🦾 Sun Valley 2025: AI Hype, Media Moves & Billionaire Flexing in the Mountains

Each July, the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference turns a sleepy Idaho resort into the epicentre of global business gossip. This year, 2025 was no different - except maybe louder, richer, and more AI-obsessed. From speculative media mergers to tech titans swapping notes on artificial intelligence and stealth-wealth dress codes, Sun Valley once again delivered a potent mix of influence, strategy and spectacle.

Here’s a brand-marketer-friendly breakdown of what mattered most.

📊 Supporting Stats & Context

• AI industry spending is expected to surpass $400 billion by 2027, with enterprise adoption increasing 2x year-over-year (source: IDC, 2025).

• Traditional cable viewership in the US fell below 40 million households this year - a drop of 20% since 2020 (source: Nielsen, Q2 2025).

• According to WARC’s Global Marketing Trends 2025, 63% of CMOs are exploring partnerships or acquisitions to future-proof content and data strategies.

✅ Pros - The Good Stuff at Sun Valley

1. AI Was the Centre of Gravity
Described as the "1,000-pound gorilla" by Flowcode CEO Tim Armstrong, AI dominated every conversation. Executives from OpenAI, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta shared insights on enterprise use cases, safety governance, and proprietary models - hinting at possible cross-sector collaborations in finance, entertainment, and retail.

2. Potential Big Media Shifts
Skydance CEO David Ellison reportedly explored acquiring The Free Press, possibly installing co-founder Bari Weiss in a senior editorial role at CBS News. This would merge creator-led media with legacy distribution—a sign that alternative voices are being folded into institutional power structures.

3. Strategic Retreats from Legacy Media
Disney’s announcement of plans to sell its stake in A&E Global Media aligns with an industry-wide effort to cut losses and lean into scalable, digital-first portfolios.

❌ Cons - What’s Less Promising

1. No Major Deals Finalised (Yet)
Despite high-level talks, no headline-making acquisitions were sealed during the event. For all its glitz, Sun Valley continues to be more of a rumour mill than a signing table.

2. Optics of Excess
With billionaires showcasing £400 retro-futuristic sunglasses and Western cosplay, the contrast between this elite enclave and the wider economic climate was stark. This may further fuel public perception issues around tech and wealth inequality.

🚀 Opportunities - What Brands Should Watch

1. AI Partnerships Are on the Table
Marketers should take note: top CEOs weren’t just talking about AI, they were exploring how to operationalise it. Whether it's content automation, predictive analytics, or customer personalisation, brands should be actively vetting AI collaborators.

2. Indie Media’s Institutional Rise
If Skydance does acquire The Free Press, it would mark another moment where independent media platforms are legitimised by traditional powerhouses. For brand marketers, this suggests fresh partnership potential with high-reach, low-legacy publishers.

3. Rethinking Legacy Media Strategy
As Disney and others divest, the opportunity grows for challenger brands and media startups to acquire underleveraged IP or airtime, especially as older players cut back on cable investments.

⚠️ Challenges - What Might Hold Brands Back

1. AI Uncertainty
While enthusiasm is high, consensus on regulation, ethics, and implementation remains fractured. Brand leaders may struggle to pick the right AI tools or partners in the current fog.

2. Lack of Transparency
With no confirmed deals and off-the-record chats, it’s hard to glean clear signals from Sun Valley. The opacity makes it difficult to benchmark competitor strategies.

3. Cultural Disconnects
Billionaire fashion choices may seem trivial, but they symbolise a deeper issue: the gap between corporate leadership and consumer realities. Brands should be cautious not to follow aesthetic signals that alienate broader audiences.

🧠 Key Takeouts

• AI remains the dominant theme across sectors, with early-stage B2B opportunities surfacing.

• Media consolidation continues - especially around non-traditional editorial voices.

• Legacy media assets are in retreat, signalling white-space for emerging players.

• Sun Valley’s cultural signals reflect wealth-world norms that can jar with mass-market sentiment.

• There’s energy around innovation, but little immediate deal flow.

🧭 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Audit AI Capabilities: Map current vs. desired AI tools in your marketing stack. Start with low-risk pilots.

• Track Creator-Led Media: Explore partnerships with new voices that have cultural capital and potential for scale.

• Monitor Divestments: Identify media properties being shed by legacy firms—there may be undervalued assets to leverage.

• Watch for Strategic Shifts: Follow key players like Ellison, Weiss, and Altman to spot directional shifts in tech, media, and influence.

• Avoid the Cosplay Trap: Be wary of replicating elite aesthetic codes that may alienate your core customer base.

💸 Coming of Age in a Cost of Living Crisis: Why Brands Must Rethink Youth Milestones

For generations, brand marketers have mapped their campaigns around predictable life stages: graduation, first job, engagement, marriage, first home, parenthood. But those assumptions no longer hold. Today’s under-40s are reordering, delaying or outright skipping major life milestones - not because values have shifted, but because affordability has collapsed.

According to a recent Financial Times report, over half of 18- to 34-year-olds in the UK have either delayed or reconsidered major life events due to financial pressure. Weddings, house moves, even divorce proceedings are being postponed, while others are deferring higher education or parenthood altogether in a bid to stay financially afloat (FT, 2025)

Source: https://www.ft.com/content/7879fd4d-8f9d-4ee0-afc6-a86bc030f24d

This financial reshaping of early adulthood has profound implications for how brands understand and engage with younger audiences.

What’s Working: Adaptability and Financial Literacy on the Rise

Despite the squeeze, younger consumers are adapting fast. More than half of young adults are actively reviewing their spending and looking for smarter financial solutions, including switching savings accounts, claiming childcare support, and using budgeting tools. As Alexandra Loydon of St James’s Place points out, this shows a “proactive” approach to financial planning that didn’t exist to the same extent in previous generations.

Brands in fintech, education, and wellness sectors are already responding, with increased focus on budgeting tools, flexible payment options, and mental health support for financial stress.

What’s At Risk: Traditional Life-Cycle Marketing

Brand narratives built around traditional milestones are rapidly losing cultural and commercial relevance. Wedding-centric ad campaigns, home-buying promotions, or "starting a family" product bundles now risk alienating or excluding a large swathe of the under-40s. The assumption that adulthood progresses in a linear, milestone-driven fashion is increasingly out of touch.

With nearly 10% delaying weddings and 8% reconsidering having children, the very foundations of many long-term brand strategies are being eroded (FT, 2025).

Opportunities: New Milestones, New Messaging

Marketers have the chance to reshape milestone marketing around moments of agency, not fixed timelines. This includes:

• First time achieving debt freedom

• Moving out of shared housing

• Reaching personal savings goals

• Starting a side hustle or portfolio career

• Taking mental health breaks or sabbaticals

Brands that champion autonomy and flexible success metrics will resonate more authentically than those that reinforce outdated life scripts.

There is also room for bold action: product ranges, services, and loyalty schemes that align with this shift - such as fractional home ownership, rent-to-own models, or non-traditional celebrations - can address emerging needs while earning cultural credibility.

Challenges: Inheritance Isn’t a Strategy

One concerning trend from the FT report is a reliance on future inheritance to cover retirement or milestone costs. Nearly a quarter of Gen Z and millennials are not saving for retirement because they expect to receive money or property later in life. But this expectation is highly uncertain, and brands must avoid building messaging around wealth transfer assumptions that may never materialise.

Instead, there is a role for brands to support sustainable financial independence, particularly through education, transparent pricing, and inclusive product design.

Key Takeouts:

• 56% of young UK adults are delaying or reconsidering life milestones due to financial pressure (FT, 2025).

• Traditional milestones like weddings and home purchases are no longer guaranteed markers of adulthood.

• Brands must shift focus from age-based assumptions to behaviour-based insights.

• Financial optimism is growing through budgeting, planning, and alternative paths to success.

• Messaging that relies on milestone rituals may be losing relevance with younger audiences.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers:

• Audit your audience assumptions: Are you still marketing to a life path that no longer exists?

• Embrace modular storytelling: Tailor your campaigns to reflect diverse paths, not fixed timelines.

• Design for financial flexibility: Offer products and services that adapt to inconsistent income, delayed milestones, or non-linear life journeys.

• Rethink rituals: Help audiences celebrate alternative victories - financial stability, community building, or self-care investments.

• Speak to agency, not aspiration: Make your audience feel in control, not behind schedule.

The story isn’t that young people have stopped growing up. It’s that the rules of adulthood have changed - and brand strategies need to change with them.

🎧 Why Gen Z Is Streaming Oasis - and What That Tells Us About Culture in 2025

In July 2025, Oasis returned to the stage after 16 years apart - and reignited far more than just their fanbase.

The numbers were instant and staggering:

• Oasis streams surged by over 400% in the UK and nearly 320% globally over their reunion weekend.

