Cultural Moments Marketing Research 2026

US respondents are 37% more likely to report leadership decides on a case-by-case basis compared to the overall average (26% vs. 19% overall)

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 54% more likely to say the broader marketing team owns cultural moments compared to the overall average (40% vs. 26% overall)

Both B2B and B2C companies are 15% more likely to have a dedicated cultural marketing team than the overall average (31% vs. 27% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 2.3x more likely to report no single owner or ad hoc cultural marketing compared to the overall average (14% vs. 6% overall)

APAC respondents are 12% more likely than the overall average to say the broader marketing team owns cultural moments alongside everything else (29% vs. 26% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 25% more likely to have activated around both planned and reactive moments compared to the overall average (60% vs. 48% overall)

Enterprise companies are 17% more likely to have activated around both planned and reactive moments than the overall average (56% vs. 48% overall)

Both B2B and B2C companies are 13% more likely to have activated around both moment types compared to the overall average (54% vs. 48% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 2.1x more likely to report no cultural moment activations compared to the overall average (23% vs. 11% overall)

APAC respondents are 15% more likely to have activated around both planned and reactive moments compared to the overall average (55% vs. 48% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 39% more likely than average to have focused mainly on planned moments (43% vs. 31% overall)

US respondents are 21% more likely to have activated around major regional/national sporting events compared to the overall average (51% vs. 42% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 2.2x more likely to have activated around fashion or style moments like Met Gala or Fashion Weeks (49% vs. 22% overall).

C-Suite respondents are 36% more likely to have activated around major regional sporting events than the overall average (57% vs. 42% overall)

Enterprise companies are 22% more likely to have activated around global sporting events compared to the overall average (45% vs. 37% overall)

Both B2B and B2C companies are 29% more likely to have activated around major music events compared to B2C-only firms (45% vs. 35%)

Multi-category retailers are 16% more likely to have activated around cultural awareness moments compared to the overall average (44% vs. 38% overall)

EMEA respondents are 9% more likely to be planning World Cup activations compared to the overall average (49% vs. 45% overall)

APAC respondents are 2.2x more likely to be planning Commonwealth Games activations compared to the overall average (29% vs. 13% overall)

Enterprise companies are 22% more likely to be planning World Cup activations than the overall average (55% vs. 45% overall)

C-Suite respondents are 33% more likely to be planning World Cup activations compared to the overall average (60% vs. 45% overall)

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 53% more likely to be planning Tour de France activations than the overall average (26% vs. 17% overall)

The “Other” vertical is the least likely to plan World Cup activations at just 31% (vs. 45% overall – 31% below average)

Apparel/fashion brands are 37% more likely to plan curated product drops tied to matches or teams (70% vs. 51% overall).

VP/Head of Marketing respondents are 38% more likely to plan personalized messaging based on team preferences (44% vs. 32% overall).

Enterprise companies are 26% more likely to plan AI-powered customer service during events compared to the overall average (34% vs. 27% overall)

Both B2B and B2C companies are 78% more likely to plan AI-powered customer service compared to B2C-only firms (32% vs. 18%)

Multi-category retailers are 41% more likely to plan AI-powered customer service during events compared to the overall average (38% vs. 27% overall)

APAC respondents are 16% more likely to plan curated product collections compared to the overall average (59% vs. 51% overall)

US respondents overwhelmingly cite American football as the strongest-performing event at 60%, which is 3.3x the overall rate of 18%.

EMEA respondents are 20% more likely to cite international football tournaments as their top performer compared to the overall average (30% vs. 25% overall)

APAC respondents are 73% more likely to cite motorsport as delivering the strongest results compared to the overall average (19% vs. 11% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 47% more likely to cite the Olympics as their top-performing event compared to the overall average (25% vs. 17% overall)

C-Suite respondents are 45% more likely to cite motorsport as delivering the strongest results compared to the overall average (16% vs. 11% overall)

Enterprise companies are 12% more likely to cite international football tournaments as their top performer compared to the overall average (28% vs. 25% overall)

Enterprise companies are 21% more likely to be fully ready with plans, assets, and triggers in place compared to the overall average (46% vs. 38% overall)

