How Can Brands Tap into Cultural Conversations?

Social media being a home for cultural conversations is not a new trend. The very nature of the instant communication on social platforms lends itself perfectly to commentary on events at both a local and global level, and brands have long recognised the value of joining these discussions to stay relevant.

But in 2026, it’s simply not enough to create a one-off TikTok about the latest banishment in The Traitors or share a brand-aligned meme reacting to the Super Bowl half-time show.

The best brands in the game are using insight to make cultural moments a vehicle which allows them to connect on a deeper level with their target audience, understanding their humour, showing up in the right ways, and actively participating in culture – rather than simply commentating on it.

To do this well, brands need to start with knowledge and a better understanding of where they fit within the cultural landscape. But how does a brand go about doing this?

Here are our three top tips for any marketer who wants to tap into cultural conversations:

1. Understand your audience’s identity

The first step is to create a detailed profile of who your target audience is. While pretty much all brands have top line demographics like age, gender split and locations, this isn’t enough depth to really understand who you’re targeting.

True cultural relevance comes from understanding your audience’s identity. The winning brands will have clear target audience personas, spanning wider interests like the TV channels they watch, the newspapers they read (or the platforms where they get their news), how they spend their weekends, the values they uphold – all of this matters when building a clear picture of the types of people you’re trying to target.

2. Dedicate time to social listening

Understand first, post second. Brands should be monitoring trends, emerging memes and the sentiment around cultural conversations before diving in, always asking the question ‘is this right for our audience?’ This is particularly true when it comes to getting involved with the most common cultural moments like film and TV programmes, where brands need a deep understanding of major plot points, characters and the biggest talking points.

You should also be thinking about whether a conversation truly aligns with your brand’s values and, crucially, whether you have something meaningful to add to the conversation – if it feels forced to you, the audience will feel that too.

Perhaps even more importantly, it also needs to be in-the-moment. Culture moves faster than your approvals process, so being timely with content reacting to trending moments is key. No one wants to be the brand that shares a meme three days after the conversation took place.

3. Become part of the community

The brands that make the most of cultural moments are those that feel like they’re an active member of the audience, rather than those just making a passing comment.

The best social content feels like the creator is genuinely a fan of what they’re commenting on, which is where that deeper understanding comes in. Tapping into fandom nuances, niche references and humour that only true fans would understand moves a brand from a place where it is simply inserting itself into a conversation to one where it is perceived as ‘one of us’ by the audience.

And it’s not just from an owned content standpoint; brands routinely showing up in the right comment sections help to cement this deep cultural understanding. How often do you see Specsavers in the comments of the latest viral TikTok? It’s about gaining that clear audience understanding and repeatedly showing up.

The payoff isn’t just in the form of likes and video views either, but in increasing positive sentiment over time. Even a simple post like this Heated Rivalry video by Moonpig can help tip the scales in favour of your brand over a competitor, and in showing your audience that you’re just like them.

By grounding your approach in clear audience insight and showing up as true members of a community, brands can turn cultural moments into meaningful conversations and build relevance that lasts.

The author: Natalie Wright is a results-focused social media director with experience spanning consumer and B2B social. A huge believer in purpose-driven social content powered by a clear strategy, Nat’s passion for staying abreast of the latest social trends drives impressive outcomes for her clients.