthews, signalling a shift toward long-form, personality-led media
He adopted a lighter, more conversational tone, including self-aware humour and personal asides
At a recent conference, joking about Emmanuel Macron’s aviator sunglasses suggested a deliberate effort to appear more relaxed and culturally fluent in front of live audiences

💡🧠 The experiment reflects a broader recalibration: after early communications misfires, Starmer’s team appears to be testing whether informality, humour, and podcast-style openness can help him find a more comfortable public register, without tipping into awkward or overly engineered relatability.

🤖🏙️ Barnsley Named UK’s First ‘Tech Town’ in AI Push

📌 Barnsley has been designated the UK’s first official “Tech Town”, positioned by the government as a national testbed for how artificial intelligence can be applied to everyday life. Backed by Microsoft, Cisco and Adobe, the initiative will roll out AI across public services including schools, colleges, the NHS and local businesses. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall described the programme as a “national blueprint”, with learnings from Barnsley intended to inform how AI is deployed across the rest of the UK.

Barnsley will receive free AI and digital skills training via Barnsley College and the South Yorkshire Institute of Technology
AI tools will be trialled in healthcare, including faster check-ins, triage and outpatient services at Barnsley Hospital
Schools and colleges will test edtech and AI systems aimed at improving pupil outcomes, inclusion and teacher workload
An estimated 250,000 residents will be eligible for training and support

💡🤖 The move highlights Labour’s ambition to embed AI directly into public infrastructure, but also raises questions about pace, public trust and the growing influence of US tech firms in shaping how UK services modernise.

🔴✨ The Grammys Red Carpet Embraces Risk, Drama and Fashion Maximalism

📌 The 2026 Grammy Awards red carpet once again cemented its role as fashion’s most experimental mainstream stage. While the night celebrated major musical wins from artists including Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar and Olivia Dean, the arrivals leaned fully into theatricality, risk, and runway-level ambition. In contrast to the restraint associated with awards like the Oscars, the Grammys continued to reward bold silhouettes, gender-fluid styling and avant-garde statements.

Harry Styles wore Dior by Jonathan Anderson, completing the look with mint green bow-detail ballet mules shown on the Spring 2026 runway, reinforcing the Grammys as a platform for runway-to-red-carpet experimentation
Addison Rae chose a plunging white Alaïa dress, one of Pieter Mulier’s final designs for the house
Sabrina Carpenter channelled Old Hollywood glamour in glittering Valentino
Lady Gaga leaned into avian avant-garde in a black feathered Matières Fécales gown
Bad Bunny delivered a menswear moment in Schiaparelli, marking one of the label’s first major men’s red-carpet looks
Malice, Pusha T and Pharrell Williams coordinated in blush-pink velvet Louis Vuitton suits

💡👗 The Grammys continue to operate as fashion’s cultural testing ground, where artists and luxury houses can debut ideas around silhouette, gender and spectacle that would feel too directional anywhere else.

🏆🎶 Grammys 2026: The Night’s Big Winners

📌 The 2026 Grammy Awards saw a dominant showing from a mix of global superstars and next-generation talent, with the ceremony also shaped by visible anti-ICE statements across the night. Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar emerged as the biggest winners, while Olivia Dean and Lola Young marked breakout moments on the global stage. The ceremony also saw a historic milestone as Steven Spielberg became an EGOT winner.

Top categories

Album of the Year: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Record of the Year: Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA – Luther
Song of the Year: Billie Eilish – Wildflower
Best New Artist: Olivia Dean

Major genre wins

Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar – GNX
Best Pop Vocal Album: Lady Gaga – Mayhem
Best Pop Solo Performance: Lola Young – Messy
Best Música Urbana Album: Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Best Dance/Electronic Album: FKA twigs – Eusexua
Best Alternative Music Album: The Cure – Songs of a Lost World

Notable moments

Steven Spielberg completed EGOT status after winning a Grammy for a John Williams documentary
The ceremony featured multiple anti-ICE statements, continuing music’s role as a platform for political expression
UK artists Olivia Dean and Lola Young reinforced Britain’s growing influence on the global pop and soul landscape

💡🎵 Grammys 2026 underscored a shift toward global dominance, genre fluidity and political visibility, with commercial success, cultural relevance and activism increasingly sharing the same stage.

🎸 Kate Nash tells MPs post-Brexit touring has become financially unviable

📌 Kate Nash told MPs that post-Brexit regulations have made touring economically unsustainable, despite her established career and global fanbase. Appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, she revealed she lost £26,000 on her most recent European tour and £13,000 touring the UK due to increased costs tied to visas, transport and logistics. Nash said the financial pressure forced her to lay off a crew member and warned that touring is becoming a privilege only accessible to artists with independent wealth. She argued the knock-on effect risks shrinking the UK’s cultural export power, narrowing access to music along class, race and gender lines, and weakening the future pipeline of British talent.

£26,000 lost on her most recent European tour
£13,000 lost touring the UK
20 years into her career, touring is now only viable via external income streams

💡 🎟️ If an established artist can’t make touring stack up, the economics of live music are structurally broken.

🚗 Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off” soundtracks new Buick ad

📌 Kendrick Lamar soundtracks Buick’s latest campaign for the 2026 Envista with “TV Off”, a track from his recent album GNX. The partnership builds on a long-running personal connection between Lamar and the brand, which he has referenced publicly, from being brought home from hospital in a Buick Regal to later purchasing and showcasing a vintage GNX on social media. The spot lands during a landmark moment in his career, following his record-breaking wins at the 2026 Grammys, where he became the most awarded rapper in history. Rather than a conventional endorsement, the campaign leans into legacy, authenticity and cultural continuity between artist and brand.

“TV Off” features in Buick’s 2026 Envista commercial
Kendrick Lamar became the most awarded rapper in Grammy history in 2026
GNX marks his sixth studio album

💡🎶 This is brand alignment through lived narrative, not sponsorship, turning heritage into cultural credibility.

🥃 Johnnie Walker and Sabrina Carpenter light up LA at the Grammys

📌 Johnnie Walker staged a high-impact series of activations in Los Angeles around the 68th Grammy Awards as part of its multi-year partnership with Sabrina Carpenter. Backed by parent company Diageo, the brand delivered skyline projections, industry pre- and post-parties with Universal Music Group, and an immersive, Carpenter-inspired takeover of Max and Helen’s on Larchmont Boulevard. Central to the activation was the Go Go Highball, Carpenter’s signature serve made with Johnnie Walker Black Label, positioned as the ‘drink of the moment’ and poured across key Grammys weekend events. The partnership aims to modernise whisky culture by embedding it into live music, nightlife and pop moments, while introducing the category to a younger, culturally fluent audience.

Multi-year Johnnie Walker x Sabrina Carpenter partnership launched August 2025
Activations centred on the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
Go Go Highball rolled out as a limited-time serve across select LA venues

💡✨ This is whisky marketing re-engineered for pop culture, where serves, spaces and stars do the heavy lifting instead of heritage alone.

⚽ Coke taps fan emotions ahead of the World Cup

📌 Coca-Cola unveiled a global FIFA World Cup campaign built around the unifying power of fan emotion, reworking Jump as a shared anthem of anticipation. Rolling out across three TV spots ahead of the tournament’s June kickoff, the creative focuses on everyday moments where suppressed excitement spills over as fans sense the World Cup approaching. The campaign spans 180 markets and extends beyond advertising into digital, in-person and on-pack activations, including collectible stickers with Panini and QR-led prize mechanics. While the work leans heavily into unity and joy, it lands amid heightened geopolitical tension as the tournament approaches its North American host cities.

Three TV spots rolling out between January and June 2026
Campaign active across 180 global markets
“Jump” reimagined with contributions from multiple contemporary artists

💡 🎶 Coke is doubling down on emotional universality, using fandom as one of the last truly global cultural languages.

🎙️ How Social Media Was Designed To Manipulate You

I've Got Questions (host: Sinead Bovell) featuring Renée DiResta, author of Invisible Rulers

📌 What this episode is really about
This is a sharp, unsettling breakdown of how social platforms are structurally designed to fragment reality. Renée DiResta explains why it feels like we’re living in parallel worlds online - and how algorithms, influencer incentives, and virality mechanics quietly reward outrage, identity signaling, and emotional escalation over truth.

Rather than framing misinformation as a content problem, DiResta reframes it as a systems design problem - where rumours, memes, and moralised language can convert fringe ideas into mainstream political narratives at scale.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Offers a rare, systems-level explanation of how attention is engineered - and why “rage travels faster than facts”
Breaks down the “majority illusion”, helping brand leaders understand why extreme views can appear dominant online
Essential context for marketers navigating influencer culture, algorithmic amplification, and reputational risk
Directly relevant to anyone thinking about trust, cultural fragmentation, and brand meaning in a post-reality media environment

🎬 Berlin International Film Festival (12–22 Feb) – Berlinale opens mid-week, kicking off ten days of premieres and political-leaning cinema that shape Europe’s film conversation.
🏀 NBA All-Star Weekend (13–15 Feb) – The league’s most culture-facing weekend blends basketball with music performances, fashion moments and celebrity gravity.
👗 New York Fashion Week (11–16 Feb) – AW26 begins in New York, where casting, street style and emerging designers set the early fashion narrative.
🎶 BRIT Awards campaign week (9–15 Feb) – Nominee performances, playlists and press moments dominate UK music platforms ahead of the ceremony.
🎥 BFI Southbank Berlinale-linked screenings (from 13 Feb) – Berlin competition titles spill into London cinemas as the festival conversation goes international.
🏆 Super Bowl LX post-game cultural fallout (week of 9 Feb) – Brand winners, halftime discourse and ad rankings dominate Monday media cycles.

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Nike Faces a Data Reckoning, Roblox Sells Visibility & Journalism Hits Survival Mode: 02 February 2026

This week is about how visibility is being priced, protected and redistributed. From newsrooms losing confidence in scale-led models, to platforms formalising discovery as paid inventory, access is no longer neutral. Brands are absorbing new forms of risk, from data exposure to cultural gatekeeping, while sport and music reveal where redistribution, safeguards and long-term system design are starting to replace growth-at-all-costs thinking. Across media, platforms and culture, the signal is clear: power is concentrating upstream, and the costs are becoming harder to ignore.

📰 Journalism’s Confidence Hits a Record Low

📌 Confidence in the future of journalism has fallen to its lowest point on record, with just 38 percent of news leaders optimistic about the year ahead, according to a Reuters Institute study of 280 executives across 51 countries. AI disruption, political pressure, and intensifying competition from creators are seen as the biggest threats, even as many leaders feel more confident about their own organisations than the industry overall. The data points to a sector that sees survival as possible, but only through deep structural reinvention driven by technology, platforms, and changing audience behaviour.

Only 38 percent of news executives feel optimistic about the year ahead
280 news leaders surveyed across 51 countries
Search traffic from Google is reported to be falling sharply

💡 Journalism is shifting from scale-led distribution to value-led differentiation, with human judgement becoming its strongest moat 🧠

Source: Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2026

🎮 Roblox Sells the Front Page

📌 Roblox has unveiled a new paid ad format called the Homepage Feature, offering brands and top creators premium placement on the platform’s central landing page to drive discovery in an increasingly crowded ecosystem. The move formalises visibility as a paid advantage at a time when competition among creators is intensifying and brand partnerships are becoming more commercially significant. While questions remain around measurement and transparency, the format signals Roblox’s intent to monetise attention more directly as creator and brand demand continues to grow.

Creator payouts on Roblox surpassed $1 billion in 2025
More than 200 brands launched sponsored Roblox experiences last year
Over 40 million experiences now compete for attention on the platform

💡 Platform homepages are becoming media inventory, not community space, turning discovery into a transaction 💰

Source: Tubefilter

👀 adidas brings football culture to Paris Fashion Week

📌 adidas used Paris Fashion Week as a cultural platform, unveiling a World Cup aligned collection with Willy Chavarria that merged football heritage, Mexican identity, and luxury fashion codes. The range spanned jerseys, knitwear, shirts, shorts, and reworked silhouettes, including a statement reinterpretation of the Copa Mundial. With Marcelo appearing as part of the moment, the collection positioned football not as inspiration, but as cultural authority.

By the numbers (context):

Paris Fashion Week generates over 1 billion social impressions per season, making it one of fashion’s most influential global stages (Launchmetrics)
Football remains the world’s biggest sport, with an estimated 5 billion global fans (FIFA)
adidas is one of FIFA’s longest-standing partners, with football consistently ranking as one of its most commercially and culturally significant categories

💡 This wasn’t about selling shirts. It was about relocating football’s cultural capital into fashion’s most powerful room, and letting identity, not hype, do the work ⚽️

🛡️ Nike Investigates Major Cybersecurity Incident After 1.4TB Data Leak Claim

📌 Nike is investigating a potential cybersecurity breach after a hacking group known as WorldLeaks claimed it stole and published about 1.4 terabytes of internal data from the company’s systems. The leaked dataset reportedly includes approximately 188,347 files, with early analysis suggesting the content relates to corporate design, manufacturing, supply chain and product planning information rather than customer personal data. Nike has confirmed the situation is under active review and says it takes data privacy and security “very seriously” while assessing the scope and impact.

By the numbers:

1.4TB of data allegedly exfiltrated and published by WorldLeaks - roughly equivalent to 1,400 gigabytes of files.
~188,347 files claimed to be part of the leak, including design schematics, materials, audits and product timelines.
Zero evidence so far of exposed customer or employee personally identifiable information (PII) based on samples reviewed by cybersecurity analysts.

Nike’s response so far has been cautious, acknowledging the claim and investigating internally while emphasising its commitment to consumer privacy and data security. The company has not confirmed how the alleged breach occurred, whether a ransom demand was made, or if third-party systems may have been involved.

💡 This case reflects a broader trend in cybercrime where threat actors increasingly prioritise data theft and public exposure over encryption-based extortion, raising risks not just to privacy but to intellectual property, supply chain security and competitive advantage for global brands.

👀 England introduces academy contracts in women’s football

📌 A significant structural change is coming to the women’s game in England. From the 2026–27 season, clubs in the Women’s Super League and WSL2 will be able to offer academy contracts to young players, marking a shift toward a more formalised, protected development pathway. The move is designed to bring greater consistency, fairness and safeguarding at youth level, while keeping education central to player development.

Key details:

Contracts can be offered to players aged 15 or 16
Contracts only commence once a player turns 16
Standardised pay by age group across WSL and WSL2
Education safeguarded alongside football commitments
Contracts are optional, with scholarships still available

💡 This signals women’s football moving from rapid growth to long-term system building, prioritising player welfare and sustainable talent development over short-term competitiveness ⚽️

👀 Women’s Football, Equality Starts Young

📌 Women’s football progress is often measured in broadcast deals and attendances, but this moment shows how early signals matter just as much. A girls team from South Morningside Primary School in Scotland won a major schools tournament, only to be handed a small plastic trophy while the boys received a large silver cup. The message was immediate and unintentional, but clear.

Instead of accepting it, the players aged 10 to 12 wrote to the organisers explaining how the disparity made them feel undervalued. The Edinburgh Primary Schools Sports Association acknowledged the inequality and replaced the trophy with one matching the boys’, publicly recognising the mistake.

Why it matters:

Girls aged 10–12 challenged unequal treatment at grassroots level
Organisers admitted the difference was unfair and acted quickly
The team received a new, equal-sized trophy in January 2026

💡 Women’s football doesn’t just grow through elite investment. It grows when young players are shown, early on, that their success carries the same weight, status and respect. Equality isn’t abstract, it’s learned through moments like this ⚽️🏆

👀 Music unites again as War Child announces HELP(2)

📌 War Child UK has announced HELP(2), a new all-star benefit compilation inspired by the charity’s landmark 1995 HELP album, which helped define music-led humanitarian fundraising. The new record brings together original tracks and covers from a cross-generational line-up including Arctic Monkeys, Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., and dozens more, with proceeds supporting children affected by conflict.

True to the spirit of the original album, which was recorded in just 24 hours, HELP(2) was created over only a few days at Abbey Road Studios, produced by James Ford. The first single, Opening Night, marks Arctic Monkeys’ first new music in four years, signalling the scale of commitment behind the project. The album is released on 6 March 2026, with all profits funding War Child’s work in countries including Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine, and Syria.

Key facts:

The original HELP album (1995) featured artists including Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, and Pulp
HELP(2) was recorded across a single week in November 2025
Features contributions from 40+ artists spanning multiple generations and genres
Proceeds support children impacted by war across multiple conflict zones

💡 At a time when attention is fragmented, HELP(2) shows the enduring power of collective cultural action. When artists move quickly and donate relevance, not just royalties, music becomes infrastructure for compassion, not just commentary 🎶🌍

👀 HOKA lights up women’s running culture after dark

📌 HOKA has unveiled a glow-in-the-dark running mural in Shoreditch, using public art to reframe night running as a collective, supported experience rather than a solitary one. Part of the brand’s ongoing TOGETHER WE FLY HIGHER campaign, the installation centres visibility, safety and shared momentum during the darker winter months.

Created in collaboration with Global Street Art, the large-scale mural translates HOKA’s Night Run visual language into the city through UV paint, reflective detailing and illuminated elements designed to activate after dark. Led by street artist Nelly, the piece was produced over five days in winter conditions, using more than 60 spray paint colours and around 36 hours of labour to heighten contrast, movement and nighttime presence.

Key facts:

Installed in Shoreditch, one of London’s most visible street-art districts
Created over 5 days in winter conditions
Used 60+ spray paint colours and 36 hours of active production
Designed to visually activate after dark using UV and reflective materials

💡 This is performance marketing without performance pressure. By embedding itself into the lived realities of night running, HOKA shifts from product visibility to community reassurance, using public space to signal care, not just brand presence 🏃‍♀️🌙

👀 Naomi Osaka pushes back on ‘tradition’ policing in tennis

📌 Naomi Osaka addressed criticism around her custom Robert Wun x Nike look worn for her opening match at the Australian Open, where she secured a win against Antonia Ruzic. Taking to Threads, Osaka directly called out commentary framing her outfit as “classless” and not aligned with so-called traditional tennis attire, positioning the backlash as cultural rather than sporting.

In her post, Osaka made clear the look wasn’t designed to appease traditionalists, but to reflect identity, self-expression and representation. The moment reinforced her long-standing stance on using fashion as a form of agency within a sport that has historically enforced narrow norms around appearance, behaviour and belonging.

Why it matters:

Osaka continues to challenge legacy expectations in elite tennis
Fashion is used deliberately as cultural expression, not provocation
Athlete self-definition is prioritised over institutional approval

💡 This isn’t about outfits. It’s about who gets to define legitimacy in sport. As athletes assert cultural identity on the biggest stages, tradition is increasingly exposed as a gatekeeping tool, not a neutral standard 🎾👗

👀 Trinity Rodman resets the ceiling for women’s football pay

📌 Trinity Rodman has become the highest-paid women’s footballer in history after signing a landmark contract renewal with Washington Spirit, keeping her in the U.S. until 2028. The deal follows months of negotiation and coincides with a pivotal shift in how the NWSL approaches wages and talent retention.

Rodman’s agreement comes amid growing pressure on the league’s salary structures. Until now, teams operated under a salary cap of roughly $3.5m, limiting their ability to compete with European offers and contributing to high-profile moves abroad by U.S. talent. In response, the league proposed a new ‘High Impact Player’ mechanism, allowing clubs to exceed the cap by up to $1m for star players, a move that sparked debate with the players’ union, who instead pushed for broader cap increases and long-term revenue sharing.

By the numbers:

Rodman’s deal is worth up to $2m per year, including bonuses
Previous NWSL team salary cap sat at around $3.5m
New ‘High Impact Player’ rule allows an additional $1m spend on elite talent
Rodman overtakes Aitana Bonmatí, previously the world’s highest-paid women’s footballer

💡 This isn’t just a record-breaking contract, it’s a signal of intent. As women’s football globalises, leagues that want to lead will need to match ambition with structural reform. Rodman’s deal shows the NWSL choosing investment over export, and setting a new benchmark for what elite talent is worth ⚽️💰

👀 Harry Styles turns global touring into local impact

📌 Harry Styles has announced his return to the stage with a residency-led world tour spanning seven cities from May to December 2026, alongside a commitment to donate £1 from every ticket sold at his UK stadium shows to support grassroots music venues. The tour, titled Together, Together, supports his forthcoming album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally and signals a model where scale, economics and responsibility are deliberately intertwined.

The tour follows the extraordinary success of Love On Tour (2021–2023), which grossed over $617m globally, making it one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. In London alone, Styles’ previous Wembley Stadium residency attracted around 320,000 fans, contributing to increased hotel occupancy, hospitality spend and transport use across the city, a pattern consistently seen with multi-night stadium runs.

That impact sits within a broader live music context:

£6.68bn in live music–driven consumer spending in the UK in 2024, up 9.5% year on year
The wider UK music industry contributed a record £8bn to the economy in 2024
Multi-night residencies keep fans in-market longer, spreading spend across accommodation, food, nightlife and local retail

Alongside this economic uplift, Styles’ UK dates will include a £1 per ticket levy directed to the LIVE Trust, which supports small and mid-sized venues across the country. The levy is expected to raise around £780,000, at a time when the grassroots sector is under severe strain.

Why the levy matters:

Since 2023, 150+ UK grassroots venues have closed, around 16% of the sector
More than half of remaining venues are operating at a loss
In 2025, only 8.8% of arena and stadium tickets included a grassroots levy

The initiative has been welcomed by the Music Venue Trust, and aligns with growing government support for the model, with calls for 50% of arena and stadium tickets in 2026 to adopt the levy.

The 2026 tour includes extended residencies in London, New York, Amsterdam, Mexico City, São Paulo, Melbourne and Sydney, with support from Robyn, Shania Twain, Jamie xx, Fousheé and Skye Newman.

💡 Insight: Residency tours are becoming cultural infrastructure. When artists concentrate demand over weeks, not hours, they generate sustained economic uplift for cities. When they attach redistribution to that scale, they help stabilise the ecosystem beneath them. This is touring not just as spectacle, but as system 🎤🏟️

👀 The UK music industry is shrinking where it matters most

📌 Everyone’s watching ticket prices, sell-outs and stadium numbers. What’s happening underneath is quieter, and far more dangerous. The UK music industry is expanding at the top while contracting at the base. New 2025 data from the Music Venue Trust shows that grassroots venues remain culturally active and heavily used, but are now structurally loss-making. Despite hosting millions of fans and shows each year, venues are absorbing losses, cutting jobs and falling out of touring routes. The result is an industry sustaining headline growth by quietly borrowing against its own foundations.

The numbers:

6,123 jobs lost in one year, almost 20% of the grassroots workforce
21.6m audience visits and 174,000+ shows hosted
£76.6m lost at venue level, venues are effectively subsidising live music
59% of grassroots venues now skipped by major tours
35 million people live outside a reliable touring circuit
More than half of UK grassroots music venues failed to make a profit in 2025

💡This isn’t a venue crisis, it’s an infrastructure failure. When the system extracts value faster than it reinvests it, risk doesn’t vanish, it accumulates. Touring narrows, artist development slows, regional culture thins out. If the base keeps shrinking, the top doesn’t stay big forever.

👀 Class bias is driving working-class talent out of the creative industries

📌 New research published today by Class Ceiling shows that working-class creatives are being pushed out of the UK cultural sector at scale, not because of talent gaps, but because of structural bias. Based on a survey of 300 creatives, the review argues class inequality should be treated as an employment issue, not an access problem. The data points to an industry that continues to reward networks, unpaid labour and financial resilience, steadily narrowing who gets to stay.

Key facts:

51% experienced bullying, harassment or bias because of class
Only 44% earn enough to make a living from creative work
Just 18% see their working-class experiences reflected in their output
Only 22% knew someone in the arts growing up
Fewer than 1% of creative apprenticeship starts currently exist

💡 This isn’t a pipeline issue, it’s a retention crisis. When early careers depend on unpaid work, cultural signalling and risk tolerance, talent drains long before senior levels. Industries that lose working-class voices don’t just become unfair, they become narrower, safer and less representative of the audiences they claim to serve.

👀 SZA and Vans bring artist-led energy to Paris Fashion Week

📌 During Paris Fashion Week, Grammy-winning artist SZA took over the streets of Le Marais to unveil the first look at her debut collaboration with Vans. The ‘VanSZA’ preview blended Vans’ classic silhouettes with playful, diaristic design cues, including fish-tank inspired prints and handcrafted embellishments, positioning self-expression over hype. Thirty pairs were gifted to early arrivals, with the wider collection set to release later this year.

Key facts:

SZA is acting as artistic director on the collaboration
30 pairs were distributed during the Paris Fashion Week preview
Custom designs appeared across Authentic and Old Skool silhouettes
Luxury detailing included handmade enamel lace locks set with semi-precious stones
The full ‘VanSZA’ collection is expected to drop later in 2026

💡 This isn’t a celebrity sneaker plug, it’s a shift in authorship. By giving SZA creative control rather than a logo swap, Vans is leaning into artist-as-designer credibility, using Paris Fashion Week as a cultural amplifier rather than a retail launchpad 👟✨

👀 Kendrick Lamar becomes the subject of a Paris Fashion Week exhibition

📌 During Paris Fashion Week, Kendrick Lamar is the focus of a new exhibition at the Centre Pompidou titled On Violence in America. The exhibition examines violence in the United States through music and film, using Lamar’s body of work as a central cultural lens rather than a biographical subject. Positioned within an academic and artistic context, the show invites scholars, critics and artists to interrogate how popular music documents, critiques and reframes American power, trauma and identity.

Key facts:

Staged during Paris Fashion Week, linking music, art and cultural discourse
Hosted at the Centre Pompidou, one of Europe’s leading contemporary art institutions
Explores US violence through music and film, not fashion spectacle
Uses Lamar’s work as a framework for analysis, not a brand collaboration

💡 This marks a shift in how hip-hop is institutionalised. Kendrick Lamar isn’t being styled or sponsored, he’s being studied. When rap moves from runway soundtracks to museum discourse, it signals its role as cultural record, not just cultural influence 🎧🏛️

👀 Warner’s cutbacks reveal a deeper shift in the music industry

📌 Analysis from Music Business Worldwide highlights how Warner Music Group has been quietly reshaping its business through a multi-year restructuring programme that is now visibly altering its global footprint. Since Robert Kyncl became CEO in 2023, Warner has cut deeply into headcount, particularly within Recorded Music, while redirecting savings into margins and A&R investment. The result is a leaner organisation, but one whose scale, influence and competitive position are increasingly under scrutiny.

Key facts:

Around 2,000 roles cut across three restructuring phases between 2023 and 2025
Estimated 25% reduction in total workforce, from ~6,200 employees to ~4,700
91% of redundancy costs landed in Recorded Music
Annual cost savings exceed $600m, with $170m tied directly to layoffs in 2025
Warner now has no in-country recorded music head in the UK, Germany or Canada
A&R spend reached $2.34bn in FY2025, up $382m vs FY2022
Adjusted OIBDA margin rose from 19% (FY2022) to 22% (FY2025)

Why it matters:

Warner is prioritising efficiency, margin and reinvestment over territorial depth
Senior leadership and decision-making are becoming more centralised
Asset sales and operational consolidation are reshaping how majors function on the ground

💡 This isn’t just cost-cutting, it’s a redefinition of what a major label looks like. Warner is betting that fewer people, higher margins and heavier A&R spend will outperform scale-heavy legacy structures. The risk is visibility, local expertise and long-term industry capacity. The question now isn’t whether this strategy improves profitability, but whether it reshapes the definition of power in the global music business.

Source: MBW – Tim Ingham, “On… Warner’s cutbacks, and the bigger story” (January 2026)

👀 Nike x Palace x England World Cup collab leaks ahead of 2026

📌 A leaked design suggests Nike has teamed up with Palace and the England national football team on a pre-match shirt for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.*
The shirt departs sharply from traditional England aesthetics, featuring an all-over, stained-glass-inspired graphic in monochrome tones on a dark grey to black base.
While not yet officially confirmed, the design is expected to be used as a pre-match shirt rather than a match kit, aligning with Nike’s recent approach to expressive warm-up and culture-led drops.

Key details:

All-over stained-glass-inspired graphic, a visual language closely associated with Palace
Dark grey to black base with lighter monochrome illustrations
Full-colour England crest with a single star on the chest
Nike x Palace co-branded logo opposite the crest
Subtle Palace label near the hem
Likely positioned as a pre-match or training shirt, not an on-pitch kit

💡 This is England kits entering streetwear logic. By keeping experimentation to pre-match apparel, Nike protects tradition on the pitch while letting cultural capital do the work off it. Palace’s involvement signals how football federations are increasingly borrowing credibility from subculture, not just performancewear, ahead of global tournaments ⚽️👕

👀 Luxury fashion is becoming an entertainment producer, not just a sponsor

📌 Luxury fashion brands are increasingly launching in-house entertainment studios and stepping into film and television production, shifting from product placement and brand partnerships to full creative ownership. Rather than renting attention through advertising, brands are producing original narratives, documentaries and scripted content that position them as cultural authors, not just commercial backers. The move reflects a wider recalibration as fashion seeks longer-lasting cultural relevance in an era of fragmented attention and declining impact from traditional campaigns.

What’s driving the shift:

Brands want owned IP, not borrowed relevance
Streaming and global platforms have made film and TV cultural infrastructure, not niche channels
Fashion’s audiences increasingly engage through story, character and world-building, not seasonal drops

Who’s leading the move:

Gucci has backed feature films and documentaries, positioning cinema as a long-term brand language
Saint Laurent launched Saint Laurent Productions, premiering films at Cannes and Venice
Prada has invested in cinema-backed cultural projects and long-form storytelling
Louis Vuitton continues to blend fashion, film and celebrity-driven narrative worlds

Why it matters:

Entertainment offers longevity, outliving campaigns and collections
Film and TV allow brands to engage emotionally, not transactionally
Creative control reduces reliance on platforms and algorithms

💡 This is fashion hedging against volatility. As attention fragments and retail cycles compress, luxury is moving upstream into storytelling infrastructure. Brands aren’t just dressing culture anymore, they’re producing it. The ones that succeed won’t feel like advertisers, they’ll feel like studios 🎬👗

👀 American fashion houses are moving deeper into international football

📌 As the World Cup approaches this summer, American fashion brands are increasingly aligning themselves with elite international football clubs, signalling a strategic push beyond domestic sport and into global football culture. Recent partnerships suggest a mix of audience priming, international expansion and category diversification, with fashion houses using football’s global reach as a cultural bridge. The pattern points to football becoming a key platform for US brands looking to scale relevance, not just visibility.

Recent moves to watch:

Amiri partnering with FC Barcelona, blending luxury fashion with one of football’s most global brands
424 collaborating with Arsenal as early as 2021, an early signal of US streetwear entering elite European football
Liverpool FC unveiling a new partnership with Tommy Hilfiger, complete with what the brand described as its largest flag ever produced, leaning heavily into Americana symbolism

Why it matters:

The World Cup offers a rare moment of global, non-league attention, ideal for brands with US roots and international ambitions
Fashion houses are increasingly using football to reposition themselves culturally, not just commercially
These partnerships suggest a shift away from single-sport focus, with football acting as a new gateway into lifestyle, identity and heritage storytelling

💡 This feels less like sponsorship and more like strategic alignment. American fashion brands are using international football to globalise their identity ahead of a World Cup hosted on home soil. The subtext is clear: football is no longer a European cultural export, it’s a shared global language.

👀 Jeff Bezos says the future of gaming won’t need gaming PCs

📌 Jeff Bezos has outlined a long-term vision for gaming where players stop buying high-end PCs altogether and instead rent computing power on demand via the cloud. In this model, performance is streamed rather than owned, with games running on remote servers and delivered instantly to phones, TVs, tablets or low-end laptops. Bezos argues advances in cloud infrastructure, AI optimisation and global internet speeds will make local hardware upgrades increasingly irrelevant.

What’s being proposed:

No more $2,000–$4,000 gaming rigs or GPU upgrade cycles
Games streamed at maximum settings from remote servers
Instant access with no downloads, patches or hardware compatibility issues
Gaming becomes subscription-based infrastructure, similar to film or music streaming

Why it’s contentious:

Critics cite latency and input lag, especially for competitive play
Concerns around ownership, permanence and reliance on subscriptions
Dependence on always-on internet access and platform stability
Local hardware still offers control, reliability and modding freedom

💡 This isn’t just a gaming prediction, it’s a platform power shift. If performance moves fully to the cloud, hardware companies lose leverage and infrastructure providers gain it. The real question isn’t whether cloud gaming can work, but whether players are willing to trade ownership and control for convenience and scale. Gaming PCs may not disappear overnight, but the centre of gravity is clearly moving ☁️🎮

👀 The Melania documentary is struggling on both sides of the Atlantic

📌 The authorised documentary centred on Melania Trump is facing weak cinema demand in both the UK and the US, despite an estimated $75m (£60m+) combined spend on rights and global promotion. Advance ticket sales appear minimal across major territories, with empty screenings reported even in politically favourable and high-traffic markets. The rollout has prompted industry scrutiny around launch strategy, four-walling tactics and the limits of reputation-driven distribution.

What the data shows:

In the UK, just one ticket sold for the opening screening at Vue’s flagship London site
Entire days of screenings showing zero advance sales at multiple regional cinemas
Suspected four-walling strategy, where the distributor pays cinemas upfront to secure screens
In the US, screenings across New York, Los Angeles, Florida and Georgia reported single-digit or zero ticket sales ahead of opening
Social media users widely sharing screenshots of empty booking pages
Estimated $5m US opening weekend, far below historic documentary benchmarks

The commercial context:

Amazon MGM Studios reportedly paid $40m for the film’s rights
A further $35m has been allocated to global marketing
The film opens in 1,500–2,000 US theatres, an unusually large footprint for a documentary
UK rollout exceeds 100 cinemas, compared with 20–30 for most non-fiction releases

Why it matters:

Scale and spend have not translated into audience pull
Political visibility and elite access have failed to drive curiosity
Even sympathetic regions have shown limited engagement

💡 This is a case study in the limits of power-led culture. Distribution, budget and institutional backing can secure screens, but they can’t manufacture demand. When public trust and relevance are absent, audiences don’t protest, they disengage. In today’s attention economy, indifference is often the most decisive verdict.

👀 Why Minnesota’s CEOs finally broke their silence

📌 After weeks of public quiet, some of Minnesota’s most powerful companies have cautiously spoken out following mounting unrest linked to federal immigration operations in Minneapolis.
Executives from major firms had been lobbying privately, fearing political retaliation and customer backlash if they went public.
The killing of Alex Pretti, and growing national scrutiny of immigration enforcement, became the catalyst that shifted corporate silence into a limited collective statement.

What happened:

CEOs at companies including Target, UnitedHealth Group, Best Buy and Cargill coordinated a joint response
The statement, issued via the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, called for “immediate de-escalation of tensions”
It stopped short of naming immigration enforcement, condemning federal agents, or referencing specific deaths
Business leaders had previously opted for behind-the-scenes pressure, citing fear of retaliation from the Trump administration and backlash from conservative customers

Why it took so long:

Companies judged that local anger had not yet spread nationally
Many firms remain wary after facing backlash for public stances on social issues in recent years
Internal calculations prioritised political risk management over moral clarity

Why it matters:

The Twin Cities host 17 Fortune 500 headquarters, making corporate silence itself economically and culturally significant
Immigration is a core workforce issue in a region long described as a “headquarters economy”
The response contrasts sharply with the rapid, vocal corporate reaction following the murder of George Floyd in 2020

💡This wasn’t a values-led intervention, it was a risk recalibration. Minnesota’s CEOs spoke only when silence became costlier than caution. The episode exposes how corporate “voice” now moves less on principle and more on threat thresholds, public sentiment curves and political exposure. When companies delay speaking until disruption turns tragic, it raises a harder question: who corporate responsibility is really designed to protect.

👀 Pharrell Williams turns a fashion show into a vision of future living

📌 At Paris Fashion Week, Pharrell Williams reframed the Louis Vuitton menswear runway as architecture, unveiling a full-scale prefabricated home as the centrepiece of the brand’s Autumn Winter 2026 show. Designed in collaboration with Japanese studio Not A Hotel, the structure positioned fashion, design and future living as part of the same cultural conversation. The move extends Williams’ creative remit beyond clothes, reinforcing Louis Vuitton’s ambition to operate as a lifestyle and cultural system, not just a luxury label.

Key details:

The house, named Drophaus, was fully prefabricated for the show
Installed inside a purpose-built venue at the Jardin d’Acclimatation, beside the Fondation Louis Vuitton
Defined by a pyramidal roof and curved glass wall, inspired by the form of a water droplet
Interior included a bedroom, living-dining space, bathroom and listening room with Louis Vuitton-branded vinyl
Furnished with bespoke pieces from Williams’ Homework furniture collection
Models moved through the house and surrounding lawn, integrating architecture directly into the runway

Why it matters:

Fashion shows are becoming spatial narratives, not just backdrops
Luxury brands are increasingly testing ideas of future living, not only future wardrobes
Pharrell’s role continues to blur the lines between designer, architect, curator and cultural director

💡 This wasn’t a set, it was a prototype. By placing a livable structure at the heart of the show, Louis Vuitton positions fashion as a lens on how people might live, move and consume in the near future. When luxury brands start building homes, they’re no longer just styling aspiration, they’re designing environments 🏠✨

👀 Oxfam warns billionaire power is accelerating democratic erosion

📌 A new report from Oxfam International argues that the world has crossed a dangerous threshold where extreme wealth concentration is no longer just an economic imbalance, but a direct driver of authoritarianism, repression and democratic decline. Released as global elites met in Davos, the report frames today’s inequality crisis as a binary political choice: democracy or oligarchy. Oxfam’s conclusion is stark: governments are increasingly choosing to protect wealth over people, with rapid consequences for rights, freedoms and social stability

Key facts from the report:

Global billionaire wealth hit a record $18.3 trillion in 2025
The number of billionaires surpassed 3,000 for the first time in history
Billionaire fortunes grew three times faster than the average rate of the previous five years
Highly unequal countries are up to seven times more likely to experience democratic erosion
Billionaires are 4,000 times more likely to hold political office than ordinary people
Over half of the world’s largest media companies and nearly all major social media platforms are billionaire-owned

What Oxfam says is happening:

Economic inequality is translating directly into political inequality
Governments are responding to public anger over affordability with repression rather than redistribution
Democratic norms are being weakened through attacks on courts, elections, civil liberties and media independence

Why it matters:

Nearly half the world’s population now lives in poverty or near-poverty while wealth concentrates at the top
Rising inequality creates fertile ground for authoritarian politics and scapegoating
Once democratic erosion begins, the report warns, it can accelerate “frighteningly fast”

💡 Oxfam’s warning reframes inequality as a structural threat to freedom itself. This is not about resentment toward wealth, but about what happens when money buys media, politics and impunity. When governments defend billionaires while everyday life becomes unaffordable, democracy doesn’t collapse loudly. It thins out, quietly, until power no longer answers to the public at all.

👀 Pro athletes are far more politically independent than the US public

📌 A new analysis from VoteHub found that professional athletes in the US are significantly more likely to register as political independents than as Democrats or Republicans. Across the five biggest leagues, independence outweighs party affiliation by a wide margin, challenging assumptions that athlete activism maps cleanly onto partisan politics. The findings suggest distance from party politics, not disengagement, may define how elite athletes relate to power and public life.

Key findings:

41% of athletes across the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and WNBA are registered independents
National average for independents sits at 27%
In the NFL, 44.3% of players are independents, compared with 34.3% Democrats and 20.2% Republicans
The NBA is nearly evenly split between Democrats and independents, despite high-profile social justice activism
The WNBA is the most liberal league by affiliation
MLB and NHL are the most conservative, with a combined total of just 40 registered Democrats across both leagues

Context to note:

Data drawn from 1,506 athletes across roughly two dozen states plus Washington, D.C.
Covers around 40% of eligible athletes, due to voter file access and registration gaps
Leagues with high proportions of foreign-born players, particularly the NHL, skew totals
VoteHub says the pattern is still “sufficiently strong” to hold directionally

💡Athletes are not apolitical, they’re non-aligned. Independence at this scale suggests caution, autonomy and reputational awareness in a hyper-polarised environment. Public advocacy may centre on issues rather than parties, reflecting how visibility, career risk and platform power reshape political identity at the elite level 🏈🏀📊

👀 2026 is shaping up to be the year branded entertainment goes mainstream

📌 Branded entertainment isn’t new. It dates back to the 1930s, when Procter & Gamble literally invented the soap opera.
What’s changed is the pressure on brands to earn attention rather than buy it. As traditional paid media becomes less effective, brands are increasingly investing in long-form content, original storytelling and entertainment-led experiences that audiences actively choose to watch. The result is brand content that looks less like advertising and more like film, TV and social-native entertainment.

What’s driving the shift:

Audiences are more ad-avoidant and platform algorithms reward watch time, not interruption
Streaming and social platforms have normalised brand-funded content
Hollywood faces rising production costs, making brand partnerships more attractive

Who’s doing it well:

WhatsApp partnering with Modern Arts on a Netflix documentary tied to the Mercedes F1 team
Dick’s Sporting Goods launching an in-house entertainment studio, winning Sports Emmys for We Could Be King and The Turnaround
AB InBev striking an unprecedented deal with Netflix, embedding beer brands across live sports and scripted content

On social, the format is shifting too:

Brands like UPS, Bud Light and Sephora are building audiences through Reels and Stories
Others are experimenting with micro-dramas, serialised, vertical, soap-style storytelling built for mobile-first viewing
Brand content is getting longer, more ambitious and more episodic, aligning with TV consumption habits

💡 This isn’t brands pretending to be entertainers. It’s brands becoming financiers, studios and distributors in their own right. As attention fragments and trust in advertising declines, the brands that win won’t interrupt culture, they’ll fund it. In 2026, branded entertainment won’t be a tactic. It’ll be infrastructure.

👀 The Night Time Economy is already a major economic system

📌 The inaugural Night Time Economy Report (NTER) from Night Time Foundation quantifies the scale of nightlife as an economic engine and argues it is being structurally undervalued by cities and investors. Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the report brings together international data, case studies and investor perspectives to reposition the night-time economy as long-term urban infrastructure.

Key stats from the report:

In large global cities, the night-time economy typically supports 5–10% of total employment, spanning hospitality, culture, transport, logistics and services
Night-time sectors disproportionately employ young people, migrants and creatives, making them critical entry points into urban labour markets
Cities with dedicated night-time governance show higher venue survival rates and stronger coordination across safety, transport and licensing
Cultural venues generate significant secondary economic spillover, driving demand for hotels, late-night transport, food delivery and retail
Despite this footprint, nightlife remains under-capitalised, with investment focused on extractive real estate rather than culture-bearing operators

What the data exposes:

Nightlife is producing value without corresponding policy protection or capital access
Fragmented regulation across licensing, policing and transport continues to suppress growth
Lack of standardised, longitudinal data keeps the sector invisible to institutional investors

💡 The NTER doesn’t argue that nightlife could matter. It shows that it already does, economically, socially and spatially. The risk isn’t over-investment, it’s neglect. Cities that fail to treat the night-time economy as infrastructure will keep losing jobs, culture and value after dark, while those that invest deliberately will unlock a quieter but durable growth engine 🌙🏙️

📌 👀 The music industry’s 2026 fault lines are already visible

From AI-generated artists and platform overload to shifting touring economics and tightening control over rights, the music business is entering a defining year. Streaming supply is exploding faster than demand, AI is forcing new questions around authorship and compensation, and the gap between superstar scale and the long tail is widening.

This isn’t just about technology - it’s about power, provenance, and who gets paid in an increasingly automated ecosystem.

Key signals:
• Millions of new tracks flooding platforms daily
• AI artists, AI detection, and tiered royalties moving from theory to policy
• Labels adopting AI operationally while questioning its creative impact
• Stadium touring consolidating at the top as regional strategies grow below
• Ticketing, pricing, and platform accountability becoming legislative issues

📊 Breakdown and research via @shesaid.so, drawing on reporting from MIDiA Research, Billboard, and Forbes.

Follow @shesaid.so for ongoing music industry analysis and 2026 trend tracking.

👀 Threads has quietly passed X on daily users — and that changes the playbook

📌 After years of skepticism, Meta’s “Twitter alternative” has crossed a real threshold. Threads now sees more daily mobile users than X (141.5M vs. 125M). Not a spike. Not a moment. Sustained daily behavior.

For brands, this matters less as a headline and more as a signal.

Threads has been treated as a sandbox - somewhere to test tone, post lightly, or mirror Instagram captions without consequence. But platforms with DAU at this scale aren’t experimental. They’re infrastructure.

What’s emerging isn’t “Twitter 2.0” - it’s a reset to what early Twitter actually rewarded:
• voice over visuals
• point of view over polish
• cultural fluency over campaigns
• consistency over virality

Crucially, Threads isn’t built on outrage mechanics in the same way X has become. That opens space for brands to speak with culture again, not shout into it or dodge it.

The opportunity isn’t just presence - it’s bringing back strategy. The kind brands once applied to Twitter when it was a core communications channel, not a risk surface.

Threads isn’t a side platform anymore.
It’s where text, tone, and timing are becoming competitive advantages again.

And the brands that remember how to do that will move first.

