Every brand faces the same pressure when the world stops to watch something. Most get it wrong for the same reasons.
Key Takeaways:
- Major cultural events expose whether a brand’s communications strategy is authentic or opportunistic.
- Successful brands find relevant, credible connections to major events rather than forcing participation.
- Different audience segments require different messaging, even under the same campaign umbrella.
- The strongest communications during high-profile events are built on preparation, consistency, and clearly defined brand values.
With the FIFA World Cup now underway across the US, Canada, and Mexico, you don’t have to follow soccer to notice what’s happening in boardrooms, as a result. Brands that have nothing to do with sports are asking themselves the same urgent question: Do we say something, or do we stay quiet?
It sounds like an easy decision to make but it rarely is. A tournament that reaches an estimated six billion people isn’t just a sporting event; it’s one of the few moments left in modern culture where the whole world is paying attention to the same thing at the same time.
But the World Cup is just the most visible current example of a pressure every brand eventually faces. The same dynamic plays out at the Oscars, major elections, the Olympics, a national tragedy, a viral cultural moment. The event changes, but the communication challenges don’t.
The trap most brands fall into
The most common mistake during big cultural moments is what could be considered as forced proximity. A brand slaps a relevant image onto its usual creative, writes a caption about unity or pride, and hopes the moment rubs off on the. Audiences notice, and increasingly, they say something about it.
What actually works is when a brand finds an angle that genuinely makes sense for them. At this year’s World Cup, Home Depot, the famous home improvement retailer with no obvious connection to soccer, has launched a campaign around the personal stories behind players’ jersey numbers. They are connecting them to the stories behind the aprons their own staff wears everyday. It didn’t feel like they crashed a party. It felt like they’d found a reason to be there.
Knowing which audience you’re actually talking to
Big events also highlight the problem that comes with most communications strategies: the assumption that one message works for everyone. Lay’s, as an official World Cup Sponsor, recognised early that a die-hard fan watching every match is a completely different audience to a casual viewer who just wants an excuse to get friends together. They build separate creative plans for each. Essentially running parallel narratives under the same campaign umbrella. That kind of clarity about who you’re actually speaking to is rare, and it shows.
The same applies to any major event. A brand responding to a significant cultural moment needs to figure out not just what to say, but who from their audiences needs to hear it, and why those people would care that this particular brand is saying it.
The preparation most companies skip
Large events also have a way of exposing brands whose values don’t match their communications. Qatar 2022 showed this clearly, sponsors who had built their public identities around inclusivity found themselves in impossible press conversations about the host nation’s human rights record. The lesson wasn’t that they should have stayed silent. It’s that they should have been more prepared.
That’s true no matter what the major event is. Authentic, prepared communications don’t happen by accident. The brands that consistently handle big moments well have done the harder work beforehand.
Six billion people watching is just a bigger version of every other moment a brand has to decide what it actually stands for. The size changes. The question doesn’t.
Turn Major Moments Into Meaningful Brand Opportunities
Major cultural events come and go, but the way your brand responds can leave a lasting impression. The most successful organizations don’t chase attention, they communicate with purpose, understand their audience, and stay true to their values when the spotlight is on.
At MB and Associates, we help businesses throughout New Jersey, NYC, and across major U.S. cities, develop strategic public relations and communications plans that position them for success during both everyday campaigns and high-profile cultural moments. From media relations and thought leadership to crisis communications and reputation management, our team helps brands navigate the conversations that matter most.
Ready to strengthen your communications strategy and make every message count?
Contact us today to learn how MB and Associates can help your business build credibility, manage public perception, and create lasting connections with your audience.