You can't manufacture clout

By Audrey Sylvia, Senior Director

Somewhere, right now, a room full of well-educated and well-paid adults is debating whether to put "slay" in a campaign aimed at teenagers. Ugh. You can't brainstorm your way into popular culture. People decide what matters, what makes them laugh and what they want to make their own. The smartest nonprofits understand that. And instead of trying so hard to be cool, they let their audiences lead.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is my gold standard. Our team at Cone goes way back with CEO Artis Stevens to his Boys & Girls Clubs days, and watching BBBSA's growth and evolution under his leadership has been extraordinary.

What impresses me most is how naturally BBBSA has made mentorship part of popular culture. The NFL's Big Draft brings the call for mentors into one of America's biggest sporting traditions. Wildwood Heroes connects an animated movie to real stories of Bigs and Littles. And BBBSA's National Youth Council gives young people a hand in shaping the work.

It's a 120-plus-year-old organization that understands how to keep its mission culturally relevant without trying to act 16. No awkward memes required.

Experience Camps, an organization we work with, takes "for kids, by kids" VERY seriously. Grieving youth help shape its programs, campaigns, and even its sense of humor.

When grieving teens put their own darkly hilarious spin on a viral TikTok outfit trend, chanting "dead dad and a Lulu bag," some adults were horrified.

But founder Sara Deren trusted the kids, stood by the post, and it went viral. There's a lesson here about giving young people the freedom to express themselves, even when the adults are squirming. (Especially when the adults are squirming.)

And knowing your audience isn't always about giving people what they want. Sometimes it's about knowing what you're willing to lose. I heard WeRateDogs founder Matt Nelson tell a terrific story about his team's debate over celebrating Pride Month. Would they alienate some followers? Probably. Did they want to compromise for those followers? Nope. They knew the community they wanted to cultivate, went all in, and according to Nelson, the backlash they feared never materialized.

Because you don't need EVERYONE to love you. You need to understand the people who matter to your mission, what they care about, what makes them laugh, and sometimes what makes them uncomfortable.

The best brands aren't chasing popular culture. They're paying attention to the people creating it.

And sometimes they're smart enough to get out of the way. No cap.