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Vicky Beercock

Creative Brand Communications and Marketing Leader | Driving Cultural Relevance & Meaningful Impact | Collaborations

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Trailblazers in Boots: White Stuff’s Campaign Celebrates the Forgotten Lionesses Who Changed Football Forever

This week, British lifestyle brand White Stuff launched a campaign that every brand strategist and cultural commentator should be paying attention to.

In an age where authenticity has become currency, this is how you do storytelling with soul. Their new campaign puts the spotlight not on celebrities or influencers, but on the remarkable women who made history in 1972 - when England’s first women’s team played their debut international match.

Meet Julia, Sue, Jeannie, Lynda, Maggie, and Pat: six of the original trailblazers who took to the frozen pitch in Greenock, Scotland, wearing the Three Lions at a time when women’s football was barely acknowledged, let alone supported. Through beautifully candid portraits and raw, first-person stories, White Stuff honours not just a forgotten match - but a forgotten movement.

What sets this campaign apart is its refusal to romanticise the past. It speaks plainly and powerfully about what it meant to play when girls were banned from football, when there were no kits, no wages, no warm-up jackets. Just determination and a ball. And when victory came in the form of a 3–2 win over Scotland, there were no media headlines. No post-match interviews. Just numb toes and lifelong memories.

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This is a reclamation of narrative. These women did something special, even if it took decades for anyone to say it out loud. And in elevating them now, White Stuff invites us to think about legacy, progress, and the long road to recognition.

Beyond nostalgia, this campaign taps into a deeper cultural current: that of rewriting history to include the voices long left out of the frame. With the Lionesses’ 2022 Euros win still echoing, this feels timely, powerful, and deserved.

There’s a phrase that sums it up best, delivered casually by one of the players:
“You can have all the money in the world, but you can't have my memories.”

White Stuff hasn’t just launched a campaign - they’ve helped write these women back into the history books.

Why These Stories Matter:

  • White Stuff reminds brands that the most powerful storytelling starts with real people and real purpose.

  • The campaign reframes legacy - not as a buzzword, but as a baton passed between generations of women.

  • It shows how fashion brands can engage with sport meaningfully, without surface-level slogans or pink-washed platitudes.

  • Just 17% of women's sports stories in UK media feature women over 40 - making White Stuff’s focus genuinely rare.

  • Only 7% of brand campaigns targeting women in sport spotlight those from non-elite or historic backgrounds, according to WARC.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by White Stuff (@whitestuffuk)

categories: Sport, Fashion
Thursday 07.03.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

categories: Impact, Culture, Tech
Thursday 07.03.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

Jaguar’s 97% Sales Drop: A Strategic Pause or a Branding Misstep?

In April 2025, Jaguar - one of Britain’s most storied luxury marques - sold just 49 vehicles across Europe. A 97.5% drop year-on-year. That’s not a dip. It’s a disappearance.

Behind the shocking figure lies a bold but faltering strategic pivot: a full-scale transition to all-electric, ultra-premium positioning. What was meant to futureproof the brand has instead pushed it to the edge of visibility.

What Happened?

Jaguar’s “Reimagine” strategy, introduced in 2021, set a clear intention: to become a pure electric luxury brand by the middle of the decade. But the path to that future has been marred by a lack of transitional continuity.

Heading into 2025, Jaguar pulled nearly all models from sale - the XE and XF sedans, the F-Type, E-Pace and I-Pace crossovers - with only limited F-Pace SUVs remaining. With no EV successors on the lot yet, this left dealerships with almost nothing to sell and loyal customers without options.

Adding to the confusion was the controversial “Copy Nothing” campaign. The creative direction removed the iconic leaping cat badge in favour of a minimalist wordmark, and featured a launch video that showcased fashion, models, and mood - but not a single car. Intended to feel modern and inclusive, it landed as alienating and disconnected for many Jaguar loyalists.

This dual blow - of no product and no clear story - left a commercial and cultural vacuum. Jaguar wasn’t just rebranding. It was, for a time, absent.