APAC respondents are the least fully prepared, with only 31% reporting “Starting XI ready” status (vs. 38% overall – 18% below average)

Founders/CEOs are 32% more likely to be fully ready compared to the overall average (50% vs. 38% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 26% more likely to be fully ready compared to the overall average (48% vs. 38% overall)

B2C-only companies are 2.3x more likely to have no World Cup activation plans at all compared to Both B2B and B2C firms (7% vs. 3%)

Health and sporting goods brands are 11% more likely to still be building assets compared to the overall average (50% vs. 45% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 58% more likely to plan a significant budget increase (>50%) compared to the overall average (30% vs. 19% overall)

EMEA respondents are 11% more likely to plan a significant budget increase (>50%) compared to the overall average (21% vs. 19% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 23% more likely to plan a substantial (21-50%) budget increase compared to the overall average (48% vs. 39% overall)

Both B2B and B2C companies are 31% more likely to plan significant (>50%) budget increases compared to B2C-only firms (21% vs. 16%)

The “Other” vertical is the most conservative on budget increases, with the lowest rate of substantial increases (30% vs. 39% overall – 23% below average)

Multi-category retailers are 26% more likely to plan significant (>50%) budget increases compared to the overall average (24% vs. 19% overall)

Founders are 42% more likely than the overall population to plan using AI for faster campaign production (47% vs. 33% overall).

C-Suite respondents are 16% more likely to plan AI-personalized messaging for sporting activations (52% vs. 45% overall)

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 29% more likely to plan AI-powered customer service during event windows (31% vs. 24% overall), the highest of any role segment.

Enterprise respondents are 12% more likely than the overall population to use AI for faster campaign production (37% vs. 33% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 13% more likely to plan AI-personalized messaging (51% vs. 45% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 42% more likely than the overall population to use AI for faster campaign production (47% vs. 33% overall), the highest of any vertical.

APAC respondents are 18% more likely than the overall population to plan more than 6 months ahead (26% vs. 22% overall), the most forward-planning region.

C-Suite respondents are 13% more likely to have activations ready 3-6 months before (43% vs. 38% overall), while Founders/CEOs are the least likely at 33%.

Founders/CEOs are 100% more likely to launch the week of the event (4% vs. 2% overall), suggesting smaller founder-led teams operate with tighter timelines.

Enterprise brands are 18% more likely to plan more than 6 months ahead (26% vs. 22% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 32% less likely to plan more than 6 months ahead (15% vs. 22% overall), the lowest of any vertical.

B2C-only brands are 14% less likely to plan more than 6 months in advance (19% vs. 22% overall) compared to Both B2B and B2C brands at 23%.

US respondents are 56% more likely to be able to launch within 2 hours (25% vs. 16% overall), far outpacing EMEA at just 13%.

Founders/CEOs are 50% more likely to get a campaign live within 2 hours (24% vs. 16% overall), likely reflecting shorter approval chains in founder-led organizations.

Directors or Managers are 25% less likely than overall to launch within 2 hours (12% vs. 16% overall), the slowest role segment.

Home goods brands are 20% more likely to respond within 6 hours (30% vs. 25% overall), the fastest vertical for this time window.

Health and sporting goods brands are 31% less likely to respond within 2 hours (11% vs. 16% overall)

Non-enterprise brands are 12% more likely to respond within 6 hours (28% vs. 25% overall), while enterprise brands lag at 23%.

US respondents are 53% more likely to have launched their most successful activation under 24 hours (26% vs. 17% overall), more than double the EMEA rate of 16%.

Founders/CEOs are 53% more likely to have achieved success with sub-24-hour turnarounds (26% vs. 17% overall), reinforcing the speed advantage of founder-led teams.

VPs or Heads of Marketing are 52% more likely to cite 4-7 day timelines for their best activation (35% vs. 23% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 52% more likely to take 4-7 days (35% vs. 23% overall), the highest of any vertical for this timeframe.

