John BohanCEO, Socialtyze - I find where AI can create the most value, then build custom systems your team owns—saving time, improving output, and moving faster.

Good Marketing taps trends. Brilliant Marketing taps movements.

25 Feb 2025 · 2 min

Watch on YouTube

1:38

In this YouTube commentary, the speaker uses the NHL Four Nations Series—where Canada defeated the United States—to illustrate how brands can achieve scale by tapping into existing cultural movements rather than inventing new events. He explains that the NHL revitalized its All-Star Game by framing the series around the long‑standing debate of "which country has the best hockey," a question rooted in historic moments like the 1972 Summit Series and the 1980 Miracle on Ice. By aligning the Four Nations Series with this cultural narrative, the NHL generated record ratings and set the stage for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey, positioning hockey alongside major sports like football and basketball. The speaker then urges entrepreneurs and executives to apply the same strategy, noting that countless trends and deep cultural movements can be leveraged for business growth. He concludes with a call‑to‑action: viewers who comment "culture" will receive a curated list of 50 brand examples that successfully tapped timely cultural events to accelerate growth.

Chapters

McDavid scores! Connor McDavid wins it for Canada! Wasn't that amazing? That was the end of an incredible series, but it was also the completion of a brilliant marketing campaign. What do I mean by that? Well, what you just saw was Canada beating the US in the final game of the Four Nations Series, which included Canada, the US, Finland, and Sweden. The NHL used a marketing strategy which you as an entrepreneur or executive at a large brand can steal to scale your business. You see, the NHL All-Star Game was getting really tired and they needed something new. But rather than creating something completely new, they turned to culture. This year, the NHL tapped into a question that hockey fans have been asking for over 50 years. Which country has the best hockey? This question dates back to 1972 with the Summit Series, where the best players from Canada played the Soviet Union's Red Army team in an 8-game playoff during the middle of the Cold War. Then in 1980 was the Miracle on Ice, where the US pulled off the impossible and beat the Soviets. What the NHL did with the Four Nations Series is it tapped into a massive cultural movement to promote its own sport. The series produced record ratings and set the stage for the World Cup of Hockey in 2028. These events are revolutionizing hockey and bringing it more on par with football, baseball, and basketball. As mentioned, you can tap into culture too to scale your business. There are thousands of trends and deep cultural movements that you can leverage to bring your business to the next level. To get you started, here's what I to do. Just comment "culture" and I'll send you a list of 50 examples of brands that have tapped timely events in culture to accelerate their growth.