Pop culture offers brands more than relevance; it provides an opportunity to create lasting, emotional connections with audiences. At a PMC-hosted Advertising Week New York 2024 panel, leaders from Maybelline, Dick Clark Productions and Billboard shared how iconic collaborations, immersive experiences, and cultural moments are shaping the future of brand engagement.
From large-scale to small, personalized activations, brands are becoming more creative, bold, and interactive when it comes to pop culture.
In a panel conversation at Advertising Week New York 2024, Penske Media Corporation (PMC) shared new research that reveals just how powerful it is when brands effectively and authentically tap into pop culture.
Among the highlights are the key stats that 77% of respondents said that pop culture experiences provide a lifelong memory, and that a further 72% say that the experiences offer an escape from the ordinary.
Senior leaders from PMC’s suite of brands discussed the topic on stage; Dana Droppo, Chief Brand Officer at Billboard and Maddy Mesevage, EVP, Marketing at Dick Clark Productions. Sarah Shaker, AVP, Brand Engagement at Maybelline NY and Essie, also joined the panel to share her perspective from the brand-side of providing experiences.
Together, the panelists examined how tapping into cultural moments can elevate brand engagement to a whole new level.
Why do brands need to have a pop culture presence?
Brands have long leveraged pop culture to stay relevant but it’s becoming a powerful way to build long-lasting memories in an audience that’s seeing an increasing amount of ads.
On this topic, Mesevage from Dick Clark Productions said: “People want cultural experiences because they want to create a memory and have something they can personally connect to.
“For brands who get to participate in these environments, cultural experiences are like a conduit of connection. If done correctly and authentically, brands get to be part of those memories,” she added.
Shaker also provided a CPG perspective on the benefits Maybelline New York can gain from engaging in pop culture through both content and custom experiences. She shared how the brand’s lack of a dedicated retail store (instead appearing in the stores of retail partners such as Walmart) means there’s added pressure to provide unique experiences for fans.
Shaker spotlighted a recent activation Maybelline ran in New York when it set up a Summer Carnival in the city: “When we’re building an experience, it’s our opportunity to give our consumers and brand advocates an exclusive touch point to engage with the brand. This specific event gave us a chance to build a lasting memory for our attendees by not only gifting new product to over three thousand guests, but offering carnival themed treats, boardwalk games themed to the product names to participate in, and social media content capture opportunities to share with their friends and communities.”
Two icons are better than one
Pop culture offers some unique opportunities for shared connections. The way this often manifests is when certain celebrities, with their own dedicated fandoms, join forces.
Mesevage from Dick Clark Productions references a recent performance from country music star Chris Stapleton and pop icon Dua Lipa at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
“Chris Stapleton and Dua Lipa have these very different fandoms, and watching them come together with the cross-pollination between genre and interest was incredible,” she said.
Droppo added, “If you look at the Billboard charts right after for the song, ‘I Think I’m in Love With You’, the version with Dua Lipa skyrocketed. So it’s actually driving the consumption of a product,” Droppo continued.
Dick Clark Productions’ Mesevage additionally highlighted: “We recently had Stray Kids, one of the most popular K-Pop groups in the world, perform during the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special. Their performance followed a video package celebrating the legacy of boy bands at the AMAs. The moment was presented by Lance Bass and AJ McLean. Having NSYNC fans and Backstreet Boys fans come together with Stray Kids fans was really incredible to see.”
Fans like this are incredible resources for brands, with PMC research revealing that 42% of respondents said if their favorite music artist wears or endorses something, it influences their purchase decisions.
The cross-generational appeal of culture
What is uniquely powerful about pop culture is its ability to span multiple generations and provide a uniting link between disparate groups.
Shaker from Maybelline spoke on this, explaining: “Maybelline is over 100 years old, so it’s really important for us to stay culturally relevant and modernize with generations as they grow alongside the brand”
Mesevage had a similar perspective on the pressures of carrying a brand through multiple generations, given Dick Clark Productions oversees award shows like the Golden Globes, which are currently in their eighth decade of production.
She said: “We have so many award shows that have been seen by so many generations of audiences, we really think of them as cultural moments. There’s power in getting fans and artists together to celebrate what was popular that year, but also creating new moments people will remember.”
“With the fragmentation of consumption, we actually see the ability for connection and community and subsequently engagement growing.”
“For us, our fans are no longer just watching and sharing our award shows with the people they are hanging out with in their living room. They are able to have a shared experience with their wider group of friends, family and online community.”
A gateway into cultural communities
“Billboard is a mirror to pop culture. And what we have seen is that music in languages not spoken by the listeners is being consumed at a higher and higher rate,” says Droppo.
This sentiment exemplified the shifting landscape of culture and language across America’s consumers. Fans are consuming content, whether that be music, movies or TV shows in languages that are not their own at higher rates, opening up new avenues for brands to reach previously untapped groups.
Droppo said: “We had Christian Nodal, someone who performs exclusively in Spanish, perform to a bilingual crowd. He covered a song by Selena, Como La Flor, and it was truly beautiful. He created a moment that transcended boundaries by singing a Spanish song that translated to English speakers all over the world.”
Shaker from Maybelline agreed, explaining how brands have much to gain when it comes to speaking authentically to a community.
She said: “We recently did an event for Hispanic Heritage Month at a comedy club with a popular Venezuelan comedian, where our guests were bilingual and from different Spanish-speaking backgrounds. Of course, we gifted product and had a little brand merch there, but it was more about bringing this community together in an authentic way.
“The feedback we got from our editor and creator guests said, “Maybelline hears us, Maybelline did something unique for us’. It was something really special,” Shaker added.
Pop culture is a crucial playground for brands
As the conversation at Advertising Week New York 2024 made clear, the evolving landscape of pop culture offers brands a unique opportunity to create deep, lasting connections with audiences.
Whether it’s through iconic collaborations like Chris Stapleton and Dua Lipa, or immersive brand experiences like Maybelline’s activations, pop culture provides a powerful platform for brands to create emotional, lasting connections with consumers
There are more platforms than ever for brands to step into the world of pop culture – and every cultural moment is an opportunity to make an impact.
Discover more about what audiences crave from pop culture experiences — events, award shows, and fan gatherings. Download the full report: Penske Media’s Pop Culture Study
