Culture marketing

Culture marketing is how a brand takes part in what the public is watching, listening to and obsessing over, such as music, sports, films, memes or a fandom, in a role that the community itself finds reasonable. The simple test: take the brand out, and would the community feel something is missing?

What is culture marketing?

It can be as small as one video built on a trending sound, or as big as following a show for an entire season. The measure is cultural relevance: viewers understand right away why the brand is there.

Why does it matter in 2025 and 2026?

YouTube and NRG’s “In Search of Mainstream” report, a survey of US internet users in April 2026, found that 63% of people aged 14 to 29 feel part of something bigger when they like the same thing as others. Asked what lots of people are paying attention to, 78% picked memes, almost level with Hollywood stars (79%) (YouTube Blog, September 2026).

TikTok Next 2026 advises brands to treat comments and memes as part of the creative, and to listen before making content (TikTok Next 2026, accessed October 2026).

How to do it

1. Listen: hashtags, search terms, comments and user-generated content (UGC).
2. Pick a piece of culture with a real link to the product. Duracell followed search journeys on TikTok and found that K-pop fans used its batteries in their lightsticks at concerts. In the same report, TikTok notes that the brand’s account grew its followers by 483%.
3. Agree in advance on off-limits topics and on who approves, because trends often move faster than the approval cycle.
4. Check the rights to music and images, then watch for creative fatigue, since trend-based content wears out fast.

Legal and brand risks in Vietnam

TikTok does not let businesses use its general music library for commercial purposes, including organic posts and ads. Businesses use the Commercial Music Library instead, which has about 1 million pre-cleared tracks (TikTok Business Help Center, July 2025). A song going viral does not mean you can use it.

Memes often use real people’s faces. Under Article 32 of Vietnam’s 2015 Civil Code, using a person’s image requires that person’s consent, and commercial use requires paying them, unless agreed otherwise (Vietnam Official Gazette, Civil Code No. 91/2015/QH13).

Vietnam’s amended Advertising Law (Law No. 75/2025/QH15, effective January 1, 2026) bans ads that go against historical tradition, culture and social ethics, requires Vietnamese wording to stay clear and correct (worth keeping in mind when using slang), and requires influencers to disclose that they are advertising right before and during the promotion (Vietnam Official Gazette, June 2025). That last point applies when you hire KOCs to make trend-based content.

Jumping on a trend tied to an accident, or to an artist who is under fire, can easily drag the brand into the criticism.

Example: VIB at Anh Trai “Say Hi” (2024)

VIB, a Vietnamese bank, sponsored the music show Anh Trai “Say Hi”. According to VietnamFinance, its “Dẫn đầu xu thế thẻ” (“Leading the card trend”) message appeared only in the breaks between performances. The card was woven into stories about the artists’ spending. Fans who opened a card received limited-edition jackets and caps, which played straight to the fandom’s habit of collecting merchandise (VietnamFinance, August 2024). The article does not report how many new cards were opened.

Culture marketing vs related concepts

Frequently asked questions

Can B2B brands do culture marketing?

Yes. Professional communities have their own culture too. If there is no real reason to show up, skip it.

How is culture marketing different from corporate culture?

Corporate culture is how people inside the company work. Culture marketing faces outward, toward what the public cares about.

If you need to find the link between your product and a community, Adtek’s Creative Strategy team can review ideas and usage rights with you through our contact page.