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The Journal

Perspectives on brand partnerships, culture & relevance.

Brand Partnerships·5 min read

Beyond the Ambassador: What Mbappé × Loewe Tells Us About Partnership Depth

Kylian Mbappé went from Loewe ambassador to shareholder. The relationship reveals an interesting distinction between commercial alignment and cultural expression.

Read article6 October 2026
Kylian Mbappé holding the Loewe We.HEAR Pro speaker beside the LOEWE wordmark
Brand Partnerships·5 October 2026·6 min read
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Has the Brand Ambassador Become Too Easy to Buy?

As the same faces move between fashion, technology, automotive and luxury, celebrity association is becoming less distinctive. The next era of partnerships may belong to brands that stop buying faces and start building stories.

Culture·4 October 2026·6 min read
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Being Present Isn't the Same as Belonging

A brand can be widely available in a market without having a meaningful place within it. The right partnerships can help change not only where a brand appears, but what it comes to represent.

Trends·3 October 2026·5 min read
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Does the Brand Need a Partnership at All?

Partnerships have become a familiar route to relevance. But before choosing the talent, event or organisation, there is a more fundamental question worth asking: should the partnership exist in the first place?

Culture·May 2026·6 min read

Sport as Cultural Infrastructure

Sport stopped being entertainment a long time ago. Today it is one of the last shared spaces where culture is made in real time — and brands that understand this build differently.

“Every partnership brief starts with reach. The best ones end with resonance. The gap between those two words is where real strategy lives — and where most briefs quietly give up.”

Observations· May 2026

Brand Partnerships·April 2026·7 min read

The New Rules of Brand Partnerships

Why cultural relevance matters more than reach — and how the most effective brand partnerships of the next decade will be built on shared values, not shared audiences.

Industries·March 2026·5 min read

What Luxury Gets Right About Partnership Selection

Luxury brands say no more than they say yes. That discipline — knowing what you will not do — is not caution. It is the foundation of a position that holds over time.

“The partnerships that outlive news cycles were built around something true to both parties. Not complementary audience demographics. A shared conviction about what matters — and the patience to let that conviction compound.”

Observations· February 2026

Trends·January 2026·6 min read

Athletes, Artists, Founders — Who Moves Culture?

How different cultural voices shape brand perception, and what it means to build partnerships that go beyond visibility to genuine influence. The answer keeps changing.