Enterprise brands are 25% more likely to take more than 2 weeks for their best activation (10% vs. 8% overall)

Non-enterprise brands are 12% more likely to have launched their best activation under 24 hours (19% vs. 17% overall), confirming smaller brands’ speed advantage.

Health and sporting goods brands are 28% more likely to have missed 1-2 moments (60% vs. 47% overall) and 29% less likely to have missed none (24% vs. 34% overall)

VPs or Heads of Marketing are 17% more likely to report missing 1-2 moments (55% vs. 47% overall), the highest of any role.

APAC respondents are 6% more likely to have missed 1-2 moments (50% vs. 47% overall)

Non-enterprise brands are 6% more likely to have missed 1-2 moments (50% vs. 47% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 75% more likely to report missing more than 5 moments (7% vs. 4% overall), the highest of any role segment for extreme misses.

Multi-category retailers are 13% more likely to have missed 3-5 moments (17% vs. 15% overall) and 25% more likely to miss more than 5 (5% vs. 4% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 15% more likely to attribute 10-20% of revenue to cultural moments (61% vs. 53% overall), the highest of any vertical.

Apparel/fashion brands are 29% more likely to report more than 20% of revenue from cultural moments (27% vs. 21% overall)

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 12% more likely to report 10-20% revenue attribution (59% vs. 53% overall), while Founders/CEOs are 17% less likely at 44%.

Founders/CEOs are 19% more likely to report more than 20% of revenue from cultural moments (25% vs. 21% overall), the highest of any role.

Enterprise brands are 14% more likely to attribute more than 20% of revenue to cultural moments (24% vs. 21% overall) compared to 19% for non-enterprise brands.

Both B2B and B2C brands are 35% more likely to attribute more than 20% of revenue (23% vs. 17% for B2C-only)

Health and sporting goods brands are 16% more likely to assess cultural moments case-by-case (73% vs. 63% overall), the highest of any vertical.

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 11% more likely to assess case-by-case (70% vs. 63% overall), while Founders/CEOs are 11% less likely (56% vs. 63% overall).

Founders/CEOs are 18% more likely to have clear brand guidelines (33% vs. 28% overall)

Enterprise brands are 21% more likely to have clear brand guidelines (34% vs. 28% overall)

Non-enterprise brands are 33% more likely to rely on gut calls (4% vs. 3% overall) and just 1% for enterprise, suggesting smaller brands lack formal frameworks.

Both B2B and B2C brands are 7% more likely to have clear brand guidelines (30% vs. 28% overall) compared to B2C-only at 25%.

Apparel/fashion brands are 17% more likely to cite social media as their best channel (54% vs. 46% overall)

US respondents are 80% more likely to cite SMS as their best-performing channel (9% vs. 5% overall)

EMEA respondents are 30% more likely to cite WhatsApp as a top channel (13% vs. 10% overall)

Health and sporting goods brands are 80% more likely to cite WhatsApp as their best channel (18% vs. 10% overall), the highest of any vertical.

VP or Head of Marketing respondents are 60% more likely to cite influencer or creator partnerships (16% vs. 10% overall), the highest of any role.

Enterprise brands are 43% more likely to cite ads (TV, YouTube, Podcasts) as their best channel (10% vs. 7% overall), reflecting larger media budgets.

Founders and CEOs are 18% more likely than average to report full coordination across channels during cultural moments (47% vs. 40% overall)

Directors and Managers are 12% more likely to say channels are only “mostly coordinated” rather than fully coordinated (57% vs. 51% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 25% more likely to claim full coordination compared to the overall average (50% vs. 40% overall), the highest rate of any vertical.

“Other” vertical respondents are 71% more likely to say channels operate independently (12% vs. 7% overall)

Enterprise companies are 13% more likely to report full coordination than the overall average (45% vs. 40% overall), while non-enterprise companies lag at 37%.

Both B2B and B2C businesses are 14% more likely than B2C-only to report full coordination (42% vs. 37%), possibly reflecting more mature orchestration infrastructure.

US respondents are 17% more likely to be very confident in their targeting compared to the overall average (48% vs. 41% overall), while APAC trails at 37%.

