Las Culturistas co-hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers want brands to get in on their jokes.
During a panel at ADWEEK House in Cannes, the podcast hosts discussed a topic at the top of a lot of brands’ minds: How to engage preexisting fandoms in a way that actually resonates. Yang and Rogers were joined by The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Heather Gay, and Alison Levin, NBCUniversal’s president of advertising and partnerships.
Las Culturistas’ Rogers and Yang see being in on the joke as a way for brands to bring people together and connect with an established audience. Rogers pointed to Las Culturistas’ partnership with Kraft Heinz-owned Mac & Cheese as an example of an ad that resonated with their passionate fanbase because of its humor.
“As a result of it being a fun ad, our fans memorized the ad copy and at 2023’s Culture Awards we had 3,000 people come and recite the ad,” said Rogers. “And I’m telling you it’s because the brand was willing to pal around with us.”
The script for Mac & Cheese’s ad mentions a lot of topics that the Las Culturalistas podcast regularly explores. There’s a reference to Sex and the City, and the ad includes silly phrases like, “I’m a bottomless pit for the stuff.”
Rogers said Las Culturistas is currently planning for this year’s Culture Awards, which will tie brands into award categories. The 2025 Las Culturistas Culture Awards will air on Bravo on Aug. 5 and be available on Aug. 6 on streamer Peacock.
Brands are plugging into culture
Brands that get in on the jokes can go even further than a clever podcast script, said NBCUniversal’s Levin.
She pointed to a recent Nissan commercial with Summer House star Ciara Miller as an example. The ad referenced a funny moment in the show and quickly sparked conversation.
“For people that love Bravo, they’re in and Nissan is cool,” said Levin. “Page Six picks it up and it goes viral.”