👀 UK women athletes are starting to follow the US shift from earners to owners

📌 As women’s sport continues its rapid commercial growth, a growing gap is emerging between value creation and wealth capture. For the third consecutive year, no female athlete appears in the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes list, despite rising broadcast deals, sponsorship and investment across women’s sport. In the US, athletes have responded by moving into ownership and equity. The UK is now beginning to follow that path.

The gap by the numbers:

The women’s sports market grew from $1.88bn in 2024 to a projected $2.35bn in 2025
The threshold for the top 100 highest-paid athletes rose to $53.6m in 2025
Coco Gauff, the world’s highest-earning female athlete, made $34.4m, nearly $20m short of the cut

What the US model shows:

Serena Williams built a venture portfolio spanning 80+ companies
Naomi Osaka raised institutional capital through her media company Hana Kuma
Allyson Felix founded Saysh, a venture-backed women-first footwear brand
Athlete-led ownership is extending into leagues, with player equity baked into new structures

The UK shift now underway:

Millie Bright has taken equity in sustainable boot brand Sokito
Lucy Bronze holds an ownership stake in Soccer Supplement
Jessica Ennis-Hill co-founded Jennis, a venture-backed women’s health platform

Why it matters:

Women athletes have historically been paid to perform and endorse, not to own
Ownership is where long-term security and generational wealth are built
Women’s sport is still forming its governance and ownership structures, creating a rare opportunity to shape them early

💡 This isn’t about matching salaries overnight. It’s about changing where value accumulates. As women’s sport grows, the athletes who secure equity, governance roles and ownership stakes now will define who benefits from that growth later. The US has shown the model. The UK is now deciding whether to follow it deliberately, or retrofit inclusion after the upside has already consolidated.

👀 Gavin Newsom accuses TikTok of suppressing Trump-critical content

📌 California governor Gavin Newsom has accused TikTok of suppressing content critical of Donald Trump, triggering a formal review of the platform’s content moderation practices by California authorities. The move comes just days after TikTok finalised a major ownership restructuring to avoid a US ban, heightening scrutiny over political influence, trust and platform governance. TikTok denies intentional suppression, attributing the issue to a systems failure caused by a data centre outage.

What’s happening:

Newsom has called on the California Department of Justice to assess whether TikTok’s actions violate state law
His office claims it has confirmed instances of suppressed Trump-critical content following TikTok’s US ownership deal
TikTok says the issues stem from a power outage and cascading systems failure, not political interference
Users and academics reported videos on immigration enforcement and government power being placed “under review” or failing to upload

Why timing matters:

TikTok’s parent ByteDance recently completed a deal creating a majority US-owned joint venture to sidestep a national ban
The new entity is backed by Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX
The deal was praised by Trump, who has credited TikTok with helping him win the 2024 election
Trump has 16m+ followers on the platform

Why it matters:

Trust in platform neutrality is already fragile amid ownership changes
Allegations of political content suppression raise questions about platform power, transparency and accountability
Even technical failures now carry political consequences in highly polarised environments

💡 This isn’t just a moderation dispute, it’s a legitimacy test. As platforms restructure to survive regulatory pressure, every glitch risks being read as governance. In today’s climate, the line between technical failure and political interference is thin, and public trust is thinner. For platforms, transparency is no longer a comms issue. It’s existential.

👀 Pinterest’s CEO says the “Napster phase” of AI needs to end

📌 In a new commentary, Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest, argues that AI is at a crossroads. While AI is already delivering real-world benefits, Ready warns that its current extractive approach to content mirrors the early days of music piracy. To unlock AI’s long-term value, he says the industry must move toward fair compensation, open-source innovation, and stronger regulation.

Key arguments:

AI should promote wellbeing, not outrage-driven engagement
Innovation shouldn’t be limited to expensive proprietary models
Creators must be paid when their work trains AI systems
Regulation should be seen as an incentive for better products, not a brake on progress

On open source:

Pinterest achieved near-proprietary AI performance at 90% lower cost using open-source models
Open-source AI could enable the next generation of startups, just as open software once did
Over-reliance on proprietary models risks concentrating value and stalling innovation

On creators and ownership:

Ready compares today’s AI data practices to Napster-era piracy
Without ownership protections, creators will stop sharing
Emerging solutions like Cloudflare’s pay-per-crawl model offer ways to compensate publishers while preserving access

On regulation:

Baseline standards are needed to prevent a “race to the bottom”
Areas like child safety, image misuse and age verification require industry-wide rules
Regulation can push companies to compete on safety and trust, not just scale

💡 Ready’s intervention reframes AI’s trust crisis as an economic one. If creators aren’t compensated and access remains extractive, AI risks hollowing out the very ecosystem it depends on. Ending the “Napster phase” isn’t about slowing AI down, it’s about building a sustainable model where innovation, ownership and public trust can scale together.

Source: Fortune

👀 AI is already reshaping football - and it’s moving faster than most fans realise

📌 Artificial intelligence has moved from the margins of football into its operating core. From tactical planning and recruitment to performance analysis and fan engagement, AI is now embedded across the modern game - not as a future concept, but as a competitive necessity. As clubs chase marginal gains, AI is increasingly where those gains are found.

Where AI is already at work:

Tactics & match strategy

Elite clubs are using AI to analyse thousands of historical scenarios and opponent behaviours
Liverpool FC uses TacticAI, developed by DeepMind, to design set-piece routines
Coaches reportedly favour AI-generated corner suggestions in 90% of scenarios
Liverpool scored 7 goals from 230 corners this season, outperforming league averages

Recruitment & scouting

AI-powered platforms analyse global video and data to identify talent faster and more efficiently
Clubs including Arsenal FC, Chelsea FC and Bayern Munich are reported users
Algorithms assess technical skill, tactical awareness and long-term potential across leagues

Player performance & injury risk

AI processes GPS and biometric data to monitor load, movement and fatigue
Data firms like PLAIER simulate entire seasons tens of thousands of times to model player impact
This level of prediction would be impossible without AI-scale computation

Broadcast & grassroots tech

AI-powered cameras automatically track matches, widely adopted from amateur to pro level
Enables lower-league clubs and youth teams to access broadcast-quality analysis

Fan experience

Clubs like Manchester City use AI to personalise content and insights
Fantasy football, predictive stats and immersive experiences are increasingly AI-driven

Why it matters:

Football’s edge is no longer just physical or tactical - it’s computational
AI accelerates decision-making, reduces uncertainty and reshapes how clubs spend money
The gap between AI-enabled clubs and the rest is likely to widen

💡 AI won’t replace football’s chaos, instinct or spontaneity - but it will increasingly shape the conditions around them. As data, simulation and prediction become table stakes, competitive advantage will come from how clubs integrate AI into culture, coaching and creativity. The future of football won’t be automated - but it will be augmented.

Source: Jobs In Football

🎬 BAFTA nominations land as the Oscars race shifts from inevitable to volatile

📌 The 2026 BAFTA nominations have landed just as the Oscars race enters its most unstable phase. One Battle After Another leads BAFTA nominations and remains a dominant Oscar contender, but its assumed frontrunner status has been disrupted by the rapid ascent of Sinners, which has surged across both BAFTA categories and Academy predictions. Films such as Hamnet and Marty Supreme continue to attract critical acclaim, yet their nomination profiles suggest prestige recognition without the full cross-branch support that typically converts into top awards. Taken together, BAFTA and Oscar nominations point to a highly concentrated field, where a small number of films are capturing the majority of institutional attention.

One Battle After Another leads BAFTA nominations with 14, and remains a top Oscar contender
Sinners secured 13 BAFTA nominations and is currently projected to lead Oscar wins
Only 50 films received nominations across BAFTAs, reflecting a highly top-heavy awards year

💡 Across BAFTAs and the Oscars, awards power is consolidating around films that combine cultural urgency, authorship and technical excellence, not just critical approval 🏆

🎙️ TikTok users say they are being censored after change to U.S. ownership

PBS News Hour – Segments (daily political/audio newsletter feed, released 27 January 2026)

📌 This 6-minute podcast segment from PBS NewsHour digs into the latest uproar around TikTok: after a new U.S. ownership structure was just approved - backed by President Trump - creators and users are alleging censorship of politically sensitive content, including Trump criticism and mentions of Jeffrey Epstein. It also explains how California Governor Gavin Newsom has launched a review into whether this moderation violates state law, following widespread reports of suppressed or glitch-ridden posts.

🔥 Top 5 Things to Do This Week 2–8 Feb 2026

🎬 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (29 Jan – 8 Feb) – International cinema buzz closes this week with world premieres and artistic retrospectives, a must for serious film lovers.

🏉 Six Nations Rugby Kick-Off (from 5 Feb) – The 2026 Championship begins with England, France, Ireland and others clashing for early momentum in rugby’s most storied northern hemisphere tournament.

🏈 Super Bowl LX (8 Feb) – The NFL’s season culminates with Seahawks vs Patriots and a globally watched halftime show — the biggest annual sports broadcast spectacle.

🎤 Mumford & Sons Exclusive Scotland Shows (4 & 5 Feb) – Special gigs in Dundee and Glasgow delivering an intimate taste of new music ahead of the album release.

🎨 Art After Dark (London) (3–10 Feb) – After-hours gallery openings and late art experiences across the capital spotlight London’s nightlife & visual culture.

👀 Things to Be Aware Of This Week

🎥 Photo Portrait Prize at National Portrait Gallery ends 8 Feb – Last chance to see this celebrated contemporary portrait exhibition.

🎭 Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Stage Show until 15 Feb – Catch this inventive live adaptation before it departs London.

🏆 BRIT Awards 2026 Nominations Announced – Olivia Dean and Lola Young lead nods, signalling the names to watch ahead of the late-Feb ceremony.

🪩 Championship League Snooker Invitational continues until 11 Feb (Leicester) – A key non-ranking pro snooker event for fans of the green baize.

🚨 Six Nations narratives begin – With England chasing a first title in six years, this week’s opening fixtures will shape Feb’s rugby storylines.

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Women’s Sport Scales, Nike Steps Back & AI Enters the Infrastructure: 26th January 2026

This week is about intention and control. Women’s sport is scaling fast, but value is pooling at the top. Brands are stepping back from spectacle and leaning into trust, community and long-term equity. AI is quietly moving from tool to infrastructure, reshaping advertising, defence and civic expression at the same time. Across culture, sport, tech and media, the signal is clear: growth is no longer the win, credibility is, and this edition tracks who’s building it and who’s spending it.

Women’s Football Revenues Hit New Highs ⚽💷

📌 Arsenal Women and Chelsea Women led a record-breaking year for women’s football finances, with the top 15 clubs generating £132.8m in 2025, up more than 35 percent year on year. Arsenal topped the table on £21.5m following strong matchday performance and on-pitch success, while Chelsea delivered the fastest growth, driven by a sharp rise in commercial revenue. However, the data also points to widening inequality, with the top three clubs accounting for nearly half of all revenue and several lower-ranked clubs seeing slower growth or declining attendances after a record season previously.

Arsenal Women revenue reached £21.5m, up 43 percent year on year
Chelsea Women grew revenue by 90 percent, including £16m in commercial income
The top 15 clubs generated £132.8m, with eight WSL clubs represented

💡 Women’s football is entering a more mature commercial phase, but the next test is whether growth can scale beyond the biggest brands. ⚖️

Nike Sits Out Super Bowl 60 After Standout Return 🏈👟

📌 Nike has confirmed it will not advertise during Super Bowl 60, just one year after ending a 27-year hiatus with its widely praised “So Win” spot. The decision comes despite the campaign being hailed as a creative high point and delivering more logo screen time than any other brand during Super Bowl 59. Nike will still maintain a major presence as the NFL’s exclusive on-field apparel partner, while refocusing marketing investment as part of a broader brand turnaround strategy.

Nike returned to the Super Bowl in 2025 after 27 years with “So Win”
Super Bowl 60 ad slots are priced at $8m for 30 seconds
Nike group sales rose 1 percent year on year to $12.4bn

💡Nike’s Super Bowl pause signals a shift from cultural spectacle to sharper performance-led brand investment. 🎯

Global Risk and Global Health Are Now the Same Conversation 🌍⚠️

📌 New data from the World Economic Forum shows a fundamental shift in how risk operates and what ultimately threatens population health. In the short term, the most severe global risks are geopolitical and social, driven by misinformation, conflict, polarisation and instability. Over the longer term, risk becomes environmental and systemic, with climate change, biodiversity loss and resource stress rising to the top.

What links both timelines is health. The same forces shaping global risk are now the dominant determinants of health outcomes. Misinformation ranks as the most severe near-term risk, directly undermining trust, public health responses and crisis management. Extreme weather events follow closely, reflecting the growing health impacts of climate shocks, from displacement and food insecurity to mortality and mental health strain.

Two risks cut across every horizon: misinformation and inequality. Their persistence highlights that trust, cohesion and fairness are not peripheral issues but core infrastructure for resilience. Health is no longer primarily shaped inside healthcare systems, but upstream, through policy, environment, technology and social stability.

Misinformation and disinformation rank as the top short-term global risk and a leading threat to public health
Extreme weather events dominate both near- and long-term risk outlooks, with direct health consequences
Inequality amplifies exposure, vulnerability and recovery across all major risks

💡 The biggest threats to global health are no longer medical, they are social, environmental and systemic. 🧭

Bella Hadid Calls Out Dolce&Gabbana Over Milan Casting 🧵⚠️

📌 Bella Hadid publicly criticised Dolce&Gabbana following its Menswear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show at Milan Fashion Week, calling out the brand for casting only white male models. Commenting on an Instagram video from the show, Hadid questioned continued support for the house, referencing what she described as a long-standing pattern of racism, sexism, bigotry and xenophobia.

The moment quickly reignited scrutiny of Dolce&Gabbana’s past controversies, from high-profile criticism over comments on IVF to the backlash surrounding alleged racist remarks about China in 2018. Hadid’s comments underline how casting choices are no longer viewed as neutral creative decisions, but as cultural signals that reflect a brand’s values and credibility.

The Menswear FW26-27 show reportedly featured only white male models
Hadid described the brand as having been “cancelled” for years due to repeated controversies
Dolce&Gabbana has faced multiple public scandals over the past decade, impacting its cultural standing

💡 In a culture where representation is table stakes, casting has become brand strategy, and silence is no longer neutral. 🧠

Battery-Powered Skis Could Be the Next E-Bike Moment ⛷️🔋

📌 The Financial Times has tested E-Skimo, the world’s first battery-powered ski-touring system, developed by Swiss start-up founder Nicola Colombo. Designed to assist uphill ascents rather than replace them, the skis use motors, sensors and AI-driven software to mirror the natural rhythm of ski touring, dramatically reducing effort while increasing distance and speed.

The innovation sits at the centre of a growing cultural tension between purist outdoor traditions and tech-enabled access. Like e-bikes before them, E-Skimo skis promise to open alpine touring to a broader audience, from older skiers to less experienced companions, while raising questions about noise, battery reliance and the changing meaning of “earning your turns”.

Each ski delivers up to 850W of power, with batteries offering around 1,500 metres of vertical gain per charge
Ascents can be up to four times faster with significantly less physical strain
Motors and batteries detach at the summit, converting the skis back to standard downhill gear

💡 E-Skimo shows how outdoor sport is being reshaped by the same access-versus-authenticity debate that transformed cycling and hiking. ⚡

Arsenal Launch Supporter-Led Matchday Project for Women’s Team 🏟️🔴

📌 Arsenal have launched Block by Block, a supporter-led consultation programme designed to give fans greater influence over the matchday experience at Emirates Stadium. The initiative follows the stadium becoming the permanent home of Arsenal Women for the 2025-26 season, hosting all 11 Women’s Super League fixtures.

More than 150 supporters have already taken part across six sessions, shaping everything from flag displays and large-scale tifos to matchday music and visual identity. The programme blends fan insight with creative collaboration, supported by Arsenal’s artistic community and first-team players including Olivia Smith, reinforcing the Emirates as a cultural home, not just a venue.

Over 150 supporters involved in consultation groups so far
Fans have co-created tifos, murals, flags and matchday music
More than 17,000 seasonal members are now signed up for Arsenal Women

💡 Block by Block shows how supporter co-creation is becoming central to building identity, atmosphere and long-term loyalty in the women’s game. 🧠

Anti-ICE Protests Are Reappearing Inside Roblox 🕹️✊

📌 Players on Roblox are once again staging anti-ICE protests inside the game, this time within a replica of downtown Minneapolis. Avatars gather holding signs, blocking roads and role-playing demonstrations opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, mirroring real-world protest dynamics inside a virtual environment.

This is not a one-off moment. Over the past year, multiple outlets have documented similar anti-ICE protests recurring across Roblox, particularly in open-world role-play experiences. The protests are entirely user-driven, reflecting how younger audiences increasingly process political events through shared digital spaces rather than traditional civic forums.

What’s notable is less the scale of any single protest and more the pattern: Roblox is repeatedly being used as a site of symbolic political expression, where play, identity and real-world issues blur.

Anti-ICE protests have appeared multiple times over the past year across Roblox experiences
Protests are player-organised, not affiliated with Roblox or real-world groups
Events often mirror real locations and current news cycles

💡 For a generation raised online, civic expression is increasingly happening where community already exists, inside games, not outside them. 🌐

What ChatGPT Advertising Actually Looks Like, and Why It Matters 🤖📣

📌 OpenAI has confirmed it will begin testing advertising on ChatGPT’s free tier and its low-cost subscription, ChatGPT Go, giving the first clear look at how ads will appear inside a conversational interface. The format is deliberately restrained: a clearly labelled “Sponsored” placement at the bottom of responses, separate from the answer itself.

The company is drawing a firm line between assistance and influence. Ads will not shape ChatGPT’s answers, user data will not be sold to advertisers, and personalisation can be turned off or cleared at any time. Unlike search and social platforms that retrofitted privacy controls after scale, OpenAI says its ad system is being built with these guardrails embedded from the start.

This positions conversational advertising as something distinct from traditional programmatic media. Rather than competing for attention mid-feed or mid-scroll, ads sit adjacent to intent-rich moments, raising new questions about context, tone and trust. The risk is clear: anything that feels interruptive rather than native could trigger backlash, not just against the platform but against the brand itself.

Ads appear clearly labelled as “Sponsored”, beneath responses
ChatGPT answers remain independent from advertising influence
Users can disable personalisation and clear ad data at any time

💡 Conversational AI isn’t just a new placement, it’s a new medium, and advertisers who treat it like programmatic inventory risk breaking the trust that makes it valuable in the first place. 🧠

What a Gen Z Brand Home Actually Needs to Deliver 🏠✨

📌 A new industry perspective by Ella Palmer argues that the traditional “brand home” model is no longer fit for purpose when it comes to Gen Z. This audience is rejecting both velvet-rope exclusivity and static brand museums in favour of spaces that feel aesthetic, adaptive and culturally alive. The next generation of brand homes must operate less like monuments and more like living feeds.

Visually, Gen Z expects spaces to feel algorithm-born and share-ready, shaped by AI aesthetics, surreal imagery and social-first design codes. But visuals alone are not enough. The most effective brand homes are modular and time-sensitive, borrowing from pop-up culture to create FOMO, repeat visits and a sense of discovery rather than permanence.

Crucially, community is the real currency. Gen Z looks to brand spaces as hubs for connection, creativity and cultural participation. Brand homes that succeed are those that embed themselves locally, blend art, music, food and performance, and reward loyalty with access, not status.

Gen Z favour aesthetic, immersive, shareable environments over heritage-led brand storytellinga
FOMO and changeability drive repeat visits, with permanent spaces adopting pop-up logic
Community, belonging and cultural exchange now outweigh exclusivity as brand value signals

💡 For Gen Z, a brand home isn’t a destination, it’s a cultural platform, and if it doesn’t evolve, it won’t matter. 🧠

Acast on Why Podcasting’s Next Phase Is About Intention, Not Reach 🎧📈

📌 New thinking from Acast positions 2026 as a defining year for podcasting, not because the medium is getting louder, but because it is getting more deliberate. In its latest industry outlook, Acast argues that growth will come from intention, trust and narrative depth, rather than scale alone, marking the rise of what it calls the “Narrative Influencer”.

Across strategy, product, creator growth, creative and sales, Acast’s leadership highlights a shared shift: discovery is fragmenting, but value is concentrating. Audiences now encounter podcasts across audio, video, social and search, yet monetisation and effectiveness depend on connecting those signals into coherent execution, not just insight.

For creators, success will hinge on obsessive audience focus, wherever fans show up. For brands, attention will be earned through creative, long-form storytelling that feels additive, not interruptive. And for the industry as a whole, podcasting’s competitive advantage remains trust-based attention, now increasingly measurable and commercially provable.

2026 is framed as the birth year of the “Narrative Influencer”, prioritising resonance over reach
Omnichannel discovery rewards platforms that connect data, planning and execution end to end
Trust-based attention is positioned as podcasting’s strongest and most defensible metric

💡 Podcasting’s next chapter won’t be won by who scales fastest, but by who earns attention most deliberately, and proves its business impact. 🧠

Spotify Is Redefining What B2B Marketing Can Look Like 🎧📊

📌 In a recent piece by The Brand Waves, Spotify is positioned as a case study in how B2B marketing is evolving beyond functional messaging into culture-led storytelling. Through an interview with Bridget Evans, Global Head of Advertising Business Marketing at Spotify, the article outlines how creativity, audience intelligence and cultural relevance are now central to how the platform engages brands.

Spotify’s approach treats advertisers less like buyers and more like fans and creators. From Cannes Lions-winning work like Spreadbeats to Tunetorials, Wrapped for Advertisers and Gen AI Audio Ads, the platform shows how data-rich environments can still feel expressive, human and entertaining. Rather than explaining value, Spotify’s B2B marketing demonstrates it, using the same emotional and cultural language that made the consumer brand iconic.

At the heart of the strategy is trust-based, multi-format storytelling. As podcasts, video and display increasingly converge, Spotify is building a B2B ecosystem that follows people throughout their day, pairing deep audience insight with creative tools that make advertising feel relevant rather than interruptive.

Spotify blends creativity, culture and data to make B2B marketing entertaining, not instructional
Podcasts and podfluencers are framed as high-trust environments, especially for Gen Z
Multi-format campaigns combining audio, video and display consistently outperform audio alone

💡 Spotify proves that B2B marketing works best when it stops talking at brands and starts creating experiences people actually want to engage with. 🎶

Source: The Brand Waves, “How Spotify is redefining B2B marketing through creativity, data, and culture” (Substack, Jan 2026)

Jaden Smith’s I Love You Restaurant Puts Dignity at the Centre of Giving 🍽️🌱

📌 The I Love You Restaurant, founded by Jaden Smith, expands on his original “I Love You” food truck project with a permanent restaurant concept designed to feed unhoused communities in Skid Row. The model is simple but intentional: people experiencing homelessness eat for free, while those who can afford to pay are asked to cover more than the cost of their meal to support others.

Launched after Smith began the food truck initiative on his 21st birthday, the project reframes charity as shared responsibility rather than one-way giving. By removing judgement and centring dignity, the restaurant uses food as both immediate support and a statement on inequality, access and community care.

The initiative sits within a wider pattern of Smith’s activism, which includes his work with JUST Water and leadership on clean water access projects in underserved communities, including Flint, Michigan. Taken together, these efforts position social impact not as an add-on to fame, but as a long-term commitment.

Unhoused guests receive free vegan meals, no conditions attached
Paying customers are encouraged to pay forward, covering food for others
The project builds on Smith’s wider work in food justice, water access and inequality

💡 The I Love You Restaurant shows how purpose-led initiatives earn credibility when impact is designed into the model, not added on afterwards. ❤️

Elon Musk’s Grok Is Heading Into Pentagon Systems 🤖⚔️

📌 The US Department of Defense has confirmed it will begin integrating xAI’s AI model Grok into Pentagon networks later this month, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The announcement signals an acceleration of the military’s AI adoption, with Grok set to operate across both classified and unclassified systems as part of a broader push to embed AI across defence infrastructure.

The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of Grok, which is embedded within X and has faced recent backlash for enabling the generation of sexual and violent imagery, as well as producing extremist and antisemitic content. While xAI has since restricted some functionality, regulators in multiple countries have intervened, including temporary bans and formal investigations.

The integration sits alongside wider Pentagon AI investments. The Department of Defense has already selected Google’s Gemini model to power its internal GenAI.mil platform and has awarded contracts worth up to $200m to firms including OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI. Together, these moves underline how rapidly experimental AI is being folded into military decision-making, even as governance questions remain unresolved.

Grok will be integrated into classified and unclassified Pentagon networks
The DoD has awarded up to $200m in AI contracts across multiple providers
Grok is facing regulatory action and public backlash over content safety

💡 Military AI adoption is outpacing governance, raising urgent questions about safety, accountability and the standards applied when experimental tech meets state power. 🧠

Winter Olympics Brands Are Doubling Down on Women Athletes ❄️🏅

📌 As momentum builds toward the Winter Olympics, brand partnerships continue to roll in, with a growing focus on women athletes as cultural leaders and commercial drivers. Recent deals include Team Canada partner Kala Therapy, International Olympic Committee partner Samsung, and beverage brand Bloom, all aligning with women competitors in the lead-up to the Games.

The pattern reflects a broader shift in sports marketing strategy. Brands are moving beyond visibility-led sponsorships and toward partnerships that tap into trust, authenticity and long-term cultural relevance. Women athletes are increasingly seen not as niche ambassadors, but as central storytellers capable of driving both values and performance.

Multiple Winter Olympics sponsors are prioritising women athletes in new partnerships
Brands span wellness, tech and beverage, signalling cross-category confidence
The strategy reflects growing belief in women’s sport as a premium platform, not a side bet

💡Women athletes are no longer the future-facing choice for Olympic brands, they’re the smartest commercial one right now. 🧠

🎙️ Saks’ Bankruptcy and the Future of Luxury Retail

The Debrief (by The Business of Fashion)
Hosted by Brian Baskin & Sheena Butler-Young
Featuring Cathaleen Chen, BoF Retail Editor

📌 What this episode is about
This episode uses Saks Global’s Chapter 11 filing as a real-time lens on the structural cracks in luxury retail. It goes beyond headlines to unpack what retailer distress means for brand power, wholesale dependence, inventory flow, and the cultural role of department stores as status infrastructure. It’s a grounded, insider look at how luxury’s commercial model is being stress-tested in 2026.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:
The episode clearly shows how retail instability forces brands to make hard trade-offs between cashflow, control, and cultural scarcity - while signalling where luxury is heading next: fewer doors, tighter assortments, elevated service, and experience-as-media. It’s especially useful for marketers thinking about how cultural capital survives when traditional distribution weakens.

🔥 Top 5 Things to Do This Week (26 Jan – 2 Feb)

🎾 Australian Open Finals (18 Jan–1 Feb) – The women’s and men’s finals at the year’s first Grand Slam turn Melbourne into the centre of global sport and celebrity attention.

🎬 Sundance Film Festival – Closing Weekend (22 Jan–1 Feb) – The final days in Park City are when the biggest indie deals land and awards-season narratives are quietly locked in.

🎥 International Film Festival Rotterdam – Opening Week (29 Jan–8 Feb) – Europe’s most forward-thinking film festival kicks off, spotlighting bold global cinema and new industry voices.

🏀 NBA Paris Game 2026 (29 Jan) – The league’s flagship European fixture returns to Paris, underlining the NBA’s cultural and commercial expansion outside the US.

🎮 League of Legends LEC Winter Split – Opening Matches (24–26 Jan) – Europe’s top esports league launches its 2026 season, setting the tone for competitive gaming narratives this year.

👀 Things to Be Aware Of This Week

🎬 Sundance Awards Announcements (31 Jan–1 Feb) – Jury and audience winners emerge, often signalling which indie films will dominate the cultural conversation next.

🎾 Australian Open Champions Crowned (31 Jan–1 Feb) – New Grand Slam winners (or defining legacy moments) shape tennis, sponsorship and media storylines for the season ahead.

🏀 NBA Trade Deadline Momentum Begins (late Jan) – Front offices start positioning moves that can quietly reshape playoff narratives weeks before the deadline.

🎮 Esports Calendar Fully Reactivates (late Jan) – Major leagues across League of Legends, CS2 and Valorant move from offseason into full competition mode.

🔥 £132.8m – Total revenue generated by the top 15 women’s football clubs in 2025, up 35% year on year, with the top three accounting for 46% of all revenue. (Deloitte)

⚽ 90% – Year-on-year revenue growth at Chelsea Women, driven by £16m in commercial income, highlighting how sponsorship is now the main growth engine in the women’s game. (Deloitte)

🤖 “Low billions” – Expected advertising revenue OpenAI projects from ChatGPT ads in 2026, as conversational AI becomes a monetised media surface. (Financial Times)

🎧 69% – Spotify users say they are interested in video podcasts, reinforcing the shift toward multi-format, trust-led audio experiences. (Spotify Culture Next)

🏔️ 4x faster – Battery-powered E-Skimo skis can reduce ascent time by up to four times, mirroring the access-versus-authenticity debate seen with e-bikes. (Financial Times)

🎮 Multiple incidents in 12 months – Anti-ICE protests have repeatedly appeared inside Roblox role-play environments, showing how digital platforms are becoming spaces for symbolic civic expression. (Teen Vogue, Good Good Good)

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Paramount Pressures Warner, Apple Turns to Google & AI Rewrites Commerce: 19th January 2026

This week is about leverage. Influencers are no longer just shifting product, they’re shaping political narratives. AI is collapsing discovery, commerce and infrastructure into the same surface. Legacy brands are chasing growth while trying not to undo years of credibility work. Across culture, sport, fashion, media and platforms, the pattern is consistent: attention is fragmenting, but control is concentrating. This edition tracks where power is actually moving, before those shifts get reframed as trends.

Brand Power, Culture & Commercial Tension

Where credibility, hype and money collide.

👀 Why Adidas x Molly-Mae Is Bad-Good Business 👟📲

📌 Adidas surprised the sneaker and sportswear world by announcing a footwear collaboration with mega-influencer Molly-Mae, a move that appears at odds with the brand’s recent athlete-first, credibility-led rebuild. Under CEO Bjørn Gulden, Adidas has spent the past two years refocusing on sport, performance categories and culturally credible partnerships, making this influencer-led collaboration feel like a deliberate commercial detour rather than a brand statement. From a business standpoint, the logic is clear: Molly-Mae’s 8.5m Instagram following and highly loyal fanbase all but guarantee sell-through and short-term audience growth. But strategically, the move risks signalling a return to a 2020-era playbook, raising questions about how much influencer-driven hype Adidas needs as competition intensifies and growth expectations tighten.

Molly-Mae has over 8.5m Instagram followers, driving high conversion potential
Adidas has posted double-digit quarterly sales growth for 18 months, with FY25 revenue projected at ~$27bn
Bank of America issued a rare double downgrade on Adidas stock last week, citing possible slowdown risk

💡 Short-term sales wins can still dilute long-term brand meaning, and Adidas’ latest collab shows how commercial logic and cultural strategy don’t always align ⚖️

Source: SportsVerse, Daniel-Yaw Miller

👀 Why Elton John Has Launched an Alcohol-Free Alternative to Champagne 🥂✨

📌 Elton John has entered the drinks category with the launch of Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs, a 0% Chardonnay-based sparkling wine designed as an alcohol-free alternative to Champagne. The move is rooted less in commercial necessity and more in personal need, reflecting Elton John and partner David Furnish’s teetotal lifestyle and their frustration with the lack of high-quality, celebratory non-alcoholic options for entertaining. Drawing on his long-standing sobriety and selective approach to brand partnerships, the product is positioned as a premium, inclusive choice for social and fundraising occasions where non-drinkers still want to feel part of the ritual.

Elton John has been sober since 1990 and is one of the world’s most high-profile non-drinkers
The product is designed for celebratory moments traditionally associated with Champagne
Elton John Zero is retailing in the UK at £10 and is stocked by Sainsbury’s and select restaurants

💡 This is celebrity branding driven by lived experience, not licensing, signalling how alcohol-free products are moving from compromise to cultural centre stage 🌍

👀 Nike Shuts Its 529 Broadway SoHo Flagship in New York 🏬🗽

📌 Nike has closed the doors to its landmark 529 Broadway flagship in Manhattan, ending the run of a store once positioned as ‘the future of sport retail’. Opened in 2016, the five-storey SoHo space blended multiple sports, immersive experiences and community-led programming inside the former Prescott House Hotel, becoming a global reference point for experiential retail. While the closure is symbolic, it follows the sale of the building last year to Ingka Group for $213m, and Nike has confirmed it is actively seeking a new SoHo location.

The 529 Broadway store opened in 2016 as a flagship for Nike’s future-facing retail vision
The building was sold to Ingka Group for $213m in January 2025
Nike has said it remains committed to maintaining a presence in SoHo

💡 This marks the end of an era for flagship retail, but also reflects how even the most iconic brand spaces are being reshaped by real estate shifts and new retail priorities 🧠

👀 Why Fragrance Is Becoming the Latest Red Carpet Accessory 👃✨

📌 Fragrance is emerging as a new status symbol on the red carpet, with perfume brands increasingly sponsoring celebrity hairstylists, make-up artists and beauty professionals for major moments like the Golden Globes. While scent remains invisible to audiences at home, the strategy reflects a shift in how luxury fragrance brands seek cultural relevance, embedding themselves within the backstage ecosystem that shapes celebrity image-making. Rather than competing for overt logo placement, fragrance is positioning itself as an insider marker of taste, intimacy and craft, aligned with the people who curate red carpet looks rather than the outfits alone.

Fragrance brands are sponsoring celebrity beauty professionals rather than talent directly
The strategy prioritises backstage influence over visible product placement
Red carpet moments are being used to build cultural credibility, not immediate awareness

💡 In a world saturated with visuals, fragrance is betting on proximity, influence and insider access, proving that cultural capital doesn’t always need to be seen to be felt 🧠

👀 The WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Elevate Merch With a Fashion-First Collab 🏀✨

📌 Women’s basketball continues to blur the lines between sport, fashion and culture, with the Golden State Valkyries teaming up with designer Rupal and Sephora on an elevated sweatsuit that rethinks traditional team merchandise. Inspired by the Valkyries’ identity, the collection moves beyond logo-led apparel into considered design, positioning WNBA merch as lifestyle fashion rather than game-day kit. Available exclusively at the Golden State Shop, the collaboration reflects how women’s sport is increasingly setting the pace for culturally relevant, style-driven brand partnerships.

The sweatsuit was developed collaboratively between the designer, the team and Sephora
The collection reframes WNBA merchandise as fashion-forward lifestyle wear
The pieces are available exclusively via the Golden State Shop

💡 Women’s sport isn’t just influencing fashion, it’s redesigning what modern merch can be, culture-led, wearable and built for life beyond the arena 🧠

2. Platforms, Power & Political Influence

When creator culture becomes infrastructure.

👀 Right-Wing Influencers Have Flooded Minneapolis 🧢📹

📌 Right-wing influencers have descended on Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a federal agent, producing viral content that frames the city as lawless and positions ICE enforcement actions as justified self-defence. Clips filmed by creators embedded on the ground are being rapidly amplified by right-wing aggregation accounts and commentators, turning social media footage into political evidence used to defend the Trump administration’s expanded ICE presence in US cities. The reporting highlights how influencer-generated content is increasingly shaping public narratives around immigration enforcement, mirroring official messaging from Department of Homeland Security and feeding directly into cable news discourse. It also underscores how creator culture, state power and political messaging are converging in real time, with platforms acting as accelerants rather than neutral channels.

Influencer footage from Minneapolis has been reposted to millions via right-wing aggregation accounts
ICE is reportedly planning to spend around $100m on influencer content and geo-targeted ads for recruitment
A single viral YouTube video linked to Minnesota immigration claims exceeded 3m views and influenced federal enforcement decisions

💡 Influencers are no longer just commentators, they’re becoming informal extensions of state narrative-building in high-stakes political moments 📡

👀 Wanda Sykes and Mark Ruffalo Wear “BE GOOD” Pins at the Golden Globes 🤝🎬

📌 At the Golden Globes, Wanda Sykes and Mark Ruffalo wore “BE GOOD” pins in a visible show of solidarity with Minneapolis, the family of Renee Good, and victims of ICE enforcement across the US. The gesture linked a major cultural moment to ongoing political and human rights concerns, using the red carpet as a platform for protest and remembrance. Both figures have a long track record of public advocacy, making the pins part of a broader pattern of sustained, values-led activism rather than a one-off statement.

The pins reference solidarity with Renee Good’s family and communities impacted by ICE
Ruffalo has consistently challenged Trump-era authoritarianism and backed climate and voting rights causes
Sykes has been a prominent voice for LGBTQ+ and trans communities, particularly youth-focused organisations

💡 This is celebrity activism at its most effective, translating visibility into moral clarity and reaching audiences beyond traditional activist circles 🌍

👀 Calls to Boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup Intensify ⚽️🚨

📌 Pressure is mounting on FIFA after reports that around 16,800 fans cancelled their tickets overnight amid growing calls to boycott the FIFA World Cup 2026. The backlash is being driven by concerns over fan safety, political protests and broader human rights issues linked to policies in the host region, amplifying reputational risks for the tournament. In response, FIFA has scheduled an emergency meeting next week to address cancellations, safety anxieties and the potential impact on the tournament, which is due to take place across the US, Canada and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July 2026.

Around 16,800 ticket cancellations were reported in a single night
FIFA has called an emergency meeting to assess fan safety and reputational fallout
The tournament is set to span three host countries over five weeks

💡 Mega-sporting events are now as much about political legitimacy and trust as they are about the game itself 🌍

👀 UK Threatens Action Against X Over Sexualised AI Images of Women and Children ⚠️🤖

📌 The UK government has warned it could support regulatory action against X, including a potential block in the UK, amid growing concern over the platform’s AI tool Grok being used to generate sexualised images of women and children. Ministers signalled full backing for Ofcom as it conducts an expedited investigation, after concluding X has not done enough to protect users or test the technology adequately before release. The case is shaping up as a major test of the UK’s Online Safety regime, with tensions rising between free speech arguments and platform accountability as AI-generated abuse becomes harder to contain.

Ofcom has fast-tracked an investigation into Grok after requesting information from X
Regulators have powers ranging from multimillion-pound fines to court-ordered platform blocking
X has since limited image generation features to paying subscribers, a move the UK government criticised as inadequate

💡 This is a defining moment for how governments regulate AI-powered platforms, where safety, ethics and enforcement are colliding with free speech rhetoric 🧠

👀 X Suspends the @Twitter Handle Amid Ongoing Rebrand Fallout 🐦⚠️

📌 X has suspended the long-dormant @Twitter account, with users encountering an “Account Suspended” notice citing violations of the platform’s rules. The handle had been inactive since before Elon Musk acquired the platform in 2022 and remained unused following the rebrand from Twitter to X in 2023 and the shift to x.com in 2024. While no specific breach has been publicly detailed, the move is symbolically charged, effectively severing one of the last visible ties to Twitter’s legacy identity as X continues to redefine itself.

The @Twitter handle has been inactive since before Musk’s acquisition
The suspension notice cites rule violations without further explanation
The move follows X’s broader effort to move on from the Twitter brand entirely

💡 Suspending @Twitter isn’t about moderation, it’s about symbolism, signalling a clean break from the past as X tightens control over its identity 🧠

3. Media Wars, AI Infrastructure & Institutional Control

👀 Paramount Threatens Proxy Fight in Battle for Warner Bros Discovery 🎬⚖️

📌 Paramount has escalated its hostile pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery by threatening a proxy fight, suing to access internal financial analysis, and urging shareholders to reject a rival deal with Netflix. After losing out to Netflix’s $82.7bn offer for WBD’s studio and streaming assets, Paramount has gone directly to shareholders with a higher all-cash bid, arguing WBD withheld material information that could change how the two offers are evaluated. The move signals a rare, high-stakes governance battle in modern media M&A, where shareholder votes, board control and transparency are becoming as decisive as deal price.

Netflix’s offer values WBD’s studio and streaming business at $27.75 per share
Paramount’s hostile bid values the full business at $30 per share, all cash
Paramount plans to nominate directors and push shareholders to vote against the Netflix transaction

💡 This fight shows how legacy media consolidation is now being decided as much in boardrooms and courtrooms as in strategy decks 🧠

👀 Meta Unveils ‘Meta Compute’ to Power Its AI Ambitions ⚙️🤖

📌 Meta has launched a new ‘Meta Compute’ initiative to centralise and massively scale its artificial intelligence infrastructure, bringing data centres, compute capacity and supplier partnerships under a single strategic umbrella. Announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the initiative is designed to support Meta’s push into frontier AI and its long-term pursuit of ‘personal superintelligence’, with plans to build tens of gigawatts of computing capacity this decade. Co-led by infrastructure chief Santosh Janardhan and Daniel Gross, Meta Compute signals a decisive shift towards treating energy, data centres and compute scale as core strategic assets, even as concerns grow around power consumption, water use and environmental impact.

Meta plans to build tens of gigawatts of AI compute this decade, scaling to hundreds over time
The company committed up to $72bn in capital spending in 2025 to support AI and infrastructure
Meta has secured long-term power through 20-year nuclear energy agreements in the US

💡 AI leadership is no longer just about models, it’s about owning the energy, infrastructure and supply chains that make intelligence possible 🔌

👀 Apple Turns to Google’s Gemini to Finally Fix Siri 🍎🤖

📌 After years of playing catch-up in AI, Apple has agreed a multi-year partnership with Google that will put Gemini at the core of Siri’s cloud-based intelligence. Rather than rebuilding everything in-house, Apple will use Google’s large language models to handle more natural conversation, broader knowledge and complex requests, while keeping privacy-sensitive processing on-device through its own systems. The move reflects mounting pressure on Apple to make Siri genuinely useful, as voice assistants evolve from basic commands into conversational, context-aware tools.

Gemini will provide the backend AI powering Siri and Apple Intelligence features
A redesigned, LLM-powered Siri is expected to launch in spring 2026
Apple has faced persistent criticism over Siri’s reliability and limited capabilities

💡 This is Apple choosing pragmatism over pride, signalling that in the AI era, speed and capability now matter more than going it alone ⚙️

4. AI, Commerce & the Interface Layer

👀 JD Sports Becomes Shoppable via ChatGPT, Copilot and Other AI Platforms 🤖🛍️

📌 JD Sports is rolling out a new AI-native commerce model in the US, allowing consumers to search and purchase footwear, apparel and accessories directly within platforms such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini without leaving the app. The move positions AI tools as a fully transactional retail channel, not just a discovery layer, with integrated payments and checkout baked into the experience. Enabled through a new partnership with CommerceTools and Stripe, the initiative forms part of JD’s wider ‘Beyond Physical Retail’ strategy as it prepares for a future where shopping decisions increasingly happen inside AI interfaces.

JD customers in the US will be able to complete purchases inside AI platforms in a single click
JD is the first retailer to use CommerceTools and Stripe’s agentic commerce suite
The rollout starts in the US, with UK and Europe set to follow in 2026

💡 AI is quietly becoming the new storefront, and JD is treating large language models as a sales channel, not a marketing experiment 🧠

👀 The Creator Economy Shift: What Marketers Need to Know for 2026 🎥📊

📌 The creator economy is no longer an experimental channel but a core pillar of brand strategy, according to new analysis from Because of Marketing in partnership with Modash. Valued at an estimated $250bn globally, the sector continued to grow in 2025, but brands adopted a far more cautious, performance-led approach amid economic uncertainty. This has reshaped how marketers invest, who they work with and how success is measured, prioritising predictability, speed and defensible ROI over scale and hype.

The creator economy is now valued at around $250bn globally
85% of marketers cited Instagram as their top sales-driving channel in 2025, followed by TikTok
Investment in YouTube as a sales channel fell 42%, despite long-form content matching or outperforming short-form on conversions
Nearly 60% of marketers reported significantly better performance from smaller, niche creators
Over 80% of marketers prioritised niche creators over celebrities or macro influencers
27.9% fewer marketers plan to invest in long-term creator partnerships in 2026 compared with 2025
More than half of marketers increased spend on affiliate and performance-based models in 2025

💡 The creator economy hasn’t cooled, it’s professionalised, and in 2026 the winners will be brands that balance fast short-form wins with durable, trust-led creator relationships 🧠

👀 How Influencer Marketing Is Changing in 2026 🎥📈

📌 Influencer marketing budgets are set to grow again in 2026, but the playbook is shifting fast, according to reporting by Vogue. One-off, pay-to-post deals are increasingly ineffective in a saturated social landscape, pushing brands towards deeper, more strategic partnerships where creators act as long-term collaborators rather than media placements. As video continues to dominate platforms and audiences seek information as much as entertainment, creators are evolving into consultants, shaping content formats, narratives and brand integration in more produced, structured ways that go beyond traditional lifestyle posting.

Influencer marketing budgets are expected to rise for another consecutive year
Static, aesthetic-led posts are delivering weaker results than video-first formats
Brands are shifting from transactional posts to ongoing creator partnerships

💡 In 2026, creators aren’t just distribution channels, they’re strategic partners shaping how brands show up in a video-first culture 🧠

👀 The Future of AI in Marketing: Key Takeouts for Brands and Marketers 🤖📊

📌 New insights from Marketing Against the Grain, synthesised and shared by Future Social, point to a clear shift in how AI is reshaping modern marketing. The central message is not replacement but amplification, with AI increasingly acting as a collaborator that enhances productivity, personalisation and scale while leaving creativity and strategy firmly in human hands. The research draws on expert perspectives from HubSpot, a16z, Asana and Graphite, outlining how AI is already delivering measurable gains across content, growth and go-to-market execution, and where marketers should focus next.