• They gained 16.6 million new listeners this year alone.

• And perhaps most significantly: Gen Z now accounts for over 50% of those new fans.

No new album. No modern marketing campaign. Just a band from the 90s re-entering culture with precision and force. So what’s really going on?

It’s Bigger Than Nostalgia

On the surface, this looks like a textbook nostalgia boom. But dig deeper, and it reveals something more strategic - and more culturally telling.

We’re in an era of infinite choice and limited connection. Music, like much of media, is increasingly hyper-personalised and algorithmically fed. While discovery has never been easier, shared experience has never been harder to find.

A 2024 Ipsos study found that only 1 in 5 Gen Z listeners regularly share new music preferences with their friends, compared to 3 in 5 in 2004. Everyone’s listening to something—but often, no one’s listening together.

That fragmentation has created a cultural vacuum. And legacy music is filling the gap.

The Emotional Pull of Legacy Acts

The rise of Oasis in 2025 is far from an isolated case. According to MRC Data, older songs now account for over 70% of music consumption in markets like the US. Vinyl sales are up 11% year-on-year in the UK. Legacy albums like Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? continue to chart, bolstered by limited-edition pressings, pop-up merch stores, and festival placements.

And far from resisting the past, Gen Z is embracing it.

• A 2023 Deloitte Digital report found that 68% of Gen Z actively seek out music “from before their time.”

• Spotify Culture Next data shows they describe older tracks as “comforting,” “identity-forming,” and “shared.”

This isn’t nostalgia—it’s emotional utility.

Shared Culture Is the True Commodity

What Oasis represent in this moment is more than Britpop. They represent shared cultural memory in a landscape of digital disconnection.

In a streaming era where “niche” dominates, legacy acts offer scale, cohesion and shorthand. They stand for something recognisable, communal, and often familial. Whether it’s singing “Don’t Look Back in Anger” in a stadium or buying the same £30 Lidl x Oasis-inspired parka, people want common cultural ground - and legacy music is delivering it.

It’s why Google embedded Oasis Easter eggs in its search UX. It’s why bucket hat sales spiked 89% in the weeks leading up to their first 2025 gig. And it’s why brands from Adidas to Lidl didn’t just ride the wave - they helped shape it.

What It Means for Brand Marketers

There’s a powerful lesson here for anyone trying to build meaningful connections in a fragmented market:

• Relevance doesn’t always mean newness. It means resonance.

• Legacy can outperform novelty - if it’s reactivated in the right way.

• Cultural equity isn’t about time passed. It’s about emotional shorthand.

For Gen Z, music from the past isn’t old. It’s shared. And in a culture defined by endless choice, shared experience is more valuable than ever.

Key Takeouts

• Oasis gained 16.6M new listeners in 2025, with Gen Z making up over 50%

• 400%+ surge in UK streams shows explosive re-entry

• Nostalgia isn’t passive - it’s a strategic tool for emotional commerce

• Brands that activated around Oasis - like Lidl and Adidas - tapped into cultural cohesion, not just content

• The future of marketing isn’t just innovation. It’s reconnection

🎸 Black Sabbath's Final Bow Was a £140M Power Chord for Charity.

Here’s what happened when metal legends, cultural memory, and real purpose collided in Birmingham:

👇
✅ £140 million raised for three UK charities: Birmingham Children's Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s, and Acorns Children's Hospice.
✅ Thousands packed Villa Park to witness the final Sabbath moment - joined by Metallica, Slayer, and a wave of global fans.
✅ Ozzy Osbourne - seated on a gothic black throne crowned with a bat - delivered a dramatic farewell performance, gold cane in hand.
✅ Musical director Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) said it took over a year of planning - calling it “a labour of love.”

✅ Donations will fund:
- A giant aquarium and new cinema for young patients at Birmingham Children’s.
- Support for children’s palliative care amid rising demand at Acorns.
- Research and patient support at Cure Parkinson’s - a cause close to Ozzy, who revealed his diagnosis in 2020.

This was cultural legacy with purpose.

Even the loudest genres can deliver quiet power when mobilised for good.

Read more via BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-68843728

🗞️ For more cultural deep dives across music, sport, fashion and fandom, subscribe to On The Record: https://lnkd.in/eczFBS_4

🎬 Feast or Famine: The Uneven Boom in UK Film and TV Production

Why the UK’s global production glow is masking a local industry in crisis

The UK is basking in the spotlight of big-budget Hollywood productions, from Avengers: Doomsday to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Yet behind the scenes, much of the domestic industry is in disarray. While the soundstages are humming with activity, thousands of UK-based workers face chronic underemployment. This split-screen reality has created an unstable industry juggling extreme growth at the top and widespread stagnation below.

📊 Supporting Stats

• UK film and high-end TV investment jumped 31% in 2024 to $7 billion (British Film Institute).

• However, the number of total productions dropped by 30% year-on-year - fewer, bigger projects dominate the landscape.

• 68% of UK film and TV workers surveyed by Bectu in early 2024 reported being out of work.

• Over one-third are planning to leave the industry within five years.

• Prestige programming fell by 25% (BFI), driven by streamer pullback and domestic broadcaster cuts.

✅ Pros: What’s Working?

Global Demand for British Infrastructure

• London’s Pinewood Studios and the UK’s state-of-the-art facilities remain irresistible for U.S. productions, drawn by generous tax incentives and experienced crew bases.

Government Incentives

• A new UK tax credit for independent films under $20 million (as of April 2025) is driving cautious optimism and renewed investment in mid-tier British filmmaking.

Upskilling Momentum

• Past shortages triggered rapid skills development, with ScreenSkills and BFI-backed programmes elevating thousands of crew to senior positions during the COVID-era surge.

⚠️ Cons: What’s Not Working?

Freelance Fatigue and Burnout

• The freelance-heavy workforce is exposed to boom-bust cycles with limited job security. A majority of crew are now idle despite the high-profile productions.

Disappearing Mid-Budget Space

• Streamer consolidation and inflated costs have squeezed out lower-budget UK productions. Even acclaimed projects like The Mirror and the Light required major pay cuts to move forward.

Overcapacity, Underemployment

• While production value is up, actual job creation is not. Expensive tentpole projects hire short-term, specialised teams, leaving many traditional crew roles sidelined.

💡 Opportunities: What Brands Should Watch

Homegrown Storytelling Incentives

• The independent film tax credit is a model that could be extended to prestige TV. A local-first funding ecosystem may unlock unique British narratives fit for global export.

Cultural Reinvestment from Streamers

• There are rising calls for a UK streamer levy (akin to models in France and Germany) that could fund domestic storytelling — potentially reshaping local content investment.

Cross-Sector Talent Mobility

• Bridging gaps between unscripted TV, high-end drama, and indie film could help redeploy sidelined talent. Brands involved in production should encourage cross-training and reskilling.

🧱 Challenges: Structural Headwinds

Local Broadcaster Decline

• Budget cuts at the BBC, Channel 4 and others have hit domestic programming hard, with ripple effects on content diversity and crew employment.

Geopolitical Instability

• A potential Trump administration has floated tariffs on foreign film and TV production, which could devastate international work in the UK.

Inflated Production Costs

• The presence of major studios has driven up costs industry-wide, pricing out many smaller UK-led projects and exacerbating inequalities between global and local production.

📝 Key Takeouts

• UK’s film and TV sector is thriving in value but shrinking in volume.

• Major U.S. studio investment props up headline figures but leaves many UK workers behind.

• Domestic content creation is under threat from cost pressures and lack of commissioning.

• Policy levers like targeted tax credits and levies could rebalance the ecosystem.

• Long-term, sustainable growth depends on rethinking workforce structure and creative funding.

🔮 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Support Local IP: Partner with or fund British indie productions to help diversify content pipelines and associate your brand with cultural relevance.

• Advocate for Structural Reform: Lobby for policies that stabilise the creative ecosystem - such as levies on streamers and reinvestment in public broadcasters.

• Back Skills Mobility: Invest in cross-functional talent development within production, especially initiatives that connect brand storytelling with emerging UK creative talent.

• Rethink Production Strategy: Don’t rely solely on high-gloss global projects. Explore partnerships with smaller-scale UK teams who offer fresh perspectives and creative agility.

The UK remains a powerhouse for global production. But without recalibration, the spectacle on screen may come at the cost of local sustainability - and cultural depth.

Read more on Variety here: https://variety.com/2025/film/global/uk-hollywood-boom-bust-local-film-tv-1236429372/

🧹 Cleaning House: YouTube Tightens Rules on AI-Generated ‘Slop’ Content

YouTube’s crackdown on “inauthentic” content marks a strategic shift in the platform’s fight against low-effort, AI-generated media. As of 15 July, the company will update its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) monetisation policies, targeting mass-produced and repetitive content - much of it now made possible by generative AI tools.

