What the rise of NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani tells us about the future of brands

In New York, a seismic shift has just taken place. The city has elected its first South Asian and Ugandan-born mayor, Zohran Mamdani. 

This milestone is not just a political win, it is a signal of cultural change.

Mamdani's victory reflects a changing electorate. He entered the NYC mayoral race with less than 1% support and went on to win the Democratic primary over long-term political stalwart Andrew Cuomo. The general election saw one of the highest turnouts of millennial and Gen Z voters in recent memory, driven not by party lines but by shared values. 

[Mamdani] entered the NYC mayoral race with less than 1% support and went on to win the Democratic primary over long-term political stalwart Andrew Cuomo.

More than two million people cast ballots, almost double the number of New Yorkers who voted four years ago. People were not simply voting for a candidate, they were voting for representation that reflected the diversity of their lives, their communities, and their mindset.

Here is what Mamdani’s historic win tells us about the changing American mindset, and what that means for brands:

Above: Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani addressing the media the day after being elected mayor of New York City.

Culture elected him

Understanding the complexity within the Black and Brown experience in America reveals a universal truth about humanity itself: no group is a monolith. Today’s world is driven by intersectionality, blended identities, and shared accountability. The way we vote, live, and spend has become a cultural ecosystem defined by nuance and connection. Understanding these nuances, even within groups, helps create messaging that resonates.

If you grasp this, then what happened in New York should not be a surprise. What Mamdani’s victory shows is that knowing your voter, and understanding they do not all think the same, can lead to extraordinary success. This mindset is not theoretical. It is actionable, measurable, and mobilised.

Millennials and Gen Z now represent the most influential economic force in the marketplace, and their diversity is rooted in ideology as much as identity.

Take New Balance. In the past, it was mocked as a “dad shoe”. But by tapping collaborators to design its footwear with specific subcultures in mind, including streetwear brand The Basement, high-end fashion house Miu Miu, and rapper Jack Harlow, and by supporting races and marathons across the world, it has fully embraced the “blokecore” or “dadcore” trend. Now, every kid wants them. It is nuance and connection that drive brand impact.

The rise of the cultural consumer

Millennials and Gen Z now represent the most influential economic force in the marketplace, and their diversity is rooted in ideology as much as identity.

These groups choose brands in the same way they chose their mayor, based on representation, not tokenism. Their choices are rooted in authenticity rather than flashy marketing. They seek people and brands aligned with their values, not simply those with the loudest ad spend.

They expect the companies they buy from to reflect the same integrity, intersectionality, and accountability that they bring to the polls. Brands that understand that culture drives results, because culture is the result, will reap the greatest rewards.

Nike’s decision to stand by Colin Kaepernick during kneeling protests against systemic racism initially caused some backlash and boycotts. But standing by Kaepernick and making him the face of the 2018 Just Do It campaign led to an increase in online sales of more than 25% in the days after launch, as well as a rising stock price in the months that followed. It was not just one group supporting Kaepernick, a broad swathe of the public believed in the message, regardless of race.