AI integration is already delivering 15–20% productivity gains for engineering and product teams when embedded across workflows
AI agents are emerging as “digital teammates”, capable of handling multi-step goals rather than single tasks
Hyper-personalised AI-driven chat and email have driven up to 80% increases in conversion rates
AI-managed customer support now accounts for 25% of HubSpot’s support volume, equivalent to over 100 roles
AI-driven sales emails achieved a 94% higher conversion rate than human-written emails in cold outreach tests
Only ~10% of ranking search content contains significant AI-generated text, and search engines are already penalising overuse
Long-term advantage comes from human-in-the-loop systems, where AI drafts and scales while humans refine, edit and direct strategy

💡 The takeaway for 2026: AI will commoditise execution, but differentiation will come from human creativity, strategic thinking and the ability to orchestrate AI systems effectively at scale 🧠

5. Bodies, Behaviour & Cultural Redesign

👀 A Milestone for Women’s Football 🩸⚽️

📌 UEFA has released a new consensus statement on menstrual cycle tracking, marking a significant step forward in athlete welfare and evidence-led practice in women’s football. Developed by a multidisciplinary panel spanning science, medicine and sport, the guidance positions tracking as a tool for education, empowerment and wellbeing, while clearly stating that current evidence linking menstrual cycles to performance or injury risk remains inconclusive. Crucially, the framework prioritises standardisation, ethics and informed consent, aiming to ensure data is used responsibly and in the best interests of players rather than as a performance surveillance tool.

The guidance was developed by a multidisciplinary expert panel across medicine, science and sport
Evidence linking menstrual cycles to performance or injury risk is currently inconclusive
The statement emphasises ethics, consent and athlete-first data governance

💡 This signals a shift from experimentation to responsibility, where women’s sport starts building systems around care, not just competition 🌍

👀 ‘Soft Partying’ Is Replacing Late-Night Club Culture ☕️🎧

📌 Millennials and Gen Z are increasingly opting out of booze-led nightlife in favour of ‘soft partying’, a shift towards daytime and early-evening social experiences centred on connection, wellbeing and curiosity, according to Business Insider. Formats such as coffeehouse DJ sets, supper clubs, academic lectures and early-morning dance events are gaining traction, reflecting changing attitudes to alcohol, health and how people want to spend their social time. The trend is already reshaping the live events economy, with brands and platforms moving quickly to meet demand for sober-friendly, culturally enriching experiences.

Ticket sales for sober-friendly events on Eventbrite rose 92% year-on-year
Daytime and early-morning events are outperforming traditional late-night club formats
Alcohol is increasingly being de-centred in favour of wellbeing and community

💡 Nightlife isn’t dying, it’s being redesigned, and ‘soft partying’ shows how culture is shifting from excess to intentional connection 🌱

🎙️ The True Meaning of Cultural Relevance

The WARC Podcast

Host: David Tiltman

Featuring: Leila Fataar, author of Culture Led Brands

📌 This episode tackles one of the most overused - and misunderstood - ideas in modern marketing: what it actually means for a brand to be “in culture.”

Released in 13th January 2026, it arrives at a moment when brands are navigating fragmented audiences, micro-communities, creator ecosystems, and declining trust in traditional influence models.

Leila Fataar and WARC’s David Tiltman move beyond trend-chasing to interrogate how cultural relevance is built, who defines it now, and why old playbooks no longer work in an age of decentralised cultural power.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Reframes cultural relevance for 2026: Positions “being in culture” as participation, contribution, and alignment - not borrowed aesthetics or short-term hype.
Directly addresses creator & micro-influencer shifts: Explores how influence is fragmenting, and what that means for brand credibility and scale.
Strategic, not superficial: Grounded in long-term brand building rather than campaign-led moments - ideal for senior marketers and strategists.
Credible industry lens: WARC’s analytical approach makes this episode especially valuable for professionals balancing creativity with effectiveness.
Highly relevant across fashion, music, sport, and lifestyle: The insights apply wherever brands rely on cultural capital to remain meaningful.

🔥 Top 5 Things to Do This Week

🎾 Australian Open (19–25 Jan) – Quarter-finals to finals week at the first Grand Slam of the year, delivering peak global attention, celebrity visibility and cultural cut-through.

🎬 Sundance Film Festival (22–26 Jan) – Final days of Sundance, when breakout indie films emerge and the year’s film conversation quietly locks in.

🖼 London Art Fair (21–25 Jan) – The UK art world’s first major commercial moment of the year and a sharp read on emerging taste and talent.

🎨 Tate Modern (final week) – Last chance to catch a winter blockbuster exhibition before it closes and cultural feeds peak.

🏆 Critics Choice Awards (25 Jan) – One of the clearest signals of Oscars momentum, with wins often shaping the rest of awards season.

👀 Things to Be Aware Of This Week

📣 Critics Choice Awards winners announced (25 Jan) – Results frequently align with Oscar outcomes and influence campaign narratives.

💰 Sundance Film Festival acquisition deals (22–26 Jan) – Final-week buying sprees often define which films dominate streaming and awards later in the year.

🏅 Australian Open finals (24–25 Jan) – Men’s and women’s champions crowned during one of the biggest global sports moments of Q1.

🏈 NFL Conference Championships (25 Jan) – Decides the Super Bowl finalists and delivers one of the highest-viewed sports weekends of the year.

🎶 Eurosonic Noorderslag (21–24 Jan) – Europe’s influential showcase week for new music, where future festival line-ups and label priorities take shape.

🌍 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (19–23 Jan) – Davos week sets the tone for political, tech and corporate narratives that will ripple through culture all year.

🔥 The Australian Open reaches over 1 billion viewers globally across broadcast and digital, making it one of the most valuable cultural and commercial sports moments of Q1. (Tennis Australia)

🎬 More than 40 percent of Sundance films that secure distribution deals do so in the final days of the festival, shaping the year’s indie film and streaming pipeline. (Sundance Institute)

🖼 The UK art market generated over £10.8bn in sales last year, with January fairs like London Art Fair acting as the first confidence signal for collectors and galleries. (Art Basel & UBS)

🎨 Major museum exhibitions see up to a 30 percent attendance uplift in their closing week, driven by social sharing, press coverage and deadline-led demand. (Arts Council England)

🏆 Critics Choice Awards winners have aligned with eventual Oscar winners in over 70 percent of major categories, reinforcing their role as a key momentum marker in awards season. (Academy Awards analysis)

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

OpenAI Eyes Pinterest, Ticketing Wars Escalate & YouTube Walks Away from Billboard: On The Record: 12th January 2026

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

Tala losses widen after US exit but firm remains upbeat 🧘‍♀️📉

📌 Gymwear brand Tala reported mixed results for the year to March 2025, with revenue rising but losses widening following its decision to scale back US operations. Revenue increased 18% year-on-year to £19.8m, however operating losses grew to £2.64m as the brand absorbed costs linked to tariffs and a strategic retreat from the US market. Despite this, Tala remains confident, pointing to its first London store opening, strong wholesale momentum, and plans for further UK and international expansion. The update highlights the tension many challenger brands face between international growth ambitions and the operational realities of volatile global trade conditions.

Revenue up 18% to £19.8m
Operating loss widened to £2.64m
Wholesale channel performed 8x versus the prior year

💡 International ambition is no longer just about demand, but about resilience to tariffs, cost pressure, and structural complexity 🌍.

Founded in 2019 by Grace Beverley, Tala counts Pembroke VCT, Venrex and Active Partners among its investors, following a £4.6m funding round in July 2024.

Defunct ticketing startup Fanimal files antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation, Ticketmaster 🎟️⚖️

📌 Summary Defunct ticketing startup Fanimal has filed an antitrust lawsuit accusing Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster of using anticompetitive practices to force it out of business. The complaint alleges that Ticketmaster controls around 80% of major US venues and 75% of online concert ticket sales, while Live Nation dominates concert promotion and venue ownership, creating structural barriers for challengers. Fanimal claims exclusive long-term venue contracts, retaliation against venues using rival platforms, and restrictions such as Ticketmaster’s SafeTix technology prevented fair competition in both primary and secondary ticketing markets. The case adds to growing legal pressure on Live Nation and Ticketmaster, alongside ongoing lawsuits from the US Department of Justice, the FTC, and consumer class actions.

Ticketmaster allegedly controls ~80% of major US venue ticketing
Exclusive contracts span 5–7 years, some exceeding a decade
Fanimal had 250,000+ users and a projected $100m+ valuation before shutting down

💡Platform power in live music is increasingly being tested in court, with competition, transparency, and fan trust now central brand and regulatory issues 🎶.

The lawsuit was brought by defunct startup Fanimal against Live Nation Entertainment and its subsidiary Ticketmaster, as reported by Music Business Worldwide.

Food in 2026 will embrace ‘quiet luxury’ and grandmacore comfort 🥖🥬

📌According to forecasts highlighted by The New York Times, 2026 will mark a shift away from hyper-optimised, macro-obsessed eating toward simpler, whole-food-led approaches rooted in tradition. Trends point to a rise in ‘grandmacore’, with sourdough, fermented vegetables, pickling and slow cooking techniques regaining cultural and culinary value, reframed for modern palates. Diners are expected to prioritise value over low cost, favouring quality, reliability, shorter menus and better service as budgets tighten. The forecast also reflects growing awareness of the link between gut health, metabolism, the nervous system and inflammation, reinforcing food’s role in wellbeing beyond tracking and metrics.

Vinegar tipped to expand into desserts and cocktails
Cabbage named a likely vegetable of the year, braised, pickled or fermented
Fiber-rich whole foods positioned as a key nutritional focus

💡 As food culture moves away from optimisation theatre, brands that champion quality, simplicity and trust in fundamentals stand to win 🍽️.

OpenAI reportedly set to acquire Pinterest in its biggest deal yet 🧠📌

📌 OpenAI is reportedly planning to acquire Pinterest in what would mark its largest acquisition to date, signalling a strategic expansion beyond foundational AI models. The move is understood to centre on access to Pinterest’s vast image data, strengthening OpenAI’s multimodal capabilities and training resources. The acquisition would also significantly deepen OpenAI’s presence in online shopping and digital advertising, positioning it closer to consumer discovery and intent-led commerce. If confirmed, the deal reflects a broader shift among AI leaders toward owning platforms, data, and distribution, not just infrastructure.

Pinterest hosts hundreds of billions of images globally
The platform plays a key role in shopping discovery and visual search
This would be OpenAI’s largest acquisition to date, if completed

💡 AI’s next competitive frontier isn’t just intelligence, but ownership of consumer intent, creativity, and commerce pathways 🛒.

OnlyFans creators granted US ‘extraordinary ability’ visas based on audience reach 🎥🇺🇸

📌 The Financial Times reports that the US is increasingly granting O-1B visas to OnlyFans creators under the category for “extraordinary ability in the arts”. Decisions are being influenced by measurable audience reach, subscriber numbers, and income, reframing digital influence as a legitimate marker of artistic merit. The shift reflects how creator economies are reshaping legacy immigration, labour, and cultural value frameworks. It also signals growing institutional recognition of platform-native careers once considered informal or marginal.

O-1B visas are traditionally awarded to artists, filmmakers, and performers
Audience metrics are now cited as evidence of extraordinary ability
Digital platforms are increasingly treated as legitimate cultural industries

💡Influence is no longer just cultural capital, it’s becoming legal and economic currency 📊.

Netflix reportedly plans 17-day theatrical windows following Warner Bros acquisition 🎬⏱️

📌 According to Deadline, Netflix is planning to limit theatrical releases to just 17 days after completing its reported acquisition of Warner Bros. The strategy would significantly shorten traditional release windows, reinforcing Netflix’s streaming-first distribution model while still allowing for brief theatrical exposure. The move suggests cinemas would play a more symbolic and promotional role, rather than serving as a primary revenue driver. If implemented, it could further disrupt established relationships between studios, exhibitors, and talent accustomed to longer theatrical runs.

The proposed window is 17 days, far shorter than industry norms
The approach prioritises rapid transition to streaming audiences
The strategy would follow Netflix’s reported acquisition of Warner Bros

💡 Theatrical is increasingly being treated as a launch moment, not a lifecycle, as platforms optimise for owned audiences and data 📊.

YouTube to stop supplying data to Billboard charts from January 2026 📊🎵

📌 YouTube has announced it will no longer deliver streaming data to Billboard’s chart calculations from January 16, 2026, ending a decade-long partnership. The decision follows disagreements over Billboard’s chart methodology, which weights subscription-supported streams more heavily than ad-supported ones. YouTube argues this approach no longer reflects how fans engage with music today, particularly given the scale of ad-supported listening globally. The move raises questions about how industry benchmarks measure popularity in an era where streaming dominates music consumption.

Streaming accounts for 84% of US recorded music revenue
YouTube’s concern centres on unequal weighting of ad-supported streams
The change takes effect on January 16, 2026

💡 As streaming defines music culture, the fight over how value is measured is becoming as important as the music itself 🎧.

Announced by Lyor Cohen, Global Head of Music at YouTube, in relation to chart data supplied to Billboard.

WTA and ATP still weighing merger as ‘Battle of the Sexes’ marketing sparks backlash 🎾⚖️

📌 According to Front Office Sports, the WTA and ATP continue to explore a potential unification of professional tennis, though talks remain complex and unresolved. Structural differences pose a major hurdle, particularly the WTA’s centralised commercial arm, WTA Ventures, versus the ATP’s more fragmented commercial rights model. As mixed-format events gain traction, the tours face scrutiny over how women’s tennis is positioned, following criticism of recent “Battle of the Sexes” style marketing. Athletes and commentators argue such framing risks reinforcing outdated narratives, potentially undermining women’s tennis at a moment when equity and audience growth are central priorities.

Merger discussions remain ongoing but unresolved
Commercial structures differ significantly across tours
“Battle of the Sexes” framing has drawn public criticism

💡 As tennis explores structural unity, outdated gendered storytelling risks slowing cultural progress rather than accelerating it 🎾.

Caitlin Clark teases Nike signature line with Kelce brothers on New Heights 👟🏀

📌 Caitlin Clark has shared new details about her upcoming Nike signature apparel line, following a Christmas Day teaser from Nike. Clark appeared alongside Jason and Travis Kelce on their widely followed New Heights podcast, using the platform to reveal more about the collection and its positioning. The move mirrors recent pop culture crossover strategies, notably when Taylor Swift used the same podcast to preview new music, driving record engagement. Clark’s episode attracted 328K views, outperforming other celebrity interviews on the show and underscoring her growing cultural reach beyond sport.

Nike released its first official teaser on Christmas Day
Clark’s episode drew 328K views, higher than most celebrity guests
Swift’s New Heights appearance reached 13M views in 24 hours

💡 Signature athletes now build brand heat through culture-first platforms, not press conferences, blending sport, fandom, and entertainment into one channel 🎧.

Venus Williams returns to Grand Slam action at 45 with Australian Open wildcard 🎾✨

📌 Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams is set to compete in her first major outside New York since 2023 after receiving a wildcard into the Australian Open. The appearance will mark her first time in Melbourne since 2021, following a limited 2024 schedule that still delivered standout moments. Williams will warm up with wildcard entries at the Auckland Open and the Hobart International. Recent highlights include surprise singles wins in Washington D.C. and a notable doubles run at the US Open alongside Leylah Fernandez.

First Australian Open appearance since 2021
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion
Multiple 2025 warm-up wildcards ahead of Melbourne

💡 Longevity, not novelty, is becoming one of sport’s most compelling narratives 🎾.

Formula 1 heads to Madrid with new Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 🏎️🇪🇸

📌 Formula 1 will add Madrid to its calendar in 2026, with the Spanish Grand Prix scheduled for 11–13 September. The new ‘Madring’ circuit blends city streets with purpose-built sections, introducing one of the most technically ambitious layouts on the calendar, including a high-speed 5.4km track and the banked La Monumental corner. With new cars, regulations, and teams arriving in 2026, the Madrid race is positioned as one of the most unpredictable events of the season, even for local favourites Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz. Beyond racing, the event is being framed as a city-wide cultural moment, combining sport, sustainability, hospitality, and Madrid’s food, nightlife, and arts scene.

Circuit combines street racing and fast straights across 22 corners
La Monumental set to be F1’s longest banked corner
Estimated 90% of fans able to access the circuit via public transport

💡 Formula 1’s future growth is increasingly about destination appeal, turning Grands Prix into cultural festivals, not just races 🏁.

Set in Madrid with tickets now on sale for the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix.

Inside TAG Heuer’s $1bn return as Formula 1’s Official Timekeeper ⏱️🏎️

📌 In a deep-dive for Idée Fixe, tech and motorsport commentator Toni Cowan-Brown unpacks TAG Heuer’s return as Official Timekeeper of Formula 1, as part of LVMH’s reported $1bn, 10-year motorsport partnership. The deal goes beyond nostalgia, positioning TAG Heuer within F1’s cultural and technological reset, as the sport attracts younger, digitally native audiences shaped by streaming, social, and data-led storytelling. While much of F1’s real-time timing and analytics are powered by cloud infrastructure, the partnership highlights how perception, symbolism, and brand ownership of “precision” still carry value. Strategically, TAG Heuer’s alignment with F1 Academy signals a long-term play on future talent and relevance, not just legacy prestige.

Part of a $1bn, 10-year LVMH motorsport investment
TAG Heuer becomes title sponsor of the Monaco Grand Prix for the first time in its history
F1 processes 1.1m+ data points per second, largely via cloud partners

💡 In a sport defined by data and velocity, luxury brands are no longer selling heritage alone, but staking claims on meaning, precision, and future relevance ⏳.

Analysis by Toni Cowan-Brown for Idée Fixe, examining TAG Heuer’s renewed role within Formula 1’s evolving commercial and cultural ecosystem.

Starbucks teams up with MrBeast to power Prime Video’s Beast Games 🧃📺

📌 Starbucks has partnered with MrBeast around season two of competition series Beast Games on Prime Video, as brands increasingly target creator-led entertainment. Contestants will have 24/7 access to Starbucks inside Beast City, the show’s on-site living quarters, embedding the brand directly into the programme’s environment rather than relying on traditional sponsorship cues. Starbucks will also launch a limited-edition Cannon Ball Drink, inspired by the show and released alongside a crossover challenge episode with Survivor. The collaboration reflects Starbucks’ push to rebuild growth and relevance with under-30 audiences through culture-first, platform-native partnerships.

Beast Games season two debuts 7 January 2026
MrBeast reaches 454m+ YouTube subscribers and 1bn+ followers across platforms
Cannon Ball Drink launches 14 January across US stores

💡 As streaming competition heats up, brands are shifting from ads to infrastructure, becoming part of the entertainment itself 🍿.

CES 2026 highlights so far: the announcements shaping the year ahead 🤖📺

📌 Live coverage from CES 2026 shows a tech industry doubling down on AI, new form factors, and physical-digital convergence, with major brands and startups using the show to preview what’s next. Rather than one defining hero product, the story so far is about category reinvention, from displays and PCs to robots, wearables, and smart play. The show continues to blend serious infrastructure bets with playful, sometimes strange experimentation.

Key highlights as of 7th Jan:

LG unveiled CLOiD, a humanoid home robot designed to perform real household chores using what it calls “Physical AI”
Samsung previewed next-generation display tech, including a 130-inch Micro RGB TV, transparent OLEDs, and spatial 3D displays
Lego debuted Smart Bricks and Smart Play, embedding sensors, sound, and connectivity into classic bricks, launching first with Star Wars sets
Lenovo revealed rollable laptops, including the ThinkPad Rollable XD and Legion Pro Rollable, expanding screens for work and gaming
Dell revived the XPS line, pairing a refreshed design with Intel Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) processors
Intel launched Panther Lake chips, promising up to 27 hours of battery life and a new integrated Arc GPU
Nvidia signalled a full pivot toward AI infrastructure, robotics, and autonomous systems rather than consumer GPUs
Boston Dynamics debuted a product-ready Atlas humanoid robot, aimed at factory environments
Motorola teased the Razr Fold, its first book-style foldable phone, alongside an “AI personal twin” pendant called Qira
Smart glasses gained momentum, with TCL’s RayNeo Air 4 Pro undercutting rivals on price
AI companions and robots proliferated, from desk-based “AI soulmates” to cute-but-creepy social bots
Weird-but-watchable gadgets included EEG-powered gaming headsets, AI bartenders, solar-powered robots, and tactile phone keyboards

💡 CES 2026 confirms the next tech cycle isn’t about faster gadgets, but about AI moving off screens and into everyday objects, spaces, and behaviours.

Universal Music Group partners with NVIDIA to reshape music discovery and creation with AI 🎶🤖

📌 Universal Music Group has announced a strategic collaboration with NVIDIA to develop responsible AI tools for music discovery, creation, and fan engagement. The partnership combines NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure with UMG’s vast global music catalogue, aiming to move beyond basic search and recommendation toward deeper, more contextual music experiences. Central to the collaboration is NVIDIA’s Music Flamingo model, designed to analyse full-length tracks with human-like understanding of structure, emotion, lyrics, and cultural context. The initiative also places strong emphasis on artist protection, attribution, and rightsholder compensation, positioning responsible AI as a core industry standard rather than an afterthought.

Music Flamingo can analyse tracks up to 15 minutes long across harmony, lyrics, and emotional arcs
UMG and NVIDIA will launch an artist-led AI incubator to co-design creative tools
Collaboration builds on UMG’s existing AI work via its Music & Advanced Machine Learning Lab

💡 This signals a shift from AI as a threat to creativity toward AI as infrastructure, redefining how music is discovered, protected, and valued at scale 🎧.

Announced by Sir Lucian Grainge, with research and development supported by UMG’s studio ecosystem including Abbey Road and Capitol Studios.

Newcastle United extends long-standing partnership with Molson Coors 🍺⚽

📌 Newcastle United has renewed its long-running partnership with Molson Coors, extending a collaboration that has been central to the club’s matchday experience since 2007. The agreement sees Carling remain the club’s Official Beer Partner with pouring rights at St. James’ Park, alongside a wider portfolio of Molson Coors brands available to fans. The partnership also covers St. James’ STACK fanzone, where Molson Coors has increased sales volumes by more than a third since becoming a supplier in 2024. Recent activations highlight a shared focus on experiential marketing, community, and supporter culture, rather than traditional sponsorship alone.

Partnership now approaching two decades
Sales at the official fanzone up 30%+ since 2024
Brand support extends to Newcastle United Women

💡 The most effective sports partnerships are shifting from logo placement to long-term cultural presence embedded in the fan experience 🖤🤍.

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

🎙️ The Biggest Questions Around the Fashion Industry as We Head Into 2026

📌 This episode functions as a sharp, editorially driven state-of-the-industry briefing for fashion, luxury, and lifestyle brands. The Glossy team synthesises reporting, executive conversations, and market signals to unpack the most pressing questions brands are facing right now-spanning consumer behaviour shifts, evolving shopping habits, spending priorities, and structural pressures on the fashion business.

Rather than trend-spotting in isolation, the episode connects cultural mood, economic reality, and brand decision-making-making it especially relevant for senior marketers and strategists setting direction for the year ahead.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Strategic foresight, not hype: Offers a grounded read on how cultural sentiment and economic signals are reshaping demand across fashion and luxury-essential context for 2026 brand planning.
Consumer-first perspective: Breaks down how shoppers’ expectations around value, relevance, and trust are changing, and what that means for product, pricing, and storytelling.

Sport

Australian Open – 12–25 January – Melbourne / Global Broadcast The first Grand Slam of the year reliably dominates global sports media, fashion partnerships, and lifestyle brand storytelling, with strong crossover into culture and celebrity.

NFL Playoffs (Divisional Round) – 17–18 January – USA / Global Broadcast High-intensity knockout games drive premium ad spend, real-time social engagement, and brand-led cultural moments ahead of Super Bowl season.

Film & Entertainment

Sundance Film Festival – 15–25 January – Park City, Utah / Industry Coverage The world’s most influential independent film festival shapes the year’s breakout talent and cultural narratives, attracting major brand, platform, and press attention.

Awards Season Momentum – Week of 12 January – Global This week sits firmly within peak awards campaigning, with nominees dominating cultural conversation across fashion, entertainment, and luxury sectors.

Kevin Hart joins Authentic Brands Group: the celebrity IP playbook keeps scaling

This week, Authentic Brands Group confirmed a strategic partnership with Kevin Hart, adding another global entertainer to its growing roster of talent-led brands. As with previous deals, Hart becomes a shareholder, with ABG taking a long-term role in managing and monetising his personal brand across categories, platforms and territories.

It is a move that reinforces a pattern ABG has been quietly perfecting: treating celebrity not as endorsement, but as scalable intellectual property.

What the Kevin Hart deal signals

ABG has not disclosed financial terms, but its standard structure is well established.

Key features of the model:

Co-ownership, not licensing only: the talent retains meaningful equity while ABG controls brand strategy and commercial execution.
Licensing-led growth: products, content and experiences are delivered through specialist partners, generating recurring royalty income.
Platform thinking: comedy, film, live events, content and consumer products are developed as one integrated brand ecosystem.

Hart now sits alongside Shaquille O’Neal and David Beckham, two of ABG’s most visible “living legend” partners.

Why ABG keeps winning the celebrity IP game

ABG’s wider business is built on scale and predictability rather than hype.

At a glance:

Portfolio of 50+ brands
$32bn+ in annual global retail sales across its ecosystem
Operations in 150 countries with 29,000+ retail locations
Valuations reported by Reuters and the Financial Times ranging from $12.7bn to $20bn

The Beckham partnership illustrates the upside. Financial Times reporting shows DRJB Holdings, the Beckham brand vehicle majority-owned by ABG, delivered $92.3m in revenue and $45m in pre-tax profit in its most recent financial year, with more than $80m paid out in dividends.

The wider portfolio context

Beyond talent, ABG owns and operates some of the most recognisable names in sport and fashion, including Champion, Reebok, Nautica, Quiksilver and Juicy Couture. The through-line is the same: acquire cultural equity, then scale it globally through disciplined licensing and brand stewardship.

On the record takeaway

ABG’s Kevin Hart deal underlines a shift brands should pay attention to. Cultural influence is no longer rented campaign by campaign. It is owned, structured and scaled. For creators, it offers longevity. For brands, it is proof that the smartest growth today sits at the intersection of IP, culture and operational rigour.

🔥 18% revenue growth, wider losses Tala grew revenue to £19.8m year-on-year, but operating losses widened to £2.64m following its US exit, highlighting the cost pressure facing challenger brands expanding internationally. (Company filings)

🎟️ Ticketmaster’s market dominance under scrutiny Ticketmaster is estimated to control around 80% of major US venue ticketing and 75% of online concert ticket sales, central to ongoing antitrust challenges. (Music Business Worldwide)

🥖 Whole foods over optimisation Consumer interest in fibre-rich, minimally processed foods is rising as diners shift away from macro-tracking toward value, quality, and tradition-led eating. (The New York Times)

🧠 Visual data as strategic currency Pinterest hosts hundreds of billions of images globally, making visual search and discovery a critical battleground for AI, commerce, and advertising platforms. (Company data)

🎶 Streaming defines music economics Streaming now accounts for 84% of US recorded music revenue, intensifying debates over how ad-supported versus subscription listening is measured and valued. (RIAA)

🏎️ F1’s data-driven scale Formula 1 processes more than 1.1 million data points per second during races, underscoring why technology, cloud infrastructure, and precision branding are increasingly intertwined. (Formula 1 / Idée Fixe)

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

AI Beauty Wins Christmas, Women’s Sport Money Surges & YouTube Takes the Oscars: On The Record: 5th January 2026

Welcome to the first edition of On The Record 2026, thoughtful analysis on culture, entertainment, tech, fashion, music, sport, and brands. Here’s a round-up of key conversations and campaigns that caught my attention this week.

👀 TRIP turns a corner shop into a long-term brand moment

TRIP and Creatisan transformed an everyday newsagent into a full external brand takeover – not a pop-up or short-term stunt, but a months-long presence embedded into the street itself. From paint and vinyl to windows and fascia, the entire exterior became a lived-in brand canvas rather than rented media space.

The move shows how much impact sits in overlooked, real-world environments. Instead of chasing billboards or fleeting activations, TRIP chose permanence, locality and daily visibility – meeting people where they already are.

💡 Owning unexpected physical spaces can create more cultural value than buying the most obvious media placement – especially when the work feels part of the neighbourhood, not parachuted into it. ✨

🎶 Mumford & Sons turn album listening into a live fan moment

📌 Mumford & Sons partnered with Planet Fans to host secret album playbacks for select fans during their sold-out UK and European arena tour, offering backstage listening sessions of unreleased music ahead of their sixth album, Prizefighter. Using Planet Fans’ digital pass system, fans already inside venues were discreetly notified just hours before shows, then escorted backstage without knowing what they were about to experience. Members of the band later appeared unannounced to thank fans in person, turning album previews into intimate, high-trust community moments rather than traditional promo events.

Prizefighter, the band’s sixth album, is released on 20 February via Island Records
Between 50 and 120 fans took part at each show, coordinated across venues and security teams
Push notifications were sent just two hours before each playback to fans already in the building

💡This is fandom as infrastructure, not marketing, using data, timing and trust to turn album launches into emotionally resonant experiences. 🎧

👀 Unearth PR’s Campaigns That Cut Through This Year 🌟

📌 The Unearth PR team rounded up the PR and marketing campaigns from the past year that genuinely earned attention. From cultural timing and product storytelling to smart OOH and community-driven hype, these moments show what happens when brands tap into culture rather than chase it.

M&S’s strawberries & cream ‘sando’ blurred food categories during Wimbledon, turning a seasonal product into a national talking point.
Mattel launched its first-ever Type 1 Diabetes Barbie, fronted by Lila Moss, expanding representation through a global brand icon.
Rare Beauty introduced its new fragrance with scratch-and-sniff billboards across New York, Soho and Chelsea, bringing sensory marketing back into OOH.
SKIMS’ jawline-sculpting face wrap became an instant viral product moment, driven by curiosity and controversy.
Lime flipped TfL strike disruption into sharp OOH copy, remixing “Good Service on All Lines” across London.
Kylie Jenner revived her King Kylie era to mark 10 years of Kylie Cosmetics, leaning into nostalgia as brand equity.
The Ordinary launched The Periodic Fable, transforming industry buzzwords into a fake periodic table to question how brands manufacture trust.
Rhode’s Sephora UK launch turned London black cabs into branded beauty lounges, bringing product sampling into the street.
ELLE Magazine and Charlotte Tilbury’s £7.99 cover gift sold out nationwide after going viral, proving print still moves culture when the offer is right.
McDonald’s unleashed The Grinch across festive OOH, flipped signage and in-restaurant chaos, driving fans offline and into stores.

💡 The strongest campaigns this year didn’t shout louder, they showed up smarter, embedding themselves directly into culture, routine and conversation. 🧠✨

🎄💄 Charlotte Tilbury tops AI-powered Christmas beauty recommendations

📌 Charlotte Tilbury has emerged as the most recommended beauty brand by AI this Christmas, according to an ‘AI Christmas Nice List’ created by digital marketing and PR agency Tank. The ranking analysed how frequently and how early brands are suggested by AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT when users search for beauty gifting inspiration. Out of nearly 130 websites reviewed, the Puig-owned make-up brand achieved the highest mention score in the beauty category, outperforming established players including Estée Lauder, Clinique and MAC. The findings point to the growing influence of search visibility, content depth and long-term digital optimisation in shaping how AI surfaces brands during high-intent retail moments.

Mention score of 30, the highest in the beauty category
Ranked above Estée Lauder (18) and Clinique and Lookfantastic (9)
Study analysed nearly 130 websites across the beauty sector

💡 As AI becomes a new discovery layer, brands that invest in search, how-to content and authority are shaping recommendations before consumers even hit checkout. 🤖✨

The World’s Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2025 💰🏅

📌 Forbes’ 2025 ranking reveals a landmark year for women’s sport, with the world’s top 20 highest-paid female athletes generating a combined $293 million, a 13% increase on 2024. While prize money records were broken across tennis, golf and basketball, the list underscores a structural reality: most financial upside still sits off the field, through endorsements, media, fashion and licensing. Led by Coco Gauff’s $33 million haul, the ranking reflects how women athletes are increasingly valued as cultural operators, founders and platforms in their own right, even as pay gaps within leagues remain stark.

$293m total earnings across the top 20 athletes, up from $258m in 2024
72% of total income came from off-field activity such as endorsements and partnerships
The earnings cutoff rose to $8.1m, up from $6.3m last year
Tennis accounted for half of the list, but basketball, golf, skiing, track and rugby all featured

💡The money in women’s sport is growing fast, but the real acceleration is happening where performance meets platform, personality and brand power. 🚀

🏀 A’ja Wilson’s dominance has tipped into something bigger than sport

📌 Summary TIME’s decision to name A’ja Wilson its 2025 Athlete of the Year reflects more than an extraordinary season, it recognises a shift in cultural gravity. Wilson delivered one of the most complete campaigns in basketball history, pairing individual excellence with team success and leadership at scale. But her impact stretches further, as visibility, representation and long-term power in women’s sport increasingly sit with athletes who refuse to shrink their presence, soften their ambition or wait for permission.

Wilson’s season arrived at a pivotal moment for the WNBA, as viewership, attendance and commercial momentum continued to rise even amid league-wide tensions around pay, recognition and legacy. Her response was not performative or reactive, but rooted in consistency, accountability and belief in collective progress, both on the court and at the negotiating table. The result is an athlete operating at true icon level, influencing culture quietly and permanently by existing fully in her excellence.

First player in WNBA or NBA history to win a championship alongside the scoring title, league MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season
Fourth league MVP before age 30, placing her in a peer group with Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James
Led the Las Vegas Aces to their third WNBA championship in four years, after a mid-season turnaround that defined leadership under pressure

💡 The real inflection point in women’s sport isn’t visibility alone, it’s when greatness becomes normalised, expected and impossible to ignore 🏀

How Brands Can Compete in the 2026 Social Media Landscape 📱

📌 Future Social argues that the brands set to win in 2026 will not be chasing shiny innovation, but finally committing to the fundamentals they should already have nailed. Short-form vertical video is positioned as the default language of social, not an experiment, and success depends as much on internal trust as it does on creative output. The piece stresses that emotional insight, creator-led thinking, and sharper ideas will separate brands that perform from those that plateau.

Video is now the most consumed, most versatile and most viral content format across platforms
Brands limiting social teams with heavy approvals consistently underperform
Content rooted in emotional relevance outperforms trend-chasing alone

💡 Social is not changing in 2026, but the brands willing to take creative risk and respect the craft will finally pull ahead 🎥

🏀 WNBPA pushes back on WNBA revenue split talks

📌 With the next WNBA collective bargaining agreement deadline approaching, negotiations are stalling over revenue sharing. According to reporting from The Athletic, the WNBPA is asking for players to receive around 30 percent of total league revenue, while the WNBA has proposed less than 15 percent, a figure that would decline over the life of the deal. The gap highlights growing tension as the league expands commercially, while players argue compensation has not kept pace with growth.

Players’ proposal: ~30 percent of total league revenue
League proposal: under 15 percent
Current offer reportedly decreases over the CBA term

💡 As the WNBA’s cultural and commercial profile rises, revenue sharing is becoming the defining test of how growth is shared between league and labour. 🏀

🃏 Caitlin Clark maintains top billing in memorabilia space with Panini release

📌 Summary According to eBay’s annual search data, Caitlin Clark was the most searched WNBA athlete on the resale platform this year, underscoring her breakout impact beyond the court. Paige Bueckers, Cameron Brink, Sophie Cunningham and Sabrina Ionescu rounded out the top five, signalling a broader surge in demand for women’s basketball collectibles. Building on that momentum, Panini America released Caitlin Clark Chronicled, a dedicated trading card series, following its exclusive multi-year memorabilia deal with Clark.

Caitlin Clark ranked #1 among all WNBA athletes searched on eBay this year
Four of the top five most searched WNBA players are part of the league’s new generation of stars
Panini America holds an exclusive multi-year memorabilia partnership with Clark

💡Women’s basketball fandom is now fully transacting, with athlete-led IP driving real value in the collectibles economy 🃏

🎬 Oscars to Move Exclusively to YouTube from 2029

📌 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has signed a four-year global deal making YouTube the exclusive home of the Oscars from 2029 to 2033, ending a decades-long run on US broadcast television. The partnership covers not just the ceremony but red carpet, backstage access, nominations, Governors Awards and year-round Academy programming, signalling a decisive shift from broadcast to platform-led distribution. It reflects both YouTube’s growing dominance in live streaming and the Academy’s push to reach younger, more international audiences as linear TV continues to decline.

YouTube hosted its first live NFL game this year, attracting over 17m viewers
YouTube TV had 9.4m subscribers as of April and is forecast to become the largest US pay-TV service
ABC still drew 19.7m viewers for the 2025 Oscars, up slightly year-on-year

💡 One-liner insight: The Oscars moving to YouTube confirms that cultural prestige is no longer tied to broadcast, it now lives where attention already is 📺➡️📱

Why On Is Entering Football ⚽

Source: Daniel Yaw Miller’s latest SportsVerse newsletter

📌 On’s signing of 18-year-old FC Barcelona and Switzerland star Sydney Schertenleib marks the brand’s first move into football, but notably without launching boots or on-pitch product. Instead, she joins as a training and lifestyle ambassador, allowing On to introduce itself to football culture with minimal risk and existing product lines. The move reflects On’s wider ambition to scale beyond its running roots and establish itself as a full-spectrum sportswear brand as it passes $3bn in annual revenue. By backing a highly marketable Gen-Z athlete early, On is prioritising long-term cultural relevance, credibility and upside over immediate performance visibility.

On is expected to generate over $3bn in annual revenue this year
Schertenleib has amassed 460,000+ Instagram followers at age 18
This is On’s first football-related signing to date

💡On isn’t entering football through boots or sponsorships, but through lifestyle, using Gen-Z athlete credibility to open the category before committing to product ⚽

Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎙️ Every Business Is Now Show Business: Why the Modern CMO Is a Showrunner

Hitmakers – Season 2, Episode 2
Hosts: Ana Andjelic and Lee Maschmeyer

📌 Why this episode matters right now This episode lands squarely in the middle of a visible cultural shift: brands like A24, Miu Miu, and AI-native companies are no longer acting like marketers - they’re behaving like entertainment studios and cultural operators. The hosts unpack why cafés, book clubs, membership programs, publishing arms, and physical spaces are not side projects, but core infrastructure for modern brand growth.

At a moment when attention is fragmented and traditional performance marketing is plateauing, Hitmakers frames a powerful thesis: the CMO has become a showrunner, orchestrating worlds, narratives, collaborators, and experiences - not just campaigns.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Introduces a clear operating model shift Explains why brands are building ecosystems (content, product, community, physical space) instead of relying on ads - and how this directly ties to margin, valuation, and long-term relevance.
Connects culture to commercial outcomes Makes the case that cultural capital now precedes financial capital - a critical insight for brand leaders navigating fashion, music, sport, and media-adjacent industries.
Sharp examples from the cultural frontier Uses A24, Miu Miu, and AI brands as proof points for how world-building beats awareness-building.
Reframes the CMO role for 2026+ Positions marketing leadership as closer to a creative producer or studio head than a traditional demand-gen function - highly relevant for senior marketers and strategists.

Bottom line: If you’re tracking how culture moves margins, multiples, and market cap, this episode is a strong signal of where elite brand strategy is heading - away from campaigns, toward continuous cultural production.

🖼️ Emily Kam Kngwarray – Tate Modern – through 11 Jan A landmark exhibition elevating Indigenous Australian modernism, resonating strongly across global art, fashion and cultural discourse.

🏛️ Mumbai + London: New Ancient Perspectives – British Museum – through 11 Jan A timely exploration of shared urban histories, aligning with diaspora storytelling, global cities narratives and cultural exchange.

📸 Blondie in Camera 1978 – Barbican Art Gallery – until 5 Jan A last-chance exhibition capturing punk, music and counterculture nostalgia with strong crossover appeal for fashion and music brands.

🖌️ Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World – National Portrait Gallery – through 11 Jan A high-interest fashion and celebrity photography exhibition ideal for luxury, heritage and editorial-driven cultural moments.

🎨 Turner Prize 2025 Exhibition – Tate Britain – through January The UK’s most influential contemporary art platform continues to shape conversation around emerging talent and cultural relevance.

🎶 The Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble – Carnegie Hall – 12 Jan A refined classical performance bridging elite culture, philanthropy and winter arts season positioning.

🔮 Pinterest Predicts 2026 – The Aesthetics, Behaviours and Signals Shaping Next Year

📌 Pinterest’s annual Predicts report outlines 21 emerging trends for 2026, built from global search behaviour rather than hindsight. This year’s signals point to a decisive swing away from restraint and optimisation, and towards tactility, excess, ritual and self-authorship across fashion, beauty, food, travel and home.

📌 Across categories, Gen Z and Millennials drive hyper-expressive aesthetics, while Gen X and Boomers reassert influence through nostalgia, craft and ritual. The unifying thread is intention: people want to feel, collect, layer, write, style and experience with meaning.

📌 For brands, this is less about chasing micro-aesthetics and more about understanding the emotional drivers underneath them: escapism, identity signalling, sensory pleasure and cultural authorship.

Key signals from the report:

Niche perfume collection searches up +500%
80s luxury up +225%
Afrobohemian home decor up +220%
Lace nails up +215%
Scotland Highlands aesthetic up +465%

🧠 The Cultural Through-Lines to Watch

🖐 Sensory overload goes mainstream Trends like Gimme Gummy, Glitchy Glam and Laced Up point to a post-screen craving for texture, tactility and imperfection. Jelly blushes, rubberised nail art, lace phone cases and mismatched make-up all prioritise feel over polish.

🧵 Maximalism with memory From Glamoratti tailoring and Brooched menswear to Opera Aesthetic parties and Neo Deco interiors, excess is back, but it is referential rather than flashy. Vintage codes, heirlooms and theatricality replace novelty for novelty’s sake.

✍️ Rituals reclaim relevance Poetcore, Pen Pals and Scent Stacking reflect a wider return to slow, authored behaviours. Letter writing, fragrance layering and fountain pens all signal resistance to frictionless digital life, favouring personal process over efficiency.

🌍 Escapism gets emotional Mystic Outlands and Darecations show travel splitting in two directions: either high-adrenaline experiences or deeply atmospheric, almost spiritual destinations. Both offer narrative value over passive consumption.

🥬 Everyday culture, reimagined Even food trends like Cabbage Crush reflect the same impulse: taking the familiar and reworking it with craft, creativity and status. Utility becomes aesthetic.

💡 Pinterest Predicts 2026 shows culture moving from optimisation to ornamentation, where feeling something matters more than streamlining everything ✨

🔥 $293m was earned by the world’s top 20 highest-paid female athletes in 2025, up 13% year-on-year, with 72% coming from off-field income such as endorsements and media. (Forbes)

🤖 Charlotte Tilbury ranked #1 in AI-powered beauty gifting recommendations this Christmas, achieving the highest mention score across nearly 130 beauty brand websites analysed. (Tank)

📺 YouTube will become the exclusive global home of the Oscars from 2029–2033, marking the first time the ceremony fully exits US broadcast television. (The Guardian)

🏀 WNBA players are pushing for ~30% of league revenue in the next CBA, while the league’s current proposal sits below 15% and declines over time. (The Athletic)

🃏 Caitlin Clark was the most searched WNBA athlete on eBay in 2025, with four of the top five searches belonging to the league’s new generation of stars. (eBay)

🔮 Pinterest search data shows maximalist aesthetics surging, including +500% growth in niche perfume collection searches and +465% for Scotland Highlands-inspired travel. (Pinterest Predicts)

Subscribe to my Substack newsletter

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Louis Vuitton Takes Monaco, Apollo Backs Wrexham & Australia Bans Teen Social Media: On The Record: 15th December 2025

🎹 ‘The public piano at St Pancras saved me’

📌 Francois Pierron, who spent years sleeping rough in London, credits the public piano at St Pancras International with keeping his dignity intact. After arriving in the city at 19 and losing his wallet and passport on his first night, he cycled in and out of homelessness across a decade. Playing the concourse piano daily became a lifeline, offering routine, human connection and a sense of visibility. With support from Crisis, Pierron is now housed, back in education and working on an EP, after appearing on Channel 4’s The Piano and contributing to Crisis’ Christmas campaign soundtrack.

The St Pancras piano, donated in 2016 by Elton John, has become a cultural touchpoint in its own right, but Pierron’s story underlines its deeper role as a space for connection, dignity and human recognition.

An estimated 309,000 people in England are experiencing the most acute forms of homelessness, including rough sleeping and temporary accommodation (Crisis/Heriot-Watt University, 2024).
Rough sleeping in England rose by 27 percent year on year, the largest increase in a decade (UK Government rough sleeping snapshot, 2023).
142,490 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation, the highest number on record (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, 2024).
Crisis reports that without policy intervention, the number of people experiencing the most severe homelessness could rise by a further 15 percent over the next decade.

