3 X BRANDS PLAYING WITH THE CULTURAL CALENDAR
A week’s marketing experience is enough to tell you the cultural calendar can be mind-numbing. There’s only so many ways to talk about Blue Monday. And when everyone’s having a wonderful Christmas time, you don’t want to be reading a brand’s loosely relevant ‘festive’ newsletter.
After all, consumers can tell when brands are pitching in just because they have to. The brands standing out are those finding a space of their own that feels true to them.
Here are three brands approaching the cultural calendar in less obvious ways:
FRANCO MANCA DOES A PIZZA RUN
Proving ‘January doesn’t have to all be rules and resolutions’, Franco Manca have found a smart way to insert themselves into a calendar moment that doesn’t usually have that much space for pizza.
Image: Franco Manca
A delicious exercise in balance, they’re rewarding anyone whose run route draws out a pizza slice with a sourdough pizza. Less BMI, more pizza pie, the challenge has quickly gone viral – filling Strava and Instagram with content people actually want to share.
BIG KID X RIA LAUNCHES BURNS NIGHT ICE CREAM
Sourcing Irn Bru ice cream might sound a little like the search for tartan paint, but Big Kid’s latest collab is making it happen. Working off the clever insight that haggis isn’t for everyone, the limited-edition tub is bringing Scotland’s sweeter side to Soho – available to try at Ria’s restaurant locations or in Big Kid’s own shop.
Image: BIG KID x RIA
A traditional Burns Night doesn’t typically include ice cream, but by creating a tub laden with deep-fried Mars Bars and Scottish tablet, Big Kid has earned its seat at the table.
HIGHSNOBIETY HEADS TO OKTOBERFEST
Beyond January, brands are getting involved in less obvious dates all year round. Back in October, Highsnobiety launched exclusive collaborations with Munich’s finest creatives as a way to transport their audience to Oktoberfest without the air fare.
Re-imagining the classic clothes of Bavaria alongside hosting events and parties, the move felt randomly right. And while steins don’t necessarily go hand in hand with street style, the collection turned heads at a moment when eyes were on Munich.
Image: HIGHSNOBIETY
When a move feels surprising and original, brands earn some breathing room. Better to be the only fashion brand at a beer festival than the hundredth booze brand to toast dry January.
Words by Caitlin Coyle, Copywriter.
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