Pokemon. Meatball lollipops. 17th Century silk traders. In this episode, Contagious explores weird and wonderful brand collabs, why they’re so effective, how to use them as a shortcut to cultural relevance and which brands are doing them well.

Discover the psychology behind ‘optimal incongruence’, how brands like Supreme and Crocs turned collaborations into a business model, and why technology has raised the cultural bar for collabs.

Along the way, we dive into:

• The science behind why bizarre collaborations capture attention
• The rise of ‘luxury fan fiction’ and AI-generated fake collabs
• How music and fashion pioneered modern collaboration culture
• Why some collabs fail while others become cultural phenomena
• The most unlikely brand collabs, from logistics streetwear to cheese jewellery
• What are the hidden risks, failures and audience backlash brands often underestimate
• The connection between Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Betty Crocker and Rick Rubin

If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.

Nostalgia. Cultural déjà vu. Kidulting. Why are so many people desperate to escape the present? In this episode, Contagious investigates everything from why adults are rebuilding their teenage bedrooms, to landlines for kids and the return of the iPod, and revealing why the past has become one of culture’s most powerful refuges.

Along the way, we unpack Happy Meals for adults, the psychology of anemoia, and why brands are increasingly selling comfort, tactility and emotional safety.

We’ll explain:

• Why the past is haunting the present and how it stops us imagining the future
• The data and drivers behind the analogue tech comeback
• Why the nostalgia cycle is shortening
• How a sunscreen brand has created a sensory portal back to the 1980s
• Why Gen Z feels nostalgic for decades they never experienced
• How the Proust effect works and why it’s slightly more disgusting than you assumed
• Why the Prime Minister of Canada might be wrong about strategy

If you work in marketing, you should almost definitely subscribe to Contagious IQ - an intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies supercharge their creativity by learning from the world's most impactful brands, campaigns and trends.