The Context: Luxury Car Market in Flux

It’s important to view Jaguar’s collapse within the broader context. The luxury car segment in Europe is undergoing a structural shift:

  • EV adoption is growing, but unevenly across the continent

  • Consumer hesitancy remains high in markets like Italy and Spain due to patchy infrastructure

  • Regulatory pressure is intensifying while incentives are tapering

  • Rising interest rates are squeezing even affluent consumers

At the same time, macroeconomic and geopolitical forces are creating pressure points:

  • In June, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) cut its 2026 EBIT margin forecast from 10% to 5–7% and now expects near-zero free cash flow

  • U.S. tariffs on foreign-made vehicles reintroduced by President Trump have paused shipments

  • A UK–U.S. deal allows 100,000 UK-built vehicles at a 10% duty, but models built in Slovakia like the Defender still face a full 25% tariff

  • JLR lacks U.S. production, unlike BMW and Mercedes-Benz, intensifying cost challenges

Tata Motors, JLR’s parent company, saw its stock fall 5.2% on the profit warning. These disadvantages are real - but not unique to Jaguar.

How Other Luxury Brands Navigated the Same Climate

Other European luxury brands faced the same headwinds, but performed more strongly by managing their EV transitions with greater flexibility.

BMW

BMW implemented a dual-track product strategy, introducing electric models like the i4 and iX alongside combustion stalwarts like the 3 Series and X5. This helped BMW grow European sales by 6.2% in Q1 2025.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes kept models like the C-Class and GLC on sale, while integrating EQ tech into the range. This preserved stability and customer choice, allowing the brand to retain a 5% market share in Europe.

Audi

Audi balanced its rollout between EVs like the Q4 e-tron and combustion models like the Q5 and A3. The company is now reassessing its plan to end new ICE development after 2026, recognising that flexibility wins in uncertain markets.

The common denominator: consistent product availability, clear communication and a focus on continuity. Each of these brands prioritised evolution over erasure.

What Jaguar Could Have Done Differently to Engage Its Audience

1. Phase, Don’t Pause

Jaguar could have offered limited-run legacy models or “farewell” editions to keep dealers stocked and maintain market presence.

2. Hero the Heritage

Rather than retiring the leaping cat badge without explanation, Jaguar could have created a narrative bridge that honoured its design lineage while looking forward to the electric future.

3. Lead with Product, Not Philosophy

A car brand needs cars. Concept designs, teaser visuals or even test vehicles in camouflage would have sparked curiosity and signalled momentum.

4. Activate Dealers and Communities

Dealers could have become brand advocates and storytellers, hosting private viewings, retrospective showcases or “last drive” events to keep fans engaged and excited.

5. Communicate the Plan Clearly

A public roadmap would have helped manage expectations. Transparency builds trust, especially during radical change.

6. Offer Sensory Signals of Progress

From sonic branding to immersive online experiences, Jaguar had the chance to create a sensory presence even without physical product - maintaining brand equity during the pause.

Final Thought: Reinvention Needs Relevance

Jaguar’s ambition isn’t in doubt. The EV transition is essential. But in branding, intention without presence is just absence.

The company’s decision to pull back without clear narrative, product availability, or continuity has weakened its cultural resonance at a critical moment.

Other luxury manufacturers have shown that gradual, customer-first transitions protect brand equity while adapting to change.

If Jaguar’s next wave of EVs delivers on design, desirability and performance, there is still a future to claim. But re-emerging after an extended silence will require more than a reboot. It will require rebuilding relevance from the ground up.

That all said, I want to do a big shout-out to their brand and product design teams - it's clear a huge amount of vision, ambition and work has gone into this next chapter. It takes real conviction to bet big on reinvention. Sometimes it lands, sometimes it doesn’t - but the brands that learn fast and move forward are the ones that stay relevant. I'd hire them based on their courage and learnings alone.

categories: Culture
Thursday 07.03.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

categories: Impact, Sport, Fashion
Thursday 07.03.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

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.

categories: Sport, Impact
Wednesday 07.02.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

categories: Impact, Tech
Wednesday 07.02.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

categories: Impact, Music
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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.

categories: Culture, Impact, Sport
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

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:

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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.

categories: Impact, Music, Culture
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

The Premier League’s New Digital Experience: Smart Play or Still in Beta?

The Premier League’s newly launched fan-facing app and website marks a decisive step in its digital transformation strategy. Backed by a five-year cloud and AI partnership with Microsoft, this isn’t just a UX refresh - it’s a structural shift in how the League intends to own the fan relationship. But while the ambition is clear, what’s the real value for marketers, and are there early signs of friction?

