Advertising Age published a perspective titled, “What marketers can learn about culture from this year’s Oscars.”
The author opined, “The most compelling moments [at the Academy Awards] all came from collision—across cultures, art forms, generations, and ways of seeing the world.”
Can’t help but think the op-ed presented an optimistic notion bordering on pollyannaish delusion.
For starters, marketers—and their partnering White advertising agencies—were likely more interested in the commercials that aired during the 98th Academy Awards versus the actual Oscar victories.
The advertisements did not represent a collision across cultures; but rather, a domination of White culture—from content to creators.
In short, what everyone can learn about Adland’s culture from this year’s Oscars—based on viewing commercials that aired during the broadcast—is the industry runs on privilege, exclusivity, and cultural cluelessness.
Adland deserves an Oscar for outstanding performance of systemic racism.
What marketers can learn about culture from this year’s Oscars
By Aaron Walton
If you watched closely, a pattern kept showing up at this year’s Oscars. The most compelling moments all came from collision—across cultures, art forms, generations, and ways of seeing the world.
And that matters, because we’re living in a moment that rewards division. Social feeds sort us. Algorithms separate us. Even storytelling is often reduced to sides. But the work that breaks through doesn’t avoid difference. It brings it together.
One of the most talked-about films of the night, “Sinners,” takes this idea to new heights. The film brings together creative perspectives that don’t typically sit in the same room—a Swedish composer scoring a deeply American story, a Filipina-Black cinematographer shaping its visual language, and a narrative that draws echoes between Irish and Black histories, to name a few.
The Best Original Song category told a similar story. “Golden,” from “KPop Demon Hunters,” became the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. K-pop is, by design, a hybrid—Korean music shaped by hip-hop, R&B, electronic production and global internet culture. It was built for audiences who don’t live inside a single cultural lane.
On its best day, Hollywood isn’t just exporting culture anymore. It’s collaborating with it.
Another striking moment came with the presence of legendary artists Misty Copeland and Buddy Guy. At first glance, ballet and Chicago blues don’t exactly share a playlist. One comes from centuries-old European tradition. The other from African American musical innovation rooted in lived experience. And yet, there they were—part of the same cultural moment.
At the request of filmmaker Ryan Coogler, Copeland wore a Firebird costume created by Geoffrey Holder, on loan from the Dance Theatre of Harlem’s landmark 1982 production. Embedded in the design was a Sankofa symbol, a West African concept meaning “go back and get it,” a way of saying: draw from the past to move forward.
It’s hard to imagine a more precise metaphor for what was happening across the night. Film borrowing from dance. Music shaping narrative. History informing the present. That’s what cultural collision looks like at its best. Intentional. Layered. Forward-moving.
And let’s not underestimate the recognition of Amy Madigan. In an industry that often equates relevance with youth, her win felt like an awakening. Because experience brings something different to storytelling. Some things that can’t be rushed.
And yet, age remains one of the least talked-about dimensions of inclusion. Brands chase what’s next and often overlook what endures. Longevity isn’t the opposite of innovation. It’s often what makes it possible. Persistence and resilience don’t describe anything that happens overnight.
This year also introduced Casting as a new Oscar category. It’s also easy to overlook, but I agree with those who say it’s one of the most important additions in years. Because casting is where culture ignites the story.
Who gets placed at the center determines who gets seen, who gets heard, and who feels invited in. Great casting is about more than identifying great talent. It’s about cultural insight, understanding nuance, recognizing authenticity, and seeing what a story can become when the right person steps into it.
In many ways, casting is strategy. It shapes the story before the first scene is ever shot.
Even the tone of the Oscar ceremony reflected collision. Conan O’Brien approached the night with satire as he tested the audience’s appetite for political humor, and acknowledged tension without losing the room. Jimmy Kimmel, in contrast, took a more direct route, leaning into political commentary.
Both approaches worked. And together, they pointed to something brands are still figuring out. Do you meet people where they are, or do you push them somewhere new? There’s no single answer. But taking a position, however you do it, is part of staying relevant.
The Oscars are easy to dismiss as entertainment. But they’re also a real-time read on what resonates. And this year, the signal was clear.
The work that breaks through doesn’t come from a single perspective. It comes from intersection, which requires different voices in the same room, different histories in the same story, and people who don’t see the world the same way—and aren’t supposed to.
Because that’s where something new happens. For years, the conversation around diversity has focused on fairness. And we shouldn’t forget how much that matters. But we also need to focus on something more active.
Not just inclusion. Integration.
Not just representation. Collaboration.
Because division may be louder. But collision is more powerful.
Division narrows the story. Collision expands it.
And the most interesting work right now, the work that moves people, is doing something even more ambitious. It’s reaching back. Pulling forward. Holding multiple influences at once. Not smoothing them out but letting them shape something new.
Because if this year’s Oscars showed us anything, it’s that the future doesn’t come from choosing sides. It comes from what we’re willing to bring together.
Aaron Walton is CEO at Walton Isaacson