Enterprise companies are 20% more likely than average to report high confidence in personalized targeting (49% vs. 41% overall), compared to just 36% for non-enterprise.

Apparel/fashion brands are 20% more likely to be very confident in reaching the right customers (49% vs. 41% overall), the highest of any vertical.

Health and sporting goods respondents are 24% less likely to report high confidence (31% vs. 41% overall)

C-Suite executives are 22% more likely than average to be very confident in their targeting precision (50% vs. 41% overall)

Both B2B and B2C businesses are 16% more likely to report high confidence compared to B2C-only firms (43% vs. 37%)

APAC respondents are 17% more likely to prioritize faster access to real-time customer data over the overall average (35% vs. 30% overall), making it their top choice.

Health and sporting goods marketers are 20% more likely to choose AI-assisted content creation (42% vs. 35% overall), the highest of any vertical.

Multi-category retailers are 20% more likely to prioritize real-time customer data (36% vs. 30% overall)

APAC is 18% more likely than average to cite streamlined internal approvals as a top accelerator (20% vs. 17% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 41% less likely to want streamlined approvals (10% vs. 17% overall)

VPs/Heads of Marketing are 24% more likely to want streamlined internal approvals (21% vs. 17% overall), the highest of any role.

US respondents are 75% more likely to say they don’t use AI at all for cultural moment activations (14% vs. 8% overall)

Enterprise companies are 25% more likely to use AI-powered customer service during event windows (25% vs. 20% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 21% more likely to use AI for content generation (51% vs. 42% overall)

C-Suite executives are 36% more likely to use AI for audience segmentation (45% vs. 33% overall), the highest segmentation adoption among all roles.

B2C-only companies are 2x more likely to not use AI at all compared to Both B2B and B2C firms (12% vs. 6%), while B2B+B2C companies lead in every AI use case.

Both B2B and B2C companies are 44% more likely to use AI-powered customer service than B2C-only firms (23% vs. 16%)

Directors and Managers are 13% more likely to be positive about vibe marketing (61% vs. 54% overall)

Founders/CEOs are 75% more likely to be skeptical about vibe marketing than average (14% vs. 8% overall), the highest skepticism rate of any role.

Enterprise companies are 30% more likely to already be practicing vibe marketing compared to non-enterprise (30% vs. 23%)

B2C-only companies are 83% more likely to be skeptical about vibe marketing compared to Both B2B and B2C firms (11% vs. 6%)

Both B2B and B2C firms are 38% more likely to already be doing vibe marketing compared to B2C-only firms (29% vs. 21%).

APAC respondents are 11% more likely to feel positive about vibe marketing (60% vs. 54% overall) and 31% less likely to be unsure (9% vs. 13% overall)

US respondents are 45% more likely to measure both commercial and brand building compared to the overall average (45% vs. 31% overall)

VPs/Heads of Marketing are 26% more likely to prioritize brand building metrics (54% vs. 43% overall), the highest of any role.

Health and sporting goods brands are 14% more likely to prioritize brand building (49% vs. 43% overall), the highest vertical rate.

Both B2B and B2C companies are 18% more likely to use a dual measurement approach (33% vs. 28% for B2C-only)

Enterprise and non-enterprise companies measure cultural moments nearly identically on brand building (42% vs. 43%)

APAC respondents are 9% more likely to prioritize brand building (47% vs. 43% overall)

Apparel/fashion brands are 19% more likely to say cultural moments outperform routine calendar marketing (44% vs. 37% overall), the highest of any vertical.

Enterprise companies are 14% more likely to report cultural moments outperforming routine marketing (42% vs. 37% overall), compared to 34% for non-enterprise.

Both B2B and B2C companies are 25% more likely than B2C-only to say cultural moments outperform (40% vs. 32%)

VPs/Heads of Marketing are 11% more likely to report outperformance (41% vs. 37% overall), while Directors/Managers are 8% less likely (34% vs. 37% overall)

US respondents are 11% less likely to report cultural moment outperformance (33% vs. 37% overall)

APAC respondents are 29% more likely to say cultural moments underperform (9% vs. 7% overall), the highest underperformance rate of any region.