What’s working:

1. Platform consolidation = greater control of the fan journey
With the app acting as a gateway to clubs, broadcasters and official stats, the Premier League is reducing reliance on third-party platforms. This gives brands access to a more controlled, data-rich environment, and opens the door for higher-value, contextually relevant activations.

2. Personalisation at scale
The myPremierLeague features - especially “Line Up” and player-specific content - demonstrate a move toward the kind of tailored experience fans now expect from Spotify, TikTok, or Netflix. For brands, this allows for sharper targeting, especially in global markets where club allegiance is diverse but fandom is deep.

3. The AI Companion isn’t a gimmick
Built with Microsoft Copilot, this tool has real utility. Fans being able to access over 30 seasons of data, 9,000 videos, and personalised match insights introduces a new layer of content discovery. For brand partners, this means more moments to insert value - whether through branded storytelling, gamified trivia, or interactive content.

4. Global-first thinking
Features like Premier League Radio (with multilingual match commentary), seamless broadcaster linking, and mobile-first vertical storytelling reflect a serious commitment to serving fans well beyond the UK. For brands aiming to scale globally with Premier League IP, that matters.

What’s not (yet) delivering:

1. Commerce and ticketing still live elsewhere
While content and stats have been centralised, commercial functionality hasn’t. Merch, ticketing, travel, and loyalty experiences are still fragmented across club platforms. For marketers looking to close the loop from engagement to purchase, that’s a missed opportunity (for now).

2. Fantasy fatigue?
The integration of Fantasy Premier League is a smart retention play, but the format is largely unchanged. Gen Z and casual fans may find the experience too static, especially when competing with fantasy formats in NBA, NFL and esports that offer more real-time, mobile-first playability.

3. Broadcast links ≠ true streaming integration
The app connects fans to broadcaster platforms, but doesn't (yet) unify the live-viewing experience within its own ecosystem. This limits in-app dwell time and reduces opportunities for mid-match or reactive brand messaging.

4. Discovery bias toward superfans
With so many features built around customisation, newer or casual fans might struggle to find value without deep knowledge of clubs or players. For brands looking to reach the next-gen or international fanbase, there’s a risk the platform remains skewed toward core followers rather than onboarding new ones.

Why it matters for marketers:

This launch is a case study in what it looks like when a league builds a media platform rather than just renting space on one. For sponsors and marketers, it creates a more immersive, insight-rich environment to engage fans - but it also comes with the responsibility to tailor campaigns in ways that align with how fans are now navigating the product.

For the Premier League, it’s about owning attention, gathering first-party data, and proving its value far beyond the 90 minutes. But the next big win will come when these digital experiences begin to convert attention into commercial outcomes - across merch, tickets, content and brand activations.

The infrastructure is there. Now the test is adoption.

categories: Tech, Sport
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

When Brand Activations Meet Real Utility: Why Gymshark’s ‘Lon-drette’ Nailed It

Big shout out to Lisa Buchan for spotlighting Gymshark’s Lon-drette activation at Hyrox London. This wasn’t just a clever idea, it was a sharp lesson in how brands show up with purpose.

Let’s set the scene. You’ve just completed Hyrox: a brutal, hybrid endurance race. You’re drenched, aching, exhilarated. Then Gymshark steps in - not with a selfie wall or a branded protein shake - but a fully functioning laundrette-tailor hybrid where you could get your finisher patch sewn straight onto your kit.

No plastic tat, no one-time-only merch. Just a simple, thoughtful offer: a lasting reminder of your effort stitched into something you already love. Functional touches like detergent and electrolytes sealed the deal. Zero fluff, 100 percent audience-first thinking.

This is what brand partnerships should look like. The Lon-drette wasn’t about dominating the room with logos. It was about quietly embedding the brand into a moment of personal pride.

And let’s be honest: after 20 years in this industry, the activations that really hit aren’t the ones with the biggest screens or budgets. They’re the ones that show empathy. That recognise the real need in a moment. The stuff your audience will tell their mates about on the train home, or remember every time they throw on that hoodie.

Gymshark didn’t just support athletes - they helped them celebrate themselves. And in doing so, they made belonging part of the brand experience.

What Brand Marketers Can Learn:

  • Don’t interrupt - integrate. Make your brand part of the story your audience is already living.

  • Think practical, not just pretty. Functional touchpoints (like electrolytes or detergent) show real understanding of the moment.

