{"id":9351,"date":"2024-04-12T15:48:47","date_gmt":"2024-04-12T15:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&#038;p=9351"},"modified":"2024-04-12T15:58:52","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T15:58:52","slug":"sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/","title":{"rendered":"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d need to bin their beloved trainers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C5VeEQaoBN_\/?hl=en\">Instagram post<\/a>, the Prime Minister opted to don a pair of box-fresh Adidas Sambas as he looked to promote his new tax policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a self-confessed Samba girl myself, I have to say I wasn\u2019t best pleased with the news that my favourite versatile trainer had been co-opted by a middle-aged politician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I\u2019m not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Seeing Rishi in adidas sambas has killed any last desire to buy them<\/p>&mdash; Chris Smith-Brown (@retrocoldplay) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/retrocoldplay\/status\/1776329887399223570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 5, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">distinct lack of Sambas on the Peckham to Dalston overground this morning\u2026 sense of fear and uncertainty in the air\u2026<\/p>&mdash; lauren o&#39;neill (@hiyalauren) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hiyalauren\/status\/1777249719430914069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 8, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">lol searches for \u201cSell my Adidas Sambas\u201d will defo be sky rocketing this week ?<\/p>&mdash; Sophie Rhone (@SophieRhone) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SophieRhone\/status\/1777384683212333176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 8, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Was this a transparent ploy to widen the PMs appeal with younger audiences? An attempt to bring a more informal and \u2018hip\u2019 vibe to the staged shots? Was the Samba assumed to have more appeal with voters than the politician himself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever the motive, the one with the most to lose when politicians play with products is usually the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Samba is by no means a new shoe having been released back in 1949 with the purpose of allowing footballers to train on icy, hard ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the past year has seen the Samba rise to ubiquity with reimagined designs and collaborations feeding the fashion crowd\u2019s need for sporty nostalgia. From red, to silver to leopard print, you can\u2019t catch a bus, get on a train or watch a TikTok \u2018get ready with me\u2019 without seeing a flash of the iconic 3 stripes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And whilst Adidas has recently doubled down on the trainer\u2019s popularity with a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.adidas.com\/originals\/adidas-originals-celebrates-three-classic-silhouettes-with-the-latest-iteration-of-its--1000-back--c\/s\/5e5237ac-abb5-4dc3-b01e-00702556c9b7\">new advertising push<\/a> for its \u2018Originals\u2019 ranges, Samba-gate goes to show that no matter how much you prepare for a campaign, you can\u2019t control every factor. In this case, there\u2019s little forward planning you can do to mitigate the fallout from a PR shot of the PM that immediately derails the \u2018cool\u2019 brand image you\u2019ve spent so long curating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The real question is: how do you respond?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The speed of cultural conversations like these is astronomic and if you can\u2019t be quick in your comms then you risk losing control of the narrative altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Increasingly, brands are shedding their pristine and highly-curated images to invoke a more human and authentic appeal for citizens in the hope of winning their trust. But this requires a healthy dose of self-awareness and humour along with the courage to have that open dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a look at Berlin beer brand BRLO. It capitalised on the viral Calvin Klein ad of Jeremy Allen White earlier this year, creating a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BRLObeer\/status\/1750156508015235160\">spoof version<\/a> to promote its alcohol free beer. In response to the suggestive Calvin ad, BRLO\u2019s creative featured a fuller-bodied, red-haired man stripping down to his tighty whiteys. On X, the brand wrote: \u201cFull-bodied, juicy and without the headache the morning after, it\u2019s the perfect choice \u2013 not just in Dry January.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BRLO\u2019s ability to be agile and respond to the trending conversations is what earned them, and their product cut through beyond its size. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whilst these tactics are often seen as more guerilla and for the scrappier scale-up and start-up players, adapting to what\u2019s going on around you can have a payoff for even the biggest brands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Exercise giant Peloton is one of the best examples of this, winning Christmas 2021 by turning around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=peloton+and+just+like+that+ad&amp;safe=strict&amp;sca_esv=12fe31487ad231eb&amp;sca_upv=1&amp;rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB976GB976&amp;biw=1280&amp;bih=559&amp;tbm=vid&amp;sxsrf=ACQVn086Xmr9Qhm3hZtZw8vGPbUxEy3Fwg%3A1712922288840&amp;ei=sB4ZZs36MrTThbIPh9OpkAs&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjNkrfkzLyFAxW0aUEAHYdpCrIQ4dUDCA0&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=peloton+and+just+like+that+ad&amp;gs_lp=Eg1nd3Mtd2l6LXZpZGVvIh1wZWxvdG9uIGFuZCBqdXN0IGxpa2UgdGhhdCBhZDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgYQABgWGB4yBhAAGBYYHjIGEAAYFhgeMgYQABgWGB4yCxAAGIAEGIoFGIYDMgsQABiABBiKBRiGA0j-HFC7A1inHHAAeACQAQKYAcEGoAGTHqoBCzAuNy42LjUtMS4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIMoALgEcICBBAjGCfCAgoQABiABBiKBRhDwgIOEAAYgAQYigUYkQIYsQPCAgsQABiABBiKBRiRAsICDRAAGIAEGIoFGEMYsQPCAggQABiABBixA5gDAIgGAZIHBTAuNy41oAfZYA&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-video#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:e44aebc3,vid:qCuhM-LPLVk,st:0\">a commercial<\/a> in less than 24 hours in response to a plotline in \u2018And Just Like That\u2026\u2019, the Sex and the City reboot. Following a sudden character death after using one of the brand\u2019s exercise bikes, Peloton\u2019s stocks began to plummet, and so it took the narrative into its own hands. Enlisting the help of the shows \u2018dead\u2019 character, a voiceover from Ryan Reynolds, and a tongue in cheek script, the brand poked fun at the storyline letting everyone know \u201che\u2019s alive\u201d whilst reassuring customers of the health benefits of using their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brands often don\u2019t need to go that far to play into the conversation. Even Rishi has shown he doesn&#8217;t have too take himself to seriously, issuing his \u2018fulsome apology to the Samba community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And whilst Adidas has yet to weigh in on the debate, if they change their mind, I definitely have some ideas. &nbsp;Particularly as in better news for me (and half of the Samba-sporting Headland office), all is not lost for this wardrobe staple.&nbsp; I\u2019d usually disagree with the saying that there\u2019s no such thing as bad PR but according to Instagram account <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C5i5Qeru27L\/?hl=en\">@databutmakeitfashion<\/a> Samba popularity increased 60% in the past week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I won\u2019t set fire to mine just yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Read more&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insights-and-news\/\">Insights &amp; News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d need to bin their beloved trainers.&nbsp; In an official Instagram post, the Prime Minister opted to don a pair of box-fresh Adidas Sambas as he looked to promote his new tax policies. As a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9360,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[23],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-9351","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-campaigning"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-12T15:58:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2544\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/\",\"name\":\"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-12T15:48:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-12T15:58:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg\",\"width\":3600,\"height\":2544},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Insights\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/\",\"name\":\"Headland International\",\"description\":\"Specialists in financial and corporate communications, digital communications, sustainability, strategy, insight and planning, public affairs and campaigning.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International","description":"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International","og_description":"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d","og_url":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/","og_site_name":"Headland International","article_modified_time":"2024-04-12T15:58:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":3600,"height":2544,"url":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/","url":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/","name":"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms - Headland International","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-12T15:48:47+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-12T15:58:52+00:00","description":"Last week the cries could be heard across WhatsApp groups everywhere as 1000\u2019s of the so-called \u2018Samba Community\u2019 considered if they\u2019d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/sj-YDHKEFat9XY-unsplash.jpg","width":3600,"height":2544},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/sunak-vs-samba-and-the-art-of-nimble-brand-comms\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Insights","item":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"#Sambagate and the art of nimble brand comms"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/","name":"Headland International","description":"Specialists in financial and corporate communications, digital communications, sustainability, strategy, insight and planning, public affairs and campaigning.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/9351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insight"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/9351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9370,"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insight\/9351\/revisions\/9370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"services","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/services?post=9351"},{"taxonomy":"sectors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sectors?post=9351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}