For brand marketers, recruiters, and content strategists, this policy update is more than a tweak to platform guidelines. It signals a growing platform-wide push to preserve quality, trust, and authenticity in the age of synthetic content.

📊 Supporting Stats

• AI content is booming: According to Goldman Sachs, generative AI could automate up to 25% of content creation across industries by 2025.

• Low-quality content is on the rise: A 2024 report from 404 Media uncovered that a viral YouTube true crime channel was entirely AI-generated, sparking user backlash and wider platform scrutiny.

• Trust is fragile: Research from Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows that 61% of global consumers say they would lose trust in a platform if it profits from misleading or fake content.

✅ Pros - What’s Working?

• Clarification, not overreach: YouTube insists this is a “minor update” designed to provide clearer examples of inauthentic content. This could help creators better navigate what’s monetisable.

• Spam deterrence: Cracking down on mass-produced AI content helps reduce spam-like experiences for users, which could increase watch time for high-quality content.

• Brand protection: For advertisers, clearer boundaries help ensure their ads don’t appear alongside deepfakes, misinformation, or AI-generated “slop.”

⚠️ Cons - What Are the Limitations?

• Unclear enforcement: The actual policy language hasn’t been released, which creates uncertainty for creators and agencies alike.

• Reaction and remix grey areas: While YouTube says reaction videos and clip commentary are safe, the subjective nature of what counts as “original” could lead to over-moderation.

• Risk of over-correction: Without nuance, some small creators using AI ethically could be penalised alongside bad actors.

🔍 Opportunities - What Should Brands Focus On?

• Authenticity as currency: This policy shift reinforces that audiences (and platforms) value originality. Brands investing in distinctive, human-led content will stand out.

• Human-AI hybrids: AI isn’t banned - but lazy automation is. Brands can explore ethical, creative AI integration (e.g. voice cloning with disclosure, AI-enhanced scripting) that complements rather than replaces human input.

• Content audits: Now is a smart time to evaluate brand channels and partnerships for content integrity and alignment with evolving YPP standards.

🚧 Challenges - What Barriers Persist?

• Platform inconsistency: YouTube’s track record of enforcement is mixed. Scams, deepfakes, and AI spam still surface despite tools for reporting them.

• Speed of AI innovation: AI video creation is advancing faster than moderation systems can adapt. This creates whack-a-mole enforcement challenges.

• Monetisation anxiety: For creators and agencies managing influencer talent, these updates raise fears of sudden demonetisation without clear recourse.

📌 Key Takeouts

• YouTube is updating monetisation rules to combat AI-generated, repetitive, or spammy content.

• The update, while framed as minor, reflects growing concerns about platform quality and user trust.

• Ethical AI use is still allowed, but originality and value-add are critical.

• Brands must reassess content strategies, especially where AI tools are involved.

🎯 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Audit creator partnerships for content originality and compliance with YouTube’s evolving standards.

• Avoid full automation: Refrain from publishing fully AI-generated content without significant human input or editorial oversight.

• Prioritise disclosure: Where AI is used, make it transparent to viewers.

• Explore quality signals: Invest in creators and content that demonstrate thought leadership, creativity, and audience trust - all of which are likely to be favoured by future algorithms.

YouTube’s tightening grip on AI slop isn’t just policy housekeeping. It’s a cultural signal: originality still pays.

🏈 Shifting the Sidelines: Women Are Quietly Redefining NFL Ownership

The NFL has long projected an image rooted in tradition, masculinity, and legacy. But behind the gridiron spectacle, a quieter transformation is unfolding in the boardrooms: women are becoming a growing force in team ownership.

With the Indianapolis Colts now officially led by the three daughters of the late Jim Irsay, 12 of the league’s 32 teams currently count women as either controlling owners or significantly active stakeholders. This includes high-profile figures like Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills), Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns), and Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers). Women now represent over 37% of top-tier ownership structures in the league - a substantial shift for a sport often perceived as slow to diversify.

This trend reflects a broader evolution. According to Forbes, the number of female sports team owners across all US leagues has increased by 30% since 2015. And it's not just in ownership - ESPN reports that 38% of NFL league office roles are now held by women, with over 50% of entry-level hires also female. These shifts suggest a growing pipeline of female leadership shaping the sport from multiple angles.

It’s a notable change in a league that didn’t see its first female owner until 1947, when Violet Bidwill inherited the then-Chicago Cardinals and became the first woman to win an NFL championship. Nearly eight decades later, the landscape remains uneven - but the influence of women in ownership is no longer an anomaly.

🏟️ NFL Teams with Female Ownership or Leadership (2025)

A record 12 of the 32 NFL franchises now include women as controlling owners or with major leadership roles. These include:

• Indianapolis Colts - Carlie Irsay-Gordon (CEO), Casey Foyt (Executive Vice President), and Kalen Jackson (Chief Brand Officer) lead the team after their father’s passing.

• San Francisco 49ers - Denise DeBartolo York has served as Co-Chair since 2001, continuing the DeBartolo family legacy.

• Kansas City Chiefs - Sharron Hunt, daughter of founder Lamar Hunt, is an influential part-owner.

• Cleveland Browns - Dee Haslam co-owns the team and plays a visible leadership role in operations and strategy.

• Buffalo Bills - Kim Pegula is team President and CEO (currently on medical leave), a central figure in the team’s resurgence.

• New Orleans Saints - Gayle Benson is the principal owner and also owns the NBA’s Pelicans.

• Detroit Lions - Sheila Ford Hamp has been principal owner since 2020 and is part of the Ford family legacy.

• Las Vegas Raiders - Carol Davis, widow of Al Davis, maintains control alongside her son Mark Davis.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Glazer family co-ownership includes daughters with active roles in franchise oversight.

• Tennessee Titans - Amy Adams Strunk has served as controlling owner since 2015 and has prioritised operational consistency.

• Seattle Seahawks - Jody Allen became team owner after her brother Paul Allen’s death and manages multiple team assets.

• Denver Broncos - Carrie Walton Penner and Mellody Hobson are key members of the Walton-Penner ownership group.

🔍 Is Women’s Leadership Driving Revenue?

• NFL as a whole generated over $23 billion in revenue in the 2024 fiscal year, with nearly 9% growth year-over-year .

• Some franchises with female leadership are among the highest-valued teams:

  • The 49ers were valued at around $8.5 billion during their latest deal

  • The Chiefs hold a valuation of $4.85 billion

  • The Raiders stand at $6.7 billion

• Balance-sheet impact: Under NFL rules, teams receive shared media revenue (~$400M+ per team annually), and this distributed revenue accounts for the majority of franchise income. Having women in ownership ensures they benefit directly from this steady revenue stream.

• Brand and fan alignment: Women make up 46% of NFL fans; visible female leadership can strengthen fan engagement, reaffirms brand trust, and support merchandising growth.

🧠 Key Takeouts

• 12 of 32 NFL franchises now have women in major ownership roles - a historic milestone

• These teams include several of the league’s most valuable franchises - e.g. 49ers, Chiefs, Raiders.

• While individual impact data is limited, shared revenue models ensure all owners, including women, benefit from NFL commercial success.

• Female leadership aligns with a fanbase that's nearly half women - enhancing potential brand equity and loyalty.

🔎 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Partner with teams led by women, tapping into their brand credibility and fan resonance.

• Activate storytelling around diverse ownership in campaigns, particularly when targeting female fans.

• Review sponsorship strategies, recognising that leadership diversity can be a differentiator in the market.

• Track future data releases: aim to benchmark commercial impact on women-led teams compared to league averages.

🕶️ Meta’s Smart Bet: Why Its €3B Stake in EssilorLuxottica Matters for Brand Marketers

Meta has reportedly acquired a 3% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant behind Ray-Ban and Oakley. The €3 billion ($3.5 billion) investment signals more than a financial move - it’s a strategic deepening of Meta’s long-term push into AI-powered hardware, particularly smart glasses. For brand marketers, this signals a growing convergence of fashion, tech, and augmented experiences - and a new frontier for branded interaction.

Smart Glasses Are Becoming Mainstream

Smart glasses are no longer novelty gadgets. Ray-Ban Meta glasses, launched in 2021, have seen stronger-than-expected uptake, prompting deeper collaboration between the two companies. The addition of Oakley-branded glasses in 2025 further expands Meta’s footprint.

According to Counterpoint Research, smart wearable shipments are expected to reach 600 million units globally by 2027, with smart glasses making up an increasing share thanks to their blend of function and style.

What’s Working: Pros

• Blending Style and Tech: Unlike bulky headsets, smart glasses from Meta x EssilorLuxottica integrate cameras, AI assistants, and voice commands into traditional eyewear styles.

• Brand Equity Built-In: Ray-Ban and Oakley bring decades of cultural cachet, helping smart glasses sidestep the “gadget” stigma that plagued earlier wearables.