  • Design for memory, not just media. A stitched patch on a favourite hoodie lasts longer - emotionally and physically - than a digital impression.

  • Know when not to shout. Authenticity often speaks loudest when it whispers. Utility can be your best brand ambassador.

  • Make brand love wearable. When a brand becomes part of someone’s personal milestone, it earns a place in their everyday life.

  • Build for belonging. Create spaces and moments where your audience feels seen, supported, and celebrated.

More of this, please.

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categories: Sport
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

Doppl and the Future of Fashion: Google’s AI Styling App Is Shaping the Next Phase of Try-On Culture

Virtual try-on technology has been steadily evolving - but Doppl, Google Labs’ latest AI experiment, marks a definitive step into the future of fashion interaction.

Free to download (currently U.S. only) on iOS and Android, Doppl lets users upload a full-body photo and instantly visualise how any outfit might look and move on them. From thrifted gems to Instagram finds, users can snap, upload and watch their AI-generated selves walk, turn and style the piece - all in motion.

Where Google’s “Try-On” feature in Search stops at static images, Doppl turns styling into a dynamic, shareable, and surprisingly immersive experience. It simulates drape, flow and fit in motion - not just how something looks, but how it might feel.

This is important because shopping today isn’t linear. It doesn’t start on product pages - it starts in content. Style inspiration happens across TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, Reddit and resale platforms. Doppl builds a bridge between that moment of inspiration and self-expression. No search bar needed.

As Amanda Caswell recently explored for Tom’s Guide, Doppl’s edge is not just visual personalisation - it’s realism in motion. AI-generated videos bring a new level of intimacy and accuracy to online styling. You’re not just uploading your photo. You’re animating your taste.

That said, it’s still experimental. Expect glitches. Uploading can be patchy. Fit and fidelity aren’t perfect. Google has acknowledged this and says Doppl will evolve with better processing, more categories and international rollout. But the direction is clear.

Beyond the fun factor (and it is fun), this is a preview of what’s coming for brands and platforms:

  • Commerce that begins in content, not catalogues

  • Identity-driven retail powered by generative tech

  • Styling that moves from static to social

It also invites fresh thinking around data and privacy. Doppl uses your images to generate try-ons - and while Google claims robust safeguards are in place, users and brands alike will need to weigh innovation against trust as these tools scale.

But the bottom line is this: Doppl’s not just about trying on clothes. It’s about trying on versions of yourself, inspired by the culture you move through. That’s not just a product tool - that’s a platform opportunity.

And for brands watching closely? This is your signal. Style discovery is becoming performance-based, creator-led and AI-assisted. Welcome to the new fitting room.

categories: Fashion, Tech
Tuesday 07.01.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

Ticketmaster, SeatGeek Lead $361M Sponsorship Surge: 23 Brands, 190 Deals, One Big Landgrab

In the ultra-competitive world of sports and entertainment in the US, ticketing sponsorships have become more than marketing plays - they’re strategic land-grabs for long-term, league-wide dominance. Last week, SponsorUnited released its much-anticipated report on sponsorship spend in the ticketing category, and the numbers speak volumes about where the industry is headed.

📊 The Big Picture: $361 Million from 23 Brands

  • Total spend: $361 million

  • Active investors: 23 brands

  • Average deal size: $1.49 million

  • Allocation to property & exposure rights: 65%

These figures underscore how deeply ticketing companies are embedding themselves into the fabric of pro and Power 4 college sports. Far from one-off activations, each sponsorship represents a strategic foothold - whether it’s naming a stadium, underwriting fan experiences, or cementing status as the “official” ticketing partner of a league.

🎯 Leaders of the Pack: Ticketmaster vs. SeatGeek

Number of Deals

  • Ticketmaster 107

  • SeatGeek 83

With 107 deals, Ticketmaster currently holds the crown; SeatGeek isn’t far behind at 83. Together, they account for nearly half of all ticketing sponsorship agreements in the market. This head-to-head battle reflects more than brand awareness - it’s a fight for ecosystem control, data insights, and the exclusive ability to influence where and how fans buy tickets.

⚖️ Deal Dynamics: Property Rights & Exposure

On average, each ticketing sponsorship deal is valued at $1.49 million, and about 65% of that spend is devoted to two core pillars:

  1. Property Rights

    • Examples: naming rights (e.g., NWSL’s SeatGeek Stadium), branded concourses, premium lounge sponsorships.

