The PR Hijack: we should be culture hitchhikers, not pirates

The temptation to jump on every cultural moment is strong. But there’s certain dos and don'ts, says Maddy Standish, creative at Tin Man.

Summer’s more than halfway over, and boy, has it been a busy one. All those hotly anticipated events have come and gone in the blink of an eye – Glasto’s on ice until 2027, Pride Month lit up the streets, Trans+ Pride broke records, the Lionesses brought it home again, Beyoncé graced us with her presence, and the Oasis tour is well underway with seemingly no drama so far.

We’ve been positively swimming in fat, glossy calendar moments. It’s been a blast for fans and an absolute feast for agencies. But every big moment seems to come with the same question: “How can we hijack it?”. And this niggling feeling creeps in. An ick.

The impression that brands and agencies want to steal the mic, not join the party. Hijack culture, instead of hitchhiking alongside it.

Culturally important, emotionally resonant events are reduced to stages for whichever company can shout the loudest.

Look, I like a content opportunity as much as the next creative, and no one put me in charge of what is or isn’t fair game. But if we’re being honest, the term itself sets the wrong tone depending on the event. It implies disruption. Invasion. Stealing.

Sure, maybe they didn’t say 'hijack,' but if you’re taking from a moment that means something to people without giving anything back, then you’re doing the same thing—virtue signalling or tone deaf theft.

People were vocal about corporate pinkwashing, and we saw the veneer crumble this year with U-turns on rainbow rebrands and DEI support in the US. Brewdog’s anti-sponsorship campaign for the World Cup in Qatar was great, if they weren’t frequently under fire for the way they treat their staff.

Audiences are smarter than that. Backlash doesn’t have to hit like a backhand. It can sit and simmer.

It’s not all about values and purpose either. PRs used to joke about how everyone uses ad blockers, but I’m sure people would filter out overbearing, overly mid TikTok ‘brandter’ if it were that easy. It might be a bit of fun, but you still need to read the room. If what you’re bringing to the table is average, maybe don’t bring it.  When culture becomes more marketing than media, consumers might jump ship altogether.

LGBTQ+ sandwiches don’t cut it. And no one wants to see a branded Glastonbury flag, even from a radio station.

Getting it right

The calendar is still our playground. The trick is knowing the rules of the game. If it’s already hella branded, then hell yeah. TV, film, and sports feel like neutral territory.

Borrow interest, don’t demand it, like Domino’s pizza jetpack outside in the Glastonbury car park.

Don’t pollute with laziness. Be the Hellman’s ‘club classic’ sandwich in a brat green sea of branded blandness.

If you’re seeing cracking reactives on that viral moment, then the boat’s already left. From Coldplay kiss cams to Tea Time alarms, when you jump in too late, you kill the joke.

Do it first, do it well, or don’t do it.

Check for cultural chemistry: Oasis campaigns were of a generally high calibre, but ‘Lidl by Lidl’ and ‘Aldeh’ just felt right.

Invest early and don’t just piggyback off success. If it’s rooted in an important cause and you want to do a purpose-led campaign, dig a little deeper than platitudes and say something new. Try to (actually) solve a (real) problem.

Let’s hitch a ride with culture, not plunder it.

Culture hitchhiking means joining in at the right time, with the right tone, and letting it lead. Showing up in a way that adds to the moment, instead of diluting it. When you’re constantly looking at culture as an opportunity, you not only lose touch with it but suffocate it.

Not trying to be a buzzkill, and I’m certainly no angel. I’ve thought, said, and written some absolute rubbish, so it’s good to remind myself in those moments of post-braindump clarity.

I love what I do. I love belter campaigns and reactives. But there are times when it feels a bit cringeworthy. We’re in the business of communication, but sometimes we need to work on our social skills.

At the end of the day, there will always be opportunities to newsjack.

But not everything has to be about you.