💡Stories like Pierron’s show how small acts of cultural generosity can become vital stabilising forces for people navigating homelessness, offering connection where systems fall short. 🎼

🔥 On x Boris Acket Unveil Immersive Kinetic Installation At Brand Dinner

📌 On Running quietly collaborated with Dutch artist Boris Acket on a large scale installation for a private brand dinner, creating an immersive kinetic artwork that blended motion, sound, and environmental design. The piece explored themes of movement and flow, echoing On’s core performance ethos without ever becoming overt product marketing. Despite its scale and craft, the brand chose not to post about the work, allowing the installation to exist as a deliberately ephemeral cultural moment experienced only by those in the room. For strategists, it signals a growing shift toward intimacy, exclusivity, and art-led brand expression beyond traditional campaign formats.

Boris Acket is known for kinetic art that merges light, sound, and mechanical choreography.
Brands are increasingly leaning into non public, experience-first cultural plays to build insider equity.

💡 Brands are embracing quiet cultural drops that prioritise depth, artistic legitimacy, and insider community over mass reach. ✨

⚽ Apollo Buys Stake in Wrexham AFC

Private capital giant Apollo Global Management has acquired a minority stake of under 10 per cent in Wrexham AFC, marking the latest phase in the club’s remarkable rise under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac. The investment includes financing for redevelopment of the Racecourse Ground and supports Wrexham’s long-term Premier League ambitions. Since the 2021 takeover, Wrexham has achieved three consecutive promotions, nearly doubled expected revenue to around £50mn this season, and sold roughly 100,000 replica shirts last year, half to overseas fans. Apollo’s involvement signals growing private capital interest in European football, following recent moves into Atlético Madrid and other clubs. For brands, the deal underscores the commercial value of storytelling-led ownership models and globally scaled fan engagement driven by entertainment IP.

Wrexham sold about 100,000 replica shirts last year, roughly 50 per cent to international fans.
Wrexham expects £50mn in revenue this season, nearly double 2023-24.
Apollo manages $908bn in assets and has launched a $5bn sports investment arm.

💡 Celebrity-led ownership continues to reshape football economics, proving that narrative, visibility and global fandom can accelerate club commercial value faster than traditional models ⚽

🏎️ Louis Vuitton becomes title partner of the Monaco Grand Prix

Louis Vuitton has been confirmed as the multi-year title partner of the Monaco Grand Prix, advancing its long-standing relationship with Formula 1 and the Automobile Club de Monaco. The move marks LV’s first time stepping into full title partnership, building on its role since 2021 as the creator of the bespoke Monaco Grand Prix Trophy Trunk. The partnership formalises LV’s presence at F1’s most glamorous race, aligning the Maison’s heritage of craftsmanship with the cultural prestige and global visibility of Monaco. For brand strategists, the collaboration highlights how luxury houses increasingly use elite sport as a platform for narrative building, cultural authority and immersive brand expression.

Partnership expands previous collaborations with the Automobile Club de Monaco (2021–24) and Formula 1 (from 2025).
LV Trophy Trunks have celebrated Monaco winners including Max Verstappen (2021, 2023), Sergio Pérez (2022), Charles Leclerc (2024) and Lando Norris (2025).
The 2026 trunk will be crafted in Asnières, featuring Monogram canvas in Monaco red, with a white and red “V” symbolising both Vuitton and victory.
LV trackside signage will reinterpret its signature motifs to evoke Formula 1 speed and the identity of the Monaco circuit.

💡Luxury is deepening its role in sport by turning prestige events into storytelling canvases where heritage meets high-octane spectacle. ✨

🍷 Liquid Death x 19 Crimes Drop ‘Severed Red’ Wine

19 Crimes has launched Severed Red, a limited edition California red blend created in collaboration with Liquid Death, the cult canned water brand known for its irreverent horror-inspired identity. The wine introduces “Murder Man,” Liquid Death’s fictional 20th criminal, brought to life through an augmented reality experience unlocked via QR code. Each bottle includes a drop of Liquid Death mountain water and flavour notes of hazelnut, coconut and violet. The launch continues 19 Crimes’ strategy of reframing wine marketing through rebellious storytelling and culturally driven partnerships. For strategists, the move signals how wine brands are borrowing from streetwear, fandom and alt-humour to stay relevant to younger consumers seeking playful, narrative-rich experiences in traditionally conservative categories.

Limited quantities available now via 19Crimes.com
Retail rollout begins January 2026

💡Wine is shifting from elitist to entertainment-driven, with brands using lore, humour and immersive storytelling to reach culture-first consumers. 🔪

🇩🇪 Germany Wins Bid to Host UEFA Women’s Euro 2029

Germany has been selected by UEFA to host the 2029 Women’s European Championship, beating bids from Poland and a Denmark-Sweden partnership. The winning proposal secured 15 of 17 votes, reflecting strong confidence in Germany’s ability to deliver record-breaking attendance and commercial returns. Hosting duties will span eight major cities, with expectations of over one million fans and elite matchdays in Munich, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hanover, Leipzig and Wolfsburg.

UEFA leaders highlighted Germany’s potential to elevate the tournament to a World Cup scale, both financially and culturally, building on strong fan momentum from Euro 2025 in Switzerland, which drew more than 650,000 spectators. With the 2029 edition sitting between World Cups in Brazil (2027) and the United States (2031), UEFA sees the opportunity to showcase peak European competition in packed world-class venues.

The decision also continues Germany’s remarkable run as a host nation. Between 2006 and 2029, the country will have staged both men's and women's World Cups and Euros, underscoring its role as a global football stage. UEFA’s women’s football director Nadine Kessler said the tournament is expected to match World Cup levels of commercial value, reinforcing long-term growth and shifting outdated perceptions around the women’s game.

Total attendance at Euro 2025 in Switzerland exceeded 650,000, averaging 21,000 per match (UEFA).
Germany expects 1 million plus spectators for the 2029 edition (German FA bid).
UEFA budgeted a 25 million euro subsidy for Euro 2025, but expects Germany 2029 to operate at a profit (UEFA).
The 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil will feature 32 teams, expanding to 48 teams in 2031 (FIFA).

💡 A major-market Women’s Euros with million-plus attendance potential signals a turning point where the women’s game is no longer treated as developmental infrastructure but as a top-tier commercial and cultural property. ⚽️

📺 TV rights for new Women’s Champions Cup remain unsold in blow to Fifa

Fifa has been unable to secure broadcasters for its inaugural global women’s club competition, the Champions Cup, set to take place in London from 28 January. Despite Arsenal’s involvement as Champions League holders and the participation of continental champions, outreach to key rights holders, including Sky Sports and BBC Sport, has reportedly yielded little interest. The lack of a formal tender and the small four-match format appear to have limited perceived value, echoing the challenges Fifa recently faced selling rights for the men’s Club World Cup. Uncertainty around venues and a congested calendar have added further complications, with Arsenal also resisting a proposed finals move to New York due to WSL scheduling pressures.

Four matches in total: two semi-finals, a final and a third-place play-off.
Arsenal, Corinthians and Gotham FC have already qualified for the semi-finals.
Fifa previously postponed the 16-team Women’s Club World Cup until 2028.

💡The reluctance of major UK broadcasters signals a wider commercial hesitation around new women’s club properties, underscoring the need for clearer formats, stronger narratives and long-term investment to unlock value. ⚽️

🎪 Reading & Leeds Festival 2026 Announces Six Major Headliners

Charli XCX, RAYE and Florence and the Machine lead Reading & Leeds Festival 2026, joining Fontaines D.C., Dave and Chase & Status as this year’s six headliners across the dual-site event. Running 27-30 August, the line-up signals a continued commitment to elevating contemporary talent, with Charli XCX and Fontaines D.C. both billed for their only UK festival appearances of 2026. The booking also reflects the festival’s strategic shift towards giving ascendant artists headline platforms following bold moves in 2025 with Chappell Roan and Hozier. Kasabian will additionally become Leeds’ first ever Thursday headliner, underscoring broader experimentation with festival formats.

Presales opened on 1 December with general sale following on 3 December. More artists are expected to be announced, with current additions including SOMBR, Skepta, JADE, Josh Baker, Kneecap, Kettama and others.

Fontaines D.C. and Charli XCX are both confirmed for their sole UK festival appearances of the year
Florence and The Machine and Dave return as previous headliners from 2012 and 2022 respectively

💡Festivals are accelerating the shift towards future-facing headliners, using exclusive billing and bold bookings to differentiate in an increasingly competitive live landscape. ✨

LeBron James’ ‘Second Decision’ Was… an Ad for Hennessy 🍷

LeBron James sparked mass speculation after teasing “The Second Decision”, a nod to his infamous 2010 TV special. With no #ad disclosure on the viral teaser, millions assumed he was announcing his retirement. Instead, the reveal was a parody video unveiling a partnership with Hennessy VSOP, complete with playful self-awareness and a knowingly corny bait-and-switch. The move drew groans from fans but delivered extraordinary reach, with billions of impressions generated across earned media and social conversations. The campaign raises questions around influencer advertising standards, particularly the undisclosed teaser post, yet it also demonstrates how high-stakes creative risks cut through saturated feeds.

33 million views on LeBron’s teaser Instagram post
Hundreds of millions of additional views across media coverage and social reactions

💡 Virality often favours bold, uncomfortable ideas, but brands should tread carefully when leveraging misdirection in an era of increasing scrutiny over influencer transparency. ⚡

🌕 Stephen Curry’s moon-shot billboard goes viral

📌 A new Los Angeles billboard promoting Stephen Curry’s book Shot Ready has gone viral for its ingenious alignment with November’s supermoon. Designed by agency Known with publisher Random House, the billboard shows Curry in his iconic follow-through pose, perfectly positioned so that the rising moon appears as the ball he is shooting. The team engineered the placement, angle, and timing to sync with the moon’s path, turning a static ad into a temporary piece of public art.

The creative concept plays on Curry’s long established symbolism - redefining range, stretching limits, and making the impossible routine. The poetic illusion connects emotionally with fans who associate Curry with imagination and innovation. Beyond book promotion, the campaign reinforces Curry’s broader personal brand ecosystem, positioning him as a cultural creator as much as an athlete.

The activation was timed specifically to coincide with November’s supermoon, requiring calculated lunar path modelling.
Curry’s Shot Ready forms part of a wider creative portfolio, spanning production, philanthropy, and now publishing.

💡 Moments of engineered serendipity continue to outperform traditional OOH, with culture-shifting athletes like Curry blurring the lines between personal branding, art direction, and public spectacle. 🌟

🇦🇺 Australia’s world-first under-16 social media ban goes live

Australia has become the first country to enforce a blanket under-16 minimum age for 10 major social platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, X and Reddit, which must now detect and deactivate existing under-16 accounts and block new ones or face fines of up to A$49.5m. The move affects around one million young Australians, framed as a mental health and online safety intervention aimed at addictive algorithms, bullying and harmful content, with platforms using age-assurance tech like video selfies and ID checks to verify ages. At the same time, teens are already pivoting to “alternative” or exempt apps such as Yope, Lemon8 and gaming environments like Roblox, raising fears of a regulatory whack-a-mole that pushes young people into less regulated spaces. Australia is treating the law as a live experiment, partnering with Stanford’s Social Media Lab and an international advisory group to track outcomes from sleep and antidepressant use to offline activity and unintended harms, in a bid to generate evidence that could shape other countries’ policies.

Around 1 million Australian children have lost access to their social accounts under the ban.
Platforms that fail to take “reasonable steps” face penalties of up to A$49.5m per systemic breach.
TikTok has already deactivated roughly 200,000 under-16 accounts, while Meta pre-emptively removed around 500,000 teen profiles across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

💡 For strategists, this is a signal that youth social media is shifting from “parental responsibility plus platform tweaks” to hard age-gating and policy-led design constraints, creating a test case that regulators in markets like the UK, EU and US will study closely when deciding how far to go on child protection vs digital inclusion.

🚗 Uber launches Uber Intelligence to supercharge advertiser insights

📌 Uber has introduced Uber Intelligence, a new clean-room powered insights platform that lets advertisers combine their first-party data with Uber’s trip and meal-ordering data. Built with LiveRamp, the tool enables brands to surface audience behaviours such as travel patterns, dining preferences, and business-travel frequency in a privacy-safe environment. The move strengthens Uber’s growing ad division, which is on track to hit $1.5bn in revenue this year, signalling a shift from selling inventory to offering high-value targeting and measurement solutions. Analysts note that Uber’s unique “terrestrial data” could give it an edge against retail media and big tech, though privacy expectations and regulatory scrutiny remain key considerations for scale.

Ad business projected to generate $1.5bn in revenue by end of 2025
Uber’s ad division revenue run-rate grew 60% year on year
Uber Intelligence developed with LiveRamp’s clean room technology

💡Mobility and meal-ordering platforms are becoming powerful data engines, making real-world movement one of the most valuable targeting signals in modern marketing. 📍

📱 Attention is rising, satisfaction is falling: the UK’s online habits hit a turning point

The latest Ofcom Online Nation 2025 report shows adults in the UK spending even more time online, averaging four and a half hours a day, with women online longer than men. Half of all time online now sits within Alphabet and Meta’s ecosystems, reinforcing a tightening platform duopoly. AI is reshaping search journeys, with a third of results surfacing AI summaries and generative AI tools such as ChatGPT seeing sharp growth. At the same time, adults are becoming less positive about the internet’s impact, feeling less free to be themselves and less convinced that benefits outweigh risks.

Children’s experiences tell a parallel story. They are video-native, spending up to four hours a day online and turning to platforms like YouTube and Snapchat as core social and entertainment spaces. Most report happiness and connection, yet many also cite doomscrolling, overstimulation and regretful in-app spending. New UK child-protection rules require platforms to significantly reduce exposure to harmful content, signalling a tougher era for platform accountability.

Adults spend 4.5 hours online daily, with 50 percent of time on Alphabet and Meta services.
30 percent of UK searches now display AI overviews, and ChatGPT logged 1.8bn UK visits in the first eight months of 2025.
32 percent of children regret in-game purchases and 43 percent regret purchases made on social media.

💡 Rising attention but falling satisfaction is a warning sign for platforms and brands, sharpening the need for trust, wellbeing-first design and meaningful value exchange. 🔍

F1 Fans Make Their Voices Heard As Survey Breaks Cover

Open this episode in Apple Podcasts

Published 2 July 2025 - focused on the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey with detailed discussion about what the fan data says about engagement patterns and behaviours.

📌 What this episode covers:

A deep dive on the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey results - derived from >100,000 respondents worldwide, including demographics, engagement habits, and what fans really value in F1.
Analysis of how different fan segments (including younger and newer fans) are engaging with F1 content and drivers - which is directly relevant to wider F1 youth engagement trends.
Broader context about how F1 fandom is evolving and what it could mean for commercial strategy, content and culture around the sport.

🎭 Paddington The Musical – Savoy Theatre – 15–22 December The West End’s breakout festive hit, powered by Tom Fletcher’s score and glowing five-star reviews; already a major family and nostalgia moment with strong cultural momentum.

🎼 Handel’s Messiah – Academy of Ancient Music, Barbican – 15 December A top-tier seasonal performance from one of the world’s leading period ensembles, drawing a devoted classical audience and setting the cultural tone for Christmas week.

🎷 Madness: The Hits Parade – The O2 – 20 December A sell-out pre-Christmas arena party from British ska legends, delivering maximum intergenerational appeal and high social-media energy.

🎤 D-Block Europe – The O2 – 19 December (run through the week) One of the UK’s biggest rap acts closes a multi-night O2 stretch, reliably sparking TikTok and Instagram virality with each performance.

🖼️ Kerry James Marshall: The Histories – Royal Academy of Arts – on view all week Widely acclaimed and one of London’s major art events of the season, offering visually rich, conversation-leading work around Black history and representation.

🖼️ Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals – Tate Britain – on view all week A blockbuster pairing of two British masters, critically praised for its storytelling and a strong draw for local and international holiday visitors.

🖼️ Nigerian Modernism – Tate Modern – on view all week A landmark, critically celebrated exhibition reframing global modernism — a major pull for culturally engaged audiences and top-tier press.

🩰 George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker – New York City Ballet – 15–22 December NYC’s definitive holiday production, consistently reviewed as magical and world-class, anchoring December tourism and family culture.

🍿 Avatar: Fire and Ash – Global Cinemas – from 19 December James Cameron’s new Avatar instalment lands as one of the year’s biggest cinematic events, set to dominate screens and conversation.

⚽ Premier League Festive Fixtures – UK – 20–22 December High-stakes holiday matches including Spurs v Liverpool and Everton v Arsenal

Spotlight: Lando Norris and the New Era of F1 Fandom

Lando Norris has become one of Formula 1’s most culturally magnetic figures: a driver whose ascent reflects how the sport has redefined its relationship with younger audiences. While not yet a world champion, Norris has emerged as one of F1’s most influential contenders, blending elite performance with creator-driven storytelling and high-value brand partnerships.

The Rise of a Modern F1 Influencer

Norris’s appeal is grounded in a hybrid identity: elite athlete, digital native, and community builder. He has cultivated one of the strongest personal ecosystems in global motorsport.

Key brand and commercial pillars:

Quadrant: his gaming and content collective, launched in 2020, has grown to more than 1.5 million YouTube subscribers and millions more across TikTok and Instagram.
Personal brand deals: SunGod, TUMI, and collaborations amplified through McLaren’s partnership network, including Google, PUMA, and Coca-Cola.
Social reach: more than 15 million followers across platforms, with engagement driven by humour, transparency, and immersive behind-the-scenes content.

Norris embodies the modern archetype of a sportsperson who behaves like a creator first: accessible, conversational, and present in the digital spaces where younger fans live.

F1’s Rapid Youth Surge

Formula 1’s audience has shifted dramatically, driven by intentional strategy rather than organic growth.

The 2021 Nielsen/Motorsport Network Global Fan Survey recorded the youngest F1 audience in the sport’s history: 34 percent of fans are under 35.
Women became the fastest-growing fan segment, with a marked rise since 2017.
Nielsen identified F1 as the fastest-growing major sports league on social media in 2021, with 40 percent year-on-year engagement growth.
Netflix’s Drive to Survive contributed to a significant expansion in the US market, with ESPN reporting record viewership across 2022 and 2023 broadcasts.

Strategic drivers of this transformation:

A shift towards personality-led storytelling, foregrounding drivers’ off-track lives.
A deliberate embrace of creator culture, with drivers encouraged to participate actively on YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.
Brand partnerships and team content strategies redesigned for continuous, always-on digital engagement.

Norris was one of the earliest and most effective adopters of this new model, making him a central narrative hero of F1’s youth renaissance.

Why It Matters for Brands

Norris’s rise demonstrates how athlete influence is now built: not through podiums alone but through authentic, community-centred digital presence. His creator-first approach offers a blueprint for how public figures can extend cultural relevance beyond performance cycles.

Key takeaways for marketers and strategists:

Authenticity scales faster than prestige: fans reward openness, humour, and imperfection.
Creator ecosystems drive long-term value: Quadrant shows how athletes can build standalone IP.
Youth audiences expect proximity: real-time access and personality-led content are now core to fandom.
Brand alignment with cultural behaviour beats traditional sponsorship visibility.

Norris is not simply part of F1’s changing audience landscape. He is one of the drivers reshaping it.

Congratulations to Lando Norris and McLaren on an outstanding season: a breakthrough year that has cemented Norris as one of the sport’s defining talents and showcased McLaren’s return to genuine front-running form.

🔥 309,000 people in England are experiencing the most acute forms of homelessness, including rough sleeping and temporary accommodation (Crisis and Heriot-Watt University, 2024).

🎵 100,000 Wrexham replica shirts were sold last year, with roughly half purchased by international fans (Wrexham AFC).

💰 Wrexham expects £50mn in revenue this season, nearly double the previous year (Wrexham AFC).

📺 Uber’s advertising division is on track to reach $1.5bn in revenue in 2025, with a 60 percent year-on-year run-rate increase (Uber).

🌐 30 percent of UK searches now surface AI overviews, while ChatGPT recorded 1.8bn UK visits in the first eight months of 2025 (Ofcom Online Nation 2025).

🧒 32 percent of UK children regret in-game purchases and 43 percent regret purchases on social media, signalling rising concerns over youth digital wellbeing (Ofcom Online Nation 2025).

⚽ Euro 2025 achieved 650,000 plus total attendance, averaging 21,000 spectators per match (UEFA).

📈 Germany anticipates more than 1 million fans for UEFA Women’s Euro 2029, positioning the tournament as a top-tier commercial property (German FA bid).

📵 Australia’s under-16 social media ban has already removed around 700,000 accounts, including 200,000 on TikTok and roughly 500,000 across Meta platforms (Australian Government disclosures).

🌙 LeBron James’ teaser for “The Second Decision” hit 33 million Instagram views, sparking widespread speculation before revealing the Hennessy campaign (Instagram analytics).

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Radiohead Break O2 Records, OpenAI Turns ChatGPT Into a Shopper & PepsiCo Joins Mercedes F1: On The Record: 8th December 2025

🎸 Radiohead Break O2 Attendance Record While Raising Funds for Samaritans and Grassroots Venues

Radiohead completed four sold out nights at London’s The O2, breaking the venue’s attendance record each evening and surpassing the previous benchmark set by Metallica in 2017. Across the run, nightly audiences reached up to 22,355, making the final performance the highest capacity show in the arena’s history. The band’s return to touring after seven years also introduced a “busking approach” to their setlists, performing in the round and drawing from a pool of around 70 tracks.

The shows carried a built-in £1 charity levy per ticket, with London proceeds donated to the LIVE Trust in support of grassroots venues, festivals and promoters. European dates apply the same levy to Médecins Sans Frontières, with Radiohead matching the full amount. Drummer Philip Selway also used the London dates to spotlight Samaritans, with volunteers collecting donations onsite as part of the charity’s International Men’s Day campaign highlighting male mental health.

22,355 attendees at the final night, The O2’s highest capacity show to date.
Four consecutive sold out nights, each breaking the previous night’s attendance record.
1£/1€ per ticket donated to charity across the tour, with European donations matched by the band.
Médecins Sans Frontières has delivered 1.2 million outpatient consultations, 390,210 emergency room consultations and over 29,000 surgeries in Gaza since October 2023.

For the live sector, this demonstrates how major artists can elevate fundraising for grassroots infrastructure while normalising charity levies at scale. It also reflects growing expectations on headline acts to bring social impact into the heart of touring operations.

💡 Arena-headline moments are increasingly doubling as civic platforms, as artists fold charity levies, mental health support and grassroots funding into the modern touring blueprint. 💚

🏎️ LEGO Racing teams up with F1 ACADEMY to inspire the next generation

📌 The LEGO Group has unveiled LEGO Racing, its first ever motor racing team, created in partnership with F1 ACADEMY. The initiative expands its existing Formula One collaboration and aims to inspire young fans, particularly girls, to see themselves in motorsport. The programme spotlights representation, access and creative play as pathways into the sport, with Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman selected as the team’s inaugural driver and a new LEGO Speed Champions F1 ACADEMY set launching alongside the real-world livery. The partnership will run through the 2026 season and positions F1 ACADEMY as a prominent fixture of global race weekends, championing visibility for young female drivers.

22-year-old Esmee Kosterman becomes LEGO’s first official racing driver-ambassador.
The LEGO Speed Champions F1 ACADEMY set launches in parallel with the real-world debut.
The partnership aims to elevate F1 ACADEMY’s presence at every race weekend from 2026.

💡 Representation plus play equals a powerful entry point for girls into motorsport’s talent pipeline. 🚗✨

Why Modern Sports Partnerships Need More Than Just Being Seen 🎥

📌 A recent City AM opinion piece argues that badging remains a fundamental pillar of sports sponsorship. While visibility still matters, the strongest evidence across the industry shows that layered, content-led partnerships now deliver far greater impact than logo presence alone. With fan attention increasingly fragmented, passive exposure struggles to cut through. According to Nielsen’s Global Sports Report 2024, 70% of fans now engage with sport primarily through short-form social content, not live broadcast, meaning sponsorships must travel across platforms to reach full audience potential. Meanwhile, 81% of Gen Z sports fans expect brands to add value through storytelling, creator collaborations or behind-the-scenes access (Deloitte Sports Fan Insights, 2023). The shift is clear: visibility may drive awareness, but meaningful engagement and multi-format content increasingly determine cultural relevance, brand affinity and long-term equity.

60% of global fans say they are more likely to recall brands that produce ongoing content around a sport or team rather than those with passive logo placement (Nielsen, 2024).
Social-first activations extend reach to younger and more diverse audiences that traditional broadcast visibility misses.
Partnerships that deliver narrative, utility or community value outperform pure exposure models on brand favourability and intent (WARC, 2024).

💡 In today’s sports ecosystem, visibility sparks awareness, but content, relevance and storytelling are what convert it into lasting brand meaning 📣

🎬 James Cameron-backed Marlow Studios approved in major boost for UK film production

The British government has approved the 750 million pound Marlow Studios development in Buckinghamshire after overturning an initial refusal on conservation and sustainability grounds. The site will house 18 soundstages, a skills academy and extensive production facilities, positioning it alongside Elstree, Pinewood and Leavesden as a cornerstone of UK screen infrastructure. The decision lands the same week as Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget, which confirmed a 40 percent reduction in business rates for eligible English film studios until 2034. Backed by figures including James Cameron, Sam Mendes and Pippa Harris, the project is framed as a strategic investment in emerging tech, talent development and the UK’s competitiveness in a rapidly scaling global creative economy. Planning experts note the government prioritised growth and industry benefit over local infrastructure concerns, reflecting the wider economic value of the sector.

The UK’s film and high-end TV production spend reached 7.1 billion pounds in 2023 (BFI).
The screen industries contribute over 12 billion pounds in GVA annually to the UK economy (Creative Industries Council).
UK studio occupancy has remained above 85 percent during peak production months, reflecting sustained global demand (BFI).

💡 A clearer industrial strategy for film is emerging, with the UK doubling down on studio capacity and fiscal incentives to stay competitive in a global content boom. 🎥

Guinness Storehouse taps Robyn Lynch for new team uniform refresh 🍺

📌 Irish designer Robyn Lynch has unveiled a bespoke uniform collection for the Guinness Storehouse, drawing directly from the brand’s archives for inspiration. The range includes denim workwear with laser-etched detailing, reflective embroidered harps referencing Guinness’ iconic symbol, and Irish-made knitwear that champions local craft. As part of the Storehouse’s 25th anniversary celebrations, Lynch has also created a limited-edition hoodie and T-shirt featuring reimagined Guinness motifs. The collaboration reinforces Guinness’ ongoing investment in cultural craft and brand heritage while spotlighting emerging Irish design talent.

Guinness Storehouse attracts over 1.7 million visitors annually, making it Ireland’s most visited tourist attraction (Fáilte Ireland).
Branded merchandise and experiential retail account for over 20% of revenue at major global visitor experiences (TEA/AECOM Theme Index).
The global licensed apparel market is forecast to reach £250 billion by 2030, driven by heritage and nostalgia-led brands (Statista).

💡 Heritage design remains one of the most effective brand-building tools, especially when paired with contemporary talent and locally made craft ✨

🇪🇸 Real Madrid Builds One of Europe’s Largest Sport–Tech Innovation Districts

📌 Real Madrid and the Community of Madrid have agreed a protocol to establish the Madrid Innovation District, a 120-hectare technology and skills ecosystem within Real Madrid City. The project dedicates 85 hectares to innovation, education and R&D, backed by 1.3 billion euros in infrastructure investment. PwC forecasts the district will generate 1.2 billion euros annually for regional GDP and support 23,000 permanent jobs each year, alongside 4,700 roles during construction. The district will host tech companies, AI and data education centres, research institutions and startups, reinforcing Madrid’s position as a leading European sport-tech hub. For Real Madrid, the project diversifies revenue beyond matchday and media, expands partner activation potential and increases the long-term commercial value of its land and facilities. For brands like Emirates and adidas, the district strengthens strategic alignment and opens new R&D and innovation-led collaboration opportunities.

120 hectares in total, with 85 hectares allocated to innovation, technology and R&D
1.2 billion euros projected annual GDP contribution (PwC)
23,000 permanent jobs created per year
1.3 billion euros in infrastructure investment
4,700 jobs during the construction phase

💡Top clubs are evolving into full-scale innovation engines, using physical infrastructure to secure long-term economic, cultural and commercial influence. ⚡

🇪🇺 EU Touring: Brexit Barriers Are Getting Worse for UK Creators

📌 A new survey in UK Music’s This Is Music report shows that the impact of Brexit on EU touring is not stabilising but deteriorating. Despite the UK music industry contributing a record £8 billion to the economy in 2024, growth slowed sharply, and the data reveals worsening outcomes for touring artists, crews, and music businesses. Thirty two percent of creators say they were affected by Brexit this year, up from 28 percent, and of those impacted, 95 percent reported reduced earnings. The burden falls heaviest on lower earners and early career artists for whom added costs, red tape, and admin make EU touring increasingly unviable. PRS for Music data also shows a 27 percent drop in small and medium EU live performance claims since 2019, limiting opportunities for artists, songwriters and DJs. Broader industry impacts extend to merchandise companies, labels, managers, studios and tour operators, all reporting higher costs, slowed hiring, and in many cases, the need to shift value and operations into Europe to cope.

32 percent of creators affected by Brexit this year, up from 28 percent in 2023
95 percent of those affected say earnings decreased, up from 87 percent
27 percent drop in EU performances under 5,000 capacity since 2019

💡 Brexit is creating a structural competitiveness gap for UK artists and music SMEs, pushing work, revenue, and talent development away from the UK. 🎼

🏛️ National Trust Launches Fundraiser To Protect Cerne Giant

📌 The National Trust has begun a fundraising drive to secure 340 acres of land surrounding the Cerne Giant, aiming to protect the chalk figure’s landscape, expand conservation efforts and enable further archaeological study. The purchase is intended to safeguard public access, restore habitats for threatened species such as the Duke of Burgundy butterfly, and ensure long-term environmental resilience. Archaeologists say the acquisition will unlock the ability to examine settlement and ritual activity across millennia, building on findings that date the giant to the late Saxon period. Local concerns about potential development or restricted access prompted the move, with the Trust seeking an additional £300,000 to complete the deal through donations and public engagement initiatives, including a ‘cheeky giant’ pin badge and opportunities to join rechalking next year.

£2.2 million already allocated from Trust funds, grants and bequests
340 acres of land included in the planned purchase
£300,000 targeted through the public appeal

💡 A reminder that heritage stewardship is becoming a participatory act, with institutions using storytelling, access and conservation to deepen public engagement in national culture. 🌿

🏎️ PepsiCo x Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1: Landmark 2026 Global Partnership

📌 PepsiCo has announced a multi-year global partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, uniting Gatorade, Sting and Doritos in a first-of-its-kind three-brand collaboration with an F1 team. The deal places PepsiCo inside the sport’s explosive global momentum, spanning performance, fan engagement and culture. Gatorade will integrate its GSSI-led hydration science into the team’s performance programmes, supporting drivers in a sport where cockpit temperatures can exceed 50°C and sweat loss can reach 4kg per race. Sting leverages its dominance across high-growth energy drink markets to align with F1’s expansion in Asia, while Doritos will activate bold, culturally-led fan experiences during race weekends. For Mercedes, the partnership enhances performance, unlocks new revenue streams and extends the team’s reach across PepsiCo’s billion-plus daily consumers.

F1’s global cumulative TV audience reached 1.92 billion in 2024 (Formula One Group)
Fans under 35 now make up 46% of F1’s global audience (Nielsen)
Live race attendance exceeded 6 million in 2024, up 24% since 2019 (Formula One Group)
Gatorade holds over 70% of the US sports drink market (Circana)
Energy drinks are growing at an 8.3% CAGR globally (Mintel)
Doritos is a $5bn-plus global retail brand (PepsiCo Annual Report)

💡 The partnership signals how F1 is becoming a premium cultural platform where performance tech, youth culture and global brand ecosystems now converge at scale. ⚡️

🎬 Stranger Things Finale Heads to Cinemas + Netflix Unveils Major Brand Collabs

📌 Netflix has confirmed that the Stranger Things Season 5 finale will run for 2 hours and 5 minutes, with more than 500 theatres across the US and Canada hosting fan screenings timed to the global streaming premiere. Running from 31 December through 1 January, the cinematic release underscores the cultural scale of the show’s final chapter. The rollout arrives alongside a slate of brand partnerships, including a 2,593-piece LEGO Creel House set and consumer collaborations spanning Gatorade, Eggo and the Indiana Fever. The momentum of multiple high impact releases signals the franchise’s continued cross-generational pull and its value as a branded entertainment touchpoint in the peak TV era.

500+ theatres participating across the US and Canada
Finale runtime confirmed at 2 hours 5 minutes
LEGO x Netflix Creel House set contains 2,593 pieces

💡 Brands are treating Stranger Things as a cultural tentpole, using the finale to activate high heat fandom and drive premium engagement across physical, digital and retail channels. 🧩

🎬 Billie Eilish Teams Up With James Cameron for 3D Concert Film

📌 Billie Eilish will release a new 3D concert documentary, co-directed with James Cameron, in cinemas on 20 March 2026 via Paramount. The project was filmed during four sold-out Manchester shows on her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour and produced with Darkroom Records, Interscope Films and Lightstorm Entertainment. Eilish describes the collaboration as a dream come true, marking her first time co-directing a major theatrical release. The film follows previous documentary projects including The World’s a Little Blurry and Happier Than Ever, signalling her continued expansion into high production-value music film-making. Recent tours remain a major cultural and commercial engine, with global concert revenues surpassing 2023 levels and multiple music films crossing into theatrical territory. Music-driven theatrical releases have also proved resilient, with concert films generating strong event-based turnout in cinemas.

The Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour was among 2024–25’s top-grossing global tours, contributing to worldwide tour revenue that exceeded £7 billion last year (Live Nation, Variety).
The past 18 months have seen a surge in music-led cinema events, with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s concert films jointly generating more than £300 million at the global box office (AMC, Deadline).
Event cinema attendance rose 6 percent year on year, driven by live music and performance films (Comscore).

💡 A-list artist collaborations with world-renowned filmmakers are redefining the scale and storytelling potential of concert films, creating new cinematic revenue streams for music brands and culture-makers. 🎥

🔍 Pinterest Bets Its Future On Search

📌 Pinterest has repositioned search as the centre of its platform strategy, with CEO Bill Ready calling it the “core of the business.” The company has moved away from short-form video and livestream commerce to focus on intent-driven discovery shaped by younger users. Pinterest has now reported nine consecutive quarters of growth and says two-thirds of all user activity is search-related, supported by new visual and AI-powered tools. With more than half of its audience now Gen Z, the platform argues that search behaviour offers stronger commercial signals than entertainment-led feeds. As competitors from TikTok to Reddit lean into search, Pinterest is carving out a distinct visual search niche that aligns closely with shopping intent.

Pinterest reports 600 million monthly active users
Two-thirds of user interactions come from search
17% YoY revenue growth in Q3, marking nine consecutive quarters of growth
47% of Gen Z report using Pinterest for search (Adobe)
ChatGPT holds 80% traffic share in the AI search category (May report mentioned in article)

💡 Pinterest’s bet on visual, intent-rich search positions it as one of the few platforms where discovery and commerce are naturally aligned, giving brands clearer signals than entertainment-first feeds. ✨

🛒 OpenAI Positions ChatGPT as a Personal Shopper

📌 OpenAI has introduced a new shopping research experience inside ChatGPT, allowing users to request product recommendations contextualised by previous conversations. The tool surfaces products one-by-one, with options such as Not Interested or More Like This to refine results, eventually generating a personalised buying guide. Recommendations link directly to retailer sites today, with a paid Instant Checkout feature set to enable in-chat purchasing soon. The move places OpenAI in direct competition with Perplexity, which already offers PayPal-enabled Instant Buy. OpenAI reports that millions of users are now using ChatGPT for product discovery, signalling a rapid rise of AI-driven shopping behaviour within just two years.

52 percent of global consumers used generative AI for product research in 2024, up from 15 percent in 2023 (Boston Consulting Group).
Retail ecommerce powered by AI recommendation engines is forecast to exceed 30 percent of global online sales by 2026 (McKinsey).
70 percent of UK shoppers say personalised product suggestions make them more likely to convert (Deloitte).

💡AI is rapidly becoming a frontline shopping interface, shifting discovery and conversion from search engines to conversational assistants 🛍️

📌 Why Influencer Marketing Is Working in F1 (and What Other Sectors Can Learn)

Influencer marketing has become one of Formula 1’s most effective growth levers. While traditional fans may dismiss it as noise, brands inside and outside motorsport are leaning in because it delivers reach, narrative and cultural pull. Unlike MotoGP, where fans can directly buy and ride what their heroes use, F1’s product is fundamentally inaccessible. No fan arrives in an F1 car, which shifts the commercial centre from product to lifestyle. Influencers act as the bridge, selling emotion, aspiration and access rather than machinery.

F1’s complexity also plays a role. Technical regulations, aero design and power unit strategy are hard to decode at speed, so creators act as cultural translators, turning engineering into entertainment. They fill the access gap left by rights-controlled media by showcasing behind-the-scenes moments fans would never otherwise see. Their content works because they become the emotional proxy for an experience that most fans will never physically have.

This model has transferrable lessons. Any industry with high complexity, high price points or high aspiration can borrow from F1’s playbook. Brands that activate across multiple markets can use creators as narrative glue. And businesses with internal talent or specialist expertise can let creators humanise it. F1 demonstrates that influencers are most powerful not as megaphones, but as meaning-makers.

62 percent of global fans say F1 content from creators helps them feel more connected to teams and drivers (Nielsen Sports).
F1 has added over 35 million social followers since 2020, with creator collaborations cited as a major driver of engagement (F1 Annual Report).
70 percent of fans aged 16 to 34 engage with F1 primarily through digital and creator-driven content rather than broadcast (Motorsport Network).

💡 Influencers thrive in F1 because they translate an inaccessible product into a cultural experience, a blueprint any aspirational or complex brand can borrow. 🎥

🏏 ChatGPT joins WPL as premier partner for next two seasons

📌 Indian cricket’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) has unveiled a new slate of commercial partners collectively valued at US$5.4 million for the next two seasons. ChatGPT and Kingfisher Packaged Drinking Water join as premier partners, while Bisleri replaces Amul as beverage partner and Ceat renews as strategic time-out partner. The deal marks the first time ChatGPT has ever sponsored a sports league, signalling AI’s growing presence in fan engagement and sports operations. For brand and culture professionals, the move highlights the increasing convergence between women’s sport, commercial innovation and emerging technology, reinforcing WPL’s momentum as a fast-growing global property.

The new WPL sponsorship package is valued at I₹48 crore (US$5.4 million).
WPL viewership for the 2024 season reached 200 million across TV and digital platforms (BCCI).
Women’s sports sponsorship value grew 22 per cent year on year in 2024 (Nielsen Sports).

💡 AI’s arrival as a frontline sports sponsor shows how women’s leagues are now becoming testing grounds for next-gen fan technology and commercial experiments. 🤝

Listen on Apple Podcasts

How e.l.f. Beauty Is Boldly Disrupting Women’s Sports, ft. Patrick O'Keefe

📌 This episode spotlights one of the most culturally influential brand moves happening right now: e.l.f. Beauty’s aggressive, purpose-driven investment across women’s sports - from soccer and wrestling to hockey, racing, and beyond. Patrick O’Keefe breaks down how e.l.f. is rewriting the rules for brand behaviour in underrepresented sport spaces.

e.l.f. isn’t just “sponsoring” women’s sports - they’re treating it like a core cultural engine. For marketers and brand strategists, this episode is a masterclass in modern brand relevance.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

• It decodes the strategy behind one of the most talked-about brand playbooks in culture right now. Patrick explains how e.l.f. turns purpose, equity, and cultural disruption into marketing that actually grows the business - not just the press headlines.

• It shows why women’s sports are becoming a high-ROI brand battleground. The episode details how e.l.f.’s portfolio approach across soccer, wrestling, racing, hockey, and more creates omnipresence in a still-underserved, high-momentum cultural space.

• It offers a blueprint for brands seeking authentic cultural capital. Instead of chasing the biggest leagues, e.l.f. goes where fandom is passionate, overlooked, and ready for community-first brand partnerships - a strategy many marketers are now trying to replicate.

• It provides actionable perspective for leaders navigating purpose-driven marketing. Patrick breaks down how to invest in culture without falling into tokenism, how to push category norms, and how to build relevance with audiences who expect brands to have a point of view

LONDON

🎭 Paddington: The Musical – Savoy Theatre – ongoing A joyous new West End musical with original songs by Tom Fletcher (McFly); widely praised with multiple five-star reviews for its charm, inventive staging, and heart-warming festive appeal.

🩰 The Nutcracker – London Coliseum (English National Ballet) – 11–14 Dec A Christmas essential: Tchaikovsky’s score, lavish sets and timeless choreography attracting families, culture-seekers and seasonal London visitors.

🎶 Robert Plant’s Saving Grace – Royal Festival Hall – 11 Dec A rare London appearance from the legendary Led Zeppelin frontman, blending folk, blues and Americana for a distinctive winter concert moment.

🎷 Tomorrow’s Warriors: Extraordinary Winter Showcase – Southbank Centre – 14 Dec A platform for next-generation UK jazz talent; culturally important, community-driven and influential within London’s young creative music scene.

🎤 RnB Xmas Ball – The O2 – 8 Dec A nostalgic, high-energy lineup featuring Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton and Dru Hill — a major festive arena draw tapping into ’90s/’00s R&B fanbases.

🎸 The Last Dinner Party – London Headline Show – 8 Dec Breakout indie act of the moment bringing art-rock theatricality to their December London date — a magnet for younger culture-forward audiences.

🖼️ Gilbert & George: 21st Century Pictures – Hayward Gallery – ongoing A major contemporary art exhibition from the iconic duo, offering bold visual storytelling and strong cultural cachet during the festive season.

🖼️ Val Lee: The Presence of Solitude – Hayward Gallery – ongoing Atmospheric, introspective contemporary work — ideal for audiences seeking a quieter, art-led counterpoint to December’s noise.

✨ Winter Light – Southbank Centre – ongoing Free outdoor art installations transforming the riverside into a festive, photogenic trail — a reliable seasonal hub for public art, content capture and family visits.

🎻 Christmas with the Academy – St Martin-in-the-Fields – 12 Dec A refined classical Christmas programme featuring the Academy of St Martin in the Fields — attracting both traditional classical audiences and seasonal concert-goers.

🎼 A Festival of Carols – Royal Albert Hall – 9–10 Dec One of London’s most atmospheric Christmas choral experiences, filling the Hall with orchestral arrangements and massed voices.

🎭 Twelfth Night – Barbican Centre – from 8 Dec A bold new staging of Shakespeare’s festive-spirited comedy — Barbican programming with cultural weight and creative credibility.

NYC

🎼 Handel’s Messiah – Carnegie Hall – 13 Dec A major seasonal classical highlight; prestigious performers and a historic venue combine for an archetypal New York holiday musical moment.

🎷 Jazz at Lincoln Center: Big Band Holidays – Rose Theater – 12–15 Dec Yearly jazz favourite led by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; sophisticated, high-energy festive arrangements that draw culturally fluent audiences.

📰 The New York Times sues the Pentagon over unprecedented press restrictions

The New York Times has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Pentagon’s new media-access rules, which bar journalists from requesting any information not explicitly pre-approved for release, even if unclassified. The policy introduced in October triggered an extraordinary industry-wide revolt. Almost every major newsroom refused to sign the agreement and turned in their credentials. Press-freedom groups described the shift as unprecedented in modern US defence reporting because it limits not only responses but the scope of inquiry itself.

For decades, the Pentagon briefing room has relied on diversity of newsroom presence. Rival networks, wire services, international correspondents and specialist defence reporters have collectively shaped accountability. The new rules invert this tradition by creating a system where permissible questions are defined in advance by government officials.

A historical parallel: why the mechanism matters

Media historians have voiced concern not because the Pentagon is replicating authoritarian systems, but because the structure of constraint echoes earlier legal regimes that restricted what journalists could investigate. A commonly referenced example is the 1933 Editor’s Law in Nazi Germany, which required editors to publish only state-approved material and criminalised reporting deemed undesirable by the government. The relevance here is structural: historically, limits on inquiry rather than simply limits on answers have formed the basis for more extensive information control.

The Pentagon rules sit far from those extremes. Yet the underlying logic aligns with a long-documented pattern where governments shape public narratives by shaping which questions may be asked.

Who refused: a cross-industry rejection

More than 40 outlets declined to sign, including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Politico, Axios, Military Times, Defense News and many others. International titles such as The Guardian and the Financial Times also refused. Their editorial profiles span centre-left, centre-right and nonpartisan.

Notably, Fox News and Newsmax also rejected the terms, underscoring that the refusal cut across ideological lines and centred on press-freedom principles.

Who accepted: an ideologically concentrated, predominantly far-right cohort

Only 15 reporters signed the agreement. The most prominent outlets among them are:

OANN, widely classified by independent media-bias audits and academic studies as far-right, with a documented history of promoting partisan and conspiratorial narratives.
The Epoch Times, consistently identified as right-wing to far-right in media-research assessments, with a strong ideological editorial line.
The Federalist, which multiple nonpartisan media classifiers categorise as strongly conservative or far-right in its framing and commentary.

OANN is now the only named legacy outlet regularly attending Pentagon briefings. New invitations to Gateway Pundit, Human Events and LifeSiteNews reinforce the shift, as all three are routinely categorised by independent research groups as far-right publishers. This represents a marked ideological narrowing of the briefing room.

Why the shift matters: the risks of narrowed inquiry

The new ecosystem introduces three structural risks.

