Birthdays - especially ones that end in a zero -
are often moments of introspection, with each additional decade raising the stakes. Imagine then the soul-searching that happens when you turn 250 years old.
A year from now, the
United States will experience this exact moment, as it marks a quarter millennium since its founding. This semiquincentennial (the word for “250th anniversary” that we’ll all have to
learn how to spell) will happen amidst a busy news time, with FIFA Men’s World Cup occurring across North America and a U.S. midterm election heating up U.S.
Perhaps more
importantly, though, it will almost certainly take place during a broader time of existential soul-searching among Americans. For example, take basic polling on the American dream -- UCLA recently
found that three-quarters of Gen Z believe it will be harder for
them to achieve it than previous generations (with older groups mostly in agreement, too).
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What’s more, the institutions we expect to fix big problems -- from the President to the
Supreme Court to the media -- are significantly underwater on trust.
Critically, these concerns exist across the political spectrum, as people everywhere feel that the nation’s fundamental issues, whatever they may be, just aren’t being solved.
In this polarized society, even the most basic symbols like American flags
can spark hot debate. Now imagine how that will impact 2026 -- a year set to be steeped in red, white and blue.
This huge anniversary will force companies to confront these problems.
How do you celebrate a country that people, left and right, don’t feel very celebratory about right now?
Some major companies like Stellantis and Walmart are already announcing their 2026 anniversary plans; still others fear that this event, like
everything else today, will be dragged into the partisan mud.
The truth is, the
clock is ticking for brands, marketers, and creators alike to figure out how they will engage with this complex cultural moment.
My advice as a seasoned brand strategist? Don’t
focus on symbols and institutions we traditionally defer to for every other July 4th which may prove radioactive at this cultural moment. Instead in 2026, focus on culture - celebrating
“Americana” and your brand’s role in it.
Americana is more than apple pie and baseball. At its best, Americana blends classic elements of our culture with new and
diverse perspectives, winning over even the most jaded in society.
For example, the artist Shaboozey’s number one hit is “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which sat atop
Billboard’s Hot 100 for 19 weeks last year, making him the first Black artist in history to chart a number one
single on the Pop and Country charts simultaneously.
Its success relied on borrowing themes from hip-hop, 00s pop, and contemporary country to deliver a hybrid earworm that audiences
couldn’t help but love.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” offers a fundamental blueprint for this fraught moment: find success by leveraging the Americana of the past but
with voices and faces that speak to its future.
There are, of course, many cultural spaces for brands to play with during next year’s semiquincentennial that don’t rely on mindless
flag waving (or worse, silly powdered wigs).
From fresh faces reinterpreting classic preppy style to diners’ love of Americana dishes like
crab rangoon to Gen Z’s interest in quaint small towns, there are myriad culturally catalytic opportunities for brands to pair
classic American culture with their own core ethos and offerings.
There is, of course real import to brands stating their values and being critical of where America has failed
itself. But much of the public has proven weary of this constant friction, and are likely seeking inspiration over more confrontation in 2026.
Instead, invest your creative energies
and brand storytelling in things that feel distinctly American but meaningful and that cross the deep divides in American culture today. The brands who get this kind of inspiration right will win next
year’s big -- and very fraught -- birthday moment.