  2. Exposure & Activation

    • Examples: “official ticketing partner” entitlements (such as Ticketmaster’s WNBA partnership), in-arena signage, digital integrations.

By prioritising property rights, ticketing companies offset slotting fees and secure deeply integrated assets - things fans see and interact with every time they attend a game. Exposure rights, meanwhile, translate into constant brand reinforcement across broadcasts, social media, and on-site activations.

🕵️‍♂️ Why This Matters: Strategic Insights for Sponsorship Buyers

For Partnership Managers, Directors of Business Development, or CMOs, this data isn’t just academic. It’s the roadmap to:

  • Spotting White Space: Where are competitor deals expiring? Which teams or conferences remain untapped?

  • Benchmarking Market Rates: With average deals at $1.49 million, how do your current negotiations stack up?

  • Assessing Overlaps & Exclusivity: In category-saturated markets, are you truly “exclusive”?

  • Forecasting Shifts: As leagues evolve (e.g., growth of the WNBA or expansion of college playoffs), which new sponsorship assets will gain value?

Armed with real-time sponsorship data, teams can sharpen their pitches, negotiate smarter, and align more closely with league growth trajectories.

🚀 The Road Ahead: A Land-Grab in Perpetual Motion

Ticketing sponsorships are far from static. As new leagues emerge, digital ticketing innovations proliferate, and fan expectations evolve, the sponsorship landscape will continue to shift:

  • Emerging Markets: Niche leagues (NWSL, MLS Next Pro) offer early-mover advantages.

  • Digital & Hybrid Assets: NFTs, dynamic ticketing, and app integrations create fresh branding opportunities.

  • Sustainability & Community: Brands that tie ticketing deals to CSR initiatives - like community ticketing programs - can stand out.

In a category where every deal is a strategic foothold, visibility is everything. By understanding who’s investing, where deals are concentrated, and how rights are being activated, ticketing companies - and their sponsorship buyers - can turn data into a decisive competitive advantage.

🔍 Key Takeaways

  1. $361 M spent by 23 brands signals deep strategic commitment.

  2. Ticketmaster (107 deals) and SeatGeek (83 deals) are locked in a head-to-head battle for ecosystem control.

  3. 65% of deal value is focused on property and exposure rights - core to brand integration.

  4. Data-driven insights are essential for spotting opportunities, benchmarking spend, and negotiating exclusivity.

As the dust settles on SponsorUnited’s report, one thing is clear: in the world of ticketing sponsorships, being everywhere - in every league, every stadium, every digital touchpoint - is the ultimate goal. And for brands that want to win, real-time data and strategic foresight have never been more critical.

categories: Sport, Tech
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

📱 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

categories: Impact, Tech
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

The Rise of the Sober Rave: Why Festivals Are Embracing Moderation

Festival culture is sobering up - literally.

In 2025, a new kind of headliner is taking the stage: moderation.

Long tied to indulgence and excess, festivals have traditionally been synonymous with alcohol. But for a growing number of Gen Z and Millennial audiences, that link is starting to fray. Instead, a cultural shift is gaining ground - one that prioritises presence, connection, and personal autonomy over default behaviours.

Whether driven by mental wellness, a desire to stay sharp, or simply shifting social norms, today’s festivalgoers are showing up differently. For many, the decision to go alcohol-free isn’t about missing out - it’s about showing up fully.

📉 The Stats Tell the Story

  • In the US, alcohol consumption among 18–34s has fallen from 72% to 62% over the last two decades (Gallup).

  • Gen Z drinks 20% less than Millennials at the same life stage (Berenberg/WSJ).

  • 58% of Gen Z plan to drink even less in 2025, citing mental health and productivity (NCSolutions).

  • The no/low alcohol market is growing at +10% CAGR globally (IWSR).

This shift isn’t hypothetical - it’s playing out across real spaces and live events. At Coachella 2025, Heineken® 0.0 reported a 125.5% increase in sales compared to the previous year. In the Netherlands, consumption of 0.0 beers at festivals rose by 35%. Globally, Heineken 0.0 is now available in over 120 markets.

But this is bigger than a single brand. It’s a cultural reset.

