Signal & Story Collective
SIGNAL & STORY COLLECTIVE · CULTURAL BREAKTHROUGH INDEX

The Cultural Breakthrough Index

A running study of which brands actually break through with consumers at culture’s biggest moments, and the strategic patterns behind why. Fielded after selected major cultural events, starting with the World Cup.

Get Edition 01: World Cup ’26  →
Free report · n=200 consumer study · 21 pages
93.5%
Recognized a brand. Nearly every respondent recognized at least one of the 12 brands when shown a list.
17%
Chose the leading brand. Nike received the highest share of overall-winner selections. Consumers’ choices were spread across brands.
27.3%
Reported a purchase. Among respondents who recognized a listed brand, more than one in four said its World Cup marketing prompted a purchase.
Source: Signal & Story Collective, Cultural Breakthrough Index, World Cup ’26 edition. Pollfish survey of 200 U.S. adults, fielded in August 2026. Unweighted, descriptive results from an opt-in panel. Published September 2026.
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Sponsorship secures a seat at the table. It does not secure top-of-mind status.
Signal & Story Collective, Cultural Breakthrough Index, Edition 01
INSIDE EDITION 01

Twenty-one pages of consumer evidence and strategic interpretation.

The full report breaks down what happened brand by brand, four strategic patterns observed among the leading brands, and how recognition and consumer selections differed across sponsors and non-sponsors.

01
Executive Brief
Four leaders, four different systems
02
The Measured Field
12 brands, sponsors vs. non-sponsors
03
Consumer Visibility
Aided recognition, ranked
04
Performance Scorecard
Full brand-by-brand data
05
Sponsorship Advantage
How official sponsors and non-sponsors compared
06
Consumer Action
From memory to purchase
07
Implications for Marketers
Five principles for the next moment
08
Methodology & Sources
n=200, what it can and can’t prove

One index, every cultural moment that matters.

Each edition adds to our understanding of cultural breakthrough, sharpening the pattern with every cycle, not just the dataset.
EDITION 01 · LIVE
World Cup ’26
Available now, below.
EDITION 02 · CANDIDATE
The Super Bowl
Under evaluation.
EDITION 03 · CANDIDATE
Awards Season
Under evaluation.
EDITION 04 · CANDIDATE
Coachella
Under evaluation.

Get the Edition 01: World Cup report.

Free for brand, marketing and comms teams. See exactly which brands broke through, why, and what it means for your next cultural moment.

The complete 21-page Cultural Breakthrough Index, Edition 01
All 12 measured brands, ranked and profiled
Full methodology and what the data can’t prove

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