• Direct-to-Consumer Ecosystem: Meta’s ownership of the hardware enables control over user data, interface, and services - bypassing gatekeepers like Apple or Samsung.

Limitations and Risks: Cons

• Privacy Backlash: Always-on cameras and voice assistants raise surveillance concerns, especially in public spaces.

• Fragmented Market: Many players - from Amazon to Snap - are competing, with no clear standard or dominant form factor yet.

• Battery and Tech Constraints: Miniaturisation of sensors and batteries remains a technical challenge, limiting extended use.

Opportunities for Brands

• Immersive Advertising: Smart glasses open the door for context-aware branded overlays - from virtual product try-ons to real-world-triggered content.

• Hands-Free Search and Commerce: AI-powered voice interfaces can enable seamless product discovery and voice shopping.

• Location-Based Activations: Brands could build activations where digital layers appear in physical spaces - offering exclusive content, offers, or narratives.

Challenges Ahead

• Platform Dependency: Early brand integration may hinge on Meta’s ecosystem, creating reliance on its APIs and data policies.

• User Adoption Curve: While growing, smart glasses adoption is still niche relative to smartphones or smartwatches.

• Creative Format Limitations: The screenless nature of some models means brands need to rethink UX beyond visuals.

Key Takeouts

• Meta’s €3B stake cements smart glasses as a core hardware pillar, not an experimental side project.

• The fusion of fashion and function (Ray-Ban, Oakley) gives smart glasses cultural traction.

• Brand experiences must evolve to fit AI-driven, screenless, voice-first interfaces.

• Smart glasses offer a glimpse into the future of ambient, always-available branded interaction.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Start Prototyping: Develop voice-first or audio-based branded content for wearable interfaces.

• Monitor Smart Wearables: Track consumer sentiment and behaviour around emerging smart glasses platforms.

• Engage Early: Partner with Meta or other platforms for early branded beta activations - to learn, iterate, and lead.

• Think Beyond the Screen: Rethink your brand’s identity in an ambient, visual-light, context-heavy future.

Meta’s investment in EssilorLuxottica is not just a bet on smart glasses - it’s a signpost toward the next major shift in how people experience digital content in the real world. For marketers, the time to explore is now.

📱 TikTok's US Reinvention: What It Means for Brands, Creators and Culture Marketers

TikTok is preparing to split. According to The Information (July 7, 2025), the platform is developing a U.S.-specific version of its app ahead of a possible sale to American investors. The redesigned app could hit U.S. app stores by 5 September, with users expected to migrate fully by March 2026.

This development is driven by U.S. political pressure: former President Donald Trump confirmed discussions with China are set to resume, stating a deal is “pretty much” in place. But Beijing’s stance on ByteDance divestment remains unclear, especially following tariff escalations earlier this year.

For brand and creator marketers, this is more than a policy story. It’s a shift in the infrastructure behind the most culturally potent social platform in the U.S., home to over 135 million monthly active users, and a key engine for youth trends, creator commerce, and real-time content discovery.

✅ Pros: What Could Work in Marketers’ Favour

Platform continuity, with political cover
If a U.S. version helps TikTok avoid a ban, the platform gets a new lease on life with less regulatory uncertainty. That brings much-needed stability to brands and creators who’ve held back due to legal ambiguity.

Opportunity for region-specific innovation
A U.S.-operated version could develop custom tools, formats and features tailored to domestic user behaviour and commercial needs. Think: better brand safety controls, integrated commerce, or enhanced first-party data access.

Potential return of cautious advertisers
TikTok’s U.S. ad revenue is expected to grow from around $10 billion in 2024 to over $14 billion in 2025. A U.S.-sanctioned version could trigger budget reallocation in Q4 and beyond, especially among marketers seeking a stable, scalable alternative to Meta or YouTube.

First-mover advantage during relaunch
If TikTok reframes itself publicly around the U.S. launch, early brand partners could benefit from increased visibility, promotional support, and platform favouritism.

❌ Cons: Risks and Limitations to Monitor

Fragmentation across markets
Two versions of TikTok could mean diverging algorithms, user interfaces, or product roadmaps. Global campaigns may require localisation not just in message, but in platform mechanics.

Friction in user migration
Users will need to download a new app by March 2026. That opens up a window of churn, confusion, and content drop-off - especially among less tech-savvy or casually engaged users.

Creator monetisation could stall
If monetisation tools (Creator Fund, gifts, brand collabs) lag during the transition, top creators may diversify to other platforms. That threatens TikTok’s cultural edge and brand reach.

Continued political exposure
Even if the app relaunches under U.S. ownership, regulatory scrutiny won’t vanish. Data practices, content moderation, and youth safety remain open targets for legislation.

⚠️ Watchouts for Brand, Creator and Influencer Marketers

• API and data access may change. Campaign measurement tools and analytics platforms could experience lags or require re-integration with the new U.S. app.

• Influencer performance benchmarks may reset. If engagement metrics shift due to user drop-off or algorithm tweaks, influencer rates and ROI models may need recalibration.

• Paid media planning needs agility. Paid placements might face a brief pause or changes in approval processes. Flexibility in budget allocation will be key.

• Creator contracts may need updating. Usage rights, timelines, and KPIs tied to TikTok activations should account for app migration scenarios and audience volatility.

📌 Key Takeouts

• TikTok is developing a new U.S.-specific app, reportedly launching 5 September 2025, with full user migration expected by March 2026.

• 135M+ U.S. monthly users and 1.6B+ globally are affected—core audiences for creator-led campaigns.

• Global ad revenue exceeded $23B in 2024, with U.S. revenue expected to hit $14B+ by end of 2025.

• If TikTok is pulled from the U.S., up to $8.6B in ad spend could migrate to competitors like Instagram and YouTube.

• This shift is both a risk and an opportunity for brands ready to move quickly and creatively.

🎯 Next Steps for Brand Marketers

1. Map exposure to TikTok U.S.
   Audit current spend, creator partnerships, and campaign dependencies. Identify key risks and backup plans.

2. Scenario-plan for split platforms.
   Develop strategies for U.S.-only TikTok operations, especially if global features diverge or if content must be localised for performance.

3. Engage creators early.
   Proactively brief creator partners on what’s known, plan long-term relationships, and be ready to support their transition between versions.

4. Monitor platform announcements closely.
   Watch for updates to commercial policies, new ad tools, and the timeline of deprecation for the old app.

5. Stay agile across your short-form mix.
   Invest in creative flexibility that can move between TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and emerging formats as needed.

TikTok’s U.S. reboot marks a new phase in the platform’s evolution - from global disruptor to regional battleground. For marketers, it’s not just about brand presence. It’s about preparedness, speed of response, and having the right creators in your corner as the next version of TikTok takes shape.

How TikTok's ‘Add To Music’ App Is Reshaping Streaming: What Marketers Need To Know

As music marketers, we’ve long known that TikTok is a top-of-funnel cultural engine for hits. But now, with its ‘Add To Music’ app integration, the platform is closing the loop between discovery and streaming in a way that’s both frictionless and powerful - with major implications for campaigns, fan strategy, and ROI.

After a full global rollout in 2024, TikTok’s Add To Music App feature is officially making waves. It’s earned the Music Consumer Innovation Award at the 2025 Music Week Awards and is already responsible for over one billion track saves to streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and - most recently - SoundCloud.

This is a behavioural shift.

📊 High-Impact Stats Marketers Shouldn’t Ignore

• 1+ billion tracks saved via Add To Music – TikTok

• SoundOn-released Show Me Love by WizTheMC hit No.3 in the UK and has clocked 446,009 units in consumption (Official Charts Company)

• TikTok has driven "many billions" of off-platform streams via the feature (TikTok internal data)

• Spotify’s Viral 50 Global charts are increasingly filled with tracks going viral on TikTok first

💡 Key Takeouts

• Discovery is now directly measurable: TikTok has gone from being a vibes-based virality machine to a performance marketing tool for music.

• Frictionless conversion: Fans can now move from swipe to stream with one tap, turning hype into habit.

• Full-funnel strategy is essential: From creation on TikTok to streaming platform performance, marketers now need to map and optimise the entire user journey.

• Platform loyalty is changing: SoundCloud’s integration signals TikTok’s ambition to stay platform-agnostic and support all music ecosystems - not just the majors.

✅ Pros for Music Marketers

• Direct attribution: For the first time, you can more confidently track TikTok virality to streaming spikes.

• Increased artist independence: With SoundOn and integrated streaming, TikTok offers a start-to-scale solution for unsigned acts.

• Cross-platform amplification: TikTok becomes a launchpad, not a silo. This creates a more sustainable post-viral trajectory.

⚠️ Considerations and Watchouts

• Short attention spans still rule: Saving a track doesn’t guarantee full streams or long-term fandom. Retention strategies are critical.

