Our Roundup: REI Co-op shows purpose can drive profit, Instagram’s “Great Purge of 2026” resets influence, Vice News returns raising independence questions, and Levi’s leans into culture over celebrity.

This Week’s Report
—> adidas Gets It Right
—> Takeaways
—> This Week’s Standouts
—> Top Voices

adidas just released Backyard Legends, a new short film ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, and honestly, it feels different than what most brands are putting into the world right now.

While so many campaigns today are built around spectacle, polish, and overproduction, Backyard Legends brings the story back to something much more real: the neighborhood court, the cage, the parking lot, the backyard. The places where football culture actually begins.

And that’s exactly why it works.

What stood out to me most wasn’t even the celebrity lineup — although it’s stacked. Lionel Messi, Trinity Rodman, Jude Bellingham, Bad Bunny, Timothée Chalamet, David Beckham, Zidane and others all appear throughout the film. But the celebrities never overpower the story.

The focus stays on the feeling.

The feeling of playing for hours with your friends. Recreating famous goals. Arguing over fouls. Pretending you were your heroes. That freedom. That imagination. That connection to the game before pressure, cameras, and sponsorships entered the picture.

That’s where the authenticity comes in.

Most brands today are chasing moments. adidas is building emotional connection. There’s a massive difference between the two.

Backyard Legends doesn’t feel like a campaign designed inside a boardroom trying to “tap into culture.” It feels lived in. The imperfect courts, the nostalgic energy, the local legends storyline — all of it reminds people that football culture was built in communities long before it became content.

And audiences can feel that immediately.

The best brands understand something simple: people connect emotionally long before they connect transactionally. adidas didn’t just make another World Cup ad here. They created a piece of storytelling fans can actually see themselves inside of.

In a moment where consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of overproduced marketing, Backyard Legends feels authentic because it remembers something most brands forget:

The game was always bigger than the stage.

1. Lead With Emotion
People remember how your brand makes them feel long before they remember what you sell.

2. Make It Feel Human
The most authentic brands don’t feel overproduced; they feel relatable, lived-in, and real.

3. Culture Starts Small
Real community connection is built in everyday moments, not just big campaigns or viral posts.

4. Consistency Builds Trust
adidas continues reinforcing the same message (You Got This), proving authenticity comes from repetition, not reinvention.

This week’s real-time signals on how brands are actually showing up.

• REI Co-op is proving that a purpose-driven business model can fuel a financial turnaround. Their results show that "staying true to who you are" is a viable business strategy.

• The "Great Purge of 2026" hit Instagram this week. A single 6-hour window. Millions of bot and inactive accounts wiped from the platform with major celebrities & personalities losing mass followings.

• Vice News is back. The founder is relaunching with Adobe, but can brand-funded journalism stay genuinely independent?

• Levi's didn't hire a celebrity for their World Cup campaign. They hired the founders of Kids Of Immigrants, by making sure their campaign looked like the crowd, not the trophy.

What Brands Are Authentic? It is time once again to choose which brands you feel are authentic. Please tell us via our survey (it takes less than 5 minutes to fill out).

The results of your decisions will be part of our annual Authenticity 500 Index rankings, which you will receive for free.

☕ Starbucks’ Cultural Operating System

🦅 Ride or Fade: Harley-Davidson Gets Real

🚨 Where Brands Get Real (Or Don’t)

🎯 Authenticity In Action

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