1. Reduced scrutiny Fewer independent voices means fewer opportunities for probing, adversarial questioning.

2. Government-defined agenda-setting If questions must be pre-approved, officials gain disproportionate control over which issues reach the public record.

3. Increased vulnerability to misinformation A press corps concentrated in outlets with well-documented far-right leanings, variable fact-checking standards and a track record of partisan amplification increases the risk that unchallenged narratives take root.

The Times’ lawsuit argues that conditioning access on the surrender of basic journalistic freedoms violates the First Amendment. Press-freedom organisations have echoed this, emphasising that restricting the right to ask questions marks a fundamental departure from democratic norms.

A wider lesson for institutions

Credibility depends on plural oversight. Systems that limit who may ask questions, or what they may ask, inevitably shape what the public is permitted to know. Historical examples show that once constraints on inquiry are normalised, they rarely remain narrow.

💡 When the only voices left in the room sit on the far-right, the issue is not ideological imbalance alone but the erosion of the public’s right to robust, diverse scrutiny.

🔥 Global touring revenues hit $9.3 billion in 2024, marking one of the strongest live-music cycles on record (Live Nation, Pollstar).

🎬 The UK screen sector delivered £13 billion in GVA and supported 245,000 jobs last year as governments ramp up studio investment (BFI, Creative Industries Council).

⚽ Women’s sport revenues are projected to reach $2 billion in 2025, with sponsorship growing 22 percent year on year (Nielsen Sports, Deloitte).

🏎️ Over 70 percent of F1 fans aged 16–34 now engage primarily through digital and creator-led content, reinforcing the sport’s shift to cultural entertainment (Nielsen Sports).

🔍 Around 60 percent of Gen Z use platforms like TikTok, Pinterest and Instagram as search tools, merging social discovery with commerce (Google, Adobe).

🤖 More than 50 percent of global consumers used generative AI for product research in 2024, up from 15 percent in 2023 (Boston Consulting Group).

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Travis Scott Sparks Sneaker Speculation, TikTok Shop Surges & Unilever Rewrites Its World Cup Playbook: On The Record 1st December 2025

🎸 Music Venue Trust slams Budget decision on grassroots venues

📌 The Music Venue Trust criticised the latest UK Budget as another missed opportunity to support Grassroots Music Venues. The Government’s decision to replace the existing 40 percent Rate Relief with a far weaker 12 percent reduction in the Rateable Value multiplier is described as a tax rise presented as support. The Trust argues that this shift means higher bills for venues next year, regardless of Treasury modelling or Transitional Relief. The Budget also offered no progress on long standing asks from the sector, including ticketing VAT reform, targeted tax relief, investment measures, energy support, rent intervention, or fixes to Agent of Change. They further highlight that the Government continues to take 20 percent VAT from the Grassroots Levy, questioning why funds intended for venue support are still being partially reclaimed.

40 percent business rates relief has been replaced with a 12 percent RV multiplier reduction.
Venues face higher bills next year than this year.
No action on VAT, energy, rents, or sector-specific reliefs.

💡 Grassroots music remains structurally undervalued in policy, widening the gap between government rhetoric and the realities facing local cultural infrastructure. 🎤

📱 TikTok Shop tops 19 billion dollars in Q3 global sales

TikTok Shop generated an estimated 19 billion dollars in global GMV in Q3 2025, placing it almost level with eBay’s 20.1 billion dollars for the same period. EchoTik data shows the United States is now TikTok Shop’s biggest market, contributing 4 to 4.5 billion dollars and growing 125 percent year on year despite regulatory scrutiny. Analysts link the surge to aggressive marketing, frictionless in-app discovery-to-purchase journeys, and the shift toward short form video commerce. Southeast Asian markets also posted strong volumes, underscoring the different regional dynamics between livestream-led and creator-led shopping behaviours.

19 billion dollars in estimated global GMV in Q3
4 to 4.5 billion dollars from the U.S., up 125 percent year on year
Comparable to eBay’s 20.1 billion dollars in the same quarter

💡TikTok Shop shows how platforms with built-in cultural relevance can reshape commerce faster than legacy marketplaces, especially when content and conversion sit in the same feed. 📈

🎤 ElevenLabs adds Michael Caine’s voice to its Iconic Marketplace

📌 ElevenLabs has introduced Sir Michael Caine’s voice to its newly launched Iconic Marketplace, joining more than 25 recognisable cultural figures available for licensed voice projects. The platform allows brands and creators to request access to high-profile voices while ensuring talent maintain control over usage. The move signals how AI voice technology is shifting toward ethical licensing models that prioritise creator consent and brand-safe deployment. For marketers, it unlocks new possibilities for campaigns, multilingual content, and audio storytelling anchored in familiar, emotionally resonant voices.

Key stats:

The Marketplace features 25+ iconic voices, including Maya Angelou and Alan Turing.
Matthew McConaughey’s licensed voice will be available for Spanish audio content.
ElevenLabs positioned the platform as a two-sided model giving talent terms-setting power.

💡 Ethical voice licensing is becoming a new competitive advantage for brands using AI audio. 🔊

🏈 Smirnoff Ignites the Next Generation of NFL Fandom With New “We Do Game Days” Chapter

📌 Smirnoff is expanding its role as the Official Vodka Sponsor of the NFL for a fifth season, unveiling a new wave of talent collaborations, fan-first content, and limited-edition designer merch. The campaign places fan culture, fashion, and creator communities at the centre of gameday, tapping WAG personality Claire Kittle, NFL legend Vernon Davis and designers Aleali May, Gavin Mathieu and Kayla Jones. Smirnoff is launching exclusive, commissioned pieces through a giveaway programme, including a football-inspired purse, a custom hoodie and a one-of-one varsity jacket releasing in January. Alongside the drops, a new digital series, Wife’d Up, Mic’d Up, gives fans behind-the-scenes access to pre-kickoff rituals and cocktail moments.

The initiative signals how beverage brands are leaning into the cultural edges of sport, from fashion to influencer-driven fandom, to reach younger, style-led audiences. For strategy and brand teams, it reflects how gameday is evolving into a lifestyle moment powered by creators, drops and experiential culture.

Smirnoff enters its fifth consecutive season as Official Vodka Sponsor of the NFL.
Three designer drops scheduled: early December, 12 January and 21 January.
One fan will win a Super Bowl LX trip plus Aleali May’s one-of-one gameday jacket.

💡 Fan culture is becoming fashion culture, and brands are winning by treating gameday like a drop-driven lifestyle moment. 🧢

🏎️ F1 Teams Reaffirm Multi-Year Commitment to F1 ACADEMY

📌 All 10 Formula 1 teams have renewed their backing of the all-female F1 ACADEMY series, confirming continued sponsorship of a livery and driver. Cadillac, set to join F1 in 2026, will also enter the programme from 2027. The renewed agreement signals F1’s long-term commitment to developing female talent across the sport, supported by updated regulations that allow select high-potential drivers to compete for a third season from 2027. The expansion aligns with the series’ rapid global growth, including broadcasts across 170 territories, a Netflix documentary series and a social audience now reaching 1.38 million. With top prospects like Doriane Pin, Maya Weug and Ella Lloyd leading the standings, the series continues to deepen its competitive pool while establishing a clearer pathway for women in motorsport.

Races now broadcast in 170+ global territories
1.38 million combined followers across Instagram, YouTube, X and TikTok
Cadillac joining as sponsor in 2027

💡 Female motorsport development is becoming a long-term strategic pillar for F1, creating opportunities for brands to engage meaningfully with representation, performance pathways and the future fanbase. 🚦

⚽ Gotham FC locks in loyal attendance with innovative, fan-forward legacy membership programme

Gotham FC secured its second NWSL Championship, defeating Washington Spirit 1-0 after a standout performance from Rose Lavelle, who delivered the decisive goal and earned Final MVP. The title capped a postseason run that saw Gotham eliminate top-seeded Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride, underscoring the club’s growing competitiveness and star power. New York City marked the historic win with a championship parade and the Key to the City, strengthening civic pride around the franchise. The victory arrives as Gotham FC rolls out a new legacy membership initiative aimed at deepening long-term fan engagement and cementing sustained attendance.

Gotham FC are now two-time NWSL champions (2023, 2025).
The final saw zero shots on target from Washington despite seven attempts.
Gotham recorded three shots on target from 12, with 0.39 xG compared to Washington’s 0.49.

💡 Gotham FC is demonstrating how women’s sports franchises can pair on-pitch momentum with smart fan loyalty programmes to convert cultural buzz into durable community investment. ⚡

🏆 Unilever’s World Cup Creator Play

📌 Unilever is reengineering its media model ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup, shifting decisively from traditional broadcast-first planning to a many to many strategy rooted in paid social and influencer marketing. The company is reallocating budget away from TV toward platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, aiming to activate four major personal care brands across what will be the largest spectator event in history. Executives say they are already meeting internal targets to devote half of media spend to social and creator partnerships, with a 20x expansion of influencer relationships underway. At the tournament, Unilever plans to deploy thousands of creators across North America, spanning elite athletes to micro and nano influencers, all selected to mirror diverse fan communities and personas. With sports rights-holders increasingly opening access for creators and women’s sports delivering powerful crossover between athletes and social followings, Unilever is betting that creators will shape the cultural conversation more effectively than traditional broadcasters.

TV historically accounted for 80 to 90 percent of spend for some Unilever brands.
Coca Cola activated 10,000 creators at the Paris 2024 Olympics, the benchmark Unilever is eyeing.
Women’s basketball players average 3.2 times the social following of male athletes (Opendorse).

💡 The World Cup is becoming a creator-led cultural arena, and brands are shifting from broadcast reach to community-led influence. ⚽

👟 Travis Scott, Nike and Adidas. What's Going On?

📌 Travis Scott was spotted wearing a Y-3 jacket at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a surprising move given his status as one of Nike’s most valuable non-athlete collaborators. The moment fuelled industry speculation as Y-3 is Adidas’ fashion-forward imprint, making the choice highly unusual for a figure typically bound by strict exclusivity. Scott’s influence across lifestyle product sales, sneaker resale heat, and Nike’s push into football culture makes any deviation from brand alignment a major flashpoint. While nothing is confirmed, the incident has intensified questions around Nike’s collaborator relationships and whether rival brands are making moves.

Travis Scott x Fragment x Air Jordan 1 Low recently broke the record for sneaker raffle entries at 4.4 million, according to Bloomberg.
Nike’s lifestyle sales rely heavily on collaborators like Scott, who has driven significant growth since 2017.
Adidas’ Y-3 account left cryptic comments on Instagram posts featuring Scott arriving at the Grand Prix.

💡 When the most influential collaborator in modern sneaker culture wears a rival brand publicly, it becomes a cultural signal watched as closely as a sponsorship deal itself.

⚡️Credit: Daniel-Yaw Miller

🎡 Bristol to launch world-first clean power hub for festivals and film crews

📌 Summary: Bristol city council and the West of England combined authority will launch a world-first clean power hub next summer, guaranteeing renewable mobile energy for festivals, large gigs and film productions. The scheme will supply National Grid electricity from 100% renewable providers to two storage sites, where battery arrays can then be transported directly to event locations. More than 20 festivals and multiple major production companies are expected to opt in, reducing reliance on fuel-driven generators that damage air quality and increase emissions. The project builds on recent low-carbon event successes, including Massive Attack’s battery-powered festival, and aims to deliver measurable climate and health benefits assessed by Tyndall Manchester.

🔎 The initiative signals a major step in decarbonising live events and production, with local government guaranteeing clean infrastructure at scale for the first time. For brand, culture and events professionals, it reflects rising expectations for operational sustainability and the growing competitive need to offer low-carbon experiences.

💡Clean energy is fast becoming a baseline expectation for cultural production, not a premium add-on. ⚡

⚽ AFC Wimbledon backs FSA’s ‘It’s Not Just Banter’ campaign

📌 AFC Wimbledon has joined WOWSA in supporting the FSA’s new ‘It’s Not Just Banter’ campaign, part of the wider Women’s Voice in the Men’s Game initiative. The campaign spotlights the harm caused by sexist chanting and the responsibility supporters have to challenge behaviour that makes women and girls feel unsafe. WOWSA highlights the role of male allyship, noting that silence can reinforce harmful norms and that men speaking to other men is a powerful catalyst for change. The club’s Cherry Red Records Stadium recently becoming the first Safe Haven in Merton underscores its ongoing commitment to safety, equality and a more inclusive fan culture.

First Safe Haven status in Merton signals tangible action on safety.
Campaign connects to White Ribbon principles of allyship and accountability.

💡 Fan culture is increasingly a frontline for inclusion, with clubs expected to take visible, values-led action against gendered harassment. ✊

📺 Dedicated Interactive and Localised CTV Ads Heat Up the Arms Race

Interactive and shoppable ad formats are rapidly expanding across CTV, as streamers race to attract small business and regional advertisers. Amazon debuted location-based interactive video ads on Prime Video, automatically adding actions such as Send to Phone or Sign Up Today to creative assets. Disney, Tubi, Samsung TV and Reddit have all rolled out new formats, from trivia-enabled Pause+ placements to film promo-led interactive units. The shift is driven by a slower ad market and an industry-wide push to democratise TV advertising, opening access for SMEs traditionally priced out of broadcast or linear models. Agencies are already scaling spend into these formats, citing improved branding real estate, stronger direct response capabilities and mass reach without intrusive QR-heavy creative. Buyer data shows a meaningful rise in investment, particularly from retail brands selling via Amazon and national advertisers looking to add local layers to campaigns.

Canvas Worldwide scaled interactive formats from 10 percent to 30 percent of partner spend in 2025.
Clients typically allocate 10-15 percent of CTV budgets to interactive and shoppable formats, with higher investment expected into 2026.

💡 CTV is becoming a performance channel in its own right, blurring the line between mass reach and measurable action as platforms chase SME budgets. 📊

🎙️ He Sold His Company To HMV For £46m: How Dean James Co-Founded One of the UK’s Largest Live Music Companies

UPRAWR Podcast (host: Alex Baker) featuring Dean James

Before we get into why this episode matters for anyone working in culture, music, or brand strategy, a personal note: Dean James is one of the true legends of my career. Working at MAMA Group between 2009–2012 were some of the best years of my professional life - incredible people, incredible company, and genuinely incredible leadership. Dean helped shape the version of the live music industry so many of us went on to build our careers in.

This episode captures exactly why.

📌 It’s a rare insider masterclass on the evolution of the UK’s live music ecosystem. Dean's effortless storytelling breaks down how MAMA Group operated iconic venues, built culturally defining festivals, and ultimately scaled into one of the UK’s most influential live music companies before selling to HMV for £46m.

Big shout-out to my MAMA fam. So many incredible memories.

Listen on Pocket Casts

LONDON

🎬 London International Animation Festival – Barbican Centre – 1–7 Dec A week-long showcase of global animation driving design, youth-culture and filmmaker interest.

🎨 Charlie Mackesy: An Evening of Drawing, Music & Stories – Barbican Hall – 1 Dec A sold-out illustrated storytelling event from the beloved author-artist, attracting broad multi-gen audiences.

🏛️ Ancient Greek World: Out-of-Hours Tour – British Museum – 1, 4 & 5 Dec Premium early-access tour offering rich classical-heritage content and behind-the-scenes appeal.

🗿 Egyptian Death & Afterlife (Audio-Described Tour) – British Museum – 1 Dec An inclusive, multisensory exploration of the mummies galleries, spotlighting accessibility in culture.

🕊️ Emergency Exits: The Fight for Independence (Curated Tour) – IWM London – 3 Dec A focused look at anti-colonial struggles, speaking to current conversations on empire and activism.

🖼️ Radical Harmony: Neo-Impressionists – National Gallery – through 8 Dec A major survey of Seurat and peers—visually rich for brand storytelling around colour and creativity.

🎨 Poetry in Paint: Discovering Titian’s Process – National Gallery – through 5 Dec An in-gallery creativity course unpacking technique, perfect for arts-education and craft narratives.

🌻 Kiefer / Van Gogh – Royal Academy of Arts – through 8 Dec A blockbuster pairing exploring influence, landscape and memory—high-impact visuals for campaigns.

🌫️ Turner & Constable – Tate Britain – through 8 Dec Twin landmark exhibitions connecting British landscape heritage with climate, travel and place-making themes.

🌀 Turner 250 Conference – Tate Britain – 4–5 Dec A two-day deep dive into Turner’s legacy, generating expert commentary and arts-leadership insights.

🌍 Nigerian Modernism – Tate Modern – from 6 Dec A defining exhibition spotlighting mid-century Nigerian innovators, aligning with diaspora and decolonial discourse.

👑 Marie Antoinette Style – V&A – ends 7 Dec A high-fashion look at image-making and luxury aesthetics, closing this week.

🎵 The Music Is Black: A British Story – V&A – through Dec A landmark exploration of Black British music’s cultural impact—prime for sound-led brand narratives.

🌱 Natural Dyeing: A Heritage of Colour – V&A – 6–7 Dec A hands-on workshop tying sustainability and craft into slow-fashion conversations.

🎨 Caravaggio’s Cupid: After-Hours Talk – Wallace Collection – 1 Dec A premium evening with curators and late access to a Renaissance masterpiece.

🎤 Ed Sheeran: PLAY Tour – Coventry & Manchester – 5 & 7 Dec Stadium-scale shows from one of the UK’s biggest artists, dominating youth and family attention.

⚽ Arsenal vs Liverpool (Women’s League Cup) – Emirates Stadium – 6 Dec A marquee women’s football fixture in a major venue—spotlight on women’s sport momentum.

👑 The Streamer Awards – Los Angeles (global digital) – 6 Dec The creator-economy’s key annual awards, highly relevant for gaming, streaming and brand collabs.

🎖️ Kennedy Center Honors – Washington DC – 7 Dec A prestige cultural moment celebrating lifetime artistic achievement, widely covered across media.

NEW YORK CITY

🌌 A Night at the Museum (Overnight Experience) – AMNH – 5 Dec An iconic family sleepover blending science, nostalgia and film-inspired storytelling.

🦖 Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs – AMNH – through 8 Dec A photogenic exhibition that anchors the museum’s holiday creativity and STEM-friendly programming.

🎄 DCINY Holiday Concert – Carnegie Hall – 1 Dec A large-ensemble festive moment ideal for seasonal content.

🎶 Carla A. Harris & Friends: 20th Anniversary – Carnegie Hall – 1 Dec A crossover of gospel, leadership and philanthropy in a culturally resonant setting.

🎻 Stephen Kim (Violin) – Weill Recital Hall – 1 Dec A refined classical recital spotlighting rising talent.

🎄 George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker – Lincoln Center – 1–8 Dec NYC’s definitive holiday ballet anchoring tourism, luxury hospitality and family culture.

🖼️ Helene Schjerfbeck: Seeing Silence – The Met – from 5 Dec A major new exhibition bringing Nordic modernism to global stage attention.

🕴️ Superfine: Tailoring Black Style – The Met Costume Institute – through 8 Dec A fashion blockbuster exploring Black style, identity and cultural influence.

🏰 The Met Cloisters 1925/2025 – The Met Cloisters – through Dec A centenary exploration of the museum’s architecture and medieval collections.

💃 Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor – Museum of the City of New York – through 8 Dec A vibrant dive into NYC’s club culture and dance history.

🌍 The Earthshot Prize: Scaling Environmental Solutions with Global Momentum

Five years in, The Earthshot Prize has become one of the world’s most influential platforms for environmental innovation: not simply an awards ceremony, but a global engine identifying and accelerating solutions that can repair the planet. Launched in 2020 by Prince William, the Prize has awarded £25 million to 25 winners, each receiving £1 million in funding plus year-round support through the Earthshot Fellowship network.

Its published impact data shows measurable, global progress driven by winners and finalists:

1.1 million square kilometres of land and ocean protected or restored
4.8 million tonnes of CO₂e avoided or captured
9 million tonnes of water saved, reused or recycled
250,000 tonnes of waste removed, upcycled or avoided
6.4 million lives improved through cleaner air, restored ecosystems and community resilience

This impact is amplified by the Prize’s global visibility, backed by advocates such as Sir David Attenborough and supported by broadcasters, cultural institutions and policymakers. The Earthshot Prize has established itself as a worldwide challenge that turns bold ideas into scalable, investable environmental solutions.

Earthshot Prize 2025: This Year’s Winners

Each of the five 2025 winners receives £1 million and targeted support to grow and replicate their impact:

Protect and Restore Nature: re.green (Brazil) AI-enabled, large-scale forest restoration that regenerates biodiversity and creates sustainable jobs.

Clean Our Air: The City of Bogotá (Colombia) A long-term clean-air policy reducing harmful emissions and improving public health.

Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty (Global) A historic international agreement enabling the protection of marine biodiversity in international waters.

Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week (Nigeria) A circular fashion movement reducing textile waste and strengthening sustainable local craft.

Fix Our Climate: Friendship (Bangladesh) A community-led climate resilience model combining mangrove restoration, healthcare and education.

Previous Winners

2024 Winners

Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Kazakhstan): Steppe and saiga antelope ecosystem restoration.
Green Africa Youth Organization (Ghana): Youth-led clean-air policy and pollution reduction advocacy.
High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (Global): Global agreement protecting 30 percent of land and ocean by 2030.
Keep IT Cool (Kenya): Sustainable cold-chain solutions reducing food waste.
Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (USA): High-efficiency thermovoltaics for clean energy generation.

2023 Winners

Acción Andina (Peru / global Andes): Community-led restoration of high Andean forests.
GRST (Hong Kong): Low-carbon, recyclable EV battery technology.
WildAid Marine Program (Global): Strengthening marine enforcement to protect ocean ecosystems.
S4S Technologies (India): Solar-powered food dehydration reducing agricultural waste.
Boomitra (USA / Global South): Soil carbon sequestration supporting climate-positive agriculture.

2022 Winners

Kheyti (India): Greenhouse-in-a-box supporting climate-resilient farming.
Mukuru Clean Stoves (Kenya): Cleaner, safer cookstoves reducing indoor air pollution.
Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef (Australia): Traditional-knowledge-led ocean stewardship.
NotPla (UK): Seaweed-based packaging replacing single-use plastics.
44.01 (Oman): Mineralising CO₂ in peridotite rock as permanent storage.

2021 Winners

Costa Rica: National ecosystem restoration and expanded marine protection.
Takachar (India): Portable tech turning crop waste into bio-products, reducing air pollution.
Coral Vita (Bahamas): Land-based accelerated coral farming to restore reefs.
The City of Milan Food Waste Hubs (Italy): City-wide system recovering and redistributing surplus food.
AEM Electrolyser (Bangladesh / Thailand / China): Affordable green hydrogen production supporting clean energy.

🔥 Grassroots venues face rising costs The replacement of 40% business rates relief with a 12% RV multiplier cut will result in higher bills for most Grassroots Music Venues next year. (Music Venue Trust, 2025)

📱 TikTok Shop closes in on eBay TikTok Shop generated an estimated 19 billion dollars in global GMV in Q3 2025, nearly matching eBay’s 20.1 billion dollars for the same period. (EchoTik, 2025)

🔊 AI voice licensing scales fast ElevenLabs’ Iconic Voices Marketplace now includes more than 25 licensed voices, indicating rapid adoption of consent-led AI audio. (ElevenLabs, 2025)

🚦 F1 ACADEMY grows global reach Races in the all-female series now broadcast to over 170 territories worldwide, expanding its footprint across emerging motorsport markets. (F1 ACADEMY, 2025)

⚽ Gotham FC continues its rise Gotham FC have secured their second NWSL title in three seasons, with Washington Spirit recording zero shots on target in the final. (NWSL, 2025)

📺 Interactive CTV gains traction Agencies have tripled investment into interactive and shoppable CTV formats, with some partners scaling from 10% to 30% of spend in 2025. (Canvas Worldwide, 2025)

🍃 Earthshot quantifies climate impact Earthshot winners and finalists have helped protect or restore 1.1 million square kilometres of land and ocean globally. (Earthshot Prize, 2025)

🛍️ Retail brands fuel CTV performance shift Retail advertisers allocating budgets to interactive CTV formats typically commit 10–15% of their spend, with growth expected into 2026. (Agency buyer data, 2025)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

NikeSKIMS Drop 2, Target Launches WNBA Merch & Sky Sports’ ‘Halo’ TikTok Backfires: On The Record 24th November 2025

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

🎵 BBC Introducing Faces Backlash Over AI-Generated Track Spotlight

BBC Introducing faced criticism this week after Midlands artist Papi Lamour revealed live on air that their Black History Month track was entirely AI-generated, despite being praised by the host as pitch perfect and sonically amazing. The decision frustrated emerging musicians who argued that spotlighting fully synthetic work on a platform designed to champion grassroots talent undermines years of training, investment, and creative labour. The moment comes as artists and industry bodies warn that unregulated AI threatens copyright, compensation, and the long-term viability of professional musicianship. BBC Introducing stated that tracks are judged purely on musical merit, while the BPI reiterated its call for AI to support rather than supplant human creativity.

Key facts and stats:

Lamour admitted that all vocals and instrumentation in the featured track were created using AI software.
Songwriter Mollyxo highlighted that she has spent 20 years building her craft before seeking BBC Introducing support.
Over 1,000 musicians, including Kate Bush, Damon Albarn and Annie Lennox, contributed to a silent protest album earlier this year criticising government AI plans.
Paul McCartney publicly urged the UK government to strengthen protections, warning that AI could allow anyone to rip off creators without payment or consent.

💡 As AI-generated tracks enter mainstream pipelines, platforms built to elevate human creativity must rapidly redefine their criteria or risk erasing the very talent they were designed to support. 🎧

🎫 UK to Ban Ticket Resale Above Face Value

📌 The UK government will introduce legislation making it illegal to resell concert and live event tickets above their original face value, following sustained pressure from artists and fan groups. The move targets industrial-scale touting, including bots that bulk-buy tickets before relisting them at inflated prices. The government says the shift will save fans millions and disrupt a shadow resale economy that has grown across major platforms. For brand, culture, and entertainment professionals, it signals a regulatory reset aimed at restoring trust, fairness and accessibility across the live experience economy.

£112 million in annual savings projected for fans
900,000 additional tickets expected to be bought at primary sale prices each year
£37 average reduction in resale-market ticket prices

💡 A clampdown of this scale could reshape demand patterns and fan access, creating new expectations for transparency and fairness across all live entertainment touchpoints. 🎟️

👀 The Algorithm Allegedly Has A Gender Preference

LinkedIn users are running their own experiments… and the results are raising eyebrows.

Women switching their profile gender to male are reporting different ads, more senior role recommendations, and noticeably better reach. None of this has been formally confirmed by LinkedIn. But the pattern mirrors what multiple independent audits have already proven about job-ad algorithms more broadly.

Below is what the verified research says, and why these user-run experiments feel so familiar.

Recent user-led tests suggest that changing a profile’s gender from female to male may alter the ads, job recommendations, and visibility the account receives. While these individual experiments cannot confirm LinkedIn’s system behaviour, they closely resemble documented findings from major audits of job-ad delivery algorithms, which consistently show gendered steering. Peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that automated ad-distribution systems tend to show women fewer high-paying or leadership-oriented opportunities, even when profiles are identical.

Accurate, verified stats from published studies:

Facebook job-ad delivery audit (University of Southern California, 2019): High-paying jobs were shown disproportionately to men, even when ads were targeted neutrally to “all adults”.
Ad Delivery Algorithm Study (Ali et al., 2019, AAAI): Ads for construction jobs reached over 90 percent men, while ads for supermarket cashier roles reached over 85 percent women despite identical targeting.
Global Witness audit (2021): Tech and STEM job ads were shown to significantly more men, while social-care ads were delivered predominantly to women, again with gender-neutral targeting.
LinkedIn’s own 2022 internal research (publicly published): Recruiters are more likely to open male profiles, with women receiving fewer recruiter outreach messages in fields like tech and consulting, even when qualifications match. (This finding reflects recruiter behaviour, not LinkedIn’s algorithm directly.)

💡 Algorithms don’t invent bias, they inherit and scale the one already baked into the labour market.

Goldman Sachs Buys Talent Agency of Tiger Woods, Caitlin Clark ⚡

Goldman Sachs’ private equity arm has acquired a majority stake in Excel Sports Management, with existing leadership retaining equity and continuing to operate the business. The agency represents around 750 athletes across major US sports, including Tiger Woods, Caitlin Clark and Nikola Jokić, reflecting how soaring media deals have boosted the value of athlete representation. The move strengthens Goldman’s footprint in the sports ecosystem, from franchise sales to athlete endorsements, despite increasing scrutiny on financial firms’ cross-ownership ties within leagues. It signals continued consolidation across talent, media and investment, as sports representation becomes a high-growth commercial asset.

Excel valuation reported at close to $1 billion (Financial Times)
CAA recently sold for $7 billion while Endeavor went private in a $25 billion deal
Excel represents 750 clients across baseball, basketball, football and golf

💡Big finance is doubling down on athlete representation as sports IP becomes one of the most valuable cultural assets in the global media economy. 📈

🏀 Target Drops WNBA Merch Line With The Wild Collective

Target has launched an exclusive WNBA-licensed apparel line with fashion label The Wild Collective, spanning league-wide pieces and team-specific designs across six franchises. The collection features statement jackets, reworked jerseys, and streetwear-led silhouettes crafted in women’s or unisex cuts. The drop follows a wave of non-traditional brands tapping into surging WNBA demand, with recent partnerships including LEGO’s collaboration with A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese’s deals with Juicy Couture and Victoria’s Secret. The range is now available online and in select Target stores.

Six teams included: Lynx, Sky, Liberty, Fever, Valkyries, Aces
Multiple recent brand deals with WNBA stars cited in the last two months

💡 Women’s basketball continues to become a fashion and commercial engine, attracting brands far beyond traditional sportswear. ✨

Kering looks beyond Gucci as new CEO outlines 18-month overhaul 🔧

In a memo seen by the Financial Times, Kering’s new chief executive Luca de Meo warned staff that the Group must reduce its over-dependency on Gucci after Q3 revenues fell 10 percent and Gucci declined 18 percent. His 18-month turnaround programme, dubbed ReconKering, sets out cost cuts, lease renegotiations, inventory reductions and pricing resets to stabilise the business and reposition the wider portfolio within three years. With Gucci still accounting for around half of Group sales and Chinese demand weakening, the strategy signals a shift towards balancing the brand mix and restoring profitability across Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga.

Analysts note investor concern around the long timeline, particularly after Kering shares fell 3.5 percent following publication of the memo. Others question whether reducing reliance on Gucci is prudent given its historic profit contribution in stronger years. The move comes as Kering faces elevated leverage of roughly 4x EBITDA and net debt of around 9.5–10.5 billion euros, creating a sharper contrast with low-debt peers like LVMH and Hermès.

Gucci down 18 percent in Q3 2025
Group revenue down 10 percent in Q3 2025
Net debt approx. 9.5–10.5 billion euros by end-2024
Kering shares fell 3.5 percent after the FT story

💡 A diversified brand engine, not a Gucci-centric one, is becoming essential as luxury’s geography, leverage demands and consumer psychology shift. ✨

🎵 Music Icons Protest Against AI Music

📌 Paul McCartney has stepped into the AI copyright fight with a protest track that is, quite literally, almost silent. His first new recording in five years, featured on the LP Is This What We Want?, is made up of studio hiss, faint clatters and a slow fadeout – a symbolic warning of what happens when creative work is mined freely to train AI models. The album, backed by Kate Bush, Sam Fender, Hans Zimmer and the Pet Shop Boys, spells out a message to the UK government: do not legalise unlicensed music scraping. The campaign lands as ministers consider new text and data mining exceptions under heavy pressure from US tech giants, while artists argue the proposals risk gutting the economic and cultural foundations that allow new musicians to build careers. With AI-generated tracks already topping charts and racking up millions of streams, the call for guardrails is becoming impossible to ignore.

The UK’s creative industries generate £125bn for the economy each year (UK Government).
US tech firms have committed more than £30bn of UK investment in the past year, primarily in datacentres (UK Government).
A fully AI-generated band recently hit 1 million Spotify streams (Guardian).
8 of the top 10 viral Spotify tracks in the Netherlands last week were AI-generated and allegedly boosted by bot farms (Reddit r/music).

💡 The protest isn’t anti-tech, it’s a signal that without clear consent and compensation, AI threatens to mute the very creativity it depends on. 🎧

🧵 Fashion Leaders Gloomy About 2026

📌 According to the latest State of Fashion report from McKinsey and The Business of Fashion, industry sentiment is slipping as tariffs and shifting consumer behaviours reshape the landscape. The findings show that 46 percent of fashion executives expect conditions to worsen in 2026, making tariffs the sector’s biggest drag. While economic optimism declines, structural shifts continue: second-hand fashion grows more mainstream, luxury brands pull back from price-led strategies, and AI-assisted shopping earns higher satisfaction rates from consumers. The report signals an industry preparing for slower growth, tighter operations, and a new emphasis on resilience.

46 percent of executives expect worsening conditions in 2026
85 percent of consumers report higher satisfaction with AI-assisted shopping
Resale adoption continues to rise globally

💡 Fashion’s challenge for 2026 is balancing operational resilience with meaningful innovation, as value-led consumption and AI-driven behaviours reshape demand patterns. ✨

NikeSKIMS Pushes the Edges of Sport Style With Drop 2 ❄️

📌 NikeSKIMS returns for the season with Drop 2, expanding its system of dress across seven collections and 65 silhouettes, plus new accessories including socks, waist packs and training gloves. The drop builds on its debut by introducing new materials, seasonal colourways and added versatility that moves seamlessly from studio to street. Core collections Shine, Matte and Airy return with evolved fits, Dri-FIT functionality, and mesh-inspired layering pieces, while Woven Nylon debuts as a cold-weather third layer anchored by a new Wrap Coat. A holiday campaign spotlights elite speed skaters Maame Biney, Kamryn Lute, Kristen Santos-Griswold and Courtney Sarault, captured across stills and motion, emphasising power, precision and the strength of modern femininity.

7 collections in the drop
65 silhouettes spanning apparel and accessories

💡The drop underscores how performancewear and fashion continue to converge, with women’s sport driving both aesthetic direction and commercial momentum. ✨

🌸 Sky Sports ditches new women’s TikTok account after viewers brand it sexist

📌 Sky Sports has shut down its new TikTok channel aimed at young female sports fans just three days after launch, following widespread backlash over its tone and aesthetic. Social media users criticised the “Halo” account as condescending, patronising and sexist, arguing it reinforced stereotypes rather than expanding inclusion. Branded as “Sky Sports’ lil sis,” the channel featured pastel graphics, sparkly overlays and captions like “How the matcha + hot girl walk combo hits,” sparking parodies across TikTok. Sky acknowledged the misstep in a weekend statement, saying it had “listened” and would halt all activity on the account.

Three days after launch, Sky shut down Halo following criticism across TikTok, Reddit and X.
Content included stylised clips using pink, sparkly fonts and “girlie” captions which many viewers said perpetuated stereotypes.
Viral parody videos quickly flooded TikTok, using the Halo aesthetic to mock the approach.

💡 Efforts to “reach Gen Z women” fall flat fast when brands rely on aesthetic clichés instead of genuine cultural understanding. ✨

Listen on Apple Podcasts

BBC crisis: right-wing coup or bias crackdown?

The BBC is in meltdown: both the Director General Tim Davie and the Head of News Deborah Turness have quit in the same weekend after a leaked memo accused the corporation of systemic political bias - an edit of Donald Trump’s speech ahead of the January 6th riots at heart of the memo.

The President has now piled in, threatening a billion dollar lawsuit.

So what is really going on? Was this a right-wing coup against public service broadcasting - or the consequence of genuine bias inside the BBC?

And could this crisis now reshape the future of impartial news - not just at the BBC, but across Britain’s media?

The BBC chairman Samir Shah has apologised for an “error of judgement” over the edit of the president’s speech and said that the corporation had taken action on other areas that had been highlighted in the memo - and would take further action if necessary.

On this episode of The Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by the political editor of the Sunday Telegraph Camilla Turner and the editor of Prospect magazine Alan Rusbridger.

🏈 NFL Thanksgiving Triple-Header – USA (national broadcast) – 27 Nov A full day of marquee matchups with celebrity halftime performances, driving huge live engagement.

🏀 NBA Cup – Group Stage Finale – USA (various arenas) – 28 Nov High-stakes in-season tournament games boost mid-season basketball visibility.

⚽ UEFA Champions League – Matchday 5 – Europe – 25–26 Nov Penultimate round of the league phase, ensuring heavy midweek football attention.

⚽ England Lionesses vs China (Friendly) – Wembley Stadium, London – 29 Nov A standout home fixture spotlighting women’s football.

📚 Hay Festival Winter Weekend – Hay-on-Wye, Wales – 26–30 Nov Literary and ideas-led programming marking a key cultural moment in the winter calendar.

🎤 An Evening with Annie Leibovitz – Barbican Centre, London – 24 Nov Rare live conversation with the legendary photographer.

🎹 Hania Rani: Non Fiction – Barbican Centre, London – 25–26 Nov World premiere piano concerto exploring history, memory and conflict.

🎭 Cabaret & Dress-Up Special: Wicked: For Good – Barbican Centre, London – 24 Nov Cosplay-encouraged musical film event tapping into fan culture.

👶 Wicked: For Good – Parent & Baby / Members’ Screenings – Barbican Centre – 1 Dec Niche but vocal audiences for targeted community engagement.

🗿 Edward Allington: Making Poetry with Solid Objects – British Museum, London – ongoing Sculptural intervention enlivening the museum’s antiquities collections.

🌍 Emergency Exits: Independence Movements – Imperial War Museum London – ongoing Powerful exhibition examining late-colonial conflicts and liberation struggles.

🎨 Ming Wong in Conversation (Friday Late) – National Gallery, London – 28 Nov An after-hours artist talk reframing Old Masters through performance and film.

🖼️ Kerry James Marshall: The Histories – Royal Academy of Arts, London – ongoing A landmark exhibition by one of the most important living painters.

🌅 Turner & Constable: Rivals & Originals – Tate Britain, London – from 27 Nov Blockbuster pairing of Britain’s defining landscape artists.

🎭 Theatre Picasso – Tate Modern, London – ongoing Exploring Picasso’s fascination with staged identity and performance.

🟩 Tate Modern Lates – Tate Modern, London – 28 Nov After-hours programme with talks, tours and live performance.

👜 Marie Antoinette Style – V&A, London – ongoing Lavish fashion exhibition blending history, costume and pop-cultural references.

👗 Peter Copping (Lanvin) in Conversation – V&A, London – 24 Nov Designer-led insight into contemporary couture.

🎬 The Costume House: Inside Cosprop – V&A, London – 27 Nov Behind-the-scenes look at one of film and TV's premier costume makers.

🛍️ Young V&A Winter Market – Young V&A, London – 29–30 Nov Showcase of emerging young designers and makers.

🎄 Christmas in New York Concert – Carnegie Hall, NYC – 24 Nov Festive pop–gospel performance marking the start of NYC’s holiday season.

🩰 George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker – New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center – 29–30 Nov A defining annual production anchoring New York’s winter culture calendar.

🦕 Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs – AMNH, NYC – ongoing Big-ticket science exhibition exploring the asteroid impact and extinction.

📷 Man Ray: When Objects Dream – The Met, NYC – ongoing Major exhibition of surrealist photography and objects.

THE BBC: A NATIONAL INSTITUTION AT A CULTURAL CROSSROADS

A public broadcaster, a political football, and an algorithm-age survivor trying to future-proof its DNA.

The BBC isn’t simply a media organisation. It’s a century-old piece of national infrastructure - part broadcaster, part cultural memory bank, part global soft-power engine.

But right now, it sits at the intersection of three high-pressure forces: platform-era fragmentation, political polarisation, and a funding model built for a Britain that no longer exists.

To understand where the BBC goes next, we need to understand the scale of what it actually does - and why the fight over its future is turning into a proxy battle over identity, truth, power, and culture.

1. THE FULL SCOPE: MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE REALISE

For all the criticism the BBC attracts, few people understand the breadth of its public-service remit.

National + Global:

BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four
BBC News, World Service (one of the UK’s most effective soft-power tools)
Flagship programmes across drama, comedy, natural history, documentaries

Regional + Local:

39 local radio stations across England
Dedicated nations programming for Scotland, Wales, NI
Local newsrooms, investigative teams, regional current affairs
Partnerships that support local journalism (e.g., shared reporters with local papers)

Education + Culture:

Children’s content (CBBC, CBeebies)
Bitesize: one of the biggest digital education brands in the UK
Arts, science, history, culture - across TV, audio, digital

Digital + On-Demand:

BBC iPlayer - still one of the UK’s most-used streaming platforms
BBC Sounds - podcasts, live radio, music mixes
Online news, explainers, fact-checking, investigative long-reads

It’s not just a broadcaster - it’s public infrastructure. Other media companies can disappear; the BBC is built to anchor national life.

2. THE LICENCE FEE DEBATE: A FUNDING MODEL FROM ANOTHER ERA

The licence fee is the BBC’s defining strength - independence from advertisers, investors and political donors - but also its biggest vulnerability.

The challenge:

Fewer people watch linear TV
Younger audiences default to TikTok, YouTube, Netflix
More households say they “don’t need a TV licence” because they don’t watch live broadcast
Inflation erodes funding while expectations rise

The argument for replacing the licence fee:

Regarded as outdated and regressive
Unpopular among younger, streaming-first households
Difficult to enforce and politically sensitive

The argument for keeping (or modernising) it:

A universal funding model creates universal access
Keeps the BBC free from corporate influence
Ensures minority programming, regional output, children’s content and investigative journalism exist

The debate isn’t really about money. It’s about identity: Do we still believe in universal public media? Or do we pivot to a fully commercialised landscape where algorithms decide cultural value?

3. GOVERNANCE, ETHICS & THE PERCEPTION PROBLEM

The BBC board isn’t just a regulatory formality - it’s the institution’s political pressure point.

The governance dilemma:

Board appointments are made by government ministers
This opens the BBC to accusations of political interference, regardless of who’s in power
Every party claims bias when the BBC challenges their narrative
Every political cycle brings fresh scrutiny and public distrust

The ethics challenge:

The BBC must be scrupulously impartial - in an era where audiences increasingly demand media that affirms their worldview
Editorial mistakes become weapons for political actors
Social media amplifies every misstep into a national controversy

The BBC’s job is harder than ever: Maintain impartiality in a post-impartial world.

4. THE POLITICS: WHERE POPULISM MEETS BROADCASTING

Across Western democracies, public broadcasters have become targets for populist movements. The BBC is no exception.

Whether it’s Nigel Farage in the UK, right-wing commentators in the US, or broader culture-war dynamics, the BBC is frequently framed as:

“elite”,
“biased”,
“out of touch”,
or “politically captured”.

In reality, attacks on public media often reflect a broader global trend: discredit the referee, and you control the game.

If trust in public broadcasting drops, polarised media fills the gap - and that’s a win for political actors who thrive in fractured information environments.

5. THE FUTURE OF BROADCASTING: ALGORITHMS, STREAMING & THE BATTLE FOR ATTENTION

Broadcasting is no longer a single industry - it’s a multi-platform content ecosystem shaped by:

algorithmic feeds
generative AI
global streaming giants
micro-content
the collapse of shared viewing habits

The BBC must evolve across three fronts:

1. Digital-First Delivery

Not just iPlayer. Not just Sounds. A fully integrated, mobile-led, personalised media experience - without losing the universality principle.

2. Cultural Relevance for Younger Audiences

If Gen Z and Gen Alpha don’t have a BBC habit, the institution loses future influence.

3. Global Competition

The BBC is competing with companies whose budgets dwarf entire public-service broadcasters. Creativity, speed, risk-taking and local authenticity will be the survival tools.

6. SO WHAT DOES THE BBC BECOME?

A rebuilt BBC for the 2030s could be:

Platform-agnostic
Digital-first but universally accessible
Politically independent but fiercely accountable
Locally rooted but globally ambitious
A public-service algorithm - not a nostalgia project

Or it could become smaller, more commercial, more fragmented, more marginal. The direction depends on political will, funding reform, and the BBC’s ability to reinvent itself without shedding its mission.

THE TAKEAWAY

The BBC’s future isn’t guaranteed.

Its survival sits at the intersection of cultural taste, political temperament, generational attitudes, economic reality, and technological change.

But even in a world of endless content, the BBC still does something no algorithm, influencer network or streaming giant can replicate:

It creates shared cultural experience. It documents national life. It holds power to account. It makes the UK visible to itself.

That matters. And the next few years will determine whether the BBC remains national infrastructure - or becomes a relic of a broadcast era we’ve already scrolled past.

🎨 The UK’s creative industries generate £125 billion a year, accounting for 5.7 percent of national output.

🎧 Over 1,000 musicians contributed to the silent protest album challenging proposed UK AI copyright changes.

🎫 New UK ticket-resale rules are expected to save fans £112 million annually, with 900,000 more tickets bought at primary prices.

🤖 Facebook job-ad audits found 90 percent of mechanic roles shown to men and 79 percent of preschool-teacher roles shown to women.

💼 Goldman Sachs’ acquisition values Excel Sports Management at close to $1 billion, representing around 750 athletes.

👗 46 percent of fashion executives expect 2026 to worsen, while 76 percent cite tariffs as the sector’s biggest challenge.

