Press — Qulture

“The genius of Stanley Cup was its colorway that could be carefully accessorized to meet the athleisure trend that has been strong since the pandemic,” says Quynh Mai, founder of Qulture, a New York-based digital marketing agency that tracks social media trends. “The 110-year-old brand name gave it legitimacy and legacy, but it was its colors and limited-edition drops that made it a fashion accessory.”

““Liquid Death nailed it with their aluminum can vessel as it nods to the nostalgia that Gen Z loves – those soda cans they drank when they were young before everything went plastic,” remarked Quynh Mai, the CEO and Founder of New York City-based Qulture, a marketing agency that focuses on brands seeking to connect with Gen Z consumers. “Liquid Death marketed its products through stunts that were more closely aligned with Mr. Beast’s YouTube hijinks and nostalgic episodes of Punk’d than traditional CPG marketing.

In “Keeping Up with the Speed of Culture” on The Continuum, Quynh Mai, our Founder / CEO, explores challenges for businesses in adapting to fast-paced cultural changes, discusses leveraging technology and data to anticipate shifts and innovate - and urges businesses to be agile and culturally aware to thrive. “The Near Future is a very specific place. If it’s happening now and you’re not doing it, you’re too late. It’s over. If you’re too early you’re irrelevant because nobody is with you.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

#skintok and #sephorakids take center stage on Pix 11's morning show as Founder Quynh Mai provides invaluable insights into Gen Alpha's fascination with top skincare brands like Drunk Elephant and Glow Recipe and why this youngest generation is so obsessed with skincare.

“I used the tech mindset of ‘test and learn’ to find my way,” Mai says. “I looked at data and metrics and saw them as a way to gauge audience response. Eventually at Qulture, we honed in on how to successfully impact culture with our work – and I find it thrilling and deeply rewarding.”— Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

Celebrity bots are beautiful, articulate, and aspirational; as with flesh and blood celebrities, it’s a slippery slope when teens start comparing themselves to standards that are not only unattainable but unreal. After all, if we only show our best, most perfect selves online, where do the messy bits go? “Bots are so ‘perfect’ that a real person, especially a teen girl, can never measure up. This creates an unreal expectation of beauty, relationships, and connection,” Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“For brands to understand Gen Z, they need to hire Gen Z on their staff and elicit their options and ideas and execute the ones that are achievable and feel right for the brand. Connecting to Gen Z is not a marketing exercise, but rather a way to connect to a community. You can only do this well if you’re doing it authentically.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“I think Tiktok is going to be able to leapfrog everyone else because they have so many users right now. They have a billion active monthly users and every time you use the platform its learning your behavior, learning your interests and serving you what it thinks you like.”

“It's an inside-out job. Building a business helps you discover and articulate your values, goals, and vision of success to yourself, your team, and your clients. Often, an internal journey of self-discovery becomes a public one to galvanize others to work with or hire you.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Perseverance is important as the technology driving Web3 is evolving quickly with developer activity increasing exponentially, so it’s important for brands to experiment now so they can scale their Web3 projects alongside its evolution.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“DTC brands were fueled by trustworthy, like-minded founders that gained trust and credibility to their millennial customers by being ‘just like them’. It will be hard for a corporate brand like Express to duplicate this magic formula.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“The Metaverse is the evolution of gaming. It’s where Gen Z can go and be themselves and not be judged for their looks (selfies on Instagram) or background (Facebook timeline). They can play, meet others, buy digital goods – and most importantly, be themselves.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“After years of growth through performance marketing, brands are realizing that they have to build brand equity again — and the best way to do this is through longer-form storytelling.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Discord has become the platform du jour, but launching a channel requires always-on resources from a brand to provide constant engagement with its users.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Gen Z lives and shops their values. They don’t hesitate on calling you out when you are wrong or culturally tone-deaf. They think they know more than you do—and in this new digital-first world, they do.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Life is more like a sprint than a marathon. It’s a series of sprints to get you further and farther but in between, you need time to recover and reflect. This is the only solution to burnout.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“For a lot of minorities, YouTube was the place where you saw people like you.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Brands have to leverage the long-lasting halo effects that experiential has by marrying live strategies with digital in a powerful, strategic way." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Branding now has to be super stealthy, and the brand’s product and storytelling needs to emerge in an organic, conversational way. The branding needs to be integrated into a larger cultural ecosystem while existing within targeted platforms and subcultures in order to feel current and modern.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“The near future for me is defined as not so far ahead that nobody knows what you're talking about and not today because you're behind but what is about to happen next.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“The inequality of the metaverse will be revealed this year. Where are the women, the minorities and the general public? The blue-chip NFTs have been all ben acquired by the ‘CryptoBros’ and others will now want a piece of the metaverse future too.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“Think human first — It’s easy to get caught up in the technology behind digital transformation. To see real impact across the organization it’s important to create a system that ‘hero’s’ the humans.” — Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

