Bucket hats are back, and at Oasis Live ’25, they’re bobbing along to every chord and riff.
The brand of choice among the 1.4 million U.K. fans that scored tickets to Oasis’ first live shows since 2009? Adidas, naturally.
The sportswear giant was one of the first to seize the hype around the Gallagher brothers’ long-awaited reunion with a 26-piece range available online, in pop-up stores, and at official merch stalls in stadiums.
The partnership, promoted via a nostalgic spot from Johannes Leonardo set to the 1994 Oasis track “Live Forever,” celebrates “30 years of shared history,” nodding to the decade when the band made parkas, tracksuits, and sneakers the unofficial uniform of Britpop.
Adidas’ chief executive (CEO) Bjørn Gulden hailed the collab on its August 4 earnings call, likening the gigs to an “Adidas event, with a lot of three stripes and trifoil.”
“Not only is it very good image-wise,” said Golden, “it’s also, commercially, becoming big business.”
Adidas isn’t the only brand riding the Oasis comeback. Official tour automotive partner Land Rover commissioned a mural for the Mancunians’ homecoming, Berghaus re-released Liam Gallagher’s iconic Meru jacket, and Burberry launched a campaign featuring Liam and his children.
Like the tour itself, these tie-ups aren’t just courting original fans. ’90s-obsessed Gen Z is getting in on the Oasis hype too, drawn by the band’s nostalgic aesthetic, trademark swagger, and the chance to experience a cultural touchstone their parents grew up with.
James Kirkham, CEO of brand culture consultancy Iconic, said the concerts feel almost religious: “a pilgrimage of bucket hats soaked in memory.” Parents, and their kids who grew up on grime or Little Mix, are singing every word to Don’t Look Back in Anger together, some in tears.
“This isn’t just nostalgia, it’s a collective exhale after 14 years of cultural compression: austerity, anxiety, algorithms, crises,” he said. This means brands tapping the revival must tread carefully. “Treat Oasis like a Pinterest board and you’ll flop; respect the spirit and you could soar,” he added.
To Kirkham, Adidas’ rollout is nailing the moment. “It isn’t about flogging shoes; it’s about bottling feeling,” he said.
Supersonic Marketing
Before Oasis re-formed, Britpop’s return to popularity was already on the boil. In 2024, acts like Blur and Pulp toured and saw streaming spikes. Meanwhile, brands such as Gap and Levi’s have been harking back to the ‘90s with nostalgic ads and the return of low-rise jeans.
Britpop’s resurgence reached a fever pitch when Oasis Live ‘25 was announced in July 2024.
14 million Brits (20% of the population) attempted to score tickets for 17 U.K. dates before more global shows were added. So far, the tour has received rave reviews from critics, generating an estimated £400 million ($541 million) in ticket and merchandise sales.
Per TikTok data shared with ADWEEK, views on videos tagged #Oasis saw a 101% increase. When the tour began in July, Oasis-related music reached over 2 billion video views on the platform, with 300,000 posts created using sounds from the band.
Oasis’ appeal is deeply regional, generational, and culturally specific, and brands activating around the comeback have therefore gone with hyper-local activations, from Land Rover’s art in Manchester’s Northern Quarter to Berghaus’ takeover of the city’s famous Piccadilly Station and London’s Wembley Stadium.
Adam Field, vice president of brand marketing for Berghaus at Pentland Brands, told ADWEEK the campaign is already delivering results, including an increase in web traffic and strong media pickup.
“We know we have earned the right to participate in these cultural spaces, but true success is when our community extends the narrative for us, by sharing, engaging, and driving the conversation further,” he said.
During the Edinburgh shows, beloved Scottish brewer Tennent’s-once declared “the best beer in the world” by Noel Gallagher-put its own local spin on things by creating mini bucket hats for its pints.
“It blew up on social media,” said Stuart MacKenzie, CMO at Tennent’s owner C&C Group, revealing the brand’s social team brought the idea to life in days with help from a local designer.
He said the brewer’s deep ties to festivals and gigs (including the legendary Scottish festival T in The Park) allowed the brand to tap into the conversation in an “authentic and credible” way.
As the official beer of the city’s Murrayfield Stadium, Tennent’s was also featured in Oasis’ official video from the event. That, however, wasn’t planned.
Britpop’s Swagger
Now Oasis are gearing up to kick off their North America tour on Aug. 28 in Toronto.
Bolu Akindoyin, chief operating officer (COO) at brand partnerships business Miai, says U.S. brands looking to capitalize on the tour should reckon with Britpop’s baggage before romanticizing its unapologetic swagger. At its peak, the scene was dominated by white, male, guitar-based bands, with little representation of women or artists of color.
“Back then, there was a lot of laddish posturing that had a surface of cheeky banter, but often flirted with casual ‘-isms’ and exclusion,” said Akindoyin. “If a brand blindly recreates that vibe today, it’s going to backfire with modern audiences. The smarter route isn’t nostalgia for laddishness; it’s capturing the confidence and community of Britpop, reinterpreted for today.”
Kirkham agrees there’s a risk in brands leaning too hard into the “blokeishness” of it all, but points to Burberry as one that’s rebirthing the movement through a more inclusive, emotional lens.
Mark Shanley, ECD at adam&eveDDB London, argues Britpop isn’t just about bands like Oasis; the cultural movement found its way into music, film, and politics (see: 1996’s Trainspotting for all of the above).
He said “Cool Britannia” had plenty of female protagonists, including icons like Kate Moss and the Spice Girls. “That leaves Gen Z free to pick and choose the aspects of it that appeal to them.”
Jenny O’Sullivan, digital client and planning partner at WPP Media, who worked on the Berghaus stunt, said brands must avoid becoming a “corporate interloper” in their quest to jump on the buzz.
Other fringe brands
“It’s about being a genuine part of the celebration, not just a sponsor trying to cash in,” she said.
As the bucket hats bob and the anthems echo from Manchester to New York, the brands that will leave a lasting mark on fans won’t chase cheap nostalgia; they’ll rebottle Britpop’s energy for a new era.
Based on Adidas’ results so far, those who do play it smart certainly won’t look back in anger.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