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Sky Eyes ITV, Oasis’ £600m Comeback & Google Plans AI Compute in Space: On The Record 17th November 2025

Subscribe on LinkedIn

👀 Sky x ITV talks could reshape UK TV 📺

ITV has confirmed “preliminary” talks to sell its Media & Entertainment division (ITV channels + ITVX) to Sky for around £1.6bn, excluding ITV Studios. If approved, Comcast-owned Sky would become the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster, intensifying scrutiny from the CMA and Ofcom over advertising concentration and media plurality. The move reflects pressure on legacy broadcasters as ad spend softens and streaming competition accelerates, with ITV signalling near-term cost cuts while leaning into Studios-led growth. For strategists, this is a scale-and-survival play that could rewire UK trading dynamics, streaming distribution, and the balance between free-to-air reach and pay/AVOD ecosystems.

£1.6bn indicative valuation for ITV’s M&E sale talks, with ITV Studios not included.
ITV warns Q4 2025 ad revenue -9% and targets £35m temporary savings.
A combined Sky + ITV could control ~70% of UK TV ad sales, likely triggering remedies.

💡 If regulators widen the “market” to include digital, this could pass - and reset how UK brands plan TV, streaming and retail media under fewer, bigger sellers. 📊

👟 Reebok Opens New European HQ in London

📌 Reebok has officially opened its new European headquarters in London, marking a symbolic homecoming for the brand and a strategic investment in regional growth. The move reinforces Reebok’s renewed focus on performance sport, cultural leadership, and retail expansion under Authentic Brands Group and GB Brands. The new HQ will act as both a creative hub and commercial command centre, working closely with Reebok’s Boston Design Hub to strengthen European operations and cultural relevance.

Marc Le Roux joins as CEO of Reebok Europe, succeeding interim head Steve Robaire, to drive expansion and deepen market connections across the continent.

Authentic Brands Group’s portfolio generates over $32 billion in annual retail sales across 150 countries.
Reebok operates in 80 countries with around 400 freestanding stores worldwide.
The London HQ signals Reebok’s most significant European investment since its sale to Authentic in 2022.

💡 Reebok’s London HQ isn’t just a geographic shift - it’s a statement of intent to re-anchor sportstyle heritage in European culture while scaling global credibility. 🌍

🎸 Oasis Live ’25: The £600m Comeback

The Oasis reunion tour is shaping up to be one of the most profitable in music history. Across 41 shows, ticket and merchandise revenue is estimated at £400–£600 million (~$1.2 billion AUD), according to Birmingham City University. Thirty years after Knebworth, the Gallagher brothers are once again selling out arenas and rewriting British rock mythology — this time as a global luxury brand as much as a cultural one.

Projected earnings for Liam and Noel: £50–£100 million each after expenses
Estimated total tour revenue: up to £600 million
Potential extra income: sponsorships and streaming rights

💡 Nostalgia isn’t just sentiment - it’s strategy. The Oasis comeback shows that legacy acts are now billion-pound global entertainment assets. 🎤

“Tax the Rich” Billboard – Everyone Hates Elon Campaign

Manchester, November 2025

📍A new billboard in Manchester featuring Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been installed by activist collective @everyonehateselon_, calling for higher taxes on billionaires ahead of the UK government’s Autumn Budget. The group, known for its anti-billionaire activism and pop-culture-driven political commentary, uses provocative satire to challenge wealth inequality and the idolisation of corporate power figures like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the UK’s own billionaire class.

The Manchester installation is part of a national “Tax the Rich” campaign that places high-profile billionaires under public scrutiny through bold, meme-inspired visuals designed to go viral on social media. The group’s street-level messaging often merges humour and protest, turning public advertising spaces into commentary on economic fairness.

📊 Context & Stats:

💰 The UK’s 171 billionaires collectively hold more than £800 billion, up 15% since 2020. (Sunday Times Rich List, 2025)
📉 Real wages in the UK have risen less than 1% annually since 2019. (ONS, 2025)
🧾 72% of Britons say the wealthy should pay more tax to support public services. (YouGov, 2025)
🏙️ Manchester’s wealth gap is growing faster than any other UK city, with an 11% rise in inequality in 2024. (Centre for Cities, 2025)
🌍 The top 1% now own nearly a quarter of the UK’s total wealth. (OECD, 2025)
🔥 @everyonehateselon_ has gained over 500,000 followers across platforms since 2023, with posts reaching more than 30 million impressions monthly during major campaign pushes. (Social Blade, 2025)

💡 By fusing activism, virality, and visual storytelling, Everyone Hates Elon is redefining how political protest moves through culture - less about placards, more about pixels and public space.

👀 Apple TV Debuts a New Sonic Identity

📌 Apple TV has unveiled a new sonic identity, created by Grammy-winning producer Finneas, marking a major step in its rebrand towards a warmer, more cinematic tone. The “mnemonic” – a five-second sequence of warbling electronic sounds followed by soft piano notes – replaces Apple TV’s heavier, Netflix-style thud. The sound exists in three versions, designed for streaming, stings, and theatrical releases.

Apple’s Head of Music, David Taylor, described the project as an effort to capture “creativity and storytelling” in a “beautiful and emotional way.” The sonic refresh arrives alongside a playful new animated Apple TV bumper, signalling a creative evolution for the brand – one that blends design, emotion, and sensory experience.

🎧 As streaming platforms chase not just eyeballs but ears, Apple’s new sonic logo positions it as a premium player in the growing field of audio branding.

💡 Sound moves faster than sight – Apple’s new sonic identity reminds brands that design now needs to be heard as much as seen. 🎵

🏢 UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Director-Level Openings Collapse

Britain’s job market is tightening fast. Unemployment has reached 5% - the highest in four years - with the squeeze showing most sharply at the top. Once-rare Director-level roles are now flooded with qualified candidates, creating a leadership logjam across marketing, comms and digital functions.

Six years ago, a Director of Marketing or Communications role might have drawn a few hundred applications, with 20–30 genuinely qualified contenders. Today, those same roles receive thousands - with 600–1,200 strong applicants. The odds have collapsed from 1 in 25 to just 1 in 900, making it 36× harder to land a senior role - a 97.2% drop in probability. Recruiters describe “a waiting room, not a hiring market.”

The data is stark: senior marketing and communications vacancies are at their lowest since 2009, with ads down 34% year-on-year and 50% below 2019. Many organisations have merged marketing, comms and digital into single leadership roles, cutting posts by a third. Redundancies among senior professionals are up 19% this year. The causes: budget consolidation, automation trimming middle layers, high borrowing costs delaying hires, and a talent backlog from 2023–24 layoffs flooding the market.

At the other end of the ladder, the graduate crunch is just as severe: 1.2 million graduates are chasing 17,000 graduate-level roles, with vacancies down 30% and adverts down 40%. Applicants per post have doubled, forcing many into unpaid or entry-level-plus positions. Graduate odds have dropped from 1 in 25 to 1 in 70 - a 64% fall in opportunity.

From boardroom to graduate desk, the pattern is the same: too many candidates, too few roles, slower hiring, and less mobility. A generation trained for the future is stuck before it starts.

📊 Key Stats:

UK unemployment at 5%, highest in four years.
Director & VP-level marketing/comms/digital roles lowest since 2009.
Creative and marketing job ads down 34% YoY, 45% below 2022, 50% below 2019.
Senior marketing redundancies up 19% this year.
1.2 million graduates chasing 17,000 roles – 2.8× harder odds.

💡Britain’s career ladder is buckling from both ends – with leadership locked up and entry routes drying out. ⚖️

👀 UK Music’s £8 Billion Milestone Masks a Slowdown in Growth 🎵

📌 UK Music’s annual report, This Is Music 2025, values the sector’s economic contribution at a record £8 billion GVA for 2024 - a 5% rise on 2023. Exports hit £4.8 billion and employment reached 220,000 full-time equivalent roles. Yet growth has halved from post-pandemic double digits, reflecting a softer touring cycle and fewer blockbuster releases. Major tours by Take That, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Liam Gallagher and Girls Aloud buoyed revenues, but weaker domestic output and rising costs are now testing sustainability across the ecosystem.

Grassroots music remains under strain, with many venues closing and new artists struggling to break through. Brexit-related barriers are also biting harder: 32% of creators say they were affected by EU touring issues in 2024 (up from 28%), and 95% of those reported lower earnings. Meanwhile, more than 90% of artists surveyed demand protections against unlicensed AI use. UK Music chief Tom Kiehl warns the “status quo is tilted against music’s interests”, urging swift government action on AI, export barriers and grassroots support.

£8bn music industry GVA in 2024 (+5% YoY)
£4.8bn export revenue (+5%)
220,000 full-time jobs (+2%)
32% of creators hit by Brexit barriers; 95% of those lost earnings
90% of creators want AI regulation

💡 Culture is booming, but bandwidth is tightening – UK music’s next challenge is sustaining growth while protecting the ecosystem that fuels it. 🎶

👀 Google’s Project Suncatcher: AI Compute Heads to Orbit 🛰️

📌 Google has unveiled ‘Project Suncatcher’, an experimental plan to launch its AI Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) into space in partnership with Planet Labs. The initiative aims to test the feasibility of orbital AI compute clusters, with the first two satellites due to launch in early 2027. A research paper released by Google outlines a vision for 81-satellite arrays spanning up to 1km - effectively a data centre in orbit.

The company’s Trillium-generation TPUs survived radiation testing at a particle accelerator, but challenges remain: cooling, data transmission, and radiation-hardened memory. The paper details plans for dense optical links between satellites flying in close formation at around 650km altitude, achieving up to 10Tbps connectivity using commercial DWDM tech. Google argues that if launch costs drop to $200/kg - possible by the 2030s via SpaceX’s Starship - the economics could rival terrestrial data centre power costs.

As competitors like Starcloud, Amazon, and SpaceX tout similar orbital compute plans, the “space data centre race” is accelerating fast - blending AI, aerospace, and energy infrastructure into one frontier of the digital economy.

Google estimates a potential 81-satellite “compute swarm” within a 1km array radius.
Launch cost parity with terrestrial power projected at ~$200/kg by 2035.
Current inter-satellite bandwidth: 1–100Gbps; target: 10Tbps per link.

💡 Space is the new server room - with Google betting that orbital AI clusters could unlock near-limitless compute powered directly by the sun. ☀️

👀 Disney vs YouTube TV: The $60M Carriage Clash 💸

The Disney–YouTube TV blackout is now entering its third week, with both sides taking financial hits as negotiations stall. Since October 30, 10 million YouTube TV subscribers have lost access to ABC, ESPN and other Disney channels, wiping out key sports broadcasts including two NFL Monday Night Football games and two college football weekends. Disney’s estimated losses are around $60 million across 14 days - roughly $4.3 million per day - according to Morgan Stanley. Ratings for Monday Night Football have fallen 21% since the dispute began.

Disney is accused by YouTube of dragging its feet in talks to funnel viewers towards its own ESPN app and Fubo, which it recently took 70% control of, now holding 6 million pay-TV subscribers. The blackout arrives as YouTube TV positions itself to become the No.1 U.S. pay-TV provider, though recent price hikes and subscriber churn threaten that trajectory. With YouTube’s $3 trillion parent Alphabet largely insulated from short-term losses, the standoff is a test of how much each side is willing to sacrifice for leverage in the streaming–broadcast power balance.

📊 Key figures:

$60 million estimated Disney loss over 14 days (Morgan Stanley)
21% ratings drop for Monday Night Football during blackout
YouTube TV subscriber base: 10 million; Fubo: 6 million
YouTube TV offered $20 credits (opt-in) to affected subscribers

💡 The fight underscores a shifting power dynamic — as platforms like YouTube TV gain scale, legacy networks like Disney must balance reach with control over distribution and data. ⚖️

👀 🎙️ Spotify boasts 281M subscribers in a 12% YoY jump as the audio platform doubles down on its sports partnerships

Spotify’s Q3 2025 earnings show continued strength, with Premium subscribers up 12% year-on-year to 281 million and Monthly Active Users hitting 713 million. Revenue rose 12% to €4.3 billion, while operating income reached €582 million as margins improved to 31.6%.

Beyond the numbers, Spotify is increasingly positioning itself as the go-to hub for sports culture and commentary - expanding partnerships with global leagues, athletes, and sports podcasts. The move aligns with its strategy to blend entertainment and fandom, building engagement and ad value across its growing audio ecosystem.

713M Monthly Active Users (+11% YoY)
€4.3B total revenue (+12% YoY)
31.6% gross margin (+56 bps YoY)

💡 Spotify’s playbook now mirrors streaming TV - leveraging sport to anchor loyalty, boost time spent, and create premium ad inventory. ⚽️

⚽ Football Manager x Angel City FC Unite to Advance Women’s Football

📌 Football Manager has announced a landmark partnership with National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Angel City FC, combining the game’s data expertise with one of the most progressive clubs in women’s sport. The collaboration will see Football Manager’s analytics and simulation tools integrated into ACFC’s scouting, recruitment, and coaching systems – offering the club next-level insights into player performance and development. Fans can also expect exclusive behind-the-scenes content featuring players and technical staff, designed to highlight how technology is shaping the future of the women’s game.

This partnership arrives as women’s football continues to scale new commercial and cultural heights:

NWSL attendance is up 26% year-on-year.
Total club valuations now exceed $800 million collectively (Sportico, 2025).
Angel City FC averages over 19,000 fans per match – the highest in the league.
The club has surpassed 1 billion social media impressions since launch.

Together, Football Manager and Angel City FC are signalling a new standard for how sport and gaming can work hand-in-hand to elevate women’s football globally.

💡 Sports gaming is no longer just entertainment – it’s becoming a performance lab, where data, storytelling, and athlete empowerment intersect. ⚽

📱 Instagram introduces Competitive Insights for creators

Instagram has rolled out a new Competitive Insights tool within its Professional Dashboard, allowing creator and brand accounts to benchmark their performance against up to ten other profiles. Users can compare follower growth, posting frequency, and content types such as Reels, feed posts, and ads - even viewing engagement metrics from competitors with hidden like counts. The feature offers a clearer view of how similar accounts are growing and performing, giving creators a built-in alternative to third-party analytics tools. However, its scope remains basic, lacking grouped or cumulative data visualisation.

Allows comparison across up to 10 accounts
Tracks follower growth, posting frequency, and engagement
Engagement data visible even when like counts are hidden

💡 Platform-native analytics are levelling the playing field – creators can now monitor competitors without leaving Instagram. 📊

🧩 AI Search Reshapes How Publishers Think About Traffic

📌 AI-driven search is fundamentally redrawing the web’s economics. Publishers that once relied on referral traffic from Google are seeing declines of over 30% since the rollout of AI Overviews. In response, companies like Reddit and Gannett are taking diverging paths: Reddit is licensing data to OpenAI and building its own AI-powered tools like “Reddit Answers,” while Gannett has blocked over 75 million AI crawlers, demanding fairer visibility and compensation for content use. As Apple and Cloudflare join the debate - testing AI-first search options and crawler paywalls - the traditional click-based model of discovery is being replaced by a new value chain of attention.

Search referrals for some publishers have dropped 30%+ since Google’s AI Overviews launch.
Gannett has blocked 75 million AI bots, including OpenAI’s.
Reddit has licensed data to OpenAI and is building its own AI Q&A tools.

💡 The shift from “blue links” to AI summaries is forcing publishers to redefine visibility and monetisation models in an era where discovery no longer guarantees traffic. 🤖

🎅 Coca-Cola doubles down on generative AI for its holiday ads despite backlash

📌 Coca-Cola’s latest “Holidays Are Coming” campaign marks its second year using generative AI, debuting an updated version of the iconic 1995 ad. Despite online criticism, the brand’s global VP of creative strategy Islam ElDessouky said it “scored off the charts” with consumers across key brand metrics including association and conversion.

The refreshed campaign, part of “Refresh Your Holidays,” was developed by WPP Open X (led by VML, with support from EssenceMediacom, Ogilvy and Burson) and uses AI to balance heritage with innovation - combining Coca-Cola’s enduring festive icons like Santa and the red trucks with new digital activations such as personalised snow globes. Advances in generative tools like GPT-5 have made the brand’s experimentation more ambitious, while global localisation and data-driven validation ensure creative consistency across markets.

The initiative demonstrates Coca-Cola’s “three Cs” model - culture, community and commerce – spanning digital, retail and experiential touchpoints. From the return of the Christmas truck tour to creator collaborations, the brand continues to treat AI as a creative accelerator rather than a replacement for human storytelling.

Coca-Cola’s 2024 “Holidays Are Coming” ad ranked among the top 5 most effective festive campaigns in consumer testing history for the brand. (Coca-Cola internal metrics)
The brand’s “Refresh Your Holidays” campaign is running across more than 80 markets globally. (WPP Open X)
Coca-Cola’s AI-generated ad scored record levels for brand association and conversion to transaction among test audiences. (Marketing Dive, 2025)
Generative AI advertising spend is projected to reach $1.3 billion globally by 2026, up 45% year-on-year. (WARC, 2025)
Coca-Cola’s Christmas truck tour will reach over 60 cities worldwide this holiday season. (Coca-Cola, 2025)

💡Coca-Cola’s AI holiday strategy proves that heritage brands can modernise iconic assets without losing emotional resonance – when technology enhances timeless storytelling. 🎄

🎥 Netflix Starts Bigger Push Into Video Podcasts

📌 Netflix is ramping up efforts to enter the booming video podcast space, reportedly sending out dozens of requests to top Hollywood agencies WME, UTA and CAA to sign creators ahead of a Q1 2026 launch. The move follows its first major podcasting deal with Spotify last month and ongoing talks with iHeartMedia to license popular shows like Las Culturistas, Jay Shetty Podcast and Stuff You Should Know. Industry sources suggest Netflix aims to rival YouTube’s dominance in the format by hosting a strong library of established video podcasts at launch.

iHeartMedia shares surged nearly 30% following news of the potential Netflix deal.
Netflix now counts Spotify and The Ringer titles among its early podcast partners.
The streamer plans to roll out its video podcast hub in early 2026.

💡 Insight: Netflix is betting that video podcasts are the next frontier in streaming - blurring the line between creators, talk formats, and entertainment. 🎧

🏎️ Mercedes set to become F1’s most valuable team

📌 Mercedes Formula 1 CEO Toto Wolff is reportedly finalising the sale of a 5% stake in his 33% shareholding to CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz, valuing the team at a record $6 billion (£4.6 billion / €5.2 billion). The deal cements Mercedes as the sport’s top-valued franchise, overtaking McLaren’s £3.5 billion valuation from September. Under Wolff’s leadership since 2013, Mercedes has delivered eight constructors’ and seven drivers’ titles, while turning into a global commercial powerhouse.

The valuation marks a sevenfold increase since 2022, when INEOS paid £208 million for a third of the team. Mercedes F1’s 2024 revenues climbed to £636 million, with pre-tax profits rising 42% to £163 million. The record valuation underscores F1’s evolution into a lucrative global media and investment property, fuelled by Liberty Media’s ownership and Netflix’s Drive to Survive.

£636 million in 2024 revenue, +16% year-on-year
$6 billion team valuation – highest ever for F1
7 drivers’ & 8 constructors’ titles under Wolff

💡 Formula 1 has become a premium global asset class, with team equity now traded like sports media IP – where speed meets scale. ⚡

🧠 Meta’s AI Chief Yann LeCun to Exit and Launch Startup

Meta’s long-time Chief AI Scientist, Yann LeCun, is reportedly preparing to leave the company to found his own startup, according to the Financial Times. A Turing Award winner and one of deep learning’s original pioneers, LeCun built Meta’s FAIR lab in 2013 and helped shape modern neural networks. His departure follows a major restructuring of Meta’s AI division, including the formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs under Scale AI’s Alexandr Wang and the loss of 600 roles last month. LeCun’s upcoming venture is said to focus on “world models” - AI systems designed to understand and simulate environments rather than rely solely on massive language models.

The move underscores growing philosophical and structural divides inside Meta over the direction of AI research. It also reflects a wider shift across Big Tech, where leading researchers are increasingly breaking away to pursue alternative approaches to intelligence design beyond scaling LLMs.

Meta has invested over $14.3 billion in AI infrastructure partnerships in 2025, including with Scale AI.
600 job cuts were announced in Meta’s AI unit last month as part of its reorganisation.
Yann LeCun co-founded FAIR in 2013 and shared the 2018 Turing Award for deep learning breakthroughs.

💡 One of AI’s founding figures stepping out of Big Tech signals a new phase of experimentation – from bigger models to smarter architectures. ⚙️

Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎙️ The News Agents – “Will the BBC face down Trump in court?”

📌 Why this episode is worth your time (for brand/culture/marketing leaders):

It covers the timely controversy around BBC’s documentary editing of Donald Trump’s Jan 6th speech and the legal threat ($1 bn) he has directed at the BBC.
Though it’s framed as a media/legal story, the episode implicitly touches on institutional trust, reputation management, editorial control, and what happens when a major content-provider brand (the BBC) is challenged.
It connects to the broader theme of how power players use media, pressure and narrative framing.

🎭 LONDON

🎷 EFG London Jazz Festival – various venues – 14–23 Nov A city-wide celebration of global jazz, spotlighting new UK and international talent.

🎤 Bastille – The O2 – 18 Nov Anniversary show marking 15 years of the chart-topping band.

🎹 Jasmine Myra with Strings + Ancient Infinity Orchestra – Barbican Centre – 18 Nov Atmospheric double bill blending modern jazz and cinematic sound.

🎭 The Old Vic: A Christmas Carol – The Old Vic – 18 Nov onward London’s classic seasonal theatre moment returns, beloved by audiences and brands alike.

🖼️ Small is Beautiful: 43rd Edition – Flowers Gallery – 21 Nov onward A showcase of miniature works from established and emerging artists.

🎨 Wes Anderson: The Archives – The Design Museum – 21 Nov onward A deep dive into Anderson’s visual world, exploring cinema, design, and colour storytelling.

💡 The Big Question: What Does Quantum Mean for Humanity – Science Gallery London – 19 Nov Cross-disciplinary talk bridging science, art, and technology.

❄️ Christmas at Kew – Kew Gardens – 14 Nov–4 Jan Immersive light trails and festive installations driving family and influencer engagement.

🌿 Hogwarts in the Snow – Warner Bros. Studio Tour – 15 Nov–18 Jan An experiential holiday favourite blending nostalgia and pop-culture immersion.

📐 elemental LONDON – ExCeL London – 19–20 Nov Design, construction, and sustainability expo, connecting creative and built-environment sectors.

⚽ Chelsea vs Burnley – Premier League – 22 Nov

⚽ West Ham vs Bournemouth – Premier League – 22 Nov

🗽 NEW YORK CITY

🎥 DOC NYC Festival – Various Venues – 12–20 Nov America’s largest documentary festival showcasing global non-fiction storytelling.

🛍️ Bryant Park Winter Village – Midtown Manhattan – through Nov A retail-meets-experience hub blending culture, craft and seasonal consumer energy.

🎻 Juilliard at Zankel Hall – 18 Nov Showcasing the next generation of classical performers in a prestigious setting.

🎼 Nicolas Altstaedt (cello) & Thomas Dunford (lute) – Weill Recital Hall – 18 Nov A refined evening of Baroque and contemporary repertoire from acclaimed soloists.

🎹 Hayato Sumino (piano) – Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage – 18 Nov Viral sensation and classical crossover star bringing modern energy to the grand hall.

🎶 L’Arpeggiata – Zankel Hall – 20 Nov Charismatic early-music ensemble blending classical precision with improvisatory flair.

🎻 Orchestra of St. Luke’s – Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage – 22 Nov New York’s resident orchestra performs a dynamic late-autumn programme.

🎺 Carnegie Hall Citywide: Jazz Showcase – Weill Recital Hall – 24 Nov Free community concert highlighting rising jazz talents shaping the next generation.

BBC director general and News CEO resign over Trump documentary edit 🛰️

The BBC entered its most turbulent week in a decade as Director General Tim Davie and Head of News Deborah Turness resigned following controversy over a Panorama edit of a Donald Trump speech. The programme spliced two lines from Trump’s 6 January 2021 address – delivered over 50 minutes apart – making it appear he directly urged supporters to “fight like hell” at the Capitol. The edit triggered fierce backlash, a threatened billion-dollar lawsuit from Trump, and unprecedented same-day resignations from the BBC’s top leadership. The corporation admitted an “error of judgment,” but the deeper crisis was fuelled by a leaked internal memo accusing the BBC of systemic bias – a document that is now itself under scrutiny.

Two top BBC executives quit within hours of each other – an historic first for the broadcaster.
The Panorama edit combined two separate moments in Trump’s speech, 50 minutes apart.
Trump responded with a billion-dollar defamation threat and renewed claims of “fake news.”
UK and U.S. political figures seized on the scandal as proof of bias – from both directions.

💡 When editorial missteps collide with polarised politics, the outcome isn’t just reputational damage – it’s an existential test of institutional trust. 🧭

The Memo Behind the Meltdown

The 39-page document that intensified the crisis wasn’t written by an independent BBC whistleblower – but by Michael Prescott, a political lobbyist and former adviser with extensive ties to pro-Trump tech and media interests.

Prescott is Managing Director at Hanover Communications, a lobbying firm whose clients include Oracle, Apple, Meta, and Paramount – four U.S. corporations whose senior executives or owners have donated to Trump or publicly backed his campaigns. Oracle founder Larry Ellison, a key Trump ally, has been building a conservative-leaning media and data empire – including Paramount Skydance, which now controls CBS News and several major streaming platforms. Ellison has also positioned himself as a likely buyer of TikTok’s U.S. operations, reflecting his growing influence over information infrastructure.

According to Byline Times’ investigation, Prescott was appointed to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee under the influence of BBC Board member Sir Robbie Gibb – a former Downing Street communications chief and early co-founder of GB News, the channel partly funded by hedge funder Paul Marshall, a Trump-aligned figure expanding GB News into the U.S. via Truth+, Trump’s media platform. Prescott and Gibb are long-time associates.

The leaked memo accused BBC News of “progressive institutional bias” – naming coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and trans issues as evidence – but its sources, analysis, and framing drew heavily from right-wing U.S. think tanks and partisan outlets. Its release via The Telegraph was quickly amplified by Trump, who used it to justify his defamation threat against the BBC.

For BBC insiders, the memo wasn’t just an internal critique – it was seen as part of a coordinated attempt to discredit and destabilise the corporation ahead of Charter renewal and ongoing debates about the licence fee. Some described it as “a culture war coup”: an effort to erode confidence in public broadcasting and clear space for privately owned, ideologically aligned alternatives.

Hanover Communications has received over $500,000 in payments from U.S. tech and media clients connected to Trump interests.
Prescott helped select the Ofcom chair during Boris Johnson’s government, alongside Sir Robbie Gibb – linking him to UK media-regulatory politics.
Byline Times reports that three of the four BBC panellists who appointed Prescott had Conservative Party affiliations.
GB News, launched with Gibb’s help, officially expanded to the U.S. in August 2025 via Truth+, Trump’s media partner platform.

💬 In the short term, the BBC faces a governance rebuild; in the long term, this episode may shape the Charter negotiation and wider debate about whether public broadcasters can remain politically independent in an era of weaponised media outrage.

Context: The Transatlantic Pattern

Trump’s conflict with the BBC mirrors his ongoing legal and rhetorical campaign against U.S. media institutions. Since 2020, broadcasters have faced a wave of lawsuits, settlements, and targeted regulation:

🎙️ Stephen Colbert’s Late Show – axed in July 2025 after Colbert criticised CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump.

🎙️ Jimmy Kimmel Live! – suspended by ABC following jokes about a conservative activist after reported FCC pressure.

🎭 South Park – briefly taken off air for mocking Trump’s cabinet.

💸 Major settlements: Fox News ($787.5m), Newsmax ($67m + $40m), OANN (confidential), Abby Grossberg ($12m), Paramount Global ($16m), ABC News ($15m + $1m).

The result is a climate where self-censorship and strategic risk-aversion replace open debate – a modern form of “coordination” by lawsuit, leverage, and fear of licence review.

Pattern to watch: Allegations of bias are now functioning less as critiques of content and more as political instruments. Whether aimed at the BBC or U.S. broadcasters, these attacks are shaping how institutions define “impartiality”, who gets to police it, and which narratives survive the filter. For brand and culture professionals, it’s a case study in how political influence rewires trust ecosystems – one memo, one headline, one resignation at a time.

📺 As Murdoch is to MAGA, Marshall is to Reform UK

Sir Paul Marshall isn’t a media mogul by accident - he’s a financier building a British echo chamber for a new populist right.

The billionaire hedge-fund boss behind Marshall Wace co-owns GB News, owns The Spectator and UnHerd through Old Queen Street Media, and has made repeated bids for The Telegraph. Each outlet targets the same emotional terrain: anti-establishment anger, anti-woke sentiment, and “freedom of speech” rhetoric – all central to Reform UK’s political messaging.

His role isn’t journalistic, it’s strategic. The playbook is unmistakable: just as Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News ecosystem mainstreamed MAGA populism in the US, Marshall’s media network is normalising Reform-style politics in the UK – fusing grievance with glamour, outrage with ownership.

🧩 The Marshall Media Matrix

GB News – A self-described “free speech” network that platformed Reform UK figures while hiring ex-Conservative MPs as presenters. Loss-making but ideologically valuable.
The Spectator – Now under Marshall’s Old Queen Street Media, with a new editorial direction that amplifies “anti-elite” and “anti-net zero” sentiment.
UnHerd & Apollo – Cultural and philosophical flanks that extend the populist narrative beyond politics into lifestyle, identity, and art.
The Telegraph (bid) – His attempted purchase would have completed a vertically integrated, right-wing media bloc spanning TV, print, and digital influence.

Together, they operate less as separate outlets and more as a synchronised ecosystem – using moral outrage, patriotism, and “free speech” tropes as political delivery systems.

⚖️ Political Ties and Ideological Drift

Marshall’s donations include £500,000 to the Conservatives (2019) and nearly £900,000 to Policy Exchange, a think tank linked to rightward ideological policy development.
His channels have repeatedly echoed Reform UK’s talking points on immigration, net zero, and “BBC bias”.
Editorial leadership at GB News and The Spectator includes figures from Sky News Australia, Murdoch’s own culture-war incubator, and Richard Tice's partner.

Murdoch gave Trump a media megaphone. Marshall is doing the same for Reform - with British accents and hedge-fund money.

🧠 Why It Matters

Parliament’s own Commons Library warns that opaque, concentrated media ownership can act as a vector for disinformation and foreign influence. Yet one billionaire now controls or bankrolls platforms shaping the country’s populist narrative while facing minimal scrutiny.

This isn’t rebellion against bias - it’s a leveraged buy-out of Britain’s public square.

If GB News, The Spectator, and Reform UK sound like they’re reading from the same hymn sheet, it’s because they are - and Sir Paul Marshall wrote the notes.

🔍 What We Need to See

Who are the ultimate funders behind GB News, The Spectator, and other Marshall-linked outlets?
Will Ofcom and the CMA demand full transparency over media concentration and capital flows?
When will GB News publish its investor register?

🔥 UK unemployment has reached 5%, the highest in four years, with director-level marketing and comms roles down 34% year-on-year. (ONS, 2025)

📺 A combined Sky + ITV network would control roughly 70% of UK TV ad sales, reshaping the country’s broadcast advertising landscape. (Ofcom, 2025)

💰 The UK’s 171 billionaires now hold more than £800 billion in combined wealth, up 15% since 2020. (Sunday Times Rich List, 2025)

🎵 Oasis Live ’25 is forecast to generate £400–£600 million in ticket and merch revenue, placing it among the top 10 highest-grossing tours ever. (Birmingham City University, 2025)

👟 Authentic Brands Group, Reebok’s parent company, drives $32 billion in annual retail sales across 150 countries. (Authentic Brands, 2025)

🧠 72% of Britons believe the wealthiest should pay more tax to fund public services. (YouGov, 2025)

📰 GB News viewership has grown 46% year-on-year, with over half of viewers aged 45+, mirroring the Fox News demographic shift. (BARB, 2025)

🎧 Audio branding spend has risen 27% globally in the past year, as streaming and tech brands invest in “sonic identities.” (WARC, 2025)

TikTok Cuts Moderators, Nike x Palace Open Manor Place & Rousteing Exits Balmain: On The Record 10th November 2025

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

📱 TikTok Accused of Backtracking on Safety Commitments

📌 TikTok faces political and public backlash as it plans to cut hundreds of moderator roles from its London office, part of a wider “trust and safety reorganisation”. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) claims the platform is replacing skilled UK moderators with lower-paid overseas workers and AI-based systems — a move critics say undermines its user safety promises. Dame Chi Onwurah MP has demanded clarity from TikTok by 10 November, questioning its ability to protect users from harmful content as it reduces human oversight.

TikTok says the restructure aims to “increase the speed and efficacy” of moderation and rejects claims it is weakening safety standards. Yet the move raises questions about the limits of AI moderation, especially as governments tighten scrutiny over online safety compliance.

Around 400+ UK moderation jobs reportedly at risk
TikTok also reducing roles in Dublin and Berlin
Open letter from the TUC warns of “poverty pay” and “gruelling conditions” for outsourced staff

💡 The clash spotlights a growing tension between AI efficiency and ethical responsibility in content moderation - a fault line brands will need to navigate as automation expands. 🤖

👟 Nike and Palace Open Manor Place, a London Hub for Sport, Creativity and Community

📌 Nike and Palace have unveiled Manor Place, a new free, public hub in South London blending sport, creativity and community. Set in a restored 1895 building, the space features three zones – The Park and The Cage (a skatepark and underground football arena), The Front Room (a cultural gallery and pop-up space), and The Residency (studio spaces for emerging creatives). The initiative reimagines brand collaboration as civic contribution, offering open access to sport and culture six days a week.

By combining Nike’s global sports infrastructure with Palace’s London skate and streetwear roots, Manor Place positions itself as a blueprint for community-led brand spaces. It’s designed not just for consumers but for creators – reflecting a wider shift towards brands investing in long-term cultural ecosystems rather than short-term campaigns.

Free, open-access community hub at 33 Manor Place, London – opening 11 November
Includes skatepark, underground football cage and rotating creative residencies
Launch coincides with Nike x Palace’s first product line: the P90 collection

💡 Brand collaboration is evolving from hype drops to civic infrastructure – where community, creativity and culture meet. 🏙️

👔 Olivier Rousteing Departs Balmain After 14 Years

📌 Balmain and creative director Olivier Rousteing have officially parted ways after 14 years, marking the end of one of fashion’s most defining creative eras. Appointed in 2011 at just 24, Rousteing transformed Balmain into a global powerhouse of modern luxury, digital-era visibility and inclusive casting. Under his leadership, the house bridged couture and pop culture – from Beyoncé and Rihanna to the “Balmain Army” - blending French heritage with global reach.

Balmain confirmed a “new creative organisation” will be announced soon, signalling a potential shift in direction under CEO Matteo Sgarbossa. Rousteing, one of the few Black designers to head a major European house, leaves behind a legacy of representation and commercial reinvention that reshaped the modern maison model.

Appointed at age 24 - youngest creative director in Paris since Yves Saint Laurent
Transformed Balmain into a social media-era fashion icon
Successor or new creative structure yet to be revealed

💡 Rousteing’s exit closes a chapter in fashion’s influencer-driven era – and raises fresh questions about what the next generation of creative leadership will look like. ✨

🍗 NFL Players Driving Stadium Concession Menus and Buzz

📌 NFL players are teaming up with concessionaire Levy to co-create and promote new stadium foods across the league. From the Atlanta Falcons’ “Dirty Bird” turkey leg and peach cobbler parfait to Detroit Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs’ “Spin, Dash Smash(burger)” and Carolina Panthers’ Xavier Legette’s “Masked Bandit” sandwich, athletes are lending their personalities to the menus - and the marketing.

The collaborations are proving a hit both online and in-stadium. The three player-led campaigns have generated over 5 million social views and 60,000 engagements, with specialty items often selling out before kickoff. For Levy, the initiative merges fandom, culinary creativity, and athlete influence to elevate the gameday experience and drive new revenue opportunities in stadium food culture.

5M+ views and 60K+ engagements from three campaigns this season
Items such as Gibbs’ “Smash(burger)” have sold out at every game
Levy operates concessions in over 250 sports and entertainment venues

💡 Fans crave connection as much as consumption - player-driven menus turn stadium food into storytelling fuel. 🍔

⚽ NWSL Takes First Step Into Federal Lobbying Arena With Hogan Lovells

📌 The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has formally entered the federal lobbying space, hiring global law firm Hogan Lovells for “government relations advice” led by former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman. The league has paid $130,000 since May for the firm’s services - marking its first-ever lobbying disclosure. While filings show no direct lobbying yet, the move signals a strategic step toward political engagement and policy preparedness amid a shifting cultural and regulatory landscape.

Hogan Lovells already has deep ties to NWSL investors and franchises, advising on recent deals including the Denver expansion and San Diego Wave sale. The timing also follows the league’s 2024 settlement with multiple state attorneys general over player abuse investigations, and comes as it faces scrutiny on gender participation policy and social issues tied to sport governance.

$130,000 paid by NWSL to Hogan Lovells since May 2025
First time the league has registered in a lobbying capacity
Firm previously advised on NWSL franchise sales and ownership transitions

💡 As women’s sport scales commercially, political literacy becomes brand protection - lobbying is the new playbook for legitimacy. 🏛️

🎤 SXSW London 2026 Opens Submissions Amid Calls for Cultural Recalibration

📌 Submissions are now open for SXSW London 2026, inviting creators worldwide to apply as speakers, performers, or curators. Yet the announcement arrives against a backdrop of industry critique following the festival’s debut earlier this year. While SXSW aims to position its London edition as a global hub for music, media, and tech, many UK professionals have questioned its pricing, programming depth, and cultural integration.

Feedback from across the creative sector cited a £1,560 delegate pass, short 30-minute panels, and a brand-heavy atmosphere as barriers to genuine creative exchange. Critics argue that SXSW London must collaborate more closely with established UK festivals such as The Great Escape and Sound City, recalibrate accessibility, and prioritise authenticity and local context to earn long-term cultural legitimacy.

£1,560 delegate pass criticised as inaccessible to independent creators
Panels averaged 30 minutes with limited depth of discussion
Industry calls for stronger integration with existing UK creative festivals

💡 Cultural capital isn’t franchised - for SXSW London to matter, it must sound like London, not Austin. 🎶

🤖 Google Experiments with AI-Driven Ad Formats

📌 Google confirmed it’s testing new ad formats within AI Mode, designed for how users naturally interact with generative search. According to VP of Product Robbie Stein, people ask questions nearly three times longer in AI Mode and often engage in multi-turn conversations — giving Google a richer picture of intent. Under the hood, AI Mode “does Googling” by breaking queries into dozens of related searches, using this structure to serve more contextually relevant results. While Stein emphasised that AI results remain organic, visibility signals are shifting. Mentions in credible publications and public rankings now play a key role in how AI identifies trusted brands and sources.

Average query length in AI Mode is 3x longer than traditional search. (Google)
Each user query can generate dozens of related sub-searches through Google’s “query fanout” technique. (Google)
AI-powered search sessions are increasing dwell time by up to 40%, reflecting deeper user engagement. (internal testing cited by Section event materials)

💡 AI Mode is turning “search” into a conversation - and credibility, not keywords, is becoming the new currency for discovery. 🔍

🪧 The World’s 50 Best Out-of-Home Ads Ever – Curated by The Drum

📌 The Drum has unveiled its ranking of the world’s 50 greatest out-of-home ads of all time – a mix of nostalgia, cultural landmarks, and creative reinvention. The list spans decades of billboard brilliance, guerrilla genius, and digital innovation, featuring icons from Nike and Guinness alongside newer classics like Adidas’ liquid billboard and Channel 4’s diversity-led campaigns. Together, they chart how OOH has evolved from static spectacle to interactive storytelling – and why it remains a powerful mirror of culture in public space.

The global OOH market is projected to reach $45.6 billion in 2025, up 5.2% year-on-year. (WARC)
72% of consumers say they notice OOH ads more since the rise of digital billboards. (Ipsos)
Creative effectiveness for OOH campaigns has grown by 23% since 2019, driven by brand storytelling and data-led placements. (Kantar)

💡 OOH continues to prove that in a scroll-driven world, the biggest impact still happens offline. 🏙️

https://www.thedrum.com/news/worlds-50-best-ever-out-of-home-ads-did-we-get-it-right

🧵 The X Effect: Sky News’ Investigation into X’s Political Bias

📌 Sky News’ Data and Forensics team conducted a nine-month investigation into whether X’s algorithm amplifies right-wing and extreme content. By creating nine UK-based test accounts and collecting around 90,000 posts from 22,000 accounts, the team uncovered a consistent skew towards right-wing political content across all user types. More than half of the political content shown to new users came from accounts categorised as “extreme”, with the majority of that content right-leaning. The findings raise serious questions about how algorithms shape political debate – and who benefits from the imbalance.

60%+ of political posts shown came from right-wing accounts, 32% from left-wing, 6% non-partisan.
Right-leaning users saw only 14% left-wing political content, while neutral users saw twice as much right-wing content.
Over half of political content surfaced to new users came from “extreme” accounts; of that, 72% was right-leaning.
When Elon Musk engaged with certain politicians’ posts, their engagement rose by around 5x across views, likes and retweets.

💡 For brands, platforms, and politicians alike, the algorithm is now the arena – and neutrality is no longer guaranteed. 🧭

Source: Sky News Data & Forensics investigation, November 2025

🗳️ Receipts, Not Rhetoric

Should politicians be allowed to post whatever they like - and then hide the truth when voters reply with facts? We’ve normalised something deeply undemocratic.

Politicians can stand on digital soapboxes, beam their slogans into millions of phones, and then quietly scrub away any comment that challenges them - even when it’s factual, respectful, and sourced. That’s not public debate. That’s content management for democracy.

We’re told social media “gives everyone a voice.” But if those in power can silence the factual, the inconvenient, and the uncomfortable, what we really have is a curated reality - one where truth is optional, algorithms pick sides, and democracy is reduced to an ad campaign.

Let’s be honest: the comment section is the new public square. It’s where citizens test claims, call out contradictions, and hold politicians accountable in real time. When parties hide that scrutiny, they’re not moderating abuse - they’re moderating democracy.

Key stats to know:

73% of UK adults now get political news primarily through social media platforms. (Ofcom, 2025)
61% of voters say they’ve seen misleading or false claims from politicians online in the past year. (Reuters Institute, 2025)
42% of political social posts analysed in a 2024 Demos study had deleted or hidden comments. (Demos, “Digital Democracy Audit”)
8 in 10 Gen Z voters believe politicians should be legally required to keep factual replies visible on their official pages. (YouGov, 2025)
The average politician’s Facebook page hides 12% of audience comments, typically those including external links or fact-check citations. (Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2025)

If power gets a megaphone, citizens deserve a microphone that can’t be switched off. Because democracy doesn’t die in darkness anymore – it dies in the comments, quietly hidden by the page admin.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

🎙️ BRANDED - Episode: “Inside the Attention Economy: MTV, Build-A-Bear & the Price of Feeling”

🧠 The Attention Economy Is Back — But With Feeling

Why brand emotion has become the new competitive advantage

In the latest [BRANDED] episode - “Inside the Attention Economy: MTV, Build-A-Bear & the Price of Feeling” - host Ben Kaplan explores something we’re all feeling but few are articulating clearly:

We’re not competing for eyeballs anymore - we’re competing for emotion.

💡 The insight: Brands that master emotional resonance - nostalgia, joy, belonging, self-expression - are outperforming those chasing pure reach or visibility. The episode uses two fascinating case studies:

MTV’s legacy as the original “attention brand,” and how social media cannibalised its formula.
Build-A-Bear’s 2,000% stock surge, powered by emotional nostalgia and storytelling - not new products.

📈 Why it matters for brand leaders now:

“Attention” is no longer scarce - meaning is.
Viral mechanics alone don’t build equity; emotional connection does.
The next generation of brand strategy will be built around feeling metrics, not just engagement metrics.

🔥 For marketers in culture, fashion, music, or sport: This episode reframes how we should think about partnerships, athlete brands, fandoms, and drops. Whether you’re activating a campaign or evaluating cultural impact, the core question is shifting from:

“Will people see it?” → to → “Will people feel it?”

🎾 Nitto ATP Finals – Turin, Italy – 9–16 Nov Season-ending tennis showdown featuring the world’s top eight men’s players.

🎷 EFG London Jazz Festival – Various venues, London – 14–23 Nov Major annual celebration of global jazz culture and live performance.

🎤 Jazz Voice (Opening Gala) – Royal Festival Hall, London – 14 Nov, 7:30 pm Signature concert launching the EFG London Jazz Festival with UK and international talent.

📚 Being Human Festival – UK-wide (London hub) – 6–15 Nov National celebration of humanities research through talks, performances and exhibitions.

🧊 Skate at Somerset House – London – from 12 Nov Iconic seasonal ice rink opens, signalling the start of London’s winter culture season.

🎬 Film Africa Festival – London – 14–23 Nov Showcasing African and diaspora cinema through screenings and Q&As.

🎺 Melbourne International Jazz Festival Showcase (EFG LJF) – Barbican Centre, London – 15 Nov, 4:30 pm Special collaboration spotlighting Australian jazz excellence.

📖 aja monet: Live Reading & Q&A – Barbican Centre, London – 13 Nov, 8 pm Celebrated poet and activist performs and discusses her work.

