Blackbook Weekly
Your weekly round up on campaigns in culture
Every week, we’re paying attention to how brands and creators are positioning themselves in the culture.
Here’s what caught our attention over the last few days.
Nic & Olandria on the cover of Glamour magazine
Two names. One cover.
Olandria and Nic aren’t the usual magazine cover stars, and that’s the whole point. She was selling elevators. He was modelling and “just going with the flow.” Then Love Island USA happened, #Nicolandria was born, and their lives changed overnight.
Glamour giving them their December cover, their first joint interview, and they’ve finally made it to the matching pyjama stage. Except the stage is now extremely global.
Mainstream media is not just pushing more representation in print, it’s about whose stories actually matter at scale. Reality TV to magazine cover isn’t a new path, but the speed and sincerity of it feels different this time. Especially as both Olandria and Nic have shown they’re not afraid to speak up on their platforms, like when they addressed the Instagram Live incident with Huda and Louis.
Nike Football announces Jay-Jay Okocha as Chief Flair Officer ahead of AFCON
Nike giving Jay-Jay Okocha a title before the Africa Cup of Nations isn’t subtle. It’s not supposed to be.
“Chief Flair Officer” is perfect. It’s playful, it’s specific and it taps into exactly what Okocha represented on the pitch, technical brilliance with personality. This isn’t legacy for legacy’s sake. It’s Nike leaning into African football culture at a moment when the continent’s influence on the global game has never been clearer and just in time for AFCON.
Timing matters. Relevance matters more. Nike gets both. Just do it.
Billionaire Boys Club & Topicals launch under-eye masks
Streetwear meets skincare. Again.
But this one actually makes sense and no surprise because it’s Topicals. Billionaire Boys Club partnering with Topicals for under-eye masks is the kind of collaboration that makes sense when you stop thinking in traditional categories. Both brands speak to communities that care about how they look, feel and show up.
It’s function wrapped in culture. And unlike some crossovers that feel forced, this one reads like a natural extension of what both brands already stand for, care, quality and aesthetics.
EsDeeKid and Timothée Chalamet link up for “4 Raws” remix
This is what happens when the algorithm breaks into real life.
EsDeeKid’s “4 Raws” getting a Timothée Chalamet remix is internet culture colliding with Hollywood in the most interesting way possible. No press release. No rollout strategy. Just vibes and brilliant timing.
Chalamet going from teenage heartthrob to alt streetwear character for Marty Supreme is a calculated shift. He’s method acting, sure, but he’s also clearly borrowing his cool from the right places in culture. And EsDeeKid gets the kind of co-sign money can’t manufacture.
CoppaFeel’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign
CoppaFeel has always understood that awareness without action is just noise.
Their latest campaign during Breast Cancer Awareness Month keeps the focus exactly where it needs to be, on self-checking. Not vague messaging. Not pink-washing. Just clear, practical, life-saving behaviour change wrapped in a campaign that doesn’t patronise or oversimplify.
It’s a reminder that the best health campaigns don’t just make you feel something. They make you do something.
Zoom rolls out ‘Zoom Ahead’ campaign for AI launch
Zoom announcing AI capabilities with a campaign called “Zoom Ahead” is... fine.
It does what it needs to do, position the brand as forward-thinking, tech-enabled, ready for whatever’s next. But in a moment where every tech company is sprinting toward AI, being in the race isn’t the same as leading it.
The idea is competent. The question is whether competence is enough when everyone else is saying the same thing. What do you guys think?
Taken together, these moments show how showing up is becoming more intentional. It’s not just about being visible, it’s about being legible. Whether it’s through unexpected partnerships, cultural fluency or campaigns that actually move people, the brands cutting through are the ones that know who they’re talking to and why it matters.
If you spotted a campaign we missed, let us know.
And if you’re not already part of the conversation, you know where to find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @thebrandingblackbook.