“Get Z are inner entrepreneurs —
they know how to hustle.”
– Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

“As an extension of their gaming world, Gen Z consumers see the Metaverse as a way to live out their digital lives more fully.” — Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Drunkeness has given way to mindfulness. Holistic wellness is the new luxury; purchasing and participating in wellness brands have almost usurped the bragging rights of having a great cocktail." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Unlike any election before it, 2016 was a wake-up call for the role of social media in politics. In 2020, voters and candidates alike have their eyes wide open to the promise and the peril these platforms can bring." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"Tik Tok is arguably the most effective platform to reach Gen Z, and Girls Who Code hits the nail on the head with a star-studded #marchforsisterhood campaign." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Digitally-native retailers are going beyond pop-up shops for innovative brick-and-mortar experiences." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"In an overbranded world, a baseless logo doesn't cut it anymore; brands now must align their values with their target consumers in order for their logo to resonate." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Building a fashion brand today requires more than just great product. It requires experimentation, personalization and leveraging the right kind of influence." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"In the wake of the Me Too movement and Women's Marches, the girl's market presents untapped potential for athletic brands." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Studies show consumers prefer it when brands support social causes, and it’s a cultural bonding opportunity for brands to show how their principles align with their consumers." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"Clever marketers are creating GIFs to help consumers express themselves through these humorous, snackable videos which make them a shareable utility versus an ad." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"10 minutes of every hour people spend in 2019 consuming media via TV and internet will be through streaming mobile, making the 'mobile everywhere' strategy makes sense for brands targeting a younger demographic." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Agency roles in recent years have increasingly moved to execution, however, the new agency model is finding true experts in each category who work seamlessly together with a diverse execution." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"In an era when most politicians and brands are ossified into inaction by fear, a lone voice of opposition can be heard that much more clearly, as is the case with Nike and Kaepernick." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"Given the rise of mobile and the ability to now shop on social platforms like Instagram, consumers are less inclined than ever to participate in the Black Friday brick-and-mortar battle." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"As brands and consumers alike increasingly prioritize strong sustainability practices, luxury brands need to weigh for themselves the opportunity cost of supporting resellers versus being called out for supporting a non-sustainable process" – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"With the NFL reporting that women make up about 45 percent of the fan base, it’s about time that advertisers created ads that resonate with them." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"As luxury brands begin to dip their toes into esports sponsorships, they need to ensure that their brand aligns with the specific esport or esport partner." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"From teasers to activation content, Moving Image and Content tailors every step of the production execution process with Jaguar's #UnwrapAJaguar Holiday campaign." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder

"Including poetry can help a brand break through the clutter. You get the message without feeling like you’re being sold to." – Anthony Cospito, Head of Strategy

"There was a time when wading into political issues was an absolute taboo, but today it’s starting to become detrimental to a brand’s bottom line if they don’t take a stand." – Quynh Mai, CEO/Founder