• Data visibility may be limited: Brands and marketers might not always have access to platform-level data unless integrated with label or platform partners.

• Over-reliance risk: Building campaigns too TikTok-heavy could limit audience diversity across age and genre lines.

⏭️ Next Steps for Music Marketers

1. Integrate Add To Music prompts into campaign storytelling. Highlight where fans can save or stream.

2. Build artist funnel strategies that account for TikTok virality and how to retain fans beyond the platform.

3. Use SoundOn smartly: Independent artists should explore how to tap TikTok’s in-house label services to maximise early traction.

4. Collaborate across DSPs: Use TikTok as the ignition point, but build out broader playlist and editorial support with platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music.

🎯 What This Means for Brand Marketers

TikTok’s Add To Music feature isn’t just a win for artists - it’s a cultural leverage point for brands that want to tap into music-driven moments with sharper conversion and cultural impact.

Music has always been a brand’s shortcut to emotion. Now, it’s also a shortcut to action.

Whether you're launching a campaign, activating talent, or building a branded content series, TikTok’s integration with DSPs creates a new bridge between brand affinity and measurable behaviour.

💡 Key Opportunities for Brands:

• Drive deeper storytelling through sound: Branded content that uses emerging tracks can now help push them onto streaming platforms, giving your brand a role in music’s success story.

• Tap into music discovery culture: Partner with artists who are rising via TikTok and use the Add To Music feature to create a trackable journey from content to conversion.

• Use music as a campaign trigger: Think beyond sync - the right track placement in a brand moment can now translate directly into saves, shares, and streams.

• Enhance creator partnerships: Collaborate with creators who can integrate music authentically into their content and encourage followers to save tracks, linking fandom with action.

🚀 Bottom Line

TikTok’s Add To Music feature is more than a button: it’s a strategic shift in how music is marketed, discovered, and consumed. For artists and marketers alike, it’s time to rethink release strategies through the lens of TikTok-enabled streaming pathways.

This is music marketing in motion – and we’re just getting started.

Dior x UNESCO: Why Brand Purpose Can’t Be a Side Project Anymore

In a moment where authenticity is under a microscope, Dior is showing the industry how purpose scales.

This week, the French fashion house announced the extension of its partnership with UNESCO during the fifth annual Women@Dior & UNESCO Global Conference in Paris. The programme, which provides mentorship, leadership training, and education to young women from underrepresented backgrounds, is more than a philanthropic initiative: it's a statement of brand intent.

Since launching the Women@Dior programme in 2017, over 5,000 young women from 147 countries have benefited. The latest phase of the partnership will scale its impact further, reaching more than 1,000 mentees annually, according to Dior’s announcement. These women receive access to global mentors, free e-learning through the “Dream for Change” programme, and the opportunity to design social impact projects in their communities.

Why it Matters for the Future of Fashion Marketing

Luxury marketing has long hinged on heritage and aspiration. But in 2025, aspiration is being redefined. It’s not just about the product - it’s about the values a brand embodies and enables. Dior’s long-term investment in women’s leadership development makes its values tangible, not just tonal.

In fact, 73% of Gen Z consumers expect brands to act on social and environmental issues, and 62% prefer to buy from companies that stand for something (source: Edelman Trust Barometer, 2024). For a generation with growing spending power, performative gestures won’t cut it. Brands like Dior are leaning into substantive, structural change - creating not just image campaigns, but infrastructure.

What’s also significant is how Dior is positioning this initiative: not on the sidelines of the brand, but as a pillar. It’s front and centre at a global conference, embedded into brand architecture, and backed with scale. As many fashion houses scramble to retrofit purpose into campaigns, Dior’s move shows what it looks like when purpose is embedded by design.

From Runway to Real-World Impact

This isn’t about optics. It’s about outcomes. The programme’s alumni include social entrepreneurs, engineers, and creatives who are now mentoring the next wave. It's a living ecosystem of empowerment, with Dior at the centre - not as saviour, but as facilitator.

And it’s working. In UNESCO’s words, “investing in women’s leadership is one of the most powerful accelerators for sustainable development.” Fashion may not have all the answers, but it has the platforms, the capital, and the reach. Dior is using all three.

In a luxury landscape where every brand wants to claim “impact,” Dior is delivering it - with consistency, credibility, and compounding returns. For brand marketers, it’s a powerful case study: if you want to be relevant tomorrow, you need to build purpose into your core today.

The New Creative Frontier: Apple Music’s LA Studio

Opening this summer, Apple’s new three-storey, 15,000-square-foot studio in Culver City is designed to be more than just a recording space. It’s a physical manifestation of Apple Music’s artist-first strategy - combining Spatial Audio tech, a 4,000-square-foot live performance stage, and an integrated social content lab.

Rachel Newman, co-head of Apple Music, describes the space as “a place for artists to create, connect, and share their vision”. It reflects a broader industry trend: moving beyond passive streaming to become an engine for live experience, audience engagement, and original storytelling.

Pros - What’s Working?

An Artist-First Environment
Apple Music’s physical and digital platforms are built with artist experience at the core. From private booths for songwriting to high-end Spatial Audio production rooms, the infrastructure enables more direct artist expression and control.

Live, Immersive Content
With multicam shoots, live fan events, and real-time editing facilities, the studio supports high-value, multi-format content creation that can feed Apple Music, social platforms, and beyond.

Global Network, Local Roots
The LA space adds to Apple’s network of creative hubs in cities like Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo, showing a scalable model for culturally grounded innovation.

Cons - What Are the Limitations?

Exclusive by Design
Despite its ambition, the LA studio model is inherently selective. Access will likely be limited to top-tier or Apple-partnered artists, leaving emerging acts outside this elite circle.

Geographic Centralisation
Though described as global, the flagship hub is based in Los Angeles - reinforcing the dominance of the US music industry and potentially overlooking regional scenes and underground cultures elsewhere.

Limited Public-Facing Value
While immersive for artists, the behind-the-scenes nature of the space may offer less immediate value to casual listeners unless content is cleverly distributed across channels.

Opportunities - What Should Brands Watch?

Partnership Potential
The new studio offers fertile ground for brand partnerships - from live events and artist collaborations to integrated content that aligns with Apple’s values of creativity, quality, and innovation.

High-Fidelity Storytelling
The rise of Spatial Audio and multicam formats opens the door for brand narratives that go beyond conventional audio ads. There’s a chance to co-create immersive, artist-led content that resonates culturally.

Fan Experience Design
As platforms build richer ecosystems, brand marketers can learn from Apple’s seamless integration of tech, space, and narrative. How might physical and digital experiences converge in your own campaigns?

Challenges - What Could Undermine Success?

Streaming Saturation
With Spotify, Amazon, and TikTok also building out audio strategies, Apple’s success depends on maintaining its reputation for curation, exclusivity, and technical quality - not just catalogue size.

Monetisation Pressure
For brands, the question remains: how measurable is the ROI of audio storytelling and live music partnerships? Without clear pathways to attribution, it can be hard to justify spend.

Cultural Relevance
Apple must stay attuned to the shifting sounds of Gen Z and emerging subcultures. Without fresh, diverse representation, its artist-first vision risks becoming mainstream-first instead.

Key Takeouts

• Apple’s new LA studio exemplifies a decade-long shift toward artist-led content ecosystems.

• Spatial Audio and immersive production are shaping the future of music experience and storytelling.

• There’s growing space for brands to collaborate in culturally credible, high-quality ways.

• Access and diversity remain key tensions as elite platforms scale.

• Streaming services are evolving into full creative platforms - not just distributors.

Next Steps for Brand Marketers

• Explore Spatial Audio: Invest in understanding how immersive formats can elevate your brand’s sonic identity.

• Build Artist Partnerships: Look beyond endorsements to co-create meaningful, narrative-led experiences.

• Activate Global Hubs: Identify opportunities in other Apple Music markets where brand–music collaboration can localise global strategies.

• Design for Cross-Channel: Ensure content created in premium environments like Apple’s studio is amplified across social, retail, and experiential touchpoints.

• Benchmark Against Apple’s Model: Use Apple’s approach as a blueprint for how to integrate creativity, culture, and technology with credibility.

If the past decade was about access, the next will be about intimacy, immersion, and identity - and Apple is already soundtracking that future.

MAD//Fest 2025: The Gritty, Culture-First Cousin to Cannes Lions

What happens when you remix the spirit of Cannes Lions with Shoreditch energy and fewer yachts? You get MAD//Fest 2025 - a bold, creative-first, and unapologetically fast-paced three days of brand, culture, and marketing collision in East London.

And here’s the thing: the key takeaways mirrored Cannes, almost note for note. But the delivery? I’m told pure MAD.

MAD//Fest and Cannes: Singing from the Same Strategy Sheet

Both events spotlighted the same seismic shifts shaking up marketing today. If Cannes Lions was the global boardroom, MAD//Fest was the underground club. But in both spaces, the big ideas aligned:

1. AI Is Not Just a Tool. It’s the New Operating System.

• AI was front and centre in both festivals.

