PACO Collective

We’ve all seen it happen: something starts trending, and suddenly every brand wants to join the conversation.

But not every cultural moment needs a brand response. Our latest blog breaks down four simple questions every brand should ask before posting:
• Do we belong in this conversation?
• Can we add something useful?
• Would people expect to hear from us?
• Are we committed beyond the trend?

Read more on the PACO blog:

Cultural Moments Marketing: Four Questions Every Brand Should Ask Before Posting Cultural Moments Marketing: Four Questions Every Brand Should Ask Before Posting

Black Business Month was never meant to be just a celebration. It was created to push for greater access, opportunity and economic equity. Because being seen is only the beginning.​

Visibility is progress. Access is power.

Speaking more than one language doesn’t just change how we communicate. It actually changes how our brain works.

Research suggests bilingualism can strengthen brain connectivity, improve cognitive flexibility, and even delay symptoms associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

But beyond the neuroscience, bilingualism also expands perspective, empathy, and cultural understanding (something the world could probably use more of these days!).

The Met Gala has always been about more than fashion. It’s been a signal of what, and who, matters in culture.

But in 2026, that signal feels…complicated.

With Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez stepping in as co-chairs and major donors, the conversation has shifted beyond the red carpet. Critics are questioning what happens when extreme wealth becomes this embedded in cultural institutions—and whether influence is starting to look a lot like ownership.

At the same time, the internet has changed how we engage with moments like this. The Met Gala used to set the tone. Now it’s reacting to a culture that moves faster, questions more, and isn’t as easily impressed.

So the real question isn’t just “who wore it best?”
It’s whether the Met Gala still holds the same cultural weight it once did or if it’s becoming something else entirely.

What do you think—still relevant, or past its peak?

We started this weekend on a high note. But we also have to put it into perspective. The last time the U.S. sent someone to the moon:
• Women couldn’t open a credit card in their own name without a male co-signer
• It was totally fine for schools to discriminate on the basis of s*x
• Pregnant women could be fired from their jobs just for being pregnant

Though many years have passed and progress has been made, we’re seeing progress slip backward. Recently, PACO Group Account Director Lisa Novales broke down why progress for women in the workplace has stalled and how structural gaps in support, promotion, and flexibility are shaping the future of work. Read her recent POV on LinkedIn (link in bio).