🍺 The Brands Moving With the Beat

Lucky Saint, the UK-based alcohol-free beer brand, has become a fixture at mass-participation events like the Hackney Half and the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run, serving on-tap 0.5% beer to thousands of runners. These aren’t sober-only spaces - these are mainstream, high-energy cultural moments where moderation isn’t marginal. With its new Lemon Lager and branded experiences, Lucky Saint is proving that 0.0 doesn’t mean compromise - it means choice.

Meanwhile, CleanCo, co-founded by Spencer Matthews, is expanding the no-alcohol spirits category with a growing portfolio of gin, rum, tequila and whiskey alternatives. Positioned as “beyond mocktails,” the brand sold 8.8 million drinks in 2024 and is backed by figures like England cricket captain Ben Stokes. It’s not just sober - it's serious. And it’s fast becoming a staple in both wellness spaces and premium nightlife.

Together, these brands reflect a growing truth: non-alcoholic isn’t niche anymore - it’s a domain with its own credibility, creativity and commercial weight.

🎯 What This Means for Festivals, Brands and Marketers

For Festival Organisers
Moderation isn’t the opposite of partying - it’s a new way to engage. Forward-thinking festivals are no longer hiding 0.0 options behind a side bar. Instead, they’re investing in premium non-alc experiences: curated menus, dedicated spaces, and credible partners that reflect the values of their audience. These additions aren’t just inclusive - they're commercial, experiential, and increasingly expected.

For Alcohol Brands
Zero-alc is no longer a side hustle. It’s a central pillar of future-facing portfolios. Brands need to move beyond “offering an option” and start positioning 0.0 products as relevant lifestyle choices with taste, branding, and storytelling to match. This is about expanding the category - not shrinking expectations.

For Brand Marketers
The shift towards moderation is an opportunity to rethink how joy, identity and connection are expressed. Campaigns that centre presence, confidence and clarity are landing harder than those tied to consumption. This generation doesn’t need alcohol to participate - they need to feel seen.

🎵 The New Festival Beat

The result? A cultural remix of the live experience. Less about numbing out, more about tuning in. As the sober-curious movement continues to grow, festivals are becoming more intentional spaces - where people can celebrate on their own terms.

Moderation is no longer a side note. It’s a headliner in its own right.

categories: Music, Impact
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

You Don’t “Have” Fans. You Earn the Relationship.

Fandom is having a moment. Again.

There are endless headlines about the rise of the “new” fan - hyper-engaged, platform-native, born into meme culture and fluent in niche. Reports churn out taxonomies and traits: the Gen Z sports obsessive, the K-pop stan, the streaming superfan. The message is clear: fans are a powerful cohort, and brands need to figure them out.

But here's the problem: most of the conversation still treats fandom like a fixed attribute - a type of person to be targeted, instead of a context-dependent behaviour to be earned.

Let’s be clear: fandom is not a personality type. It’s a response.
It emerges when the right conditions exist - when people find cultural meaning, community, emotional return or creative agency in the worlds they connect with.

Some of those conditions are designed. Others are accidental. But none of them are guaranteed.

Fandom is a system, not a segment

Brands love segmentation: who are these fans, where do they live, what’s their disposable income? Useful in some ways. But it misses the deeper point.

Two people with the same music taste or media habits might engage in wildly different ways depending on what the cultural system around them offers:

  • One fan watches passively. Another edits tour footage into narrative arcs with fan theories, inside jokes and timeline canon.

  • One buys a jersey. Another crowdfunds a documentary to preserve the club’s grassroots story.

  • One streams the album. Another builds a Discord server that outlives the release cycle.

Same interest. Different conditions. Different behaviour.

Fandom is shaped by access, expectation, community design, and the level of creative or emotional input the world around it allows. It’s not a thing people bring. It’s a thing they build - often in response to how a brand, artist or platform sets the tone.

Behaviour > Belonging

Want to understand the future of fandom? Don’t ask “Who are these people?” Ask “What are they able (or invited) to do?”

  • Are they given tools to remix and reframe stories?

  • Is there frictionless access to the source or mystique to unravel?

  • Is it reciprocal, performative, devotional, communal?

  • Does the platform enable connection or gatekeep it?

Some of the most successful fandoms didn’t scale because of who the fans were, but because of what the ecosystem allowed:

  • The NBA’s growth among Gen Z isn’t about youth appeal alone. It’s about its embrace of player-as-creator culture - from TikTok to League Fits to podcasting.

