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 Bonjour Millionaire, Fully obsessed with the World Cup right now. My friend Kelly (Arsenal die-hard, Englander) was nice to me about the AI fight-song that I like so I'm also feeling better about that (I'm still listening to it on repeat). Was this email forwarded to you? Sponsored by Viktor I just read a quick breakdown on how to run your Monday campaign loop with an AI employee. ON THIS EPISODE OF GO-TO-MILLIONS Are you going for a participation trophy right now? I hope so. (For once). Because there aren’t many “monocultural” events left in 2026. Opportunities to seize the zeitgeist are rarer. But right this second, there are a ton of opportunities. Maybe your customer is (still) looking at Knicks content (and who could blame them). Perhaps streaming the World Cup. Shifting into tennis mode before Wimbledon. Planning their fireworks for the 4th. Today, we talk about the rules of spatial awareness. How to show up the party in a way that brings joy instead of a giant record scratch.  Just don't be these guys How to participate in the moment (without embarrassing yourself)So, not only are moments like these rarer, they can be more valuable to your brand. Because trends and memes make you be reactive and scramble. But leaning into long-scheduled cultural events allows you to be proactive. To SLOW DOWN. To plan a full campaign with touchpoints before, during, and after. This is how the most successful brands participate in the zeitgeist. Even when working with smaller teams, budgets, or levels of awareness…we all have access to the same calendar. Time to get started. A few rules of engagement⏳EARLY IS ON-TIME. The calendar is never a surprise. The brands that won the NBA championship had assets ready before the final buzzer. Nike's gorgeous film (directed by Josh Safdie) dropped within the hour. Michelob Ultra's spot aired right after the trophy. But they also were activating across taxi toppers, LinkNYC screens, and maybe most impressively, this absolute barn-burner of a giant double OOH in Times Square, featuring Walt “Clyde” Frazier (from the last Knicks championship-winning team, 53 years ago), passing the ball to 2026 captain Jalen Brunson. I mean, sheesh:  That speed is only possible when you've briefed the creative BEFORE you know the outcome. 🗓️ FORCE RELEVANCE BEFORE YOU FORCE THE PRODUCT. Reformation sent “SPACE EX - For seeing other planets” the day of the SpaceX IPO. Zero product connection present, zero product connection needed! For a slightly more product-relevant approach, last year, SKIMS dropped their campus basics collection to coincide with RushTok. They cast actual RushTok creators from Alabama. It worked because the timing was part of the creative.  The throughline is: does your customer care about this moment? If yes, you have permission to join in. ✂️IF YOU MIGHT DELETE IT LATER, DON’T BOTHER.  It was meant to be edgy and specific to an elite race. Some read it as mean-spirited. Nike pulled it within a week, replaced it with “Boston will always remind you, movement is what matters” (vague, inoffensive, already forgotten). Asics had "Runners. Walkers. All Welcome." up near Fenway within hours. This was a double-fail. The audience who got the joke now knows you don't stand behind it. The audience who was offended has already moved on. Nobody won that week, except maybe Asics. No takesies-backsies. 🎯 IF SOMEONE MADE THE JOKE, FIND A NEW ANGLE OR SIT IT OUT. The generic “Congrats New York 🏀🗽” post from a brand with no real Knicks connection helped nobody. Find your version (your real version) or just skip it. For a fun example of finding YOUR angle, just look at this cute IG story by my friend Stephanie with Soft Services.  👥 IF YOUR CUSTOMER DOESN’T CARE, WHY SHOULD YOU? We usually think about the reverse of this. But when thinking of where to show up, you should start with where your audience is already headed. Not participating just because it’s happening. Otherwise, your content becomes an interruption in their feed. BEFORE YOU SHIP ANYTHING, TAKE A MOMENT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:✅ : Does this event really matter to your audience? Don’t let the real moments pass you by. Find your brand’s way in, thoughtfully and on your own terms. I’ll see you there. GO-TO-MEME  our angels Busy over here. Staying up too late watching Messi's hat trick, and launching Lily & Yuzu. Have you ever seen a more beautiful deodorant? In your whole life?  Yours, | ||||||||||
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