7 Marketing Lessons Hiding in News & Pop Culture Headlines
Why great marketing feels obvious in hindsight — and how to spot it in the wild.
If you’re trying to figure out what good marketing looks like right now — start here.
Every week on Meme Team, my good friend Sonia Baschez and I break down the logic behind viral moments and marketing headlines. Here are 7 recent takeaways, some of which are recurring themes — much to my surprise. Two months ago, if you had told me how prevalent nostalgia marketing is, I wouldn’t have believed you. But now that I’m open to it… I can’t stop finding examples.
And if you read carefully, you’ll realize most of these lessons will apply to you, whether you’re selling SaaS, shoes, or… shrimp.
1) There’s riches in the niches… well, at least in the TAM that people think is just a niche.
We tend to look down on women’s problems as mere women’s problems. They’re nuisances that only shallow people care about. Case in point? Go to Dyson’s YouTube channel and look at the comments on their hair product videos. Lot of eye rolling, “Go solve real problems.”
We treat women’s routines as niche. But when half the world needs a better way to get out the door every morning, is that really a niche — or is it the biggest underserved category in tech? Drying and styling one’s hair is not a niche or superficial problem — it’s a pervasive problem, regardless of how much you don’t care about it — and there is at least one company that takes this seriously: Dyson.
A lot of us watch Dyson product videos like they’re Apple keynotes, and why not? Dyson’s one of the few (er… only?) companies truly innovating products to solve our mundane problems. Like drying our hair and vacuuming our homes.
And they’re absolutely crushing it.
They recently announced their 38mm Dyson PencilVac which leverages technology from their Dyson Airwrap to make sure your hair never destroys your vacuum again. I explain in this week’s Meme Team (giving you all the awkward science lesson nobody asked for). Here’s a clip where I break down the Coanda effect:
The lesson? Marketing is solving problems at scale… and getting paid for it. Don’t belittle a problem just because you don’t empathize with it.
» Lots more on the latest episode of Meme Team: Google Redoing SEO with AI, Dyson Disrupts, and Red Lobster Calls NSYNC
2) The best partnerships are mutual power-ups.
Netflix + Sesame Street is win-win. Netflix gets kids content. Sesame Street gets broader distribution. And the biggest winner? Honestly, our kids.
Great brand partnerships feel like obvious upgrades — not weird add-ons.
» Listen to the full take on Meme Team: Netflix + Sesame Street Is a Smart Brand Deal. HBO’s Rebrand? Not So Much.
3) “AI-first” is not the flex you think it is.
It signals cost-cutting. Efficiency-first. And that rarely screams great customer experience. Duolingo spent years building good will on their social media channels only to throw it all away with their recent announcement on going AI-first. Fans deleted their Duolingo apps, and Duolingo responded by nuking their Instagram and TikTok accounts… only to relaunch a few days later with a “power to the people” takeover video.
It’s not that you shouldn’t evolve. But the inherent fist pump of going “AI-first” is a clear business efficiency. Because when you’re “AI-first,” you’re literally saying you’re not “customer-first.”
If you’re going to make your business more efficient, how does that help your customers? If you’re a service provider, will AI help you move faster while you maintain quality? If you’re a SaaS company (like Duolingo!), will you pass on the monetary savings to your customers?
Be honest: are you just giving your customers a stripped-down version of what they loved?
The lesson? Any announcement regarding a business change requires customer-first positioning. If you can’t frame the value for your customer, then… well… you should probably just keep your mouth shut.
» We break this down on Meme Team: What Duolingo Got Wrong — and What Tom Cruise Gets Right
4) Good rebrands aren’t fluff — they’re clarity.
HBO dropped “Max” because everyone knows HBO. No one knew what “Max” was.
KIND rebranded to reflect product expansion, sustainability, and a more modern design. But the rollout? It put the logo front and center — and buried the why.
