Every company’s story is made up of all the ‘moments’ – the twists, turns, rebrands, and breakthroughs that define the brand. It’s not just the ‘big’ things that are worth shouting about, either. When executed well, milestones serve as informative signposts of your progress and help generate excitement, encouraging your audience to join in and share your enthusiasm.
This concept was central to Retail Gazette Marketing’s webinar featuring Frontify and DAZN. The speakers, including 
DAZN’s global brand lead Hugh Cashmore, discussed why milestones are often overlooked in brand communications, how brands can identify them early, and how to transform these defining moments into significant momentum.
Here, we’ve rounded up the key takeaways from the talk.
Be selective
In the sports world, the calendar creates built-in ‘moments’ – derbies, grand finals, league kick-offs, and more. For DAZN, the largest global subscription-based sports streaming service, those fixtures dictate a lot of what happens in the brand’s world – so you have to be selective in order to avoid being drowned out.
“A major sporting event is universal, but a true brand milestone is ownable,” says Cashmore. “We ask, does it connect to our brand platform, reflect our values, and reinforce our mission? If the answer is yes, it becomes a moment worth amplifying, even if it’s niche, because it strengthens brand authenticity rather than chasing noise.”
In other words, the starting point isn’t the size of the event, it’s the strength of the brand connection.
It’s also a reminder that every milestone should sit on a longer‑term story roadmap. In sport, that often means treating each year as a ‘season’: looking at the calendar upfront, identifying the moments that matter most, and planning how each one builds on the last. When the storytelling is inconsistent with the brand (a one‑off message that doesn’t feed into the grander narrative), even a big moment can ring hollow.
Be reactive
The sports media landscape is crowded. Broadcasters compete for attention around the same fixtures, rights change hands quickly, and plans can be upended overnight.
For DAZN, this means flexibility is key, oscillating between planned milestones, such as season launches or rights announcements, and last‑minute changes when a new deal lands or falls through.
“We cut through by balancing big calendar moments with agile activations,” Cashmore explains. “Season launches matter because fans are highly engaged, but we also jump on trending moments that ladder back to our brand platform. This mix avoids fatigue and keeps us relevant throughout the season.”
Be consistent
To stay coherent through all of this, Cashmore argues, you need the right foundations. “A strong brand governance framework is key,” he explains. “It gives global teams clarity on identity and tone, while enabling quick decision‑making when challenges arise. Alignment upfront means speed later.”
That foundation is built on two ideas:
- Clear brand codes: Consistency comes from a shared visual and verbal language, so every activation feels recognisably ‘you.’
- A defined ‘brand playground’: Agility comes from giving teams a safe space to flex. A set of parameters where they can experiment without compromising identity.
This balance allows DAZN’s global, cross‑functional teams to move nimbly, never losing sight of who they are as a brand.
Be authentic
With so much noise in sports media, there’s a real risk of milestone fatigue. Fans are bombarded with announcements, campaigns, and “big moments” that don’t always feel meaningful.
“We cut through by balancing big calendar moments with agile activations,” Cashmore explains. “Season launches matter because fans are highly engaged, but we also jump on trending moments that ladder back to our brand platform. This mix avoids fatigue and keeps us relevant throughout the season.”
Authenticity is the filter. Internally, DAZN often uses what Cashmore calls a “pub test” or “café test”: Can you explain the milestone simply, in everyday language, to someone in a pub, and would they understand or care?
If the answer is no, it may be a business milestone, but not a brand one.
“Authenticity means adding genuine value,” he says. “If we can enhance the fan experience, we lean in; if not, we hold back.”
Be unexpected
Being authentic also means picking opportunities that competitors may veer away from. “Sometimes no one else is going to look under that rock,” says Cashmore, “Social listening and quick research checks help us gauge whether a moment feels natural or forced.”
He shares an example of when his team identified a surge in fan sentiment around a niche player transfer that wasn’t a headline event. “By leaning in,” he explains, “we created content that resonated deeply with a passionate community, proving that authenticity and agility can unlock new audiences.”
When milestones miss – and what that teaches you
Not every milestone lands the way a brand hopes.
Cashmore recalls a campaign that looked strong on paper but fell short with the audience. “The lesson: don’t just view milestones through a business lens, validate them through the fan perspective,” he says.
That reflection has shaped how DAZN now tests and plans its activations: by asking whether the story makes sense to fans, whether it fits the wider narrative arc, and whether success metrics go beyond surface‑level reach.
Milestones don’t have to be massive to matter. What counts is whether they tap into real conversations, real emotion, and a clear link back to the brand platform.
The golden rule for meaningful milestones
So, what separates a milestone that genuinely moves the brand forward from one that simply adds to the noise?
For Cashmore, it comes down to a simple rule of thumb: “If it aligns with the brand platform, has clear success metrics, and feels genuine to fans, it’s worth doing. Anything else risks noise without impact.”
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