  • Coachella’s branded relevance isn’t rooted in legacy. It’s powered by the annual ritual of fashion, identity play, livestream hype, and digital presence far beyond the desert.

  • Dungeons & Dragons’ renaissance didn’t come from rebranding the game. It came from opening the gates, letting players become performers, creators and communities.

Numbers to know

  • 63% of Gen Z say they connect more deeply with brands that help them express or create, not just consume (GWI, 2024).

  • The top 10% of artist superfans drive over 40% of digital music revenue - not just through streaming, but through ticketing, merch, and premium content (MIDiA Research).

  • Fandom-first platforms like Discord, AO3 and Letterboxd are growing faster than social platforms in active engagement metrics year-on-year (WARC, 2024).

So what does this mean for brands?

If you want to build real fandom, stop treating it like a demographic to court.

Instead:

  • Design for behaviour. Enable rituals, remixing, self-expression. Create the tools and signals that allow fans to act.

  • Respect the tempo. Not all engagement is always-on. Some fandoms thrive on drops, delays, suspense.

  • Map the inputs. Fandom isn’t output. It’s what happens when the cultural inputs - intimacy, relevance, recognition - align.

Because you don’t own fandom. You don’t get to define it.
You only get to design the conditions where it can emerge - or not.

Sources:

  • GWI “Future of the Creator Economy” Report, 2024

  • MIDiA Research: “Superfans & Monetisation” 2023

  • WARC: “Fandom Platforms 2024 Benchmark”

categories: Impact
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

On The Record Linkedin Newsletter 1st July

categories: Linkedin Newsletter
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

Doechii’s Glastonbury Looks Prove Fashion References Still Matter

In an era where cultural capital is currency, Doechii’s Glastonbury debut proved she’s already fluent. When the rising star stormed the West Holts stage in not one but three Vivienne Westwood looks – including a faithful nod to that Kate Moss micro mini - she wasn’t just performing. She was rewriting the brand x talent playbook through the lens of cultural fluency.

The move was more than stylistic synergy: it was a deliberate, layered message about legacy, rebellion, and creative alignment. Styled by Sam Woolf, Doechii’s “School of Hip-Hop” concept merged seamlessly with Westwood’s anarchic British heritage - think punk prep meets fashion archives, decoded for Gen Z.

What made it click? Timing and relevance. Glastonbury is synonymous with Moss, mud, and moment-making. Doechii channelled all three, referencing Westwood’s SS94 Café Society collection and paying homage to fashion’s rebellious godmothers - Kate and Naomi. But this was no nostalgia trip. The execution was sharp, contemporary, and thoroughly Doechii. Each look balanced homage with innovation, a skill that separates aesthetic mimicry from true cultural authorship.

This wasn’t about wearing vintage for the sake of retro cool. It was about placing Doechii in a lineage of powerful, genre-defining women - and staking a claim in British fashion history while doing it. The fact that Gen Z fans clocked the references and reposted them across TikTok? That’s cultural relevance in action.

Brand marketers take note: this is how you turn a headline performance into a long-tail cultural play. Through shared storytelling, stylistic credibility, and a sharp understanding of context, Doechii and Westwood reminded us that great collaborations aren’t about borrowing clout - they’re about amplifying narrative.

Because in 2025, it’s not just about showing up. It’s about showing up with intention.

categories: Fashion, Music
Monday 06.30.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

AI Hitmakers and Algorithmic Hype: How Tech Took the Wheel in Culture

Meet The Velvet Sundown - a psychedelic rock “band” with over 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, two albums released in June, and zero confirmed human members. Their Spotify profile is verified, their bios are gibberish, and their band photos look like they were dreamt up by a machine. That’s because they probably were.

No one asked for an AI psych-rock band. But platforms made space for one. That’s the story.

Streaming services like Deezer report that nearly 20 percent of daily uploads are now fully AI-generated. No disclosure required. Spotify’s algorithms surface tracks based on predictive engagement patterns, not provenance or intent. For most users, that’s invisible. For brands, artists and culture strategists - it’s existential.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just the rise of AI in music. It’s the wider transformation of cultural influence from a human-led ecosystem to a machine-optimised economy. Tech isn’t just the stage anymore. It’s the writer, the producer and - most powerfully - the recommender.

