*buzzing IN POP-CULTURE: CONTINUITY IS THE REAL CLOUT

Fandom is one of the most magical things in culture. If you’re a fan, you truly believe in something, you identify with others just based on your shared love for something. And this level of dedication goes beyond listening to music on Spotify. It’s about showing your love, using certain codes, connecting with others.

Spotify understood the rising relevance of this type of music fandom in a society as divided as ours and turned it into their global platform Fan Life years ago. But they also understood that celebrating fandom in creative isn’t enough. They had to give fans something nobody else gave them. From exclusive concerts for superfans to exclusive merch drops, and now: posters signed by ASAP Rocky, Pitbull, Mary J. Blige, Rezz and more, available from Spotify’s OOH spaces in New York City.

I’m not sure how Spotify made sure actual fans found these posters. But I couldn’t find them on eBay, so I guess it worked.

Spotify is proof that continuity is everything. Too many brands skip from one thing to the next. Spotify took a clear role in culture and keeps reinventing the Fan Life platform, with still so many untapped opportunities on the horizon. Call me fangirl.

Last week the new Premier League season kicked off and Coca-Cola came back with something worth talking about.

They launched their sponsorship with a new soundtrack for the league, created by Central Cee. It’s not the first time Coca-Cola has had an artist create a branded song (think Tyler the Creator’s “Open That Coca-Cola” with the zshhhh of the bottle opening) or a hymn for a sports event (think Anderson .Paak and Gwen Stefani for the Olympics). But this time it’s a European football league, not a global activation. And it might not stop there: in one of Coca-Cola’s Instagram posts, I’m pretty sure I heard Summer Cem rap a line about the Bundesliga.

But here’s what makes this one different. Past activations had the song. What they were missing was the storytelling. And that’s where Central Cee hits different. From a fan event with a football tournament in London to interviews and pree throughout the season opening weekend, the story actually got told. Properly activated, not just dropped. And the most important thing about these Coca-Cola songs in general : they’re rarely about the product. They’re about the passion. Coca-Cola enables and does some branding on the side. That’s the right order. (and I don’t ever want to hear a rap song about a supermarket again!!!)

Now I’m more than hyped to see the Bundesliga version come to life this weekend. Please let it be just as good.

Last week McDonald’s Japan released a three-episode anime series to celebrate their Samurai Mac. Two people who obviously have feelings for each other, talking about their love for the Samurai Mac instead of their feelings for each other. With a twist at the end that makes it even cuter.

One of the best executions of branded micro-drama I’ve seen so far. And with anime being far from niche outside of Japan at this point, I’d love to see more of this everywhere else too.

A few weeks ago a ball of brown hair rolled through NYC and made everyone’s feed. A day later, K18 claimed it: a stunt to visualize the amount of hair New Yorkers lose every day, turned into urban art, turned into viral content. No logo on it.

As someone smart said: the opposite of the Jacquemus AR bags that took Paris a few years ago. Because it was art and not just a rolling product and logo. Fab work by Uncommon.

Lil Yachty is one of the most underrated artists in the world and I will die on this hill.

He’s not just an artist. He was one of the driving forces behind the SoundCloud boom, a producer and writer for others, the founder of Concrete Boys championing fresh artists like Rio Amor, and a genuine fashion icon. Probably the biggest Loewe fan alive, even beyond Jonathan Anderson’s era.

And now he gets to lead their FW 2026 campaign. Visually stunning and looooong overdue. I love it!

I can’t talk about brands playing the long game without mentioning Dove, who just got announced as the sponsor of Charli XCX’s tour. And I am thrilled.

Dove has stood for real beauty and brought this space to life again and again over the past decades. The potential here is HUGE. Dove and Charli XCX bringing Real Beauty to life on her music fashion film tour could be so extremely iconic.

I just really hope it’s going to be more than a pop-up with a photo opportunity and some product trial in front of the venue. Because who on earth keeps telling brands not to do that, huh? :D

Please please please Dove, let this be good!!

If you’ve been following this Substack for a while, you know about my slightly unhealthy love for Cecilie Bahnsen. And my tendency to love everything this woman does. Here I am again, already thinking about how to turn this new campaign for her new Asics collab into A1 posters for my entire apartment. It’s so simple but so good. (I don’t like the sneakers tho.)