Hot Brand Summer: What Actually Worked in Culture This Season

Mid-August 2025 | Creator Economy & Cultural Reset

There is something about the freedom of June, July and August that kicks open the door of creativity; there is a looseness to the summer months that breeds virality and no one leads it better – in my humble opinion – than creators.  

So, as the sun sets on August and brands are unpacking their PTO luggage, we are asking the perennial question: What actually worked this Summer?  

From tiny mics & music moments all the way to an expired bottle of shampoo, Summer 2025 was anything but expected. But while the moments seemed random, upon close examination, there are some commonalities.  

Here are our 3 themes around “what worked” in marketing this summer, along with advice on how you can apply them to your work while we pack up our flip flops and pivot towards fall.

Summer 2025: What Worked in Culture

1. Man on the Street (or Subway!)

No street—or subway—was safe from the return of the tiny mic. The “man on the street” interview format, once made famous by David Letterman and revived by Billy Eichner, made a huge comeback this summer.

Standout moments:

• The “Are You Okay?” Show (by Now This) went viral several times with comedic street interviews.
• New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid included an interview with Kareem Rahma on Subway Takes—not from a rally podium, but an F train.

Brand highlight: Caleb Simpson’s apartment tour content hit new highs when he partnered with pop culture icons like Amelia Alcock (“DC’s Superman”) and Emira from Bravo’s Next Gen. These collabs drove 2–4x more engagement than his average.

What it tells us:
Forget the big production budgets. Lo-fi, spontaneous content feels real and relatable. It’s not just about who you interview—it’s about showing up where the culture is actually happening.

2. Music as the Mega Driver

Beyoncé went country.
Olivia Rodrigo and David Byrne jammed at Govball.
Coldplay exposed a cheating scandal.

Needless to say, music dominated culture this summer—with a wider spread of artists taking the stage. Unlike previous summers (Taylor Swift in 2023, Charli XCX in 2024), this season gave brands more opportunities to plug in.

Example: Levi’s saw a 20% jump in stock value after Beyoncé dropped the song Levii’s Jeans on her Cowboy Carter album. Yeehaw, indeed.

Brand highlight: Samsung creators used their Galaxy Edge + Google Gemini across major summer festivals like Govball to capture authentic content.

What it tells us:
Music is still one of the fastest, most effective entry points into culture. Whether it’s a concert, a lyric, or a merch collab—sound is your shortcut to relevance.

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3. Seriously Unserious

The vibe? Unfiltered, unserious, and undeniably effective.

Standout moments:

• Alix Earle used expired Pantene and turned it into a brand campaign.
• Sabrina Carpenter made a hilariously cheeky ad for Dunkin’s Strawberry Daydream Refresher.

Brand highlight: Jet2 leaned into the joke by making a video using their own jingle—and pulled in 35 million engagements.

What it tells us:
Humor works. Embrace the absurd, lean into weird pairings, and don’t be afraid to look a little silly. Internet culture rewards risk-takers who know how to have fun.

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What This All Means for the Fall

If Summer 2025 taught us anything, it’s that authenticity, agility, and levity are no longer optional—they’re essential.

• The “man on the street” style? Scrappy > scripted.
• Music moments? Relevance moves at the speed of sound.
• Unserious brand content? Proof that funny is functional.

Heading into fall, remember:

• Ditch the polish: Creator-first, lo-fi content will continue to outperform over-produced pieces.
• Follow the sound: Music is still the fastest way into cultural conversations.
• Build for the scroll, not the storyboard: The best campaigns leave space for spontaneity.

Fall is when most marketers reach for playbooks, timelines, and tightly curated strategies. I know this—because I help make them. But the brands that embrace cultural chaos and stay flexible?
They’ll win the season.