SXSW Sydney: ‘There’s been a shift in the power dynamic now’ – Do brands or creators shape culture?
Who is really leading culture online? Brands or creators?
A panel discussion at Clear Hayes House as part of SXSW Sydney discussed how social media has “democratised” the media sphere, and the role brands and creators play with culture has changed.
Growing up, Snack Drawer’s co-founder and chief creator, Hannah McElhinney remembers being exposed to advertising in the traditional sense – linear TV, out-of-home, and more. And often, brands with strong advertising were the ones seen as “cultural forces” leading trends across the world.
“Think about brands like Nike, especially in the 90s, absolutely leading the charge.”
But now, she said, that has changed.
“There’s been a shift in the power dynamic now, it’s all online,” she explained. “Any creator can be their own brand, and can be the one leading culture.”
The brand versus creator debate over culture has been a long one – and while some argue brands must stay relevant and keep on top of trends, TikTok creator Jeremy Franco said that’s not necessarily always the case.
“I don’t think brands necessarily have an important role of being on top of trends, but I do think they are more successful if they’re on top of things, but they have to move quite quickly. We’ve all seen when brands jump on trends really late, and you’re like ‘alright that’s not funny anymore’, and it can be detrimental to them,” he said.
Meta’s global partnerships lead for ANZ, Kirsty Wilson, chimed in and reminded the audience that not every brand can afford to jump on trends quickly and authentically.
(L-R): Hannah McElhinney, Tony Broderick, Jeremy Franco, Kirsty Wilson
“You still have to make sure it’s right for your brand, make sure your brand can be playful, and the moment is still authentic to the voice of your brand as well. Plus, sometimes the moment passes before you even realise.”
Franco echoed her sentiment: “So many brands I work with have big approval processes, so if I’m trying to do something that is culturally relevant or trending at the time, I sometimes get stuck as that latecomer when a trend has already expired.”
And sometimes, for brands, it’s not about leading culture, it’s actually about creating it.
Drawing on examples including Netflix’s ability to create culture around its content, Who Gives A Crap’s normalisation of IBS turning into a ‘hot girl IBS’ cultural phenomenon, and more, McElhinney said a brand’s ‘role’ is so much more than just jumping on an online trend.
“So often, they think culture is outside of them. There’s this idea that brands leech off culture, but I really don’t think that’s the case,” she explained. “The role of brands that we’re talking about right now is actually creating culture of their own products.”
And as mentioned, Netflix constantly finds itself at the centre of cultural conversations. Director of marketing ANZ, Tony Broderick, said it is something that is constantly being nurtured.
“We definitely see an impact, there’s this thing that the press call the ‘Netflix effect’ where eventually a series or movie of ours triggers something – like Kate Bush’s music from Stranger Things for example – and it’s something we definitely try and nurture.
“The power of our brand is that watching a series or movie on Netflix is really just the start, it’s what ripples afterwards that really counts, and that turns into culture.”
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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topics
brands
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culture
Hannah McElhinney
Jeremy Franco
Kirsty Wilson
Meta
Netflix
Snack Drawer
SXSW
SXSW Sydney
SXSW Sydney 2024
Tony Broderick
trends
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