This shift matters. Because for decades, cultural influence came from the margins. It started with subcultures, underground movements, niche tastemakers. But today, cultural moments increasingly start with algorithmic visibility: TikTok virality, FYP formatting, playlist placement.

Generative tools like AI image-makers or text-to-music models might still feel novel - but they’re scaling fast, and so are the incentives to use them. For platforms, synthetic content is cheap, controllable, and doesn’t argue about royalties. For brands chasing ‘always-on’ presence, it's tempting too.

But there’s a cost. When cultural relevance is reduced to performance metrics and recommendation logic, we risk losing the depth, risk-taking and community-first thinking that actually makes culture stick.

For brands and creators that care about legacy, not just visibility, this is the moment to double down on intent. The best strategy now isn’t to ignore tech - it’s to use it critically. To understand how it’s shaping taste and attention, yes - but to invest even harder in human insight, creative bravery and cultural point of view.

Because in this new era, the question isn’t can you scale content with AI. It’s: should you?

And if your brand wants to lead culture - not just fill the feed - you’ll need more than tools. You’ll need taste.


categories: Impact, Tech, Music
Sunday 06.29.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 

More Than a Game: How Football Foundations Are Rebuilding Community Bonds

Football is often described as a religion, a theatre, a war without weapons. But perhaps most powerfully, it's also a mirror to community. From their inception in shipyards and churches to the sprawling foundations of today, football clubs have always reflected the needs, values, and spirit of the people around them.

Across the UK, every professional club now runs a dedicated foundation - an often-overlooked extension of the club that operates not on matchdays, but every other day that matters. These organisations are not PR vehicles. They’re purpose-built, professional outfits delivering long-term, local impact: from health programmes for over-60s to pathways into employment for young people.

And while the foundations may be relatively new (most were established in the last 30 years), the ethos they embody is anything but. Many of the earliest clubs, including Manchester United and West Ham, were founded as workplace teams promoting physical and mental wellbeing. Others, such as Everton and Southampton, were formed by churches as moral and social outlets, guided by the values of muscular Christianity - a Victorian movement that saw sport as a tool for discipline, inclusion, and upliftment.

That lineage lives on. Celtic and Hibernian were established to serve the Irish working-class diaspora in Glasgow and Edinburgh, respectively. Today, their foundations still carry the baton - funding educational initiatives, delivering anti-racism workshops, and providing free meals in low-income neighbourhoods.

What does this look like in practice?

  • Aston Villa Foundation’s ‘Villa Vision’: In partnership with Specsavers, they deliver free eye tests and prescription glasses to pupils in areas with high deprivation, improving classroom confidence and academic performance through better vision.

  • Brentford FC Community Sports Trust’s refugee programme: Through football sessions and English classes, the club has created a powerful inclusion initiative for newly arrived refugees, helping them integrate through both play and language.

  • Everton in the Community’s ‘Blue Family’: Originally launched during COVID-19, this initiative delivers food parcels, mental health support, and welfare checks to vulnerable fans and families. It's evolved into a permanent community safety net.

  • Leeds United Foundation’s ‘Youth Hub’: Working with the Department for Work and Pensions, this hub supports 16 to 24-year-olds on Universal Credit with employability training, CV workshops, and direct access to jobs and apprenticeships.

  • Liverpool FC Foundation’s ‘Open Goals’: Free outdoor physical activity sessions across Merseyside parks, aimed at getting families and young people moving, while also subtly embedding mental health check-ins and nutritional advice.

At their best, football foundations are not just reactive, but proactive. They take a holistic approach to wellbeing, recognising that physical health, mental resilience, economic opportunity and social inclusion are all interconnected. And while they may operate independently of club ownership, their success proves that the strength of a football brand is still measured by its social footprint.

Of course, this sits in stark contrast to the realities of modern football economics. Rising ticket prices, billionaire owners, and commercialisation have increasingly alienated local fans. But foundations offer a way back - a reconnection to the game’s roots. They’re a reminder that football is not just a business asset or broadcast product. It’s a civic institution. A shared identity. A cultural glue.

So when we talk about the power of football, it’s not just about what happens in the 90 minutes. It’s about everything that happens beyond them - in classrooms, job centres, food banks and five-a-side pitches. The foundations are proof that while the business of football may have changed, its beating heart remains exactly where it started: with the people.

categories: Impact, Sport
Sunday 06.29.25
Posted by Vicky Beercock
 
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