• MAD//Fest broke it down into five strategic shifts: from machine-led media buying to live experience design, with creative workflows increasingly powered by GenAI.

• The message: marketers who aren’t integrating AI into their strategy today are already behind.

2. First-Party Data Is the New Creative Currency

• With third-party cookies collapsing, brands are recalibrating their foundations.

• MAD//Fest highlighted six trends shaping the first-party data landscape, including retail media expansion, ML-powered data refinement, and closed-loop measurement.

• This echoed Cannes’ obsession with ownership, access, and responsible activation.

3. Purpose Needs Proof

• Both events agreed: it’s no longer enough to talk about brand purpose.

• MAD//Fest went further - brands like Tony’s Chocolonely, Heineken and Haribo shared how they’re operationalising sustainability and social equity, not just marketing them.

• Think carbon labelling, ESG performance incentives, and community-informed product design.

4. Creative Effectiveness Starts with People

• While Cannes focused on award-winning work, MAD//Fest zoomed in on the conditions that fuel creativity.

• A headline keynote linked marketing team wellbeing to campaign success - with happier teams producing +27% more effective work and 40% lower attrition.

• It was a call to treat creative health like business health.

5. Start-Ups Aren’t the Sideshow. They’re the Signal.

• From AR-powered retail to Web3 loyalty apps, the MAD//Fest start-up arena was a launchpad for cultural innovation.

• While Cannes showcased innovation from the biggest players, MAD//Fest championed early-stage disruption with real-world edge.

💡 Stats from the Stage: What Stuck

• 72% of marketers are already using AI in creative workflows - from ideation to scripting to optimisation.

• Campaigns created by teams with high wellbeing scores were 27% more effective and saw 40% lower attrition.

• Investment in first-party data rose by 34% year on year, with brands reallocating spend from media buying to data ownership.

• 61% of FMCG brands now use retail media as a core channel - not just for performance, but for brand building too.

• AI-led media planning is cutting media waste by up to 40%, outperforming traditional rules-based methods.

• Brands using generative AI for creative development saved 2 to 3 weeks per campaign on average, particularly in early concepting and production planning.

🎤 The Verdict

MAD//Fest didn’t just talk about the future of marketing—it made it feel urgent, cultural, and within reach. While Cannes Lions remains the global benchmark for brand creativity, MAD//Fest proved that the UK has a scrappier, more accessible festival model that delivers just as much insight - without the gatekeeping.

Where Cannes brought polish, MAD//Fest brought momentum.

⚡Final Word

For brand strategists, marketers and creatives watching where culture and commerce collide, MAD//Fest 2025 was a clear signal:

We’re entering a new era of marketing. One powered by machines, shaped by values, and built by healthy, creative humans.

Next year, expect more noise, sharper takes - and even bigger conversations.

From Grassroots to Global: How the Lionesses Engineered the Biggest Growth Story in Modern Sport

In sports marketing, growth doesn’t just mean revenue. It means cultural relevance, emotional connection, and long-term brand equity. Few teams in the world - men’s or women’s - have embodied that better than the England Lionesses.

Over the past five years, they’ve gone from underexposed to unstoppable. From fringe fixtures to primetime. From potential to proof.

This is more than a success story. It’s a case study in how performance, leadership, visibility, and commercial alignment create explosive, sustainable growth.

⚽ Performance: From Sporadic Fixtures to Silverware

In 2020, England’s women’s national team played just three matches.

Fast forward to 2025:

• Over 60 games under Sarina Wiegman

• ~75% win rate

• UEFA Euro 2022 champions

• FIFA Women’s World Cup runners-up (2023)

• Winners of the Women’s Finalissima and Arnold Clark Cups

And crucially - they didn’t just win. They did so with a playing style, team spirit, and tactical confidence that invited belief from fans and brands alike.

🧠 Sarina Wiegman: Leadership That Drives Everything

Appointed in 2021, Sarina Wiegman transformed England into one of the most feared and admired teams in global football.

She brought elite standards, psychological resilience, and media maturity. Her calm authority has become a marketer’s dream - trustworthy, consistent, and compelling.

She:

• Went unbeaten in her first calendar year

• Delivered England’s first major tournament trophy

• Maintained a near-75% win rate

• Stabilised a team into a platform for long-term investment

📈 The Commercial Boom: Proof That Performance Converts

📺 Broadcast

• WSL rights grew from £8M/year (2020) to £13M/year (2024–2029)

• A £65M five-year deal with Sky and the BBC - the largest in women's club football history

• England’s Euro 2022 final drew 17.4M UK viewers - the most-watched women’s match ever in the country

💵 Revenue Growth

• WSL revenues grew 34% YoY to £65M in 2023–24

• Matchday revenue rose 73%

• Forecast: £100M+ by 2026

👕 Merchandise & Licensing

• England’s 2022 Euros win triggered a 120% spike in women’s merchandise

• Mary Earps' Nike goalkeeper kit sold out globally - after Nike was forced to reverse its original decision not to sell it

📲 Players as Platforms: Social Power and Brand Value

These athletes aren’t just performers - they’re highly engaged, culturally relevant media properties.

Most Followed Lionesses on Instagram (July 2025):

• Leah Williamson - 1.13M | Gucci, Pepsi, Nike

• Chloe Kelly - 956K | Calvin Klein, Nike

• Alessia Russo - ~850K | Adidas, Gucci, Beats, PlayStation

• Lauren James - ~640K | Google, Barclays, Nike

• Ella Toone - ~600K | Skincare, BBC Sounds, ET7

🚀 Lauren James gained 122K followers in just 30 days during the 2023 World Cup
📈 Alessia Russo’s branded content delivers elite engagement and media value

This is the new model: athletes as ecosystems - driving ROI through visibility, influence, and relatability.

🧤 Mary Earps: From Keeper to Icon

Few players have shifted the conversation like Mary Earps.

• Named FIFA’s Best Goalkeeper

• Drove a global outcry when Nike refused to sell her shirt

• Forced a U-turn - her kit went on to sell out worldwide

• Became a symbol of performance and principle

As she retires from international football, her legacy is commercial impact meets cultural power.

🛤️ Let’s Not Forget Who Paved the Way

This growth was built on the shoulders of legends. The Lionesses didn’t just appear — they were made possible by decades of persistence, talent, and quiet revolution. Here's who helped shape the stage they now own:

🧭 Fara Williams

England’s most capped player (172). She rose from homelessness to the heart of the national team, proving resilience builds legacy. Now a strong voice for inclusion and access in football.

🎤 Alex Scott

140+ caps and a Champions League winner, she became one of the most recognised sports broadcasters in the UK - smashing representation barriers on the BBC and Sky. A brand in her own right.

🎓 Casey Stoney

Captain, Olympian, and now a respected coach in the NWSL. She was one of the first openly gay players to speak out, shaping a more inclusive game.

💬 Eni Aluko

The first Black woman to reach 100 England caps. A trailblazer on and off the pitch, now a thought leader and former sporting director. Vocal on racism, equality, and structural reform.

🏛️ Karen Carney

A four-time World Cup player who led the UK government’s review of women’s football. Now helping write the sport’s next chapter from inside the system.

👑 Rachel Yankey

England’s first professional female footballer. A quiet pioneer who helped prove that women could - and should - play professionally in England.

🌟 Kelly Smith

Arguably England’s most gifted player. Her technique and flair inspired a generation before the world was really watching.

🛡️ Steph Houghton

Captain through key transitional years, leading England with steadiness and humility as the sport scaled from niche to national.

These are the women who shifted perceptions, broke ceilings, and carried the weight long before the spotlight showed up.

🏁 What It All Means for Sports Marketers

This is the biggest growth story in British sport in the past decade. Why?

Because the Lionesses offer:

• Consistent, elite-level performance

• Storytelling rooted in purpose and empowerment

• Influencers with integrity and reach

• Broadcast metrics and stadium audiences that rival men’s sport

• A brand that fans genuinely care about

It’s not hype - it’s measured momentum.

If you're a sponsor, rights holder, broadcaster, or brand strategist and you’re not building with the Lionesses in mind, you're behind. The blueprint is right here.

🎯 Final Word

Women’s football isn’t emerging - it’s expanding. The Lionesses are proving what’s possible when performance, purpose, and platform come together.

They’re not just making history.
They’re changing the business of sport.

What Caitlin Clark’s Nike Kobe 5 Protro PE Tells Us About the Future of Women’s Sports Marketing

The launch of Caitlin Clark’s Nike Kobe 5 Protro PE sneaker might not be a full signature shoe, but don’t let that fool you: this release is a landmark moment in the evolution of athlete branding and women’s sports marketing.

