Blackbook Weekly: 008

How Rhode, Central Cee, Byoma and Bad Bunny leaned into identity, community and cultural marketing this week.

Super Bowl season is here, and brands aren’t waiting for game day to make a big splash. This week gave us a glimpse of what happens when creators become the campaign and when experiential marketing gets it exactly right.

The campaigns that performed the best this week understood one thing: people don’t just want products. They want to see themselves reflected in the story.

Byoma’s Super Bowl debut

Fast-growing skincare brand Byoma is making its Super Bowl debut with a 30-second spot airing regionally in Seattle during the third quarter.

The “Shorttime Show” campaign riffs on the online outcry sparked by Bad Bunny’s halftime show, which required on-field performers to be between 5’7” and 6 feet tall. Fans who didn’t meet the criteria flooded social media with jokes and disappointment, and Byoma capitalised off the moment.

They turned a viral conversation into an entry point into culture and group chats, all while using popular upcoming creators to do so.

Bad Bunny partners with Adidas

Bad Bunny surprised his fans by releasing his first signature sneaker, BadBo 1.0, with Adidas. The release was limited to 1,994 pairs in honour of his birthday. They are already sold out on the sneaker’s dedicated website and are appearing on resale sites for $1,000.

The social first campaign, delivered in Spanish, flips the script on what we’re told growing up. “Kids always ask us what we want to be when we grow up, as if there is only one answer. Why choose just one thing when everything is possible?” It’s a statement that we’re hearing a lot today, with the rise of the multi-hyphenate. Musicians are designers, athletes are creators, and no one’s staying in one lane anymore.

Life is fluid, and people are applying that same attitude to their careers.

Adidas nailed this perfectly.

Rhode Snow Club

Why is everyone skiing? The #1 question we’ve seen everyone ask recently. It seems like so many of our favourite brands have saved the same inspo on Pinterest, copied each other, and created the same brand moment.

And Rhode is up next.

The brand placed an experiential installation trip in Big Sky, Montana, called the Rhode Snow Club, to launch its Caffeine Reset and Peptide Lip Boost products. Snow-capped mountains, cosy merch and a full branded Rhode indulged world.

We’ll be doing a deep dive into all things experiential marketing soon, and a blueprint on why, how and when to use it for your brand, or your clients.

Central Cee launches his SYNA footwear with Nike

Central Cee partnered with PlaqueBoyMax and several creators to launch his debut footwear collaboration with Nike, at SYNA HQ.

PlaqueBoyMax has quickly become a central piece of the launch day puzzle for many athletes, creators and specifically musicians.

This activation follows a big week for Nike overall, as they also launched a collaboration with SKIMS, which Central Cee was also present at.

Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze for New Balance

New Balance linked up with Arsenal player Eberechi Eze for a campaign rooted in South London, quite literally. The ABZORB 2000 became the anchor, but the real story was on community and shared identity.

Coi Leray and her daughter for Outlander Magazine

Coi Leray features in Outlander Magazine with her daughter, a rare, intimate moment that shows a different side of the artist.

It’s a great start to the year for the magazine, as they ended 2025 with two huge features, Justin Bieber and Travis Scott, for their debut print edition.

What ties all of these campaigns together? They didn’t try to be everything to everyone. They spoke to their people, in their language, in their spaces. The brands winning right now are the ones showing up where culture already exists.

See you next week.

And if you’re not already part of the conversation, you know where to find us on LinkedIn and Instagram @The Branding BlackBook .