Strategic directors across agencies are asking their teams: What was the biggest moment of the summer? Most strats (including you) will pitch Love Island, the Odyssey, or the World Cup, but they are completely missing the mark. Because this question has no answer.

Today, people experience culture through personalized algorithms. One person’s feed could be taken over by rocket-launching videos from China, while another’s is flooded with reactions to the new Sarah J Mass book covers. Because of this, there’s no singular, biggest cultural moment for brands to tap into. 

Instead of chasing what you think is the biggest moment, brand strategies should focus on becoming a part of cultural worlds. 

Cultural World = the ecosystem that forms around something people care about. It includes the people, the places, the creators, the jargon, the jokes, the purchases, and the behavior of the members. 

Cultural worlds are small compared with old mass-media audiences, but they are much more engaged because they already care about the world the brand is entering. To successfully enter a cultural world, a campaign must be both interactive and deep.

1. Interactive: Something people can bring into their lives (people should be able to repeat it, remix it, wear it, quote it, or argue about it). Ask yourself: What are they already doing—and what could our brand give them a reason to do?
2. Deep: Encompass the emotional reasons behind why members love the world. Ask yourself: What do people in that world care about? Love? Freedom? Safety?

So, tell your boss to stop asking, “What is the biggest thing happening in culture?” and instead find out what world your audience spends time in and write a brief that makes your client a part of it too.