For months, sneakerheads, hoop fans and women’s basketball advocates were tracking every sideline glimpse and grainy locker room pic, trying to decode whether Clark was quietly working on her own Nike silhouette. That speculation reached fever pitch on June 29th when Nike officially dropped the Kobe 5 Protro PE, Clark’s first-ever Player Edition.

And just like that, the game changed.

👟 Sneaker experts now predict Caitlin Clark’s eventual Nike signature shoe could become a $100 million business - and that forecast comes on the heels of this PE selling out within minutes on SNKRS. What started as a limited edition has turned into a powerful signal of what’s next: the commercial ceiling for women athletes just got higher.

The Sneaker Itself: A Strategic Play, Not Just a Colourway

The shoe doesn’t reinvent the Kobe 5 - instead, it finesses it. Designed in collaboration with Clark and dressed in Indiana Fever’s navy, orange and electric gold, it’s a clean alignment of performance, heritage and team identity. The nod to the Mamba legacy is symbolic and smart: it places Clark not just as a rising star, but as a spiritual successor to Kobe’s drive and mentality.

From a brand marketing lens, this isn’t just about selling sneakers. It’s about positioning Clark as more than a rookie - she’s a narrative asset with generational potential. Giving her a PE before a full signature model mirrors how Nike built the pathway for other elite athletes: test the market, stoke the hype, and keep the story unfolding.

Scarcity + Hype = Cultural Currency

Reports that only 13,000 pairs were released via the SNKRS app in the US (with limited additional stock from select retailers) turned the drop into a high-stakes cultural moment. Whether or not those numbers hold true, it doesn’t matter - scarcity builds heat. And that scarcity signals something else: Clark’s commercial weight as a women’s sports figure with enough pull to drive a limited drop frenzy.

In a post-NIL landscape where college stars enter the league with built-in fanbases and marketing machines, Clark is a masterclass in how to harness that energy for long-term brand equity.

From the Court to Culture: Women’s Hoops is Having a Marketing Moment

Clark isn’t the only W player making brand moves, but she is the most visible. Her debut PE has been compared to the early LeBron and KD years: not just because of gameplay, but because of how brands are choosing to bet on her.

If Nike’s playbook holds, a full Caitlin Clark signature line is inevitable. What we’re seeing now is an intentional, slow burn - building desire, seeding product, and letting the culture demand what comes next.

What It Means for Brands Watching the Space

For marketers, this moment offers a sharp insight: the women’s sports consumer isn’t niche, she’s mainstream - and ready to spend. Limited runs, collab storytelling, crossover appeal with streetwear and sneaker culture: these aren’t just tactics, they’re necessities.

The Caitlin Clark PE proves that when brands treat women athletes like the stars they are - with story-driven drops, elite product, and credible cultural positioning - the market responds.

And this is only the beginning.

Legal Whiplash: Why UK Ticketing Faces a Seismic Reset in 2025

A major shake-up is coming to the UK ticketing space and no one in the live events ecosystem should be under any illusions about what it means.

From September 2025, companies could face criminal prosecution for failing to prevent fraud in their business, even if they didn’t know it was happening. This new offence, part of the government’s broader crackdown on corporate misconduct, makes it clear: compliance is no longer a tick-box exercise. It is a frontline defence.

Thanks to Martin Haigh for highlighting this in a recent post. It deserves the industry’s full attention.

What’s Changing?

Under the new “Failure to Prevent Fraud” offence, if someone inside your organisation commits fraud and your company didn’t have reasonable checks and systems in place to stop it, you could be criminally liable. That includes senior leadership.

Intent no longer matters. Ignorance is not a defence. Whether you’re a ticketing platform, a promoter, a sponsor, or a hospitality buyer, you are now part of the risk chain.

This Isn’t Just Theoretical

Let’s be real. Certain behaviours have long been tolerated, even normalised.

• Primary sellers quietly routing tickets straight to resale

• Secondary marketplaces allowing bulk tout listings without checks

• Promoters holding back blocks to generate sellout optics and artificial FOMO

• Sponsors topping up guest allocations from unofficial sources

• Hospitality providers mixing in grey-market tickets as “exclusive access”

These practices have eroded fan trust and undermined access. Come autumn, they won’t just be questionable. They could be criminal.

Who’s Most Exposed?

• Primary and resale platforms that haven’t put proper limits and checks in place

• Promoters dealing under the radar to boost hype

• Sponsors and hospitality agencies sourcing from third parties without doing due diligence

• Executives who rely on wilful ignorance or assume someone else is responsible

The Competition and Markets Authority can now issue direct fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover, with no court process required. If criminal fraud is suspected, the bar for prosecution is lower than ever.

The Knock-On Effect for Live Events

This will fundamentally impact how talent tours, how sponsors activate, and how fans access tickets.

• Expect increased pressure on platforms to show their workings

• Brands will need to rethink how hospitality packages are sourced

• Promoters may need to overhaul allocation practices to ensure fairness and transparency

• New players with compliant, transparent models will have a genuine competitive edge

The audience is no longer tolerating murky dealings, and now the law won’t either.

What Should Happen Next?

• Review your house now. Platforms, promoters, sponsors and hospitality providers all need a full audit of their processes

• Get documentation in order. It’s not enough to say you care about integrity. You need proof

• Train your teams. Make sure commercial, legal, partnerships and ops understand the exposure

• Use this as a reset. Clean systems, clear communication and fair access build long-term trust

This is a pivotal moment. Not just for ticketing compliance, but for cultural credibility.

The live space thrives when fans believe in the process. The minute they don’t, you lose more than just sales. You lose connection.

This is a chance to rebuild that trust, remove the opacity and raise the bar.

Can This New Survey Save UK Live Music?

The UK’s live music culture is on the brink.

Between 2020 and 2023, nearly a third of grassroots music venues - 31% - shut their doors. In 2023 alone, 125 venues closed, a record-breaking blow. The situation is especially dire in London, where 35% of grassroots spaces have vanished since 2007. Festivals aren’t faring any better: 36 disappeared in 2023, followed by a staggering 78 more in 2024.

This is more than a cultural loss - it’s an economic one.

Live music contributes £5.2 billion to the UK economy and supports over 200,000 jobs. Yet the very venues that incubate new talent and power this ecosystem are being squeezed to the edge of extinction.

🔺 Security costs have surged 300% since 2019.
🔺 Nearly half of all venues now operate at a loss.
🔺 Collectively, they’re subsidising live music to the tune of £115 million.

All while navigating hostile planning laws, extreme licensing conditions, and an unsupportive policy environment.

This is a cultural emergency - and an economic one.

But amid the wreckage, there’s a flicker of hope. In a rare move, the UK Government has launched a full review of the grassroots sector, alongside a fan-led survey aimed at understanding the challenges faced by venues, artists, and fans alike.

It’s a welcome step. But let’s be clear: a review is only meaningful if it leads to urgent, tangible action.

What the UK’s music sector needs - now:

✅ Stronger legal protections for venues against noise complaints and third-party liability
✅ Planning reform to keep cultural spaces from being priced out or shuttered
✅ Targeted funding that reflects the vital role of live music in our creative economy

We’re not talking about handouts. We’re talking about investment in a national asset—one that fosters innovation, supports communities, and fuels global influence.

As Lord Kevin Brennan said in Parliament:

“Glastonbury is simply the apex of the great pyramid of the UK’s live and electronic music sector... The base of that pyramid is in danger of crumbling without due care and attention.”

He’s right. And if we want that pyramid to stand, we all need to act.

🎧 Take part in the UK Government’s survey (open until autumn):
https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/378/culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/208026/new-survey-invites-fans-to-help-shape-future-of-live-and-electronic-music/

🎤 Support the frontline with Music Venue Trust:
👉 musicvenuetrust.com

📣 Share this post. Talk to your MP. Stand with the people fighting to keep UK music alive.

This is about more than saving venues. It’s about saving culture.

The future of live music starts now - let’s not lose it.

F1, Fiction and $40 Million: Why Branded Entertainment Just Took the Lead

Credit where it’s due: I first clocked this via a brilliant post from Marcos Angelides, brought to my attention by the always insightful Will Page. It’s one of those case studies that instantly grabs your attention - and keeps unfolding the more you look at it.

The upcoming F1 film, starring Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, isn’t just a blockbuster in the making. It’s a masterclass in brand integration. In what might be the smartest marketing move of the year, the filmmakers partnered with Mercedes to create a fictional but fully functioning F1 team. Not just for screen-time flash - but for serious commercial play.

The result? Brands like Geico, SharkNinja, IWC, and Sony came onboard as sponsors of the fictional team. And they paid to be there. Over $40 million was generated in brand partnerships alone - offsetting a sizeable chunk of the reported $200 million production budget.

Let’s pause on that. This isn’t product placement as a bolt-on afterthought. This is sponsorship strategy baked into the creative from day one. A race car engineered for ROI.

