Culture is the stuff of life
Culture is how we communicate, how we behave, and who or what influences us. It’s woven into every part of our lives. Cultural relevance for a brand happens when people advocate for it, defend it, work for it and champion it at all times, not just during a paid campaign window.
This connection runs deep, rooted in how the brand shows up in their lives, their fandoms, and the wider world in ways that feel authentic and meaningful. This is how brands are both discovered and built today.
Evolving the playbook
Driving brand discoverability through credible cultural strategy is key for success. This means evolving the brand playbook to break the traditional formulas to attract & engage ALL your existing audiences - communities, fans and consumers - where they are and how they want.
In Q1 of the 21st century, homogeneity reigns. We are trapped in a feedback loop of “sameness,” navigating an ever-shifting landscape with tools that only serve to narrow our horizons. These tools draw from the same AI-scraped trend reports, which can only source from things that have already happened at scale.
But the magic happens in the spaces Big Data hasn’t reached yet.
From emerging cultural movements and/or new expressions within established cultural territories. From grassroots and DIY initiatives and artists and collectives experimenting with technology and creativity. These directly impact new media models, new shopping behaviours and creates new cultural rituals, codes and practices for cultural communities.
Culture has always moved this way, newness bubbling up in response to the mainstream, disrupting it, interrupting it, breaking formulas at the emergent stage along what Leila Fataar calls the Cultural Pipeline (explored in depth in her book Culture Led Brands).
Getting this cultural intelligence right can craft brand activity that resonates visually and meaningfully, driving positive impact and sustainable growth.