💬 Cory Doctorow in Conversation with Sarah Wynn-Williams – Barbican Centre, London – 15 Nov, 3 pm Author and tech critic explores AI, capitalism, and creative rights.

🌿 Writing Ecologies – Barbican Centre, London – 16 Nov, 1 pm Talks and readings on literature, environment, and climate narratives.

🖼️ Wright of Derby: From the Shadows – National Gallery, London – ongoing Major exhibition illuminating the drama and innovation of 18th-century British art.

🎨 Enthoven Unboxed: 100 Years of Collecting Performance – Victoria and Albert Museum, London – ongoing Explores a century of stage design and performance archives.

🌙 Tate Modern Lates – Tate Modern, London – 14–15 Nov (evening) Extended-hours access with music, talks, and curated tours.

🎻 Stravinsky & Marsalis (NY Philharmonic) – David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City – 13–16 Nov Classical meets contemporary jazz in a high-profile orchestral programme.

🏛️ Divine Egypt – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC – ongoing Blockbuster exhibition exploring the influence of ancient Egypt on global culture.

🌍 Sounds Right: When Nature Becomes the Artist

🎵 Overview Launched in 2025, Sounds Right is a global music initiative that recognises Nature as an artist in her own right. Created by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live alongside leading environmental and creative partners, the campaign invites musicians to collaborate with the sounds of the natural world. Every track featuring “Feat. NATURE” directs streaming royalties and donations to global biodiversity conservation.

💡 Why it matters

It reframes value and creativity by giving Nature official credit and compensation as a creator.
The campaign bridges culture and conservation, using music’s universal reach to turn listening into tangible climate action.
Global artists lend their platforms to highlight the urgency of protecting biodiversity while connecting environmental action to fans’ daily behaviour.
The message is poetic yet practical: when you listen, you give back.

🌱 Impact

The initiative is projected to raise around US $40 million for conservation through streaming and artist collaborations.
Funds are already being channelled to high-impact ecosystems such as the Tropical Andes, with oversight from environmental experts and Indigenous representatives.
Crucially, Sounds Right is not a one-off: “Nature” will continue releasing music, ensuring long-term engagement and sustained funding.

✨🎧 A campaign that literally gives Nature a voice - and royalties.

📊 Top Stats & Facts of the Week

🔥 80% of Gen Z say they prefer brands that reflect their personal values. (GWI)

🧠 AI-powered search sessions on Google are increasing dwell time by up to 40%, signalling deeper user engagement as search becomes conversational. (Google internal testing via Section)

🎮 Over 90% of UK teens now list gaming as their main form of entertainment, making it the dominant youth media channel. (Ofcom)

💬 More than 60% of political posts surfaced on X to new users come from right-wing accounts, with 72% of “extreme” content skewing right-leaning. (Sky News Data & Forensics, Nov 2025)

🏟️ Player-led concession campaigns at NFL stadiums generated over 5 million social views and 60,000 engagements across just three activations this season. (Levy)

💰 The global out-of-home advertising market will reach $45.6 billion in 2025, up 5.2% year-on-year as brands return to real-world storytelling. (WARC)

🌿 The Sounds Right campaign aims to raise $40 million for global biodiversity through streaming royalties credited to “Nature” as an artist. (Museum for the United Nations - UN Live)

🪩 SXSW London 2026 delegate passes are priced at £1,560 – a figure sparking debate about accessibility and cultural inclusivity in the UK’s creative industries. (Industry feedback, 2025)

🗳️ 73% of UK adults now get political news primarily through social media platforms. (Ofcom, 2025)

⚠️ 61% of voters say they’ve seen misleading or false claims from politicians online in the past year. (Reuters Institute, 2025)

🧾 42% of political social posts analysed in a 2024 Demos study had deleted or hidden comments. (Demos, Digital Democracy Audit)

📢 8 in 10 Gen Z voters believe politicians should be legally required to keep factual replies visible on their official pages. (YouGov, 2025)

🔍 The average politician’s Facebook page hides 12% of audience comments, typically those including external links or fact-check citations. (Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2025)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

OpenAI Launches Atlas Browser, UK Targets Apple & Google & Nike Unveils Motorised Shoes: On The Record 3rd November 2025

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

🎬 Apple & Imax’s Premium Play Pays Off as ‘F1’ and ‘Demon Slayer’ Drive Record Quarter

📌 Imax’s record-breaking quarter underscores the power of its evolving partnership model - most notably with Apple Original Films. The Apple-backed “F1: The Movie,” filmed using Imax cameras and designed as a premium theatrical experience, helped push Imax’s strategy beyond Hollywood blockbusters into prestige, tech-integrated storytelling. By aligning with Apple’s high-production ethos and expanding into anime, music, and local-language content, Imax is positioning itself as both a cinema format and a creative brand partner across screens and devices - including Apple Vision Pro. The result: a global entertainment model where premium storytelling and premium technology converge.

“F1: The Movie” (Apple Original Films / Warner Bros.) grossed $97M worldwide on Imax screens – the brand’s top release of 2025.
Imax quarterly revenue rose 17% YoY to $106.6M; net income up 48% to $22.6M.
95 Imax systems installed year-to-date, expanding its global premium footprint.

💡 Tech and cinema are syncing up – Imax’s alliance with Apple shows how format can become a brand strategy in itself. 🎥

👟 Nike Bets on Motorised Footwear

📌 Nike’s long-promised innovation reboot is finally taking visible shape under returning CEO Elliott Hill. After a turbulent few years that saw $5bn wiped from revenue and profit margins hit by tariffs, the company is back in the lab - literally. Its new “Sport Offense” strategy puts research and product design at the centre of a renewed push to win back athletes and culture alike. Chief design officer Phil McCartney unveiled a slate of concept technologies including Aero-FIT (a fully recycled, ultra-breathable textile), a sensory “mindful sneaker” that simulates walking on grass, and the showstopper: Project Amplify – a motorised walking shoe that helps users move faster with less effort.

The showcase marks Nike’s first major innovation reveal since 2017’s self-lacing HyperAdapt. The company has combined the Nike, Jordan and Converse innovation teams into one “athlete-focused creation engine,” echoing co-founder Bill Bowerman’s tinkering ethos. Project Amplify, still in development with robotics firm Dephy, uses a calf-mounted battery and motor to assist each stride – described by VP Michael Donaghu as potentially doing “for walking what e-bikes did for cycling.”

Nike revenue fell 9.8% YoY in 2024, but the brand expects a rebound fuelled by its new innovation-led strategy.
Tariffs under U.S. trade policy cost Nike $1.5bn in profit last year.
Over 12,000 laps were logged at Nike’s LeBron James Innovation Center testing Project Amplify.

💡 Innovation, not nostalgia, is Nike’s comeback play – betting that future icons are built in the lab, not in the archive. ⚡

📱 UK Tightens Rules for Apple and Google

📌 The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has officially designated Apple and Google with “strategic market status” (SMS) - marking a significant escalation in Britain’s digital regulation regime. The move gives the CMA new powers to impose “targeted and proportionate” measures to boost competition in mobile ecosystems, covering operating systems, app distribution, browsers, and browser engines. The decision follows consultations with more than 150 stakeholders and years of mounting concern that both firms’ dominance limits consumer choice and developer access.

The designation itself is not a finding of wrongdoing but enables the CMA to mandate changes - such as forcing Apple and Google to allow rival app stores or alternative payment systems on devices sold in the UK. Apple warned that UK consumers could face delays in accessing new features, while Google called the decision “unwarranted.” The ruling comes as part of the UK’s broader digital markets regime, introduced in January 2025, aligning with similar antitrust actions in the U.S., EU and Japan.

The UK app economy contributes 1.5% of GDP and supports around 400,000 jobs.
Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems account for virtually 100% of UK smartphone users.
CMA investigations found users are “unlikely to switch” between platforms due to deep ecosystem lock-in.

💡 The UK joins a global regulatory wave seeking to rebalance digital power - from app stores to AI ecosystems. 🇬🇧

🏈 Lululemon Partners with NFL on 32-Team Apparel Drop

📌 Lululemon is teaming up with the NFL and Fanatics to launch an apparel and accessories collection featuring all 32 team logos - marking its first-ever officially licensed NFL collaboration. The range includes men’s and women’s pieces across core franchises like Steady State, Define, Scuba and Align, and will be sold via Fanatics, the NFL’s online store and select team retailers. The move underscores Lululemon’s accelerating push into performance and fanwear, building on its existing NHL partnership and ambassador deals with F1’s Lewis Hamilton, NFL player DK Metcalf and tennis star Frances Tiafoe.

For the NFL, the collaboration expands its merchandise ecosystem into the premium athleisure category - targeting a growing audience of style-conscious sports fans. For Lululemon, the partnership is both a brand stretch and a sales catalyst, as the company navigates a slowdown driven by tariffs and changing consumer trends. Executives see “premium fandom” as a new growth lane, uniting activewear performance with lifestyle expression.

The NFL’s merchandise business is valued at over $3bn annually, powered by Fanatics’ licensing network.
Lululemon’s stock rose 3% on announcement day.
The UK and US sports apparel markets are forecast to grow 6–8% annually through 2028 (Statista).

💡 Lululemon’s move into fanwear shows how “premium performance” and “passionate fandom” are converging – the gym is now the new fan zone. 🧘♂️🏈

🧠 OpenAI Launches Atlas: The AI Browser Built Around ChatGPT

📌 OpenAI has entered the browser wars with Atlas, an AI-powered web browser that integrates ChatGPT directly into the user’s browsing experience. Visitors can now “Ask ChatGPT” while viewing any webpage - opening a live conversation window that interprets, summarises, or even challenges what’s on screen. It’s a bold shift in how users interact with information online: for the first time, a third-party AI can overlay and comment on a brand’s own content, FAQs, and messaging.

For brands, this marks a new era of digital scrutiny. Atlas can help users complete purchases - or just as easily suggest cheaper alternatives or competitors. While Atlas’ full impact depends on adoption and privacy comfort levels, its arrival, alongside Perplexity’s newly launched Comet browser, signals that AI-first browsing is no longer a niche experiment but the next interface of the web. Monitoring how LLMs interpret and represent brand content just became a strategic priority.

Atlas uses ChatGPT Search to interpret live web content and assist users contextually.
Browsers like Atlas and Comet now introduce AI intermediaries between brands and consumers.
Concerns persist around data tracking and user trust, given Atlas’ behavioural monitoring requirements.

💡 AI browsers are rewriting the rules of brand storytelling - control of the message now depends on how the algorithm reads it. 🌐

📲 Instagram Tests Skippable Ads in Reels

📌 Meta is testing a new skippable ad format in Instagram Reels, allowing users to tap a “skip” button to return to their Reel after viewing an ad. The test, reported by Adweek, introduces a short countdown timer before the ad plays and is designed to measure whether skippable formats can help users “discover businesses” without harming engagement. Unlike some ad models on other platforms, Meta confirmed creators won’t currently earn revenue from these ads.

The move follows YouTube Shorts and TikTok, both of which already use similar ad formats, as Meta continues to refine Reels as its fastest-growing content surface. Reels now account for over half of all time spent on Instagram, highlighting its role in Meta’s pivot toward short-form video. The company is reportedly exploring a standalone Reels app to further capitalise on this behaviour shift.

Reels account for 50%+ of total time spent on Instagram.
Meta introduced non-skippable ad breaks in Reels in 2024; this is its first skippable format test.
YouTube Shorts and TikTok already rely on skippable ad models to balance engagement and monetisation.

💡 Meta’s ad playbook for Reels is evolving toward user control - testing whether optionality drives better ad recall than interruption. 🎥

⚽ DFB Invests €100 Million to Transform Women’s Football in Germany

📌 The German Football Association (DFB) has announced a landmark €100 million investment to professionalise and promote the Women’s Bundesliga, marking one of the largest-ever commitments to women’s sport in Germany. The initiative, unveiled by DFB President Bernd Neuendorf, aims to elevate the league’s quality, visibility and financial sustainability - positioning it among Europe’s elite competitions. A new joint company between the DFB and clubs will oversee the transformation, ensuring transparency and shared responsibility for future commercial growth.

Funds will be directed toward club infrastructure, youth development, and marketing, with a major push to enhance broadcast quality and digital accessibility. The DFB hopes to leverage additional private and corporate investment to build long-term momentum. The move follows record fan engagement around the women’s national team and rising attendance figures, reflecting a growing appetite for women’s football across Germany.

The DFB’s €100m investment is among the largest ever for women’s sports in Europe.
Germany’s women’s football audience has grown over 40% in the past three years (DFB data).
The plan includes a new joint commercial structure between the DFB and Bundesliga clubs.

💡 Germany is putting real capital behind equality - turning ambition for women’s football into infrastructure, visibility, and power. 🇩🇪⚽

📺 Warner Bros. Discovery Weighs Sale After Rejecting Three Bids

📌 Amid a wave of media consolidation, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has confirmed it is exploring “strategic alternatives” after rejecting three takeover offers - including a $60 billion bid from Paramount Skydance. The company’s board has formally launched a review that could lead to a full or partial sale, a spin-off, or continuation of its planned split into two entities: one focused on streaming and studios (Warner Bros.) and one on global networks (Discovery Global).

Reports indicate potential buyers include Netflix and Comcast, each assessing whether to acquire specific business units. Analysts say WBD’s debt load - hovering around $35 billion - and regulatory risk make a single buyer less likely. Paramount Skydance’s proposal reportedly envisioned merging HBO Max with Paramount+, while keeping Warner Bros. largely intact. The outcome could reshape Hollywood’s competitive landscape and major sports broadcasting rights spanning MLB, NCAA March Madness, and Unrivaled.

Rejected Paramount Skydance bid valued WBD near $60 billion (≈ $24 per share).
WBD’s formal review could include a split-sale or spin-off of divisions.
Current debt estimated at $30–35 billion; sale outcome could shift timing of 2026 corporate separation.

💡Even legacy giants are re-evaluating their structure - signalling how debt, streaming economics, and IP consolidation are redrawing Hollywood’s power map. 🎬

⚽ Lidl Doubles Down on UEFA Women’s National Football

📌 Lidl has expanded its partnership with UEFA to become an official sponsor of women’s national team football through 2030 - reinforcing its commitment to women’s sport and European community engagement. The German retailer, which already sponsors UEFA men’s tournaments, will now extend visibility across national team competitions but will not renew sponsorship of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for the next cycle.

The move underscores how brands are pivoting from club-level to national-level investment to capture broader reach and purpose-driven association with equality and inclusion. Lidl’s focus on grassroots and community activation continues to align with its “Big on Quality, Lidl on Price” positioning, now anchored in women’s sport’s fast-growing commercial ecosystem.

Partnership runs until 2030, spanning all UEFA women’s national team competitions.
Lidl’s European network covers 10,000+ stores across 31 countries - ideal for grassroots activation.
UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 is projected to attract 500,000+ attendees and record broadcast reach.

💡 Lidl’s pivot to women’s national football signals how inclusive, pan-European storytelling is becoming the most powerful play in sports marketing. ⚡

💸 Men Spend More Than Women on Women’s Sports, Ally Study Finds

📌 A new survey from Ally reveals that men outspend women in women’s sports - a surprising finding that highlights shifting fan economics and gender dynamics. Across 3,000 U.S. fans spanning Gen Z to Boomers, men reported spending an average of $600 annually on women’s sports, compared to $400 by women. In men’s sports, that gap widens further - men spend around $950 per year, while women spend $500. Still, the gap is closing fast, driven by younger fans who see women’s sports as a vehicle for social change.

Nearly one in five fans say their spending on women’s sports has increased over the past three years, led by Gen Z, 40% of whom view supporting women’s sports as a way to champion equality. Millennials remain the biggest overall spenders in sport, averaging $2,050 annually, while “fanatical” fans across demographics drop up to $2,200 a year. The data also shows men are more likely to spend on travel, tickets and VIP perks, while women are building community through shared viewing - with 52% gathering at friends’ homes to watch games.

Men spend 50% more than women on women’s sports.
40% of Gen Z fans say endorsing women’s sports supports equality and empowerment.
Millennials spend $2.05K annually, topping all generations.
31% of men travel long distances for games vs. 25% of women.

💡 The money may still skew male, but the momentum is female - Gen Z’s values-driven fandom is fast rewriting the economics of sport. ⚽

🦘 Australia’s WNBL Tips Off With 51% Surge in Attendance

📌 The Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL) season opener in Australia drew record crowds, marking a 51% year-on-year attendance increase — a strong signal of women’s basketball’s growing pull across the region. The surge follows record-breaking viewership for the 2024–25 season finale and aligns with a global upswing in women’s sports engagement, from the WNBA to UEFA Women’s competitions.

Basketball Australia credits strategic scheduling, enhanced broadcast partnerships, and fan-focused community activations for driving momentum. The result cements the WNBL’s position as one of the fastest-growing professional women’s leagues worldwide — both in attendance and cultural relevance.

+51% YoY attendance growth at the WNBL season opener.
Record 2024–25 finale viewership and expanded broadcast reach on Nine and Kayo Sports.
Strong backing from sponsor Harvey Norman and Basketball Australia’s grassroots programmes.

💡The WNBL’s attendance boom reinforces a global truth — women’s sports aren’t niche anymore, they’re the main event. 🏀

⚽ U.S. Soccer Confirms Joint 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup Bid with Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica

📌 U.S. Soccer has officially confirmed that its bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be a joint effort with Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica - marking the first time the tournament would be staged across North America and the Caribbean. The bid builds on the 2026 Men’s World Cup model, emphasising regional collaboration, shared infrastructure, and a commitment to growing the women’s game across the Americas.

The proposal highlights how cross-nation hosting can expand access, investment, and audience reach. For Jamaica and Costa Rica, both with growing women’s football programmes, the bid offers a generational opportunity to elevate visibility and participation. If successful, the 2031 edition would be the most geographically diverse Women’s World Cup in history.

First-ever multi-nation Women’s World Cup across North America and the Caribbean.
Bid unites U.S., Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica under one joint proposal.
Expected to leverage 2026 Men’s World Cup infrastructure and legacy investment.

💡 Strategic Insight: A pan-regional bid positions women’s football as a unifying cultural force - and signals how collaboration, not competition, is driving the next era of global sport. 🌎

🎙️ The Flourishing Future of Women’s Sports

TED Talks Daily featuring Kate Johnson (Global Head of Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Google; Olympic Rower)

📌 In this 13-minute talk, Kate Johnson blends athlete insight and brand leadership perspective to unpack why, despite record-breaking viewership and revenue growth, women’s sports still receive disproportionately low media coverage - and what systemic shifts could finally level the playing field.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Bridges culture and commerce: Johnson uses hard data to show how fandom and media consumption around women’s sport are changing faster than the marketing models supporting them.
Reframes the opportunity: Argues that women’s leagues are not a “cause” but a growth market, urging brands to see investment here as business strategy, not CSR.
Challenges algorithms & storytelling bias: Explains how digital platforms amplify inequity, offering a call to action for tech, media, and advertisers to reshape visibility.
Credibility with brand leaders: As Google’s Global Head of Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Johnson speaks directly to how marketers can use data, creativity, and distribution power to build cultural relevance in women’s sport.

💡 For brand strategists, this talk crystallises the cultural and economic momentum behind women’s sports - and the brand opportunity in helping to redefine what “mainstream” looks like.

🎽 TCS New York City Marathon – New York City – 2 Nov

🎾 Rolex Paris Masters – Finals Day – Paris La Défense Arena – 2 Nov

⚽ UEFA Champions League – Matchday 4 – Europe (multiple venues) – 4–5 Nov

🎆 Bonfire Night – London (citywide) – 5 Nov

🦇 SciCafe: Bats and the Biodiversity Crisis – American Museum of Natural History, NYC – 5 Nov, 7pm

🖼️ Wright of Derby – From the Shadows – National Gallery, London – from 7 Nov

🎨 Radical Harmony – Neo-Impressionists – National Gallery, London – ongoing

🎧 Utterly in the Picture (Tintoretto) – National Gallery, London – 4 Nov

🌙 Tate Modern Lates – Tate Modern, London – 7 Nov (evening)

🖌️ Emily Kam Kngwarray (Final Day) – Tate Modern, London – 2 Nov

🌍 Dystopia Is Not the Future: Andreas Malm with Steven Donziger & Adrienne Buller – Barbican, London – 2 Nov, 3pm

🔥 Dystopia Is Not the Future: Maria Alyokhina (Pussy Riot) with James Ball – Barbican, London – 8 Nov, 3pm

🎶 London Symphony Orchestra: Symphonic Gospel – Celebration – Barbican Hall, London – 9 Nov, 7pm

“Give an e.l.f.” by e.l.f. Beauty

What it is: e.l.f. Beauty has launched “Give an e.l.f.” - a bold, global campaign asking one simple question: 👉 What do you give an e.l.f. about?

The beauty brand is inviting consumers and changemakers to champion the causes they care about most: from women’s empowerment and LGBTQ+ rights to racial justice, mental health and climate action.

🌟 Who’s involved

A powerful line-up of ambassadors brings real-world credibility:

🎾 Billie Jean King – tennis legend and equality advocate
🚀 Amanda Nguyen – astronaut and human rights activist
♿ Kgothatso Montjane – Paralympian and trailblazer for inclusion

The campaign rolled out across multiple touchpoints: a digital takeover of New York’s Moynihan Train Hall, full-page print in The New York Times, and a global social media push.

💰 The impact

Over US $2.5 million donated to partner causes (more than 2 % of prior-year profits)
Campaign aligns brand voice with genuine community investment
Expands reach beyond beauty consumers into mainstream culture

💡 Why it matters

“Give an e.l.f.” flips traditional beauty marketing. Instead of focusing on product, it centres purpose and self-expression:

💬 “What you give an e.l.f. about” becomes a rallying cry for personal and social values.

This positions e.l.f. as more than a cosmetics brand - it’s a culture-brand.

🔑 Key takeaways for brands

🎯 Purpose must go beyond words: combine action + funding + voice.
🧩 Use channel-agnostic storytelling to meet audiences where they are (physical + digital + editorial).
🙌 Turn consumers into participants, not spectators.
💅 Even affordable brands can lead in cultural relevance when authenticity is consistent.

✨ In short: e.l.f. Beauty proves that caring is cool - and that purpose-driven storytelling can be both emotionally powerful and commercially smart.

🎬 IMAX posted record Q3 revenue of $106.6m, up 17% year on year, with net income up 48% to $22.6m. (Variety)

🏎️ “F1: The Movie” generated $97m on IMAX screens globally, IMAX’s top release of 2025. (Variety)

📲 The UK’s CMA has formally designated Apple and Google with Strategic Market Status after input from more than 150 stakeholders. (CMA, UK Government)

🎥 Reels now account for over 50% of the time people spend on Instagram. (Meta Developers)

💸 Men spend $600 a year on women’s sports vs $400 for women, and $950 vs $500 on men’s sports. (Ally)

🏀 Australia’s WNBL Opening Round attendance rose 51% year on year, the biggest season opener in league history. (Basketball Australia / WNBL)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Formula 1 Joins Apple TV, Warner Bros. Weighs a Sale & Grace Wales Bonner Joins Hermès: On The Record 27th October 2025

💪 Calisthenics Crews Are the New Run Clubs

📌 From London to New York, calisthenics crews are becoming the new cultural heartbeat of fitness, blending performance, aesthetics and streetwear influence. Once the domain of park athletes and niche gym communities, the movement now attracts major brand attention, with Nike and Brooks partnering with leading collectives like London’s PNP Fitness and Brooklyn’s Homerun. Figures such as Corteiz founder Clint and rapper Central Cee have amplified the practice, positioning calisthenics as both lifestyle and identity. The shift reflects how fitness continues to evolve as a site of self-expression, community and brand storytelling.

Nike’s recent campaign featuring PNP Fitness hit over 1 million views in 24 hours.
Brooks supported a recent NYC calisthenics event hosted by apparel brand Energy.
Calisthenics content engagement on TikTok has grown over 250% year-on-year (Insider Intelligence, 2025).

💡 The post-run club era is here: community, discipline and visual culture are driving a new fitness aesthetic. 🏋️♂️

(Credit: Daniel-Yaw Miller)

🎄 Christmas Ads Face “A Lot of Uncertainty”

📌 Lidl GB’s chief has warned that the UK’s Christmas ad season is heading into “a lot of uncertainty” due to new voluntary restrictions on junk food advertising. Under the guidelines, TV ads aired after 9pm cannot feature products high in fat, sugar, or salt (HFSS), while these products are also banned entirely from online promotion. The move, part of a wider shift towards responsible marketing, has forced retailers and FMCG brands to rethink festive storytelling, focusing less on product and more on emotional, values-led creative. Marketers now face balancing festive tradition with compliance and cost pressures amid a cautious consumer landscape.

The voluntary code bans HFSS products from online ads and post-9pm TV spots.
UK ad spend for Christmas 2024 exceeded £1.7 billion, with supermarkets accounting for nearly a quarter. (IPA Bellwether)
68% of UK shoppers say festive ads influence their brand perception. (Kantar)

💡 As regulations tighten, storytelling and brand tone - not product shots - will define this year’s festive effectiveness. ✨

🏎️ Formula 1 Inks 5-Year Broadcast Partnership With Apple TV

📌 Formula 1 has signed a landmark five-year deal with Apple TV to become its exclusive U.S. broadcast partner beginning in 2026, replacing ESPN. The deal, reportedly worth $140 million per year, will make all practice sessions, qualifying, sprints, and races available through Apple’s direct-to-consumer streaming platform, with select races offered free to watch. Building on the success of Apple Studios’ “Formula 1” movie - which grossed $630 million globally - the partnership deepens the brand and entertainment integration between the sport and the tech giant.

Formula 1’s move reflects shifting media consumption habits and the sport’s strategy to cement its growing U.S. audience through premium, digital-first coverage. Apple TV will bring a fan-first, ad-free experience to its 45 million subscribers, further blurring lines between sports broadcasting, tech innovation, and cinematic storytelling.

Apple TV’s subscriber base exceeds 45 million globally. (Forbes, 2025)
Apple’s “Formula 1” movie has earned $630 million worldwide. (Box Office Mojo, 2025)
The new broadcast deal is valued at $140 million annually, up from ESPN’s $85 million. (Daily Mail, 2025)

💡 The Apple-F1 partnership signals how sport is evolving into premium content IP - merging live sport, storytelling, and tech ecosystems into one seamless entertainment experience. 🍏

🎬 Warner Bros. Discovery Considers Sale Amid Multiple Acquisition Offers

📌 The entertainment giant behind HBO, CNN and Warner Bros. Studios confirmed it is exploring strategic options, including a full or partial sale, after receiving multiple bids from potential buyers including Paramount, Comcast and Amazon. The move could trigger a new wave of media consolidation, reshaping Hollywood’s power structure once again. Analysts estimate Warner Bros. Discovery’s market value at around $50 billion, with shares up over 10% following the announcement.

Chief executive David Zaslav’s pivot comes just three years after merging WarnerMedia with Discovery, in a deal once touted as the key to competing with Netflix. A potential Paramount merger would unite CNN and CBS News under one corporate umbrella – a development likely to face heavy regulatory scrutiny both in the U.S. and Europe.

Market value surged 10% to $20.28 per share following news of the offers.
Analysts suggest a sale price of $30 per share could be “fair value.”
Warner Bros. Discovery employs over 35,000 staff globally across studios, cable, and streaming.
The company’s latest restructuring split streaming and studios from cable networks like TNT and CNN in June 2025.

💡 The next Hollywood power shift may not come from a new streaming platform – but from who ends up owning the biggest one. 🎥

📺 Apple and NBCUniversal Launch the Apple TV and Peacock Bundle

📌 Apple and NBCUniversal have unveiled a first-of-its-kind streaming partnership bringing together Apple TV+ and Peacock under one subscription. Launching October 20, the bundle offers a combined slate of prestige originals, live sports, blockbuster films, and franchise hits - including Ted Lasso, Severance, The Traitors, and NBA coverage - for one discounted price. U.S. subscribers can save over 30% by opting for the $14.99 (Premium) or $19.99 (Premium Plus) monthly plans, with additional savings for Apple One Family and Premier users. The deal also introduces cross-platform sampling, letting users watch select episodes from each other’s libraries within the apps.

This partnership signals a pivotal shift toward collaborative bundling across streamers, addressing subscription fatigue by merging premium content ecosystems. It also strengthens Apple’s entertainment positioning ahead of its upcoming sports and film ventures, including F1: The Movie.

📉 61% of U.S. consumers say they’re frustrated by managing multiple streaming subscriptions. (Deloitte, 2025)
📈 Bundled streaming packages have grown 45% year-on-year as platforms pursue retention over acquisition. (Antenna, 2025)
💰 The average U.S. household now subscribes to 4.5 streaming services, up from 3.7 in 2022. (Kantar, 2025)

💡 One-click streaming ecosystems are the new loyalty play – bundling is replacing exclusivity. 🎬

🔥 The Latest Victoria’s Secret Show(girls)

📌 Victoria’s Secret staged yet another reinvention at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn - and this one might finally have landed. Under the creative direction of Adam Selman (formerly of Savage x Fenty), the brand leaned into unapologetic spectacle, embracing its heritage as performance rather than pretending to be empowerment. The cast reflected a cross-section of modern celebrity - from Adriana Lima and Gigi Hadid to WNBA star Angel Reese and Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee - showing that Victoria’s Secret now sees “sport” and “show” as intersecting languages of aspiration. With live sets from Madison Beer, Karol G and Missy Elliott, the show returned to its theatrical roots with renewed pop-cultural self-awareness.

Selman’s creative direction reframed the show not as a moral turnaround but as a nostalgic fantasy - a kind of Vegas-meets-Broadway revival that recognises its own camp. Gone are the hollow empowerment slogans; in their place, crystal corsets, chrome halos, and the knowing wink of a brand in conversation with its past. It’s a performance that acknowledges how pop culture, not lingerie, is Victoria’s Secret’s most valuable product.

Over 40 models walked, including both Hadids, Adriana Lima, Irina Shayk and Awar Odhiang.
Production cost estimated around $12–15 million - far leaner than the $20 million Paris show in 2016.
Previous broadcasts reached over 9 million U.S. viewers at their 2014 peak, airing in nearly 200 countries.
By 2018, viewership had dropped to roughly 3.2 million, prompting the show’s five-year hiatus.
Talent fees have historically ranged from $250k–$1 million for “Angels,” with performers like Taylor Swift or Rihanna commanding similar figures for live appearances.
The lingerie and nightwear market Victoria’s Secret competes in was worth over $88 billion globally in 2022.

The brand’s marketing strategy has long used the show as a global content franchise - a hybrid of fashion event, music special and cinematic advertisement. The 2025 reboot reflects a strategic shift from the hyper-sexualised male gaze to nostalgic camp designed for digital virality, streaming clips, and cultural re-appraisal rather than network ratings. Its move to Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios signals a repositioning from Madison Avenue gloss to a more editorial, entertainment-driven identity.

💡 Victoria’s Secret is no longer selling lingerie - it’s selling cultural theatre. Its latest act turns nostalgia into strategy, spectacle into self-awareness, and performance into the new persuasion. ✨

🔥 New Balance Bets on the Next Gen

📌 New Balance has announced a fresh wave of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals spotlighting emerging women athletes across basketball, soccer, softball, and track - a move that reflects how athlete marketing pipelines are evolving in real time. The new roster includes basketball standouts Sienna Betts and Haylen Ayers, Liga MX Femenil sisters Tatiana and Silvana Flores, and Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens. As New Balance Head of Athlete Ambassador Integration Nicola Conley explains, these signings signal a strategic shift: Gen Z athletes want creative control and authenticity, and brands that empower them early are reaping the rewards.

New Balance’s early-talent playbook has a proven track record - the brand signed Coco Gauff at 14, Olympic hurdler Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after her freshman year, and track star Gabby Thomas post-college. Gauff now has the only active women’s tennis signature shoe and co-led a Miu Miu collaboration. This next wave of NIL athletes continues that momentum, pairing early investment with athlete-led storytelling that resonates with Gen Z fans.

💸 NIL deals with women athletes grew 146% YoY in 2024, with basketball and soccer driving most growth. (Opendorse)
📱 Tatiana Flores: 1M+ Instagram followers; Silvana Flores: 137K followers.
👟 Coco Gauff’s New Balance signature line sold out within 24 hours of its 2024 drop.
🏅 68% of Gen Z consumers say they are more likely to support brands that feature authentic, relatable athletes. (Morning Consult)

💡 Athlete-first marketing is becoming brand strategy - by letting Gen Z women lead the story, New Balance is competing on culture, not just performance. ✨

🔥 Grace Wales Bonner Named Creative Director of Hermès Menswear

📌 Hermès has appointed Grace Wales Bonner as its new creative director of menswear, marking one of the most significant design shifts in the brand’s recent history and making her the first Black woman to lead a major luxury house. Known for her scholarly yet soulful approach to luxury, Wales Bonner brings a cultural and historical depth to menswear that has redefined the intersection of fashion, art, and identity. Since launching her namesake label in 2014, she’s become one of the industry’s most respected voices, blending Savile Row precision with Afro-Atlantic influences and meticulous handcraft.

The appointment signals Hermès’ intent to evolve its menswear language - embracing intellect, inclusivity, and craft as luxury’s new pillars.

Founded her brand in 2014 after graduating from Central Saint Martins.
Named one of WWD’s 115 Newsmakers of the year.
Known for coed collections fusing European tailoring with Afro-Atlantic heritage and hand-beaded craftsmanship.

💡 Hermès taps Wales Bonner to bring narrative, nuance, and new-world relevance to heritage luxury. ✨

🏀 WNBA Season Scores Record Viewership on ESPN

📌 The 2025 WNBA season was the league’s most-watched ever across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC - marking a breakthrough moment for women’s sport as the league enters a pivotal collective bargaining phase. ESPN reported an average of 1.2 million viewers per postseason game, up 5% year-on-year, while the Finals averaged 1.449 million viewers during the Las Vegas Aces’ four-game sweep. Female viewership reached record highs, with 540,000 women tuning in per game (up 10%), and the 35–54 female demo up 8% year-on-year.

The milestone reinforces the WNBA’s surging cultural and commercial momentum, buoyed by expanded measurement tech (Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel) and sustained media investment. All four Finals games surpassed 1 million viewers - extending a streak of nine consecutive Finals games above the million mark, a near match to all previous years combined.

🏆 1.2M average postseason viewers across ESPN networks – up 5% YoY.
👩🦰 540K female viewers per game – the highest ever and up 10% YoY.
👨 679K male viewers per game – up 2% YoY.
📈 8% rise in female viewers aged 35–54.
📺 9 consecutive WNBA Finals games have now topped 1 million viewers.
🎯 “WNBA Countdown” pregame show averaged 437K viewers – up 30% YoY.

💡 Women’s sport isn’t a niche - it’s a prime-time property. 📺

🏟️ From Sumo Wrestling to Banana Ball: Expedia Identifies Global Trend in Cultural Sports Tourism

📌 Expedia’s 2026 travel trend report, “Unpack ’26,” unveils “Fan Voyage” – a growing movement of travellers seeking local sporting experiences that immerse them in culture and community. Over half (57%) of global travellers say they’re likely to attend a regional sporting event while abroad, highlighting a shift from passive spectating to active cultural participation. The trend spans sumo wrestling in Japan, capoeira in Brazil, and even the U.S.’s rule-bending “Banana Ball,” blending sport, ritual, and storytelling. Expedia calls it a new way to “step into the heart of a culture.”

57% of travellers say they’re likely to attend a regional sporting event while abroad.
68% of Gen Z and Millennial travellers seek sports that connect them to local traditions.
Expedia identifies ten “Fan Voyage” hot spots for 2026, spanning from Japan to Scotland.

💡 Sport is becoming the next frontier of cultural immersion – where fandom meets local identity. 🌍

🎙️ Why It’s Time to Quit Spotify (Part 1) & An Ethical Guide to Quitting Spotify (Part 2)

Drowned in Sound (hosted by Sean Adams)
Part 1: Why It’s Time to Quit Spotify

Podcast Episode

Why it’s time to quit Spotify

From Drowned in Sound — a discussion on artist economics, ethics, and the growing movement to leave Spotify.

▶ Listen on Apple Podcasts

Part 2: An Ethical Guide to Quitting Spotify

Podcast Episode

An Ethical Guide to Quitting Spotify

From Drowned in Sound — a practical discussion on how listeners and artists can disengage from Spotify responsibly.

📌 Across these two episodes, Drowned in Sound explores the growing debate around Spotify’s dominance in the music ecosystem - from artist pay structures and algorithmic bias to how streaming shapes what audiences discover and value in music. Adams dissects the moral, creative, and commercial pressures facing artists, labels, and fans in a landscape where convenience often outweighs fairness.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

Captures the shifting sentiment among artists and fans as streaming’s long-term sustainability is increasingly questioned.
Balances critique with thoughtful reflection on industry realities, offering a grounded take rather than polemic.
Provides strategic insight for brand and culture leaders on how changing attitudes toward streaming platforms could reshape music partnerships, audience engagement, and ethical brand alignment.

🏀 NBA Mexico City Game — 1 Nov — Arena CDMX (Mavericks vs Pistons)

⚽ Premier League Matchweek 10 - 1–2 Nov - UK Headline ties include Tottenham vs Chelsea (Sat), Liverpool vs Aston Villa (Sat), West Ham vs Newcastle (Sun), Man City vs Bournemouth (Sun)

🏈 NFL Week 9 - 30 Oct & 2 Nov - US Key fixtures include Ravens at Dolphins (Thu) and Chiefs at Bills (Sun)

🎭 Barbican: RSC Wendy & Peter Pan - all week - Theatre

📸 Tate Britain: Lee Miller (retrospective) - ongoing - Exhibition

🎨 National Gallery: Half-term family workshop ‘What’s the Point in Pointillism?’ — from 28 Oct — Education

🪶 V&A / Young V&A: Half-term Festival ‘Making Egypt’ — from 25 Oct — Family / Design Accessible, free family offer with design-learning hooks

🎵 DYSTINCT - 27 Oct - Roundhouse, London Hip-hop / Afro-beat energy

🎸 Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - 27 Oct - London Palladium Folk and Americana icons

🎤 Sting & Sophie Grey - 27 Oct - Eventim Apollo, London

🎻 London Symphony Orchestra - 30 Oct - Barbican, London Classical excellence featuring Firebird and Shostakovich

🎼 Carnegie Hall: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra - 27 Oct - New York

🏺 The Met: Divine Egypt - ongoing - Exhibition

Gucci: “Equilibrium” and the Changemakers Programme

Launched in 2019, Gucci’s global social impact platform Equilibrium represents one of the most comprehensive long-term sustainability and inclusion strategies in the fashion industry. Rather than a short-term campaign, it functions as an ongoing framework for embedding environmental and social values across every part of the business.

Overview The platform unites Gucci’s commitments to people and planet under a single vision: advancing diversity and inclusion, promoting circular design, improving supply-chain transparency, and supporting ecosystem regeneration. Alongside it, the Gucci Changemakers initiative drives community impact, including multi-year programmes that open pathways into fashion and the creative industries for under-represented talent.

Why it matters This is a structural shift in how Gucci operates and communicates. By integrating social and environmental accountability into its business model, the brand has reframed luxury as a driver of systemic change rather than excess. The dual focus on equity and ecology also sets a benchmark for other global fashion houses seeking credibility beyond marketing.

Impact While Gucci’s progress is measured across multiple pillars, key outcomes include the expansion of its circular materials strategy, a global employee volunteering scheme, and ongoing investment in diverse creative pipelines. The brand has also earned external recognition for leadership in circular economy innovation and sustainability reporting.

Key takeaways

Integrate purpose into operations: Make sustainability and inclusion core to how the organisation functions, not an isolated campaign.
Think long term: Build programmes designed to evolve over years, with measurable progress and accountability.
Align business and culture: Address issues where the brand has genuine influence and cultural credibility.
Empower internal teams: Engage employees as active participants in social and environmental initiatives.
Balance storytelling with substance: Use communications to highlight real progress, not to mask inaction

🔥 Calisthenics content engagement on TikTok has grown 250% year-on-year, reflecting a surge in fitness-as-culture communities. (Insider Intelligence, 2025)

🍏 Apple TV’s new $140 million-per-year Formula 1 deal is 65% higher than ESPN’s previous contract, cementing sport as premium IP. (Daily Mail, 2025)

🎥 Apple’s Formula 1 movie grossed $630 million worldwide – the second-highest-earning sports film in history. (Box Office Mojo, 2025)

📈 Bundled streaming packages grew 45% year-on-year as platforms pivot from acquisition to retention. (Antenna, 2025)

📉 61% of U.S. consumers say they’re frustrated by managing multiple streaming subscriptions. (Deloitte, 2025)

🏀 The 2025 WNBA Finals averaged 1.449 million viewers on ESPN – the most-watched in league history. (ESPN, 2025)

💸 NIL deals with women athletes rose 146% in 2024, with basketball and soccer leading growth. (Opendorse, 2024)

🌍 57% of travellers say they plan to attend a regional sporting event while abroad – a new form of “cultural sport tourism.” (Expedia, 2025)

🔥 The global lingerie and nightwear market reached $88 billion in 2022, underscoring Victoria’s Secret’s high-stakes rebrand. (Statista, 2024)

✨ 68% of Gen Z consumers prefer brands that feature authentic and relatable athletes. (Morning Consult, 2025)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

Apple Enters Women’s Football, ChatGPT Adds In-Chat Apps & Spotify Brings Video Podcasts to Netflix: On The Record 20th October 2025

🔥 Apple x WSL: Tech Giant Levels the Playing Field in Women’s Football

📌 Apple has entered women’s football for the first time through a landmark partnership with WSL Football, supplying top-tier clubs across the Barclays Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship with Apple technology. The initiative provides players, coaches, and analysts with MacBook Pros, iPads, iPhones, and AirPods to enhance training, match analysis, and officiating workflows. Beyond performance, the move is positioned as an equity-driven effort to close the tech access gap across clubs.

From iPads for real-time sideline analysis to digital team sheets handled via iPad Air, the partnership represents both a symbolic and practical upgrade for the women’s game. For Apple, it’s an opportunity to align with a fast-growing, values-led sport - and to extend its ecosystem into professional performance environments historically dominated by PC-based systems.

Apple’s first-ever partnership in women’s football.
Includes device rollout across both WSL and WSL2 clubs.
Supports digital transformation in match operations and analysis.

💡 Tech equity is becoming the new frontier of sports innovation - and Apple’s entry into women’s football shows how performance, access, and purpose can align. ⚽💻

🎧 Spotify x Netflix: The Stream Dream Team

📌 Spotify is bringing its top video podcasts to Netflix in a new partnership launching early 2026. Shows from Spotify Studios and The Ringer - including The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Rewatchables, The Dave Chang Show, and Conspiracy Theories - will debut on Netflix in the U.S., with other markets to follow. The deal marks Spotify’s most significant distribution expansion yet, as both companies seek to challenge YouTube’s dominance as the leading platform for video podcasts.

For Spotify, the move extends its footprint from audio to full-stack video distribution, while Netflix gains new unscripted and conversational content to diversify its entertainment lineup. The collaboration signals the formal arrival of podcasts as a mainstream visual entertainment format - a fusion of streaming and creator culture that could reshape how audiences watch and listen across platforms.

YouTube currently commands 13.1% of total U.S. streaming time, compared with 8.7% for Netflix. (Nielsen, 2025)
Video podcast consumption on Spotify has tripled year-on-year, led by Gen Z audiences. (Spotify, 2025)
The global podcasting market is projected to exceed $42 billion by 2028, driven by video-first formats. (PwC, 2025)

💡Podcasts have officially entered their TV era - where storytelling meets streaming, and creators become on-screen talent. 🎥

🔥 OpenAI Launches Third-Party Apps Inside ChatGPT

📌 OpenAI has rolled out a major update allowing users to interact with third-party apps directly inside ChatGPT. The integration includes platforms like Spotify, Canva, Zillow, and Expedia, enabling users to create playlists, design posters, or browse homes without ever leaving the chat. Built on OpenAI’s new Model Context Protocol, the Apps SDK gives developers the ability to design and test custom in-chat apps. The move brings ChatGPT closer to becoming a full-service interactive platform rather than a static chatbot.

Apps like Booking.com, Coursera, and Figma are now live for all logged-in ChatGPT users outside the EU, with more - such as DoorDash, OpenTable, Target, and Uber - on the way. OpenAI says this marks “a new generation of apps users can chat with,” supporting personalised, context-aware interactions directly inside conversations. Developers will soon gain access to a public directory and monetisation options, signalling a new ecosystem within ChatGPT itself.

Available apps include Spotify, Canva, and Zillow; more brands to follow in coming weeks.
Apps SDK built on Model Context Protocol (MCP) to support custom development.
Feature live for all Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users outside the EU.

💡 ChatGPT is evolving from a conversational interface to a full-scale operating environment for brands and developers ⚙️

🔥 Domino’s “Mmm”-powered Brand Refresh Puts Craveability at the Core

📌 Domino’s has unveiled its first brand refresh in 13 years, blending heritage with a modern, sensory overhaul designed to make the brand as craveable as its pizza. The revamp introduces hotter red and blue tones, bolder packaging, and a new bespoke font, “Domino’s Sans.” At its heart sits a sonic identity built around a name-bending jingle - “Dommmino’s” - voiced by five-time GRAMMY® nominee Shaboozey. From boxes to team gear, the refresh reclaims Domino’s playful spirit while doubling down on its “Hungry for MORE” growth strategy.