We’re witnessing the next evolution of branded entertainment: where the film itself becomes a vehicle for brand storytelling, media spend, and fan engagement. And in this case, quite literally. The fictional team wasn’t just slapped together in post - it was integrated into the real F1 paddock during race weekends. Audiences aren’t just watching sponsorship; they’re immersed in it.

With reports of a $144 million opening weekend, this project isn’t just winning on screen, it’s proving commercial viability off it too. And that’s the green flag more brands have been waiting for.

Because here’s the bigger play: advertising is increasingly skippable, but entertainment is sought out. Smart brands know this. The ones leaning into narrative, spectacle and fan-first formats will be the ones who future-proof their marketing.

The F1 movie didn’t just blur the lines between sport and cinema. It redrew the map.

Now, imagine what happens when music, fashion and gaming take the same approach at scale. The race is on - and the brands that think like producers will be the ones standing on the podium.

✅ What Worked

Sponsorship Built Into the Narrative
The fictional team wasn’t an afterthought - it was central to the plot, making the brand involvement feel integral, not intrusive.

Real Brands in a Fictional Context
Geico, SharkNinja and IWC sat alongside Mercedes in a way that felt authentic, thanks to real F1-world styling and placement.

Leveraging the F1 Ecosystem
Filming at actual races lent the film credibility and generated additional fan and media buzz - a sponsorship win without traditional ad spend.

Commercial ROI Built In
$40m in sponsorship revenue before box office release is a solid model. Brands became investors and characters in the story.

Cultural Relevance
F1 has cracked Gen Z and mainstream pop culture. This film tapped into the zeitgeist, giving brands a culturally rich platform.

❌ What Didn’t Work (or Could Have Been Riskier)

Surface-Level Brand Moments
Some brand appearances felt fleeting - raising questions about long-term value unless reinforced by broader activations.

Blurring Fiction and Fact
Fans unfamiliar with the setup could be confused by seeing a ‘new’ team. The line between story and sport needs careful framing.

Creative Control Limits
When brands enter entertainment, they trade off control. Unlike ads, they can’t dictate screen time or narrative outcomes.

Short-Term vs Long-Term Gains
Without extending the partnership beyond the film’s release window, some brands risk being forgotten once the credits roll.

🎯 Key Takeouts for Marketers & Brand Partnership Professionals

1. Think Like a Producer, Not Just a Sponsor
Brands that co-create, not just co-fund, will own a more meaningful slice of culture.

2. Entertainment is the New Ad Space
Consumers opt in to good stories. Interruptive advertising is out. Story-driven brand partnerships are in.

3. Choose Culture-Native Partners
Mercedes brought F1 credibility. Do the same in music, fashion or gaming by partnering with insiders - not outsiders.

4. ROI is More Than Media Value
Think: brand sentiment, cultural cachet, and fan-first relevance. Eyeballs alone aren’t enough.

5. Build Beyond the Moment
Use the movie as a launchpad. Plan digital content, merch collabs, social strategy and fan engagement around the entertainment moment.

Home Never Tasted So Good: Bold Bean Co's Budget-Genius Post-Glasto Brand Play

Picture this: It’s 8:30am at Paddington and Victoria Station. The scent of festival fatigue is in the air. And right there, among the commuters and crusty wellies, stands the Bold Bean Co team - B Corp certified and armed with usherette trays packed with 10,000 jars of Smoky Chilli Baked Beans.

Not your average Monday morning.

Their mission? Pure brand alchemy: intercepting the Glastonbury exodus with the promise of real food, real fast. No gimmicks. Just damn good beans.

This was less about scale and more about smarts. No flashy trucks or six-figure production. Just strategic timing, cultural intuition, and confidence in a product that speaks for itself. Because when your consumer has survived five days of pot noodles and 2am “mystery meat,” a jar of premium beans becomes emotional. One man even asked for a spoon to eat them cold on his second train. We respect the hustle.

This activation nailed the golden formula:

Right moment. Right message. Right medium.

Beans in usherette trays. Nostalgic, ridiculous, brilliant.

It also tapped the social tension beautifully: Glasto-goers were grateful. Regular commuters were suspicious. “Baked beans… in a jar?”, “I didn’t go to Glasto - can I still have one?” That pause? That curiosity? That’s where a challenger brand lives and thrives.

In a world of paid media saturation, this moment was human, low-fi and high-impact. It created stories, selfies, word-of-mouth and conversions. From confused commuters to hungover festival heads - Bold Bean met them where they were, and reminded them what real food tastes like.

And that tagline?
Home never tasted so good.
Chef’s kiss.

Takeaways for brands:

• You don’t need a mega-budget to create emotional resonance

• Knowing your audience’s emotional state is half the strategy

• Disruption can be delightful when it’s done with heart and timing

• People crave real - not just in food, but in brand experiences

And finally: a big shout out to Amelia Christie-Miller, Founder of Bold Bean Co - building a brand with soul (and serious hustle). 🫘 This is what clever, culture-savvy founder-led marketing looks like. Vision, timing, and a product that does the talking. Bravo.

Mission accomplished, Bold Bean. You made baked beans feel like a hug from home.

📱 Creator Ad Revenue Tops Traditional Media in 2025 - A Turning Point for Marketers

In a landmark shift that rewrites the advertising playbook, 2025 marks the first year that ad revenue from creator-led content will eclipse traditional media. According to WPP’s newly released This Year Next Year mid-year forecast, creator-driven platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are projected to pull in $235 billion in ad revenue - more than TV, print, and radio combined. It’s a cultural inflection point that signals not just a shift in spend, but a complete redefinition of influence.

👀 Creator Content Tops Traditional Channels

For years, creators have been building community, reach, and relatability in a way most media couldn’t touch. Now, that loyalty is translating into real economic power. Of the $235 billion going into creator content this year, creators themselves are expected to pocket a staggering $185 billion. That’s not just a win for the ecosystem - it’s a wake-up call for brands still overly reliant on legacy media.

🧠 A New Lens on Media Investment

WPP has introduced a new framework to make sense of this fast-moving terrain, breaking down media investment into four categories: Content, Commerce, Intelligence, and Location. The standout? Content. And more specifically, content made by humans with audiences - not just production teams with studio access.

Creator-generated ad revenue is up 20% from 2024 and is projected to more than double by 2030, reaching $376.6 billion.

💸 Why It Matters for Brands

For advertisers, especially those looking to capitalise on fast-growing segments like women’s sport or Gen Z lifestyle, creator content offers unmatched agility and authenticity. This shift also lowers the barrier to entry for brands without multi-million-pound production budgets. When the right creator meets the right brief, culture moves - and now, so does capital.

🌍 Global, Yet Personal

Markets like Brazil (11.9% growth) and India (8.4%) are powering ahead, while the US and UK remain dominant spenders. But the big story isn’t just geographic - it’s behavioural. Users now spend more time watching real people talk to them on a phone screen than anything broadcast at them on a larger one. And brands are finally reallocating spend accordingly.

🤖 AI & Autonomy: Accelerators of Change

The creator boom is also being fuelled by better tech. Generative AI, performance-optimised targeting, and agentic assistants are helping creators produce and monetise faster. It’s lowering friction and raising expectations. In this ecosystem, success depends on relevance, speed, and human resonance – not just reach.

🔑 Key Takeouts for Marketers:

1. Creator Content Is the New Mass Media: $235B in ad revenue in 2025 - creators are now bigger than TV.

2. Digital Dominance: Digital makes up 81.6% of total global ad spend.

3. Retail Media Is Surging: On track to hit $252B by 2030.

4. TV Isn’t Dead – But It’s Plateauing: Traditional channels offer diminishing returns.

5. Emerging Markets Matter: Growth in Brazil and India is outpacing the global average.

6. AI Is Reshaping the Industry: From content production to personalisation, automation is raising the bar.

✅ Actionable Steps for Marketers:

• Reallocate Budget Towards Creator-Led Content: Make creators central to your strategy - not a bolt-on.

• Design Social-First, Vertical Formats: Build natively for Reels, Shorts, and TikTok.

• Pilot Retail Media Campaigns: Test placements on Amazon, Walmart Connect, and Carrefour Links.

• Adopt AI Tools Across Creative Pipelines: For ideation, asset generation, and versioning.

• Shift from Demographic to Content-Based Targeting: Relevance is algorithmically rewarded.

• Localise for Growth Markets: Tailor creator partnerships and content for Brazil, India, and beyond.

• Use WPP’s New Classifications: Reframe your spend across Content, Commerce, Intelligence, and Location for clearer ROI storytelling.

📈 The Takeaway

Creator culture is no longer a trend. It is the new media economy. If your brand wants to stay relevant, it’s time to build like one - agile, audience-first, and socially native.

🔗 Read the full WPP TYNY 2025 report