Meme Team: Marketing, Culture, Narrative

This episode hits on five major marketing trends playing out rn. starts with F1's american takeover—Cadillac's super bowl livery reveal is perfectly timed with Apple's new broadcast deal to capture US audiences who've been waiting for a team that actually leans into being american. they also break down the wholesome carlos sainz unicorn helmet story that shows how user-generated content and ongoing storylines can build real fan eng...

Sonia, Amanda, and guest Kushaan Shah break down how Shopify and Stripe owned Black Friday/Cyber Monday 2025—not through traditional ads, but by spotlighting merchants, building miniature cities by hand, and proving B2B doesn't have to be boring. They unpack record-breaking consumer spending ($1 trillion+ for the first time), the dark side of buy-now-pay-later debt, mobile shopping's takeover of desktop, and wh...

episode description: sonia and kaleigh break down why traditional marketing is dying and what's replacing it. they cover timothée chalamet's $250 jacket sellout, apple tv's continued failure to market good shows, hulu's genius grocery store hack, lionsgate listening to fans for hunger games casting, shopify's president crowdsourcing black friday recs, and why a luxury brand just said "fuck ai" with their n...

This episode covers five major marketing and media topics: ChatGPT's new group chat feature launching in Asian markets as a potential WhatsApp competitor; Timothée Chalamet's innovative meta-marketing campaign for A24's Marty Supreme that blurs satire and reality while creating memeable experiential moments; the breakdown of Steph Curry's 12-year Under Armour partnership and what it reveals about brands failing...

Sonia and Christina break down consumer brand marketing wins and fails across Apple's glass logo rebrand, Nike's LA murals, Sephora's tone-deaf holiday ad with Mariah Carey, the AI wars between Coca-Cola and Barbour's Wallace & Gromit collab, and the Starbucks bear cup chaos. They also dig into Apple TV's quality-over-quantity approach, consumerism culture, and how brands are staking claims on AI vs craft.

Episode Summary
In this episode, Sonia and Moshe dissect four big marketing moments. They start with Cracker Barrel’s self-aware tweet that uses humor to defuse backlash over its remodel, then dive deep into Nike’s “I Love LA” Dodgers World Series spot that swaps Randy Newman for Kendrick Lamar—layering the LA–Toronto rivalry with the Kendrick–Drake beef to show true cultural fluency. They pull out why speed...

Halloween meets K‑pop as Amanda and Sonia kick off with costumes, community, and a Demon Hunter sing‑along, then pivot to the Bugonia “bald screening” stunt—who actually shaved vs who got bald caps, and what that says about event design and expectation setting. The core segment tackles why surveys mislead (AP’s Halloween stats; SparkTogether’s “would attend again” vs reality) and how better survey design, open‑...

From The Office's Kevin trapped in a glass box for Ramp to Lionsgate finally embracing fan editors, this episode unpacks the biggest marketing moves of the week. We break down how a B2B fintech company created the most talked-about experiential campaign, dive into Twitter's game-changing link update, and expose a wild Reddit marketing takedown that cost one company 80% of their revenue.

Plus...

In today's episode, Sonia and guest Christina Garnett break down three major shifts in marketing: Timothée Chalamet's genius guerrilla campaign for indie ping pong movie Marty Supreme, Taylor Swift's variant overload that's testing even die-hard Swifties, and why politicians desperately need to learn how to make TikToks AND go on 3-hour long podcasts.

Plus: Netflix drops "Original," Apple TV loses "Plus," and why these streaming gia...

In this episode of the Meme Team podcast, Amanda and Sonia discuss various marketing strategies and cultural phenomena, including Cracker Barrel's logo controversy, Williams F1's community engagement, Tame Impala's unique concert experience, Anthropic's pop-up in New York, Taylor Swift's influence on the wedding industry, and the marketing strategies behind K-Pop Demon Hunters. They also touch on Merriam-Webste...

This week on Meme Team, Sonia and Amanda dive into four big culture-meets-marketing moments:

Taylor Swift x KitchenAid? How brands are borrowing her orange aesthetic to drive hype — without her even collabing.

OpenAI’s first brand campaign + "agentic commerce." What instant checkout inside ChatGPT means for small businesses, DTC, and the future of discovery.

The unicorn that won F1. How a fan’s sticker turned into a viral, f...

Halloween re-releases, 3-day theater drops, and brand ads masquerading as short films. This week we unpack how "eventfication" is reshaping entertainment and marketing, why most "make it go viral" mandates miss the point, and what Oura's $875M raise (at an $11B valuation) says about wearables — especially for women.We cover:"Sinners" returns for Halloween and why timing + communal cosplay can reviv...

This episode explores how major institutions are adapting their content strategies for new audiences. We start with Robert Redford's passing, discussing how his work with Sundance created a blueprint for using cultural capital to build new communities. This ties into modern marketing innovations like "The Long Walk's" treadmill screenings—where the medium literally becomes the message.

Our guest Caitlin Rease (San ...

Comms pro Cristin Culver joins Meme Team to dissect Austin, TX's universally-dragged logo rollout, Reese Witherspoon’s shallow AI talking points (and how to master the PR art of bridging), and the Builder.ai collapse (aka why your ship-to-yap ratio matters). We also hit Instagram’s long-awaited iPad app, Threads’ watermarking, HBO’s latest rename spree, and Apple’s just-announced iPhone Air — with a through-line on hype vs. pro...

In this episode of Meme Team, we break down three major marketing moments: Sabrina Carpenter's masterclass in brand authenticity after her album cover controversy, YouTube's game-changing new "Hype" feature for small creators, and Lionsgate's wild treadmill theater experience for "The Long Walk." From handling haters to innovative marketing stunts, we explore how brands and creators are pushing bound...

Join Sonia Baschez and "F1 Guy" Vincenzo Landino as they dive into the exciting announcement of Cadillac's entry into the F1 world for the 2026 season. Discover the strategic marketing decisions behind choosing experienced drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, and explore the marketing implications for Cadillac and the broader F1 community. The conversation also touches on the American identity of the new team com...

Join hosts Sonia Baschez and Amanda Natividad as we explore the cultural phenomena of Dubai chocolate and Labubu dolls, the impact of GLP-1 drugs on societal expectations, and the unique marketing strategies behind the film Weapons. We also quickly cover Zohran Mamdani's #zcavenger hunt, the viral success of Netflix's K-pop Demon Hunters, Sydney Sweeney's latest controversies, and the failed Cracker Barrel rebrand.

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In this episode of the Meme Team Podcast, hosts Amanda and Sonia explore the intersection of marketing, culture, and branding. They discuss the recent rebranding of MSNBC, the legacy of Duolingo's social media strategy, and the backlash against AI personalities. The conversation also touches on creative marketing campaigns, the cultural impact of Taylor Swift, and the importance of authenticity in brand engagement. Additionally...

In this bonus episode, Amanda and Sonia discuss Taylor Swift's recent appearance on the New Heights podcast, highlighting her marketing genius, personal insights, and the impact of her presence on the podcast landscape. They explore how Swift's approach to announcing new music and engaging with fans sets a new standard for artists, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and connection in the digital age.

Chapters

00:00 Taylor Swi...