Women Soccer's Cute Fandom, the Sober Curious Boom, and LA’s Summer Concert Marketing
Soccer earrings, fancy mocktails and Jurassic Park in concert
Issue #15
⚽ The Cutest Sports Fandom: Women’s Soccer
I recently struck off a bucket-list item: watching the US Women’s National Team live in LA!
A quick backstory: in 2019 while working at Nike Philippines, I won an internal contest to fly to Paris for 3 days where I got to sit in a Parisian palace alongside Mark Parker, Virgil Abloh and Naomi Campbell to watch Nike unveil the national team kits for the 2019 FIFA Women’s Football World Cup. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, immersive experience celebrating the very best of women’s sport and Nike. While there, I got to customize my own football jersey at the palace itself with the designer of Koche. So it felt surreal and full-circle to finally wear my jersey for the first time to watch the USWNT (reigning champions of FIFA Women’s World Cup) beat Brazil in LA.
If you’ve ever watched any live sport in person, you’ll know what I mean when I say the energy of the stadium can make or break the experience. And let me tell you… this was the cutest, high energy stadium of little girls with face paint, soccer ball bedazzled earrings with matching nail polish freaking out about getting to see their idols live.
What’s more, they were accompanied by parents who knew each player by name as well as her stats, strengths and weaknesses. It was unexpectedly wholesome and made me giddy with excitement about the future of women’s sport! While I’ve kept up with news about women’s soccer, I haven’t followed the games but this experience made me question what’s taken me so long.
If you’re not aware of the cultural phenomenon that is the USWNT, here’s a quick snapshot:
Four FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. Enough said.
They pulled in 14.3 million viewers for the 2019 final (the most-watched soccer match in the U.S. that year)
They’ve helped fuel NWSL expansion fees soaring from a few million to around $50 million—with LA’s Angel City FC already valued at over $100 million
Throw in a growing legion of social media followers, sold-out stadiums, and a fan base that rivals any men’s team in passion, and you’ll see why women’s soccer is becoming the future of American sports.
🍸🚫 Leaning into the Sober Curious Movement Has Never Been Easier
I’ve jumped head first into the wellness phase of my life and as a result, I’ve been increasingly finding myself swapping out cocktails for sparkling water on nights out. As it turns out, there is an entire cultural shift of “sober curious” people like me who are finding non-alcoholic alternatives to drinks.
It gave me pause to discover that there’s an official term for wanting to drink less… it really underscored how deeply entrenched drinking has become in our social culture. But that’s changing with each passing generation. Recent surveys show Gen Z is downing a staggering 20% less booze than millennials did at the same age, while roughly one in five millennials are actively choosing to drink less. Some say it’s all about wellness (🙋🏻♀️), others are becoming more cognizant of alcohol-induced anxiety, while a few just enjoy the taste but don’t want to deal with the after effects.
Brands are picking up on this trend, too, and we’ve never had more of a choice in non-alcoholic beverages than we do today. Canned water brands like Liquid Death are disrupting the non-alcoholic market with beer-like packaging and a rebellious marketing play trying to make hydration cool… and it’s working. My jaw was on the floor when I discovered that the company is valued at over $1 billion as of 2025. Yes, you read that right.
Check out their bold Super Bowl commercial from 2022 below which sparked controversy and if you’re a Martha Stewart fan like me, you’ll enjoy this spot featuring her and her morbid sense of humor.
For beer lovers, Heineken 0.0 delivers that familiar hoppy flavor minus the haze. And for tequila lovers, Lewis Hamilton’s non-alcoholic tequila, Almave, brings Formula One flair to your shot glass. According to this report, the global non-alcoholic drinks market was valued at $1.3 trillion in 2023, and is projected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2035.
It’s an exciting time for all the buzz without the buzz, and it shows no sign of slowing down as younger generations keep experimenting with ways to stay social without the booze. As a big spicy mezcalita fan, I plan to test out this spicy pink margarita recipe soon.
🎷 When the Venue Steals the Show: Inside LA’s Summer Concert Marketing Campaign
I moved to LA last year and one of the most unexpected things I’ve discovered about Angelenos is that they (us?) plan their summer concert calendar based on the venues the events are being hosted at. I’ve never lived in a city that has such a wide array of scenic event venues to choose from and the summer truly brings the city together with its countless events across these locations.
Last summer, I got to experience Fred Again at the LA Memorial Coliseum alongside 70,000 other people as well as Prateek Kuhad at The Ford - a stunning theater which is literally built into a hill in Hollywood. Here’s a cute video of my in-laws freaking out about it:
Last week, I received a summer event calendar from the LA Phil for the Hollywood Bowl - an iconic venue that’s on every Angeleno’s summer bucket list. I was blown away by the thought with which the calendar and event logistics were put together. There are picnic sites you can enjoy before your concert, you can BYOB and food or eat at one of the curated restaurants on site or enjoy a free shuttle to the venue.
You can watch the LA Philharmonic orchestra play Jurassic Park in concert, Warner Bros celebrate Bugs Bunny’s 85th Anniversary to Tchaikovsky, jazz and John Legend. I love how easy - rather, inviting - this calendar feels and it will go down as the gold standard for a venue marketing campaign and you can bet I’ll be picnicking there this summer with my spicy mocktails.
#️⃣ The Evolving Social Media Playbook for Brands
Social platforms have reshaped the power dynamic between long-established icons and scrappy newcomers, putting everyone on the same virtual playing field. From the legendary brands we grew up cheering for to new disruptors just breaking ground, social channels are more than glossy feeds; they're the stage where big budgets meet guerilla tactics, all vying for our precious scroll time.
In my latest deep dive, I took look closer at how brands—both mighty and modest—are navigating this space by weaving stories, engaging fans, and sparking cultural moments, from Duolingo to Lush and Apple.
Read my full deep dive here.
Coming Up Next on Culture Curve…
⛳ Golf is having a moment and high fashion brands are cashing in on it
🤑 Memecoin marketing trends in crypto
🌴 Why are people taking loans to go to Coachella?
Stay curious, stay cultured, friends.
- Kasvi