To move at the speed of culture, brands must understand what that culture means
Dan Young, MD of consumer PR and influence at Ogilvy PR, explains that by developing brand platforms that provoke rather than merely promote, CMOs can establish a solid foundation for culturally relevant communications.
Modern CMOs face a critical challenge: transforming their brands from passive participants in culture to active shapers of culture.
The theory is that brands can create strong connections with audiences by challenging societal norms, cultural perceptions and consumer behaviour. When executed successfully this “culture-first” approach not only fosters brand loyalty but also provides a broader canvas for creative expression, relevance and campaign development.
CMOs often hear that their brands must “move at the speed of culture.” While this is a compelling mantra and a proven approach to brand building, many marketing leaders struggle to fully understand its implications or how to effectively put it into practice. While the industry often emphasises the need for brands to keep pace with cultural shifts, there’s a significant gap in understanding the how.
Platforms like TikTok have simplified cultural participation for brands, allowing them to engage with trends such as the ‘guy in finance’ or the ‘demure’ trend. However, brands should tread carefully; the goal isn’t to chase every passing trend but to develop a strong, actionable framework for culturally resonant creative ideas that keep the brand central.
To truly engage with culture, brands must first understand what culture means from their audience’s perspective. Any brand can jump on a trend, but if that trend doesn’t align with your brand’s identity and what you’re building, it adds little value. Understanding your brand’s potential role in culture is crucial for swift activation that moves at the speed of culture.
The most important ingredient is the brand platform as when it comes to culture-first communications not all brand platforms are created equally. While paid media remains a crucial component of marketing strategies, there’s a growing need to meet audiences where they are spending time with approaches that earn attention organically.
With the right planning, the brand platform provides the parameters and purpose for a culture-first strategy. More traditional brand building approaches have focussed heavily on a brand-centric perspective. While promoting a key benefit will drive brand differentiation, it can potentially restrict teams who see the need for their brand to play role in culture.
Today it is important for brands to evoke deep emotional engagement or cultural resonance on the platforms where consumers are. A brand platform that intersects that brand-centric perspective with culture is an essential enabler of reactive and long-term culture-first creativity.
CMOs must evaluate how their brand can authentically intersect with culture. By identifying and addressing cultural tensions that align with both the brand’s ambitions and the audience’s interests, they can create a platform in culture that resonates deeply and effectively.
Many brand platforms already embody these characteristics. Dove’s “Real Beauty” platform positions the brand as a challenger to traditional beauty standards, sparking conversations about body positivity and self-esteem and giving the brand a voice in culture. This opens a wide range of creative opportunities, from empowering advertisements to impactful social campaigns and community initiatives.
Similarly, Nike’s “Just Do It” challenges personal and societal limits, addressing broader cultural issues like equality and empowerment.
Heinz’s “It Has to Be Heinz” leverages the brand’s heritage and uncompromising quality, offering a platform that can be both provocative and reassuring, depending on the context. The company has activated the brand platform with a range of reactive and planned strategies, including the Cannes Lion-winning Seemingly Ranch campaign, which originated from a Taylor Swift tweet.
Another example, “Have a break, have a KitKat” intersects with culture in an interesting way. You could argue that its cultural relevance has grown over the years as many register a sense of overwhelm in modern life.
These provocative or challenging brand platforms engage audiences on a deeper, emotional level providing an opportunity for CMOs to establish a solid foundation for culturally relevant communications.
These foundations are invaluable for any client/agency team that wants to move at the speed of culture in two ways. Firstly, they provide clarity. They define the parameters that the brand guardians need to have in place in order to move quickly and react to events in culture. And secondly, this framing provides consistency, which enables a brand to establish a meaningful role in culture over time.
In modern marketing the power of a brand platform lies in its ability to engage with culture in a way that feels both authentic and relevant. By transitioning from a promotional to provocative platform, CMOs can not only keep pace with the speed of culture but also influence it.
Through this deeper connection, brands can build lasting relationships with their audiences, creating cultural narratives that endure long after the latest trend fades.
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Most brands are like politicians, emulating hope whilst gouging our money, giving little back to the consumer and ample back to the master. Sickening really.
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