We’re in an era where culture rules all. From establishing credibility in conversations with friends to shaping how brands connect with us, relevance often comes from understanding the cultural zeitgeist and using current events to engage people. This rings especially true for advertising, which is entering a new chapter. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to know what audiences want, need, and resonate with. Last week’s Amazon Ads Fashion and Beauty Summit made that clear, exploring the new age of entertainment and advertising. The defining insight: Brands must move beyond top-down advertising and actively participate in culture—putting people first and turning cultural value into commercial value. Amazon Ads is helping transform these shifts into full-funnel opportunities. For beauty and fashion brands in particular, this moment marks the convergence of culture, entertainment, and commerce.
Opening the summit were Josh Ripps, Head of Consumer Packaged Goods at Amazon Ads, and Alexys Coronel, Multi-Vertical Leader for Entertainment, Hardlines, Fashion, and Telecommunications at Amazon Ads. To set the tone for the day’s discussions, Coronel kicked things off with a quick game: matching periods in history with their formative cultural moments. The audience passed with flying colors. Coronel then concluded, “You can see what beauty, fashion, and entertainment represent. They aren’t just products. They’re expressions of identity and culture.”
As cultural output hits an all-time high, with audiences streaming shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty, looping tracks from the world’s biggest artists, and chasing the latest fashion and beauty drops, they’re not just consuming culture. They’re stimulating it, reshaping how it’s created and sold. This overturns the top-down structures that media and brands have upheld for decades.
Remember when billboards and glossy campaigns ruled the world, and slogans dominated every skyline? That type of advertisement shaped the past, but the future belongs to brands that move with culture and let audiences carry the strongest voice. Today, attention is earned, not given, and it thrives in entertainment, fandoms, and real-time exchanges.
That’s where Amazon comes in. Amazon Ads has become a cultural connector, bridging commerce and entertainment across a canvas millions engage with every day. Success is no longer measured by quick wins or numbers alone; it’s about showing up in ways that feel authentic. “When it comes to beauty, we know that purchasing is as emotional as it is functional. It’s about self-expression, confidence, and creating moments of discovery that feel personal and inspiring,” notes Lauren Mazzaferro, Head of Beauty, Amazon Ads. When audiences wanted to picture themselves in full makeup without leaving their beds, Unilever created an AI-powered personalised experience to make it possible, unveiled in partnership with Amazon Ads. That kind of cultural awareness demonstrates not only creativity but also respect for audience needs. Amazon empowers brands to tap into these cultural moments, reaching wider audiences in meaningful ways.
Highlighting the importance of audience influence, especially in shaping the future of entertainment and marketing, Highsnobiety’s Senior Strategist Gavon Broomfield emphasized the need to “translate cultural shifts into commercial opportunities.” Highsnobiety itself is a prime example, championing emerging culture before it becomes commercially viable. How can brands follow this lead and become cultural producers? “By speaking the language of the communities that matter most,” Broomfield explained. This is where Amazon Ads excels, offering brands of all sizes the tools to identify the right collaborators, elevate underrepresented voices, and spark authentic conversations.
The next summit session focused on change, emotional connection, storytelling, and amplifying diverse perspectives. Through cultural influence and insight, Amazon Ads’ partnerships not only fuel growth in streaming supply but also create a centralized hub for premium streaming TV inventory, making way for Netflix supply. “We understand the power of entertainment to shape cultural conversations. We see the natural connection between what viewers watch and what they want,” voices Alicia Muntzner, Head of Prime Video Brand Partnerships, Amazon Ads.
This opens a world where brands meet audiences inside the experiences they love most. Advertising becomes part of the conversation, never forced, but naturally integrated. As the room buzzed with momentum and forward-looking strategy, one theme was clear: formula-driven campaigns are fading. The future belongs to brands that create cultural experiences, spark dialogue, and lean into shared values, and Amazon Ads sits at the center of this shift.
Session three brought together Amy Hyland, Head of Fashion, Fitness, and Luxury Advertising at Amazon Ads, and Kristin Maa, Chief Marketing Officer at Saks Global, for a conversation on the future of luxury retail. The pair discussed how Saks is meeting luxury consumers where they shop by launching Saks on Amazon Luxury Stores, blending Saks’ curation and taste-making expertise with Amazon’s convenience. They also highlighted how immersive activations, content-driven commerce, and Amazon’s entertainment ecosystem are shaping luxury shopping through discovery, personalization, and cultural engagement.
What comes next goes beyond media buys and campaign metrics. It’s about resonance, cultural fluency, and storytelling people actually want to engage with, the kind of advertising people forget is advertising. With the line between entertainment and marketing growing thinner, Amazon is helping brands like Unilever and Saks step into cultural moments and reach their fullest potential.
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