Rebrands work when they answer a real customer confusion — not when they just update the typeface. There’s a way you can take sides on these rebrands. HBO dropping “Max” is smart because it’s a clear signal they’re listening to customers. Plus, all their social media posts during announcement week that dunked on the “HBO Max” verbiage were self-aware and funny.
Although I’ll somehow take both sides here: HBO Max actually did make sense because they wanted differentiate their original content — prestige shows created by HBO — from the content licensed and streamed on their app.
As for KIND? It’s the launch video on social media that made me cringe. Nothing begs for the tomatoes to be thrown like seeing a bunch of suits clapping over a logo that looks 1% different. But… their actual rebrand made sense. The logo and colors are clearer (great for design and packaging!) and the new look reflects their product expansion and move to sustainability.
The lessons? Rebrand for a purpose, and make sure it’s clear what that purpose is. And if nothing else, be humble enough to publicly take the L and laugh along with your fans.
» More in the full episode that I already linked to higher up in this post.
5) Relentlessly focus on solving your customer’s problem.
Skechers did. They stopped chasing cool and embraced comfort and consistency. Now they’re the third-largest shoe brand globally and got acquired for $9 billion. Where Nike and Adidas chase prestige athleticism, Skechers doubled down on the pain (the literal pain) to be solved — standing all day. And so they marketed to the people who buy the same shoes every year because they’re solving an orthopedic problem. This includes teachers, healthcare workers, and older adults. Heck, they even offer discounts to some of these special groups, including military, healthcare, education workers, and students.
The lesson? Solve those problems at scale. Market to the buyer who has that same problem over and over again.
» Lots more on Meme Team: Skechers’ $9B Play, Apple and Bono (ugh), and the Vatican’s Brand Moment
6) Nostalgia works best when it's smart — not lazy.
Red Lobster and Joey Fatone teamed up to promote a $19.99 shrimp deal. You know, $19.99 and teaming up with someone who was big in 1999. Har har. I kid, but IT WORKED. Why? Because they actually had an offer that made people care — and then used nostalgia as a fun flavor enhancer, not the main course.
Other recent nostalgic marketing campaigns?
Final Destination Bloodlines and their log truck on the freeway. (This is why I don’t bring plastic water bottles into my car. IYKYK.)
The All-American Rejects playing in your local backyard.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith playing in theaters for a limited time during its 20th anniversary.
The lesson? Lean into nostalgia only if you can do it well. And by “well” I mean, do your customers want it? Will they buy it? And are you doing it in a way that surprises and delights people?
Nostalgia works best when it gets people to do something — not just feel something.
And by the way… you know what some people aren’t delighted by? Apple constantly forcing Bono on us. (It’s no shade to Bono himself… it’s just… you can’t force on people what they’re not looking for.) Peep Sonia’s take:
7) Great positioning makes your customer feel seen.
Slate’s electric truck didn’t perform its values — it lived them. Everything from the launch tone to the feature list was designed for one specific customer: the customer who just wants a cool ass truck for $20k.
It didn’t try to appeal to everyone. It trusted the right people would get it.
» Lots more on Meme Team: Slate’s Truck Launch, Bot Farms, and Brands in Disguise
Whether you’re launching a truck or hawking shrimp, the same principles hold:
Solve a real problem
Know who you're talking to
Make people feel like it’s for them
And maybe — just maybe — sneak in some Cheddar Bay Biscuits or NSYNC while you're at it.
Every week on Meme Team, we unpack moments like these — the campaigns, headlines, and brand choices that quietly shape how we market.
Sonia and I have got a lot to say every week, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a moment.
🎧 Listen on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Super post. This is a masterclass in decoding cultural relevance. I loved the Duolingo bit. Too many brands confuse tech upgrades with customer value. Being “AI-first” is only impressive if it still feels human-first.
Super interesting breakdowns for things I’ve felt the effects of. My sister went to a fancy gym and she was able to convey that to be because she said “they have a Dyson in the bathroom!” It’s both so good and so high class (because it’s expensive lol). I originally bought the pet vacuum because I was having so many issues with my own hair clogging the vacuum. Also, so true about sketches too.