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In a conversation with Campaign, Rachel Delphin, chief marketing officer of Twitch, discusses insights from Amazon Ads’ latest “Ads to Zeitgeist” research that illustrates how brands can go beyond reacting to cultural moments and start creating their own.
Whether it's mastering viral social media recipes, streaming the latest must-watch series or listening to our favourite podcasts, we all connect with culture daily. The idea that every point of connection presents an opportunity for brands to engage with existing and future consumers is not a new one. What is new, however, is the power that advertising now wields to not just react to cultural moments, but to create them.
To help brands better understand the symbiotic nature of the relationship between advertising and culture in 2024, Amazon Ads conducted its “Ads to Zeitgeist” research. The investigation set out “to explore the trends shaping culture as we know it, and learn how brands can cement their place in the greater zeitgeist.”
Campaign sat down with Rachel Delphin, chief marketing officer at Twitch, to get her take on the advertising-culture relationship and what the insights yielded by “Ads to Zeitgeist” show. “In recent years, there's been a blurring between the lines of advertising and culture,” says Delphin. The “Ads to Zeitgeist” research affirms this: 63% of survey respondents agree that advertising has the power to shape and create culture, and 71% say they want to see more genuine, real stories in the media that reflect different cultures. “That [the survey results] sets a really high bar for brands, particularly those who are looking to engage in culture, leverage culture, and demonstrate cultural relevance.”
Delphin’s biggest piece of advice to brands that want to create cultural moments rather than react to them is to understand what culture means to their consumers, as well as how and where consumers tend to participate in it. “Culture is not a monolith,” she says. “There's regional distinctions, there are demographic and generational distinctions, and there are topical distinctions depending on what sort of area you're looking at.”
The Amazon Ads research highlights one such topical distinction: 64% of consumers in the United Kingdom say they are looking for the creation of more original content. Twitch’s recent launch of The Glitch, an in-game experience inspired by a ‘broken’ Fortnite – one of the UK’s most-streamed games – exemplifies how brands can leverage such insights.
For more expert tips on how brands can shape culture – hint: living your brand values plays a huge role – watch our video with Twitch’s Rachel Delphin.