The Singles: The hot hits of May with Lucky Saint, Lego & Entertain or Die.
That's What I Call MarketingShow Notes
The Singles is back with Tracksuit, taking some of the biggest marketing stories in culture right now and putting them under a bit more pressure using real brand data. Because the interesting part is rarely just the campaign itself. It is what the campaign reveals about the category, the audience, and the way brands are trying to grow. In this episode, Conor Byrne is joined by Ed Parkin and Bella Harrison from Tracksuit to explore three very different examples of brands using culture, entertainment, and timing to build relevance.
Lucky Saint shows how alcohol-free beer has moved far beyond Dry January, using Lime Bikes, London culture, run clubs, and moderation trends to position itself as a year-round brand for active urban consumers.
Lego demonstrates why it remains one of the most culturally flexible brands in the world, turning the FIFA World Cup into entertainment before a ball has even been kicked, while continuing to stretch beyond the toy category into fandom, collectibles, and adult audiences.
The conversation then turns to the latest Entertain or Die Report, looking at why entertainment is increasingly becoming a commercial growth strategy rather than just a creative ambition.
The episode also explores: Why brands are now competing against Netflix, TikTok, creators, and sport for attention The shift from “salesmanship” to “showmanship” in advertising Why entertaining brands are outperforming commercially What brands like Currys, Compare the Market, Guinness Zero, and Lego are getting right How mental availability is built long before purchase moments happen If you want a deeper understanding of how entertainment, culture, and brand growth connect together, this episode is packed with practical examples and real-world data.
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Read the full Entertain or Die report: Entertain or Die Report
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Timestamps:
02:06 – Lucky Saint and the rise of moderation culture 03:24 – Why Lucky Saint is so culturally aware 05:05 – Lime Bikes, London culture, and timing 07:08 – The functional drinks category shift 08:45 – Alcohol-free beer becoming mainstream 10:00 – Guinness Zero vs Lucky Saint 11:18 – Winning locally before scaling nationally 13:22 – Brand perception and category positioning 15:00 – Lego and the FIFA World Cup campaign 16:01 – Why Lego works across every demographic 18:22 – Lego’s cultural timing advantage 20:00 – Lego, fandom, and entertainment 21:40 – World Cup advertising and brand competition 22:15 – Entertain or Die explained 24:00 – Why entertainment drives commercial growth 25:35 – Future demand and entertainment 26:17 – Gap hires a Chief Entertainment Officer 27:09 – What makes brands entertaining 29:00 – Brands that entertain us today 31:00 – Why culture matters inside companies That’s What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession. Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.
Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com Connect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/ If you enjoy the show, please follow, subscribe and leave a review. It helps more marketers find the conversations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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