Traditional marketing strategies have fallen out of sync with the pace of culture.
While audience behaviors are evolving in real time, many brands are still guided by lagging indicators, reacting to trends after they’ve scaled and chasing relevance long after the moment has passed. Campaigns become slower, safer, and ultimately more forgettable.
Speed matters. But speed alone is not a strategy. The brands leading today aren’t just reacting faster; they’re identifying trends earlier. They recognize emerging behaviors before they enter the mainstream and act with the confidence made possible only by verifiable data to inform sharper decision-making.
That’s what cultural intelligence makes possible.
Why Cultural Intelligence Gives CMOs an Edge
Cultural intelligence is a shift from tracking what people say to understanding what people do.
Rather than chasing trending hashtags, cultural intelligence identifies behaviors, such as what people watch, how they spend time, and which communities they return to. By capitalizing on patterns early, marketers can anticipate where culture is heading and proactively determine how their brand can best present itself, transitioning from insight to action before competitors have the chance to catch up. Unlike “real-time marketing,” which scrambles to join fading conversations, cultural intelligence enables brands to nimbly evolve from reacting to innovating.
That ability to anticipate change elevates CMOs from chasing trends to creating them—and secures stronger, more sustainable growth.
How Leading Brands Are Doing It: Real-World Case Studies in Cultural Intelligence
Cif + Sneakerheads at Music Festivals
Some of the world’s leading brands are already tapping into the power of cultural intelligence. Unilever, for example, partnered with Winnin to support its growth strategy. They uncovered a surprising cultural behavior: sneakerheads were using Cif, a household cleaner, to restore their sneakers after music festivals.
Rather than trying to force a connection to the latest cleaning trend, the brand elevated a behavior already happening among its audience. Cif partnered with Rock in Rio to create on-the-ground and digital activations that celebrated the ritual of cleaning festival-worn sneakers. This wasn’t simply about promoting a product; instead, Cif was able to show up in a space where people were already looking for them.
By leveraging Winnin’s cultural intelligence, Cif embedded itself into an existing consumer behavior, expanding its cultural relevance beyond traditional household cleaning. The brand earned greater Share of Attention and repositioned itself from a standard cleaning product to a culturally relevant taste maker within the sneakerhead community.
Coca-Cola and the Power of Micro-Moments
Coca-Cola similarly demonstrated strong cultural intelligence when it identified a recurring micro-behavior: friends consistently reached for Coke during “girl therapy” sessions—intimate, supportive conversations between friends. Coca-Cola leaned in, curating authentic stories around these emotionally resonant moments. As a result, the brand was able to seamlessly fit into how people were already experiencing and sharing their lives.
Coca-Cola’s approach is a reminder that the best cultural marketing doesn’t always start with invention, but rather observation. Rather than trying to force a brand to fit into every moment, it’s about finding a moment that is uniquely theirs and creating connection and community around it. The most powerful stories are often already happening; with cultural intelligence, brands recognize them early and amplify them in a way that feels real and relevant.
Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Kevin Shectman, Senior Director of Product Marketing @ Braze
LEGO and Liquid I.V. in the Formula One Spotlight
Two iconic brands have demonstrated how cultural intelligence can turn a high-profile event into a deeper cultural connection. LEGO leaned into the playful side of Formula One (F1) at the Miami Grand Prix, debuting life-sized car builds and securing a spot in the driver parade. Paired with social-first storytelling, the brand turned its sponsorship into something fans could interact with, share, and remember, earning more than 16 million engagements across the weekend.
Liquid I.V. brought its own twist to the event, opening a custom-branded house and launching a limited F1-themed product drop. With influencer visits, hydration giveaways, and a wealth of content tailored for TikTok and Instagram, the brand crafted an experience that resonated with fans both in-person and online. By leaning into the excitement and community surrounding F1, Liquid I.V. demonstrated how a lifestyle product can authentically connect with a global cultural moment.
Don’t Chase Culture—Shape It
Brands that rely on trend-chasing often end up arriving late to the conversation, spending heavily without leaving a lasting mark. The brands finding real traction aren’t the ones moving faster; they’re the ones reading the signals that matter before anyone else does.
Cif didn’t invent a sneaker-cleaning ritual—it recognized and amplified one that was already happening. Coca-Cola didn’t manufacture new occasions for connection—it leaned into the small, authentic moments where the brand was already present.
That’s the difference cultural intelligence delivers: the ability to spot and act on the behaviors, rituals, and signals that shape culture with confidence. It’s not just about moving faster, but about building deeper connections and measurable growth by getting ahead of what audiences expect. While traditional marketing struggles to keep pace, cultural intelligence puts CMOs in the driver’s seat—setting the standard for their industries and shaping what comes next.
Marketing Technology News: Martech & the ‘Digital Unconscious’: Unearthing Hidden Consumer Motivations