Rather than launching a traditional tagline, the brand is embedding craveability into every touchpoint – from the sound of its name to the heat of its colours. For CMO Kate Trumbull, this marks a pivot from “tech company that sells pizza” back to “pizza brand that leads culture.” The update rolls out across U.S. and global markets through Q4 2025.

$19.4B global retail sales across 21,500+ stores in 90+ markets (FY2025)
85% of U.S. sales made digitally in 2024
99% of Domino’s stores are independently franchised

💡 Audio branding is the new appetite trigger - Domino’s shows how sound can drive craveability as powerfully as sight or taste. 🎶

👟 Pokémon x Adidas Originals: 30th Anniversary Collection Announced

📌 Pokémon will mark its 30th anniversary in 2026 with a special Adidas Originals collaboration spanning footwear, apparel, and accessories for adults and youth. The line will feature iconic silhouettes like the Samba and Superstar, continuing the brands’ past linkups and tapping into Pokémon’s enduring pop-cultural legacy. While designs remain under wraps, fans can expect nostalgic cues, special packaging, and retail activations celebrating three decades of the beloved franchise.

This partnership underscores how fashion and gaming IP continue to intertwine, using nostalgia and cross-generational fandom as cultural currency.

🎮 Pokémon is valued at over $100 billion globally – making it the highest-grossing entertainment franchise in the world. (Statista, 2025)
👟 Adidas Originals’ collaborations segment grew 28% year-on-year, fuelled by nostalgia-led drops like the Samba and Superstar revivals. (Adidas Annual Report, 2024)
🧢 73% of Gen Z say nostalgia influences their fashion purchases, particularly around gaming and Y2K culture. (Dazed Studio x GWI, 2025)
💥 Over 60% of gaming-inspired fashion collaborations sell out within 48 hours of launch. (Lyst Index, Q2 2025)

💡 Retro gaming nostalgia is fast becoming fashion’s most enduring form of IP storytelling 👾

🎬 Warner Music x Netflix: Streaming the Soundtrack of a Generation

📌 Warner Music Group is reportedly partnering with Netflix to produce a slate of movies and documentaries inspired by its vast artist and song catalogue. The move marks a fresh audiovisual strategy for the label after closing its in-house film and TV division earlier this year as part of cost-cutting measures.

CEO Robert Kyncl hinted at the deal during the Bloomberg Screentime conference, highlighting the “tremendous catalogue” of stories yet to be told - from Madonna to Fleetwood Mac and Prince. The collaboration positions Warner to capitalise on music-driven storytelling at global scale, as demand for nostalgic and artist-led content surges across streaming.

Warner Music is targeting $300m in cost savings while co-investing up to $1.2bn in catalogues with Bain Capital.
Music films and docs have shown strong ROI - recent releases like Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere boosted catalogue streams.

💡 Music catalogues are becoming cinematic IP - the next wave of brand-building lies in storytelling, not just streaming. 🎥

🎮 Not Just Gameboys: Women Make Up 52% of U.S. Gamers; 22% of Players Are Over 65 Years Old

📌 The Entertainment Software Association’s “Power of Play” report dismantles decades of gamer stereotypes, revealing that women now represent a majority of U.S. gamers and that older adults make up a significant share of players. The global survey of 24,000+ gamers found the average gamer is 41 years old, with Italy topping the chart at 50. In the U.S., 22% of gamers are aged 65+, while just 9% are 16–24. The report highlights gaming’s evolution beyond consoles and combat genres, spanning mobile, puzzles, and strategy titles. Respondents cited reduced stress, improved creativity, and enhanced problem-solving as key benefits of gaming.

52% of U.S. gamers are women.
22% of U.S. gamers are aged 65+.
76% say gaming boosts problem-solving skills; 50% say it benefits their careers.

💡 Gaming is no longer niche entertainment - it’s a multigenerational, gender-balanced culture driver shaping wellbeing and skill development. 🎮

🤖 How AI Became Our Personal Assistant

📌 New data reveals how deeply AI has integrated into everyday life. OpenAI reports 18 billion ChatGPT messages sent weekly, with more than one in ten people worldwide now using the tool – a rate of adoption the internet itself didn’t reach for a decade. Most activity centres on practical guidance and writing tasks, with non-work use making up over 70% of all messages. Teachers, developers, and students lead adoption, while “shadow AI” use within workplaces continues to grow as employees quietly rely on consumer tools to automate tasks.

Big Tech is betting on continued expansion: Meta’s AI assistant has reached 1 billion monthly users, Microsoft Copilot has surpassed 100 million, and Google’s AI Overviews serve 2 billion users across 200 countries. The UAE now leads global adoption at 59%, showing a strong correlation between AI use and GDP growth. Yet researchers warn of growing “cognitive debt,” as nearly half of ChatGPT users are under 25 and increasingly outsource thinking and writing to AI.

💬 18 billion messages are sent to ChatGPT every week. (Financial Times)
🌍 Over 1 in 10 people globally have used ChatGPT – a rate of adoption the internet took a decade to reach. (Financial Times)
🧠 70% of ChatGPT use is now non-work related. (OpenAI via FT)
📈 Google’s AI Overviews reach 2 billion monthly users across 200+ countries and 40 languages. (Google via FT)
📱 Meta’s AI assistant serves 1 billion monthly users across its apps. (Meta via FT)
💻 Microsoft Copilot has topped 100 million monthly active users. (Microsoft via FT)
🇦🇪 The UAE leads global AI adoption, with 59% of people using AI tools. (Microsoft AI for Good Lab via FT)
👩🎓 Nearly half of ChatGPT users are aged 25 or younger. (Financial Times)

💡 AI has quietly evolved from productivity tool to personal companion – reshaping how people think, learn and decide. 🧠

📰 🚨Pentagon Reporters Turn In Badges Amid New Restrictions

📌 Dozens of long-serving Pentagon journalists returned their press badges this week after refusing to sign new media guidelines introduced by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The rules, criticised as incompatible with press freedom, include limits on “soliciting” information from defence employees and warn of possible criminal penalties for unauthorised disclosures. Major U.S. networks including CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox issued a joint statement rejecting the terms, saying they “threaten core journalistic principles.”

In a statement, the Pentagon Press Association (PPA), representing over 100 news organisations, said: “Today, the Defence Department confiscated the badges of the Pentagon reporters from virtually every major media organisation in America. Make no mistake, today is a dark day for press freedom that raises concerns about a weakening U.S. commitment to transparency in governance, public accountability at the Pentagon, and free speech for all.” The PPA reaffirmed that its members “remain committed to reporting on the U.S. military.”

Independent Pentagon reporting has historically produced some of the most consequential stories in modern journalism. During the Vietnam War, reporters stationed in Washington and Saigon exposed contradictions in official narratives, paving the way for the release of the Pentagon Papers. In the 1980s, defence journalists uncovered the Iran-Contra affair, revealing how the U.S. secretly sold arms to Iran to fund Nicaraguan rebels. The 1991 Tailhook scandal was exposed by military reporters investigating sexual harassment within the Navy, sparking institutional reforms. In 2004, coverage of Abu Ghraib by independent correspondents revealed the abuse of Iraqi detainees, leading to global outrage and court-martials. The Washington Post’s 2019 Afghanistan Papers investigation uncovered systemic failures in U.S. military strategy across two decades of war. And decades of reporting on Pentagon procurement - from the $1.7 trillion F-35 programme to repeated audit failures - has highlighted chronic inefficiencies in defence spending.

These landmark investigations were made possible through on-site access, open communication, and the ability to question officials directly - conditions now under threat by the new guidelines.

22+ journalists evacuated their media rooms inside the Pentagon, ending decades of direct newsroom access.
Five major U.S. networks issued a rare joint statement rejecting the new rules.
Pentagon policy language now explicitly warns of “criminal liability” for unauthorised information sharing.

💡 The Pentagon’s press lockdown marks a pivotal test for American transparency - history shows that when reporters lose access, accountability loses ground too. 🕵️♀️

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John on What It Takes for People, Products, and Brands to Break Through

📌 In this episode, Fallon (late-night host) and Bozoma Saint John (marketing executive and strategist) unpack how to cut through today’s saturated media landscape. They reflect on personal branding, collaborative creativity, team dynamics, and how to centre cultural relevance while scaling reach.

✅ Why This Episode Matters Right Now:

Dual-lensed on brand and culture. Fallon gives a media-maker’s perspective on audience trends, while Bozoma brings the brand strategist’s view, bridging creative vision and tactical execution.
Lessons in collision management. Their conversation reveals how to hold tension between brand discipline and creative disorder - a classic tension for marketers today.
Actionable on amplification. They break down how meta-moments, celebrity association, and platform decisions amplify or limit campaigns - especially when culture shifts fast.

🏀 NBA Opening Week – 21–27 Oct – USA Opening games include Lakers vs Warriors, Celtics vs Knicks, Rockets vs Thunder, and Bulls vs Heat

🏎 F1 Mexico City Grand Prix – 24–26 Oct – Mexico City, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Latin America’s biggest motorsport moment; a major weekend for brands and live audience energy.

⚽ UEFA Champions League (Matchday 3) – 21–22 Oct – Europe Fixtures include Barcelona vs Olympiacos, Arsenal vs Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG, Copenhagen vs Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle vs Benfica, PSV Eindhoven vs Napoli, Union Saint-Gilloise vs Inter, Villarreal vs Manchester City, Athletic Club vs Qarabağ, Galatasaray vs Bodø/Glimt, Monaco vs Tottenham, Bayern Munich vs Club Brugge, Chelsea vs Ajax, and Eintracht Frankfurt vs Liverpool

🏈 NFL Week 8 – 26–27 Oct – US & global Games include Vikings vs Chargers, Dolphins vs Falcons, Bears vs Ravens, Bills vs Panthers, Jets vs Bengals, 49ers vs Texans, and Commanders vs Chiefs

⚽ Premier League Matchday – 25–26 Oct – England Chelsea vs Sunderland, Manchester United vs Brighton, Brentford vs Liverpool, Arsenal vs Crystal Palace, Aston Villa vs Manchester City, and more

🍄 Merlin Sheldrake: The Secret Lives of Fungi LIVE – 20 Oct – Barbican A mind-expanding evening blending ecology, art, and storytelling.

🧵 Do Ho Suh: Walk the House (final week) – until 26 Oct – Tate Modern Immersive, hand-stitched architectural installations exploring memory and belonging.

🇳🇬 Nigerian Modernism (final week) – until 26 Oct – Tate Modern Critically acclaimed survey reframing African modernist movements.

🔴 Radical Harmony: Helene Kröller-Müller’s Neo-Impressionists – ongoing – National Gallery Seurat, Van Gogh, and Signac headline a luminous exhibition of colour and form.

🧪 IWM Lecture Day: Legacies of Empire – 25 Oct – Imperial War Museum Debate-driven talks examining Britain’s imperial past and its modern implications.

🎭 Kiefer / Van Gogh (final days) – until 26 Oct – Royal Academy of Arts Blockbuster artistic dialogue between two visionary painters - closing weekend.

🎨 Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur – closing 26 Oct – Wallace Collection Playful, provocative and closing soon - contemporary craft meets cultural commentary.

Arty & Cultural Things to Do With Kids During Half Term (UK)

🎃 Bank of England Museum – Spooky Craft Activities – 27–31 Oct – London Create Halloween-inspired money boxes and discover the design behind currency.

🌊 Museum of London Docklands – Thames at Night & Moon Myths – 27–30 Oct – London Craft pop-up cards and enjoy family storytelling around the moon and river.

🎭 Lakeside Arts – Egg Box Theatre Workshop – 24 Oct – Nottingham Transform simple materials into creative miniature theatre sets.

🚋 London Transport Museum – Roaring Twenties Family Activities – 27–31 Oct – London Hands-on crafts and themed tours celebrating 1920s design and innovation.

🍃 Nature in Art – Children’s Activity Days – 27–31 Oct – Gloucestershire Daily nature-inspired creative workshops for families.

🖌 Kettle’s Yard – From Pattern to Painting Workshop – 29 Oct – Cambridge Ages 7–11 reimagine African textile patterns through colour and paint.

No Kings March – A Global Stand for Democracy

On Saturday, 18 October 2025, over 7 million people across the United States and around the world took to the streets for the second No Kings march: a sweeping, decentralised demonstration demanding democratic accountability and rejecting authoritarian power.

Organisers reported a turnout of around 10 million people across more than 2,500 U.S. cities, making it one of the largest coordinated protests in modern American history. The slogan “No one is above the law” united a diverse coalition of civic groups, artists, and community leaders under a shared call for institutional integrity and the protection of democratic norms.

📍 Where It Happened

Major demonstrations took place in:

New York City – massive crowds filled Union Square and Times Square.
Washington D.C. – vigils and teach-ins spread across the capital rather than a central march.
Philadelphia – tens of thousands rallied along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Boston – Boston Common hosted civic leaders and cultural performances.
Chicago – Grant Park and Daley Plaza overflowed with protestors.
Houston and Austin – drew thousands to Discovery Green and the Texas State Capitol.
San Francisco & Bay Area – Dolores Park to Civic Center, joined by marches in Oakland, San Jose, and Palo Alto.
Los Angeles, Seattle, Denver, Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, Portland, Detroit, Cleveland, and Minneapolis also saw record turnouts.

🌍 Global Solidarity

Simultaneous marches were held in London, Berlin, Paris, Toronto, Dublin, Sydney, and Mexico City, with smaller vigils in Amsterdam, Warsaw, and São Paulo. International demonstrators gathered outside U.S. embassies to express unity with American protestors and concern over democratic backsliding worldwide.

✊ What Drove the Movement

Defending Democracy: challenging executive overreach and the erosion of checks and balances.
Rejecting Authoritarianism: reaffirming that no individual stands above the law.
Demanding Accountability: connecting frustration over the U.S. government shutdown to systemic leadership failures.
Protecting Civil Liberties: defending the right to protest and freedom of expression.
Reclaiming Patriotism: redefining national pride through democratic action, not political theatre.

💡 The Takeaway

No Kings was not only a political moment but a cultural one. It proved that civic participation- driven by storytelling, symbolism, and shared purpose - can mobilise millions and re-centre democratic values in public life.

🔥 18 billion messages are sent to ChatGPT every week, with 70% now non-work related. (Financial Times, OpenAI)

🎧 Video podcast viewing has tripled year-on-year on Spotify, driven by Gen Z audiences. (Spotify)

⚽ Women’s football viewership has grown 35% globally since 2023, led by the WSL and NWSL. (FIFA, 2025)

🎮 52% of U.S. gamers are women, and 22% are aged 65+. (Entertainment Software Association)

👟 Adidas Originals collaborations rose 28% YoY, fuelled by nostalgia-driven drops like Samba and Superstar. (Adidas Annual Report, 2024)

🍕 Domino’s hit $19.4B in global retail sales, with 85% of U.S. orders placed digitally. (Domino’s FY2025)

🎥 Music documentaries boosted streaming of featured catalogues by 50% within two weeks of release. (MIDiA Research, 2025)

🪧 10 million people joined the global No Kings march for democracy across 2,500 U.S. cities and 20+ countries. (Organisers’ Estimates, 2025)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

FIFA Brings Women’s Champions Cup to London, Spotify Adds ChatGPT Discovery & TikTok Gets a U.S. Reset: On The Record 13th October 2025

🔥 London’s Turn: Women’s Champions Cup Brings Global Spotlight to the Capital

📌 FIFA has announced that the inaugural Women’s Champions Cup will take place in London from 28 January to 1 February 2026 - a landmark moment underscoring how far women’s football has risen in global stature and commercial weight. The tournament will bring together continental champions from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas in a Club World Cup-style format, with Arsenal representing Europe as reigning Women’s Champions League winners.

For London, it’s a symbolic statement that women’s sport now commands prime calendar space in world football. For brands and broadcasters, it’s an opportunity to align with one of the fastest-growing sports ecosystems in the world - driven by surging fan attendance, commercial partnerships, and cross-continental media visibility.

Yet fixture congestion remains a concern, with the Women’s African Cup of Nations overlapping domestic schedules. Still, the event’s arrival in a major global market like London cements women’s football as a year-round cultural and commercial force.

50,000+ fans attended the 2025 Women’s Champions League final at San Mamés - a new benchmark for continental attendance (UEFA).
The global women’s football market is projected to reach $1.3B by 2030, up from $660M in 2023 (FIFA Benchmarking Report).
England’s Women’s Super League attendance rose +34% YoY, with Arsenal averaging 25,000+ fans per match (FA, 2025).

💡A global women’s Club World Cup is a signal that women’s football has entered its commercial prime. ⚽

💚 From Ultras to Abuelos: Real Betis Turns Loyalty Into Legacy

📌 In an era when football clubs chase Gen Z engagement and TikTok reach, Real Betis looked the other way - toward its roots. During their La Liga clash with Osasuna on 28 September, the Andalusian side invited their 11 oldest club members to serve as team mascots. The gesture turned a routine fixture into a powerful display of emotional branding, bridging generations and reinforcing Betis’ identity as a “people’s club.” In a sport dominated by globalisation and commercial scale, Betis chose authenticity and community over spectacle.

60,000+ registered Socios make Betis one of Spain’s most loyal fanbases (Marca, 2025).
Clubs with high “heritage equity” show 20–25% higher season ticket retention (Deloitte Football Money League 2025).
Betis’ mascot post drew 1.2M+ engagements in 48 hours, outperforming match highlights (Blinkfire Analytics).

💡 In an era of algorithmic fandom, heritage is becoming football’s most undervalued currency. 💚

🔥 Spotify x ChatGPT: When Algorithms Start Acting Like Your Coolest Friend

📌 Spotify has teamed up with OpenAI’s ChatGPT to transform how users discover music and podcasts. The new conversational feature lets users ask for playlists or recommendations in natural language - for example, “make me a playlist with Latin artists from my heavy rotation” or “podcasts to go deeper into science and innovation.” Rolling out globally from 6 October 2025, it marks Spotify’s most ambitious AI integration yet.

Strategically, the move reframes AI as a taste enhancer rather than a threat - a bridge between data-driven personalisation and human-like curation. But it also raises questions about authenticity and cultural discovery if the experience feels too corporate or overly curated.

Spotify surpassed 615 million monthly active users in Q2 2025 (Statista).
81% of Gen Z listeners use recommendations to discover new music, but 58% say algorithmic playlists “miss their vibe” (Wasserman Collective, 2025).
AI music interactions are projected to grow 40% year-on-year through 2026 (MIDiA Research).

💡 AI’s next frontier isn’t creation - it’s conversation. The future of streaming lies in context, not content. 🎧

🔥 Ireland’s Basic Income for Artists: A World-First Blueprint for Cultural Sustainability

📌 Ireland has announced that its pioneering Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme will become a permanent national programme from 2026, supporting up to 2,200 artists and creative workers with €325 a week. First piloted in 2022, the initiative was designed to address chronic financial precarity in the arts - a sector long celebrated culturally but under-supported economically.

By embedding creative work into the country’s welfare and productivity framework, Ireland positions itself as a global leader in cultural policy. The move reframes creative labour as essential, not expendable - a recognition that cultural workers contribute to national well-being and identity in tangible economic and social terms.

Early results from the pilot phase show significant reductions in financial stress and increased creative output among participants. However, questions remain over sustainability: can the €325 weekly rate keep pace with inflation, and how will eligibility be managed in such a fluid sector? Still, Ireland’s decision marks a bold reimagining of how nations value creative work.

2,000 artists took part in the 2022-2025 pilot phase.
Participants reported major reductions in financial stress and higher creative productivity.
Ireland has seen an 84% decline in nightclubs since 2000, with just 83 venues remaining (Give Us The Night, 2025).

💡 Ireland’s move reframes creativity as infrastructure, not indulgence – setting a new global benchmark for cultural sustainability. 🎭

🔥 North London Industrialism: Arsenal x A-COLD-WALL*

📌 Arsenal’s latest collaboration with A-COLD-WALL* isn’t just merch - it’s a signal. The 27-piece capsule, released in October 2025, brings together two London powerhouses: the Premier League club with deep heritage, and Samuel Ross’ design label known for architectural minimalism and social commentary. Following their 2024 link-up with Aries, Arsenal are now defining what football–fashion partnerships can look like - culturally literate, design-led, and true to both worlds.

The football–fashion economy has exploded, with the global sportswear market projected to hit $358B by 2030 (Statista, 2025).
“Club-branded lifestyle drops” are seeing double-digit growth across Gen Z consumers...
...while 68% of fans aged 18-29 say they’re more likely to buy apparel from their club when it’s part of a fashion collaboration rather than a traditional kit release (WARC).

This drop cements Arsenal’s evolution from football club to lifestyle brand. It blends sport, design, and identity with local authenticity - referencing Avenell Road and fronted by both men’s and women’s players. It’s not clout-chasing, it’s cultural authorship. By partnering with Samuel Ross, a designer rooted in working-class Britain yet globally influential, Arsenal show how football and fashion can merge without losing integrity.

💡 Football clubs are no longer selling identity - they’re curating it through design. ⚽

🔥 The Match That Forgot Its Names: England x Alzheimer’s Society

📌 In a moving collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Society International, England’s men’s team played the second half of their Wembley friendly against Belgium with their names removed from their shirts - a powerful live metaphor for memory loss. The campaign, part of the FA’s purpose-led strategy, reframed football’s emotional power as a tool for empathy and awareness around dementia. It traded branding for symbolism, allowing silence to speak volumes.

Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, yet one in three people living with it in England and Wales remain undiagnosed (Alzheimer’s Society, 2025). The initiative also launched a national “checklist” to help fans recognise early signs and encourage diagnosis.

1 in 3 people with dementia in England and Wales are undiagnosed.
Memory loss remains the most recognised symptom, but stigma prevents early intervention.
The campaign’s creative concept - “The Nameless Shirts” - aims to turn matchday visibility into a human moment of recognition.

💡 When purpose is lived, not labelled, it connects. The FA’s “nameless shirts” prove that silence can sometimes be the loudest message in sport. ⚽

🔥 TikTok Sold: What It Means for Brands, Creators & Scrollers

📌 Under mounting U.S. regulatory pressure, ByteDance has agreed to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new, partially independent company backed by Oracle, Silver Lake and domestic investors. The $14 billion deal keeps the app live but shifts control and accountability onto U.S. soil. ByteDance retains under 20% ownership and licenses its algorithm, meaning the experience for users remains largely unchanged - for now.

For creators, this marks a “platform reset moment”: monetisation frameworks and compliance rules will tighten, while algorithmic behaviour may subtly evolve. For brands, the sale removes existential risk but underlines the fragility of over-reliance on single platforms. With U.S. oversight, TikTok’s tone may grow safer and more compliant, potentially diluting the chaotic cultural edge that made it magnetic in the first place.

Strategically, this is stability over subversion - reassurance for advertisers, but a test of authenticity for the culture that built the app’s power.

💡 Algorithmic governance is now cultural governance - and brands that understand that power shift will win. ⚖️

🔥 Velour Revival: NIVEA x Juicy Couture Brings Back the Y2K Touch

📌 NIVEA is tapping into Y2K nostalgia to reintroduce its Essentially Enriched Body Lotion through the #SkinLikeVelour campaign - a limited-edition collaboration with Juicy Couture that merges touchable skin with tactile fashion. The campaign features influencers like Gabby Windey and Delaney Rowe, blending sensorial marketing with nostalgic glamour. It’s a smart revival that connects skincare performance to emotional texture, appealing to a generation obsessed with the aesthetics of “feel.”

The U.S. body care market was valued at $15.3 billion in 2024 (Statista), while “nostalgia beauty” grew 37% year-on-year (WGSN).
Searches for Juicy Couture spiked 70% on resale platforms since 2023 (Depop), showing how cultural memory and material cues are driving brand reappraisal.

💡Nostalgia is the new luxury - brands that connect sensory experience with cultural memory win both hearts and feeds. ✨

🎮 Netflix Levels Up: Streaming Meets Gaming

📌 Netflix is officially expanding beyond streaming, making its video games playable on TVs for the first time. Subscribers can now access family-friendly titles like Lego Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Boggle Party - using their phones as controllers via QR code. The shift transforms Netflix into a shared-screen gaming space, merging viewing and play in the same living room. With Americans spending over US$59 billion on video games in 2024 (Statista), Netflix’s move targets a niche largely untouched by streaming rivals. Backed by former Epic Games exec Alain Tascan, its focus spans four areas: kids’ games, party titles, major IPs like Grand Theft Auto, and adaptations from Netflix originals such as Stranger Things and Squid Game. This push redefines Netflix’s role from passive entertainment platform to interactive social hub.

US$59 billion: U.S. gaming market value in 2024 (Statista)
Netflix’s gaming unit now led by Alain Tascan, former Epic Games exec
Games currently free to all Netflix subscribers

💡 🎮 Netflix is evolving from “watch together” to “play together” - turning streaming time into screen time with purpose.

🔥 CeraVe x NBA: When Skincare Enters the Big Leagues

📌 CeraVe just made NBA history - becoming the league’s first-ever official skincare and haircare partner. The deal takes the brand far beyond pharmacy aisles, placing it courtside at marquee events like NBA All-Star, the Emirates NBA Cup, and NBA Summer League. It’s more than logo placement: CeraVe’s collaboration with 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis (“Head of CeraVe”) extends into NBA 2K26, retail activations, and a new youth programme, Care For All, bringing skincare education to Jr. NBA clinics across the U.S.

The U.S. skincare market is projected to hit $33.2 billion by 2028 (Statista, 2025). 47% of Gen Z men now use facial skincare regularly (NPD Group, 2024). The NBA’s digital platforms reach over 2.1 billion fans globally (NBA, 2025). CeraVe is positioning skincare as performance culture, merging health, sport, and style - a modern and inclusive take on self-care for athletes and fans alike.

💡 Skincare is entering the performance era – brands that treat self-care as part of athletic culture are redefining what “fit” looks like. 🏀

🔥 Swift’s One-Weekend Power Play: Album-Drop Film as Box Office Weapon

📌 Taylor Swift turned an album release into a theatrical event - and a market lesson. Announced just two weeks out, Taylor Swift | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl opened at $34m domestic ($50m+ global) across 3,700+ screens before vacating premium formats for Tron: Ares the following week. By contrast, Dwayne Johnson’s prestige drama The Smashing Machine opened to just $5.9m despite months of UFC tie-ins and festival acclaim. Swift’s move redefined the intersection of fan culture, scarcity, and theatrical marketing.

It’s a clean A/B test in cultural capital and conversion. Swift’s play: speed, scarcity, and control. No paid media blitz, no extended run – just three days of event pricing and participatory fandom that delivered both box office and album hype. The result reframes exhibition as a programmable cultural platform, where owned audiences and event behaviour can outperform traditional release cycles.

📊 Supporting Stats

$34m domestic / $50m+ global weekend; A+ CinemaScore; AMC-led distribution.
2.7m U.S. first-day album sales (Luminate/Billboard/AP) – one of the highest single-day totals in modern history.
Deadline calls it a “box office anomaly”, with unmatched social reach vs. concert-film norms (RelishMix).

💡 Swift compressed the entertainment funnel into 72 hours – proving that if you own the audience, you can monetise the moment. ⚡

Embed Block

Add an embed URL or code. Learn more

🎙️ Things Get Weird in Blackpool | Coining It

📌 In this debut episode, journalist James Parker uncovers an unbelievable true story from Blackpool - a struggling seaside town where one man discovers a glitch in a Bitcoin trading platform that could make him rich overnight. What unfolds is a sharp, cinematic exploration of greed, friendship, and desperation in an age of digital get-rich-quick schemes.

✅ Worth Your Time Because:

It’s a gripping real-world parable about modern hustle culture and the illusion of instant wealth
Captures how hope, risk, and tech-fueled luck shape cultural narratives in post-industrial Britain - and how storytelling rooted in real human stakes cuts through digital noise.
Offers brand strategists a lesson in authentic, place-based storytelling - showing how local realities and cultural tension points can drive global resonance.

💡 Shout out to the brilliant Denize Belingy for surfacing this gem - it’s a masterclass in tone, pacing, and cultural commentary that blurs the line between true crime and social insight.

🎬 BFI London Film Festival – 8–19 Oct – Across London, London Final week of the UK’s premier film showcase, spotlighting global premieres and immersive works.

🎨 Frieze London – 15–19 Oct – Regent’s Park, London Flagship contemporary art fair attracting global collectors, curators, and creative industry eyes.

🏛️ Do Ho Suh: Walk the House – until 19 Oct – Tate Modern, London Immersive textile installation exploring home, memory, and belonging.

🖼️ Theatre Picasso – ongoing – Tate Modern, London Transforms Picasso’s work into an experimental performance-space experience.

🕺 Blitz: The Club That Shaped the 80s – ongoing – Design Museum, London Explores the New Romantic club scene that redefined London’s music and fashion identity.

🎭 Mary Page Marlowe starring Susan Sarandon – ongoing – The Old Vic, London Star-driven drama exploring fractured identity and modern womanhood.

🎤 Katy Perry – The Lifetimes Tour – 13 & 14 Oct – The O2 Arena, London Pop powerhouse brings a high-production, nostalgia-rich live show to the capital.

🎷 kwn (Live) – 13 Oct – Jazz Café, Camden, London Rising jazz-fusion artist known for soulful improvisation and intimate stage energy.

🎵 Abel Selaocoe Live – 13 Oct – KOKO, Camden, London Virtuoso cellist uniting African rhythm and classical power in a genre-defying performance.

🍸 London Cocktail Week – 10–20 Oct – Citywide venues, London Bars, mixologists, and spirits brands collaborate across the capital in the world’s largest cocktail festival.

🏃 Royal Parks Half Marathon – 13 Oct – Hyde Park & Westminster route, London Thousands take part in the city’s signature autumn charity run.

🏈 NFL London: Rams vs Jaguars – 19 Oct – Wembley Stadium, London American football spectacle bringing stateside energy and brand buzz to London.

🍴 London Restaurant Festival (Autumn Edition) – all month – Various venues, London Citywide culinary collaborations and tasting menus celebrating London’s dining scene.

🖤 Black History Month London – all month – Multiple venues, London Talks, screenings, and exhibitions spotlighting Black British culture and creativity.

🍺 Oktoberfest London – throughout October – Beer halls & pop-ups across London, London Seasonal celebration blending Bavarian tradition and London nightlife.

🧠 Royal Institution Lectures – 13, 15 & 20 Oct – The Royal Institution, Mayfair, London Public talks fusing science, storytelling, and innovation.

🎸 Grizzly Bear Residency – from 13 Oct – Brooklyn Steel, New York Indie rock veterans return with a residency launching their first U.S. tour in years.

🎤 Gold Star (Live) – 13 Oct – Bowery Ballroom, New York Alt-electronic act brings intimate, atmospheric performance to the Lower East Side.

🎸 Pete Yorn (Live) – 13 Oct – Le Poisson Rouge, Greenwich Village, New York Singer-songwriter blends melodic nostalgia with cinematic storytelling.

🎭 Turandot (Puccini) – 13 Oct – The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, New York Lavish opera staging merging rich visuals and classic performance.

🖼️ Jeffrey Gibson: The Animal That Therefore I Am – ongoing – The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Vivid multimedia works exploring identity, language, and Indigenous expression.

🖼️ Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers – ongoing – Guggenheim Museum, New York Emotive large-scale installations examining race, resilience, and structure.

🖼️ Claes Oldenburg: Drawn From Life – ongoing – Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Playful retrospective highlighting process, sketch, and sculptural imagination.

🎨 David Byrne: Ideas in Motion – ongoing – Pace Gallery, Chelsea, New York Cross-disciplinary work blending art, sound, and text from the Talking Heads visionary.

🌍 England vs Wales (International Friendly) – 9 Oct – Wembley Stadium, London High-profile friendly under the Wembley lights during the international break.

🌍 Latvia vs England (World Cup Qualifier) – 14 Oct – Daugavas Stadium, Riga, Latvia European qualifier continuing England’s 2026 World Cup campaign.

⚽ Portugal vs Ireland (World Cup Qualifier) – 11 Oct – Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal Key Group A fixture between two European rivals.

⚽ Wales vs Belgium (World Cup Qualifier) – 13 Oct – Cardiff City Stadium, Wales Crucial European qualifying clash with strong UK interest.

Global Citizen Festival 2025: 4.3 Million Actions for People and Planet

Turning a Concert into a Catalyst

What began as a grassroots movement in 2008 to end extreme poverty has evolved into one of the most powerful coalitions for global action. Now in its 13th year, the Global Citizen Festival once again transformed New York’s Central Park into a rallying point for both policy and pop culture. Sixty thousand people filled the Great Lawn, with millions tuning in worldwide - proving that civic action, amplified through culture, still moves the needle.

This year’s campaign mobilised a record-breaking 4.3 million citizen actions, supporting three core goals:

Protecting the Amazon rainforest, with $280 million raised to safeguard 25 million hectares and a $60 million recommitment from Norway to the Amazon Fund.
Expanding renewable energy access, with pledges from the European Commission, Globeleq, Energea, and Pele Energy Group to power 4.6 million homes across Africa by 2030.
Advancing education and nutrition, including $140 million mobilised for children’s education and over $30 million for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.

Global Stage, Local Impact

Hosted by Hugh Jackman and featuring performances by Shakira, Cardi B, Tyla, Ayra Starr, and Mariah the Scientist, the festival united artists, advocates, and heads of state in one purpose: tangible impact. It coincided with the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC, creating a direct bridge between cultural energy and political accountability.

Across 13 years, more than $49 billion in commitments have been deployed through Global Citizen platforms, improving the lives of 1.3 billion people worldwide. The 2025 edition also spotlighted sustainability at its core: the event was carbon-neutral, powered by Coldplay’s SmartGrid battery system, with zero-waste food and on-site reforestation initiatives.

Next on the Horizon

The work continues. Next month’s Global Citizen Festival: Amazônia will extend the movement’s reach to Latin America, aiming to hit a $1 billion goal to protect the rainforest, while November’s Global Citizen NOW: Johannesburg at the G20 Summit will press for new energy and finance commitments for Africa’s clean transition.

Why It Matters

Global Citizen’s model proves that advocacy can be scalable, measurable, and inspiring. By converting audiences into action-takers, it bridges the gap between awareness and accountability.

Global Citizen 2025 isn’t just a festival. It’s a framework - showing how music, technology, and activism can converge to build the blueprint for global change.

🔥 Taylor Swift’s one-weekend film-event delivered $34m domestic and $50m+ global with an A+ CinemaScore, released via AMC Theatres Distribution. (AMC)

🎧 Spotify ended Q2 2025 at 696m MAUs and 276m subscribers, underscoring the scale behind its new ChatGPT-powered discovery features. (Spotify newsroom)

🟣 ByteDance’s deal keeps TikTok live in the U.S. with ByteDance holding <20% of the new entity and U.S.-majority board control. (Reuters)

🏀 The 2025 NBA Finals generated 5 billion social video views globally, highlighting the audience CeraVe taps as the league’s first skincare partner. (AP; PR Newswire)

🎮 Netflix is rolling out party games on TVs where your phone pairs via QR as the controller, starting with LEGO Party!, Pictionary: Game Night, Boggle Party, Tetris Time Warp. (Netflix; The Verge)

⚽ The inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup final phase lands in London, 28 Jan–1 Feb 2026, bringing six continental champions to the capital. (FIFA; ESPN)

Subscribe on LinkedIn

🎬 Swift’s One-Weekend Power Play: Album-Drop Film as Box Office Weapon

Taylor Swift turned an album release into a theatrical event - and a market lesson. Announced barely a fortnight out, Taylor Swift | The Official Release Party of a Showgirl opened at $34m domestic (over $50m global) across 3,700+ screens, then vacated premium formats for Tron: Ares the very next week. Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s prestige pivot The Smashing Machine landed a $5.9m opening - a career low - despite Venice buzz and months of UFC-adjacent marketing. For brand folks, this is a clean A/B test in speed, scarcity and fan conversion.

📊 Supporting stats

$34m domestic / $50m+ global for Swift’s one-weekend-only run; A+ CinemaScore and AMC-led distribution. Tickets priced from $12, PLFs carried surcharges.
2.7m U.S. first-day album sales (The Life of a Showgirl) per Luminate/Billboard/AP - among the highest single-day tallies in the modern era.
Deadline frames the feat as a “box office anomaly” and highlights outsized social reach vs. concert-film norms (RelishMix).

🧠 Decision: Did it work?

Yes - strategically sharp for Swift; risky but purposeful for Johnson.

Swift/AMC: This was precision-engineered scarcity. Minimal P&A, owned-channel comms, a three-day window, and PLF capture created a “now or miss it” behaviour loop that converted fandom into theatrical revenue without cannibalising the album story. The “album-drop film” format becomes an upper-funnel cultural moment and mid-funnel conversion tool at once. AMC gets incremental, event-priced footfall and proves exhibition can host music IP at scale.

📌 Key takeouts

What happened: Swift surprise-dropped a feature-length album launch in cinemas, timed to release week; dominated PLFs for a single weekend; exited swiftly to free capacity for studio tentpoles. Johnson opened a serious drama into the same corridor and under-indexed.
What worked (Swift):
- Speed + scarcity drove urgency (two-week runway, one-weekend play).
- Owned media > paid media: social reach and Swift’s direct line to fans replaced trailers and traditional in-theatre P&A.
- Format fit: Lyric videos/BTS + communal watch = celebratory participation, not passive viewing.
What didn’t (risk): Front-loading limits legs; the model depends on hyper-engaged fandom and PLF displacement power that few artists can match.
What signalled shift: Exhibition is now a programmable pop-culture platform, not only for films; album-film hybrids can outperform mid-tier theatrical releases for one weekend.
Brand takeaway: If you own a fanatic community, you can compress the funnel: tease → drop → monetise → exit, all in 72 hours. If you don’t, borrow scale (platform partnerships) or right-size ambition (longer runway, clearer audience-fit).

🔮 What we can expect next

Copycats - selectively. Top-tier artists (Beyoncé-level, maybe Olivia Rodrigo/Bad Bunny) will trial tight-window theatrical activations around album cycles. Mid-tier acts may struggle without Swift-level conversion or AMC-style muscle. Expect concert distributors and exhibitors to pitch turnkey “album weekend” packages.
Platform turf wars. PLFs are finite. Studios will push back when music events claim premium screens on tentpole corridors; expect blackout windows or revenue-share tweaks.
Data-led fan pricing. Fixed $12 base proved accessible; variable pricing, merch bundles, and vinyl-ticket tie-ins are next.

Bottom line: Swift monetised the release weekend itself, using cinema as a fan engine. It’s a playbook for brands with scale and direct reach: compress time, control context, and sell the moment. For everyone else, the lesson is to match the format to the audience you actually have, not the one you wish you had.

🏀 CeraVe x NBA: When Skincare Enters the Big Leagues

CeraVe just made NBA history - becoming the league’s first-ever official skincare and haircare partner. The deal takes the brand far beyond pharmacy aisles, placing it courtside at marquee events like NBA All-Star, the Emirates NBA Cup, and NBA Summer League.

It’s not just logo placement. The partnership builds on CeraVe’s ongoing collaboration with 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis (“Head of CeraVe”) and extends into NBA 2K26, retail integrations, and a new youth-focused initiative, Care For All, that brings skincare education to Jr. NBA clinics across the U.S.

In short: this isn’t a sponsorship — it’s a full-court brand play.

📊 Supporting Stats

The U.S. skincare market is projected to hit $33.2 billion by 2028 (Statista, 2025).
47% of Gen Z men now use facial skincare products regularly (NPD Group, 2024).
The NBA’s digital platforms reach over 2.1 billion fans globally - a scale unmatched by most sports leagues (NBA, 2025).

That overlap - wellness-aware youth and digitally native basketball culture - is exactly where CeraVe wants to play.

🧠 Does It Work?

Yes - strategically, this is a slam dunk.

CeraVe’s move positions skincare as part of performance culture, not vanity. Partnering with the NBA reframes moisturiser as self-care for athletes and fans alike - merging health, sport, and style in a way that feels both modern and inclusive.

The integration into NBA 2K26 is particularly sharp - tapping the gaming audience where brand loyalty is built early and visually. And “Care For All” anchors the campaign in real-world purpose, extending credibility beyond marketing spin.

The risk? Relevance creep. Skincare and basketball don’t share natural equity. If the activations lean too corporate or over-polished, the connection could feel contrived. Authenticity will depend on player involvement and community engagement - not just banner ads and product displays.

📌 Key Takeouts

What happened: CeraVe becomes the NBA’s first official skincare and haircare partner, launching cross-channel activations and educational youth programmes.
What worked: Smart alignment with wellness and performance; integration across content, gaming, and real-world touchpoints.
What’s risky: Maintaining authenticity in a space traditionally dominated by sneaker, drink, and apparel brands.
Why it matters: Reflects the broader cultural convergence of self-care and sport - especially among Gen Z male consumers.
Brand takeaway: Health is now part of the lifestyle economy - and performance brands are broadening to include skincare, sleep, and mental wellness.

🔮 What We Can Expect Next

Expect more beauty and personal care brands to move into performance culture - where wellness, sport, and identity merge. If CeraVe can translate credibility on the court to credibility in culture, it could open a new category of partnerships built on care as performance.

Nike might own sweat. CeraVe wants to own recovery.

🎮 Netflix Levels Up: Streaming Meets Gaming

Netflix is officially expanding beyond streaming, making its video games playable on TVs for the first time. The rollout includes social, group-friendly titles like Lego Party, Pictionary: Game Night, Tetris Time Warp, and Boggle Party, all available for free to subscribers. Players use their phones as controllers via a QR code, bringing casual multiplayer play into the same living room space where people already binge Netflix shows.

The move marks a shift from Netflix’s earlier, underwhelming mobile gaming attempts. With Americans spending over US$59 billion on video games in 2024 (Statista), Netflix is betting on TV-based, family and party gaming - a niche still largely untapped by streaming rivals. Backed by former Epic Games exec Alain Tascan, the company is focusing on four categories: kids’ games, party titles, major IPs like Grand Theft Auto, and games based on its own franchises (Stranger Things, Squid Game).

🧠 Does It Work?
Strategically, yes - this plays to Netflix’s strength as a shared-screen entertainment hub. By targeting social play, it sidesteps the hyper-competitive mobile and hardcore gaming markets. However, adoption will hinge on ease of use, game quality, and whether players see Netflix as a credible gaming brand - not just a content library experimenting on the side.

📌 Key Takeouts:

Netflix now offers free party games directly on TVs, not just mobile.
Phones act as controllers, aiming for accessible, social play.
The focus: kids, casual, and franchise-linked gaming.
Strength: extends Netflix’s ecosystem into interactive entertainment.

🔮 What’s Next:
Expect Netflix to test more IP-driven titles and experiment with cloud gaming as infrastructure scales. If the experience feels seamless and communal, Netflix could become the “digital living room” for both watching and playing - a model that bridges passive and interactive entertainment in a way few rivals can currently match.

🔥 Velour Revival: NIVEA x Juicy Couture Brings Back the Y2K Touch

NIVEA is dipping into nostalgia to re-launch its Essentially Enriched Body Lotion - and it’s doing so in style. The #SkinLikeVelour campaign sees the skincare giant team up with Y2K icon Juicy Couture for a limited-edition collection that merges touchable skin with tactile fashion. With social stars like Gabby Windey and Delaney Rowe driving the narrative on TikTok and Instagram, NIVEA’s move is a strategic blend of sensorial marketing, influencer fluency, and cultural throwback.

📊 Supporting Stats:
The body care market continues to grow, valued at $15.3 billion in the U.S. in 2024 (Statista), with Gen Z and Millennial consumers driving demand for “nostalgia beauty” products - up 37% year-on-year according to WGSN. Meanwhile, Juicy Couture’s revival has seen a 70% spike in resale searches since 2023 (Depop). NIVEA’s ability to connect skincare to a tactile, fashion-led sensibility taps straight into that cross-generational nostalgia economy.

🧠 Does It Work?
Yes - commercially and culturally. NIVEA’s partnership with Juicy Couture is a clever synthesis of sensorial storytelling and brand heritage. The visual metaphor (“skin like velour”) is both literal and emotionally evocative, grounding the product’s reformulation in cultural context rather than functional claims. By pairing a mass skincare brand with a fashion relic turned retro-chic symbol, NIVEA positions itself as both classic and current - a rare balance in the beauty space.

📌 Key Takeouts:

What happened: NIVEA relaunched its Essentially Enriched Body Lotion with a #SkinLikeVelour campaign and Juicy Couture collab.
What worked: The tactile metaphor connects product experience to cultural nostalgia - velour as texture and emotion.
What didn’t: Limited sweepstake access may reduce reach; the partnership risks feeling novelty-driven beyond short-term engagement.
Brand signal: Sensory storytelling is back - and beauty brands are embracing fashion-led nostalgia to cut through algorithmic sameness.
Strategic lesson: Aligning a reformulation with a cultural material cue (velour) adds story, status and shareability to an otherwise routine relaunch.

🔮 What We Can Expect Next:
Expect more skincare brands to borrow from fashion archives - not just for aesthetics, but for sensory metaphors that ground efficacy in cultural meaning. Y2K nostalgia still has runway left, but the next evolution will favour emotional texture over literal callbacks. NIVEA’s velour moment works because it feels soft, not forced - something the next wave of collabs would do well to remember.