Social is non-negotiable for brands. It’s the fastest-growing advertising channel in history. Globally, 50% of social media users now research brands on social platforms while in the U.S., brands spend an average of $335 per user on social advertising.  

In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, a run-of-the-mill online presence just doesn’t cut it. Social has become the primary area for attention and discovery, where long-term brand health depends on authentic community engagement and cultural relevance. Simply boosting posts or pouring money into ads won’t guarantee results - there’s always someone willing to outspend you.   

Winning in culture isn’t just about vibes (though the vibes are good) - it’s how brands build lasting growth and meaningful ROI. To do that, brands need a new playbook for social - one built around three core principles. These rules help brands punch above their media spend, prove the value of ideas worth talking about, and engage with culture in a way that’s collaborative, not transactional.   

Rule One: Entertain Or Die   

Brand building still rests on salience and distinctiveness, but how we achieve those has changed. Marketers today must meet audiences where they are – on platforms built for entertainment. In fact, a recent Harris Poll survey found that 94% of GenZ say they associate social media with being “entertaining.”  

This shift means your brand isn't just competing with other companies for attention - you’re competing with everyone. You’re fighting for space with Matt Rife, who built a 19.5-million-follower TikTok following by posting his live crowd-work clips, or influencer Saint Hoax who was hired by the Met Gala as a cultural commentator. Even rising pop artists like PinkPantheress road-test their songs on TikTok, letting fan reactions guide which tracks go mainstream.  

To break through this noise, your content must be entertaining and unexpected. Experiment with formats and voices that feel fresh - hire comedy writers or improv talent, lean into popular influencer styles or even embrace anti-branding (letting your tone break the mold of traditional marketing).   

By making people laugh, gasp or rethink what your brand stands for, you capture attention in a way that pays off. An entertaining post can reach far beyond what even big ad budgets achieve, building brand interest and loyalty along the way.    

Rule Two: Develop A Chronically Online Mindset   

Chronically online brands don’t just lean into culture, they co-create it. They add to the discourse and move the conversation forward. They’re also the brands that get called out and applauded for ‘getting’ social in a way that achieves tangible results.  

We know that culture moves at the speed of social and the brands that have the agility to react in the moment often have first-mover advantage. The key is to add to the conversation rather than detracting from or simply hijacking it - and this is the reason so many brands get it wrong. They take from internet culture rather than feeding it.  

Look at how Lucozade tapped into ‘Cheryl’s Fridge’ last year to place its product at the heart of trending topics. Or how Activision parodied fitness influencer Ashton Hall’s infamous five-hour morning routine.    

Rule Three: Fanservice As Standard Is Non-negotiable   

The power of fandoms is indisputable. Across social today, fandoms aren’t JUST fans - they’re your marketing team, your creative collaborators and your in-house hype machine.  

Fanservice is the two-way dialogue between brand and consumer that offers countless opportunities to blow up. Fandoms are more than just audiences - they’re powerful cultural engines that drive engagement, amplify content, and co-create meaning around the things they love.    

They generate organic reach, build community, and often set trends before the mainstream catches on. Hyper-invested and organised, fandoms boost brand loyalty, extend content longevity and even directly influence sales. Charli XCX’s fandom powered her album, Brat, into the worldwide zeitgeist and watched it become last summer’s cultural phenomenon.    

And it even works when there’s no obvious fandom coalescing around your brand - such as when McDonald's launched the ‘WcDonald's’ campaign to tap into the anime fandom and thereby reach a new audience. Ultimately, fanservice means thinking of your audience as partners. Cater to their interests, join their conversations and they’ll carry your message further than any billboard.    

Winning In Culture Starts With You   

Adapting to such a fast-changing environment, while keeping a clear focus on long-term success, requires agility. Brands that cling to legacy structures often miss emergent cultural shifts.   

To measure up to the new definition of growth, brands need to reconsider how they structure their teams, aligning strategy, marketing, and innovation. They certainly need to be set up so that they’re not scrapping over the same budget.  

As a result, the brands growing now and setting themselves up for long-term relevance aren't chasing short-term spikes in attention and sales. They’re focused instead on building lasting cultural connections.   

That means showing up in the places people spend their time, speaking their language, and creating value beyond the transaction they achieve this week. In a world where culture shifts overnight and every brand competes with the content people love, the brands that grow are the ones that think community-first, not product-first.