Today, audiences are shaping the cultural agenda. Empowered to speak up for the causes they believe in, people are actively calling out brands they see as inauthentic. What are the main drivers of this behavioural shift? And how can brands win the trust of these outspoken advocates?

Once a signifier of luxury or novelty, custom products and services are now within reach of the everyday consumer, thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence, algorithm-led platforms, and the COVID-era digitisation boom. Today, everyone wants to be the main character of their brand experience.

The controversy surrounding the World Cup in Qatar exemplified how politicisation has shaken up the sports landscape. Fans are no longer passive observers and are actively engaged in wider conversations. With social consciousness on the rise, how will sports organisations adapt to new demands?

Sports have long been central to American culture and identity, and being part of a fan community is often integral to people’s social lives. After tracking the values of sports fans in our Travel and Leisure Sector Snapshot, Canvas8 polled nine Americans to find out more.

Welcome to Wrexham, the story of a town, its people, and their beloved football club, has proved a global hit on Disney Plus. It has given a voice to the supporters of smaller clubs who are overlooked by the globalisation of football and challenged the very idea of what it means to be a modern fan.

Traditionally, football has been a key component of regional and local identity in England. But with the Premier League now defined more by wealth than locality, fandom is increasingly divorced from its local roots. What does this mean for the future of the nation’s favourite sport?