How Big Brands Stay Culturally Relevant: Inside Mondelēz’s Approach to Building Brands That Move With Culture

“It’s not only how you show up in culture, but how you actually shape culture.” – Koen Burghouts

Culture does not wait for planning cycles. It shifts through conversations, habits, shared moments, and the way people talk to each other every day. For large organizations, that creates a real challenge. Scale brings reach and resources, but it also brings complexity. Decisions take longer. Signals can get lost. And moving at the pace of culture becomes harder than it looks.

On this week’s The Speed of Culture podcast, Koen Burghouts, President of Sweet Snacking at Mondelēz International, joins Matt Britton to share how one of the world’s most recognizable portfolios continues to grow by staying close to how people actually live. This is not a story about clever campaigns or quick wins. It is a practical view into Mondelēz marketing strategy, shaped by clarity, conviction, and a steady understanding of what keeps brands relevant over time.

Tune into the latest episode or read the transcript below to learn more. Here are some top takeaways:

Scale Does Not Create Relevance. Direction Does

One of the strongest ideas Koen returns to throughout the conversation is the importance of working future-back. Instead of reacting to whatever feels urgent this quarter, teams define what success must look like years ahead and then align decisions toward that outcome.

This approach anchors Mondelēz brand strategy across marketing, R&D, supply chain, and partnerships. When direction is clear, teams can move faster without drifting. When it is vague, speed becomes noise.

In today’s environment, where food and beverage brand marketing trends shift quickly and attention fragments across channels, clarity becomes the real advantage. It allows brands to act early, learn faster, and avoid the paralysis that often comes with scale.

The Quarter Still Matters. It Just Cannot Lead Everything

Koen does not dismiss short-term performance. Quarter pressure is real, especially inside global organizations. But he draws a clear line between managing the quarter and letting it dictate the future.

Some quarters require slowing down to protect long-term direction. Others allow acceleration. What matters is that progress never stops. Brands that pause their future because the present feels heavy tend to fall behind.

This balance defines sustainable leadership and shows up repeatedly in Mondelēz marketing strategy. It is less about choosing between short-term and long-term, and more about knowing how to navigate both without losing momentum.

Why Oreo Feels Like More Than a Product

Few brands illustrate cultural relevance better than Oreo.

As Koen explains, Oreo brand strategy succeeds because it invites participation. Rituals like dunking are not marketing ideas layered on top of the product. They are behaviors people recognize, remix, and share.

Over time, those rituals turn the brand into something lived, not just seen. Oreo does not simply show up in culture; it gives people a way to play inside it. That mindset sits at the core of Mondelēz Oreo strategy and explains why the brand continues to resonate across generations.

This is a clear example of how big brands stay culturally relevant without chasing trends. The focus stays on how people behave, not what is trending this week.

Partnerships That Create Something New

Collaboration plays a growing role in modern brand building, but Koen is clear that not all partnerships are equal.

The strongest creator partnerships in brand marketing and brand collaborations go beyond exposure. They influence product decisions, storytelling, and how ideas show up in the real world. When both sides bring clarity and commitment, the result feels natural to people, not promotional.

These partnerships work because they deliver experiences neither brand could create alone. That shared value is what turns collaboration into collective success, and why partnerships continue to shape the future of snack brands.

More Channels, Same Expectations

Shopping no longer follows a single path. Discovery, consideration, and purchase now happen across e-commerce platforms, delivery apps, social feeds, and physical stores, often in parallel.

Koen explains that brands must relearn how people make decisions in each environment. What works in a store aisle does not automatically translate online. This shift calls for steady testing and a willingness to learn through action.

As CPG marketing trends continue to spread attention across more touchpoints, success depends on understanding how people actually move through those moments, then adjusting without losing consistency.

Gen Z, Storytelling, and the Role of AI

Reaching younger audiences demands relevance on the small screen. For Koen, Gen Z marketing strategy CPG relies less on interruption and more on storytelling that feels natural inside culture.

This is where AI in CPG marketing plays a supporting role. At Mondelēz, AI helps scale content and storytelling in real time, but it also raises the bar internally. Teams must be sharper on brand positioning and tone, because nuance matters more when technology amplifies output.

Used well, AI in brand storytelling supports creativity rather than replacing it. It allows brands to move faster while staying grounded in what they stand for.

Leadership in a World That Moves Faster Than Certainty

As the conversation closes, Koen offers advice that feels especially relevant now.

Learning matters. Humility matters. But speed comes from conviction. Leaders must form hypotheses, test them, and adjust quickly. Waiting for perfect information slows teams down and costs relevance.

This mindset shows up across Mondelēz marketing strategy and reflects how large organizations can stay adaptive without losing coherence. It is a reminder that clarity and courage often matter more than certainty.

What This Means for Brand Leaders

This episode offers more than insight into one company’s approach. It provides a practical lens on how big brands stay culturally relevant in a world shaped by constant change.

The lessons are clear:

• Direction helps teams move faster.
• Culture rewards participation, not observation.
• Partnerships work when they create shared value.
• Technology supports relevance when guided by clarity.
• Leadership requires conviction as much as curiosity.

For anyone navigating food and beverage brand marketing trends, building global brands, or preparing for the future of snack brands, this conversation offers a grounded perspective rather than abstract theory.