Marketing hates a void. Last season was all about brand purpose and most brands across various categories felt they needed a higher “why” – apparel, cars, even mayo. Some went so far as to define purpose in parallel to their strategy rather than at the centre of it. Some angered investors. And some delivered purpose-led campaigns so tone-deaf they ridiculed the very idea of purpose and undermined the work of brands that have been doing it right for decades.
Now that purpose and DEI initiatives are out of sync with the current political climate, the marketing world has a new obsession: culture. From the briefs we see, brands seem to be desperate to “become part of culture”, “tap into culture” or “move at the speed of culture”. Cultural strategists have become the new hot hire and it’s probably only a matter of time before yesterday’s purpose-oriented agencies reposition themselves as culture-focused.
But what does being “part of culture” actually mean and why are so many brands so eager to jump on this trend? We tried to make some sense of it.
What does culture really mean?
Culture can be defined as a set of norms, beliefs, attitudes, codes, habits, rituals, behaviours, etc. which are shared by a group of people or by society at large. Almost anything can fall under culture depending on the country, region or community: taking off shoes before entering someone’s home, hosting Super Bowl parties with friends and family, dressing modestly, going for a Sunday roast, celebrating Día de Muertos, throwing three-day weddings or using certain words and expressions.
In marketing, “tapping into culture” usually gets used in two ways.
The first meaning refers to lasting presence – becoming part of people’s lives, language or habits. Adidas has become associated with football through decades of grassroots support, kit sponsorships and player endorsements. Red Bull embedded itself in extreme sports by partnering with events like cliff diving and Formula 1. Corona built a strong link with the beach lifestyle through consistent messaging and imagery of lime-topped bottles in seaside settings. It took years of work for these brands to earn their place at the table, even if they stumbled here and there.
The second meaning is about chasing attention in the here and now: jumping on TikTok trends, engaging in one-off collabs with influencers or celebrities, launching limited editions, posting reactive tweets (once called “moment marketing”), etc. It’s easy to dismiss this as not culture because of its fleeting nature, but it shouldn’t be ignored – short-lived fame can still sell.
It helps to know whether your brand is after long-term presence or chasing a quick hit of exposure. Both have a role.
Why do brands chase culture?
Unlike purpose, where the link to sales is fuzzy at best, being embedded in culture can deliver measurable commercial benefits. We see three main ones.
First, visibility. Anchoring a brand in people’s habits and behaviours or pulling off something viral to get people talking, even if briefly, builds fame. And fame drives demand. Think of “Netflix and chill”, an expression that became shorthand for casual intimacy and entered everyday language. Other high-visibility examples include the Barbie movie, which turned into a cultural phenomenon through dozens of brand tie-ins or Duolingo, which boosted its brand awareness through bold social media stunts.
Second, relevance. If your brand plays a role in people’s lives, it stays relevant. That can come from being uniquely useful, like KitKat in Japan, which became a good-luck charm for exams and sold millions of extra bars. It can also be achieved by creating entirely new product categories, as Uber and Airbnb did.
Since the odds of becoming the next Uber are close to zero, brands can also generate short bursts of relevance through timely cultural plays, such as collaborating with a currently admired influencer or celebrity (e.g., McDonald’s Travis Scott Meal) or jumping on the right TikTok trend (e.g., Ryanair).
When relevance fades, sales follow and brands become easier to “cancel”. Bud Light’s sales drop after its polarising collab wouldn’t have been as severe if it had maintained the relevance it enjoyed 20 years ago.
Third, differentiation. In categories where products are similar, culture can provide the extra positioning layer. Ben & Jerry’s activism has long set it apart (though it remains to be seen whether this continues after the cofounder’s recent departure). Other examples include Vans and skateboard culture, Sprite and hip-hop or Jack Daniel’s and rock’n’roll. Without these associations, they would be just another ice cream, sneakers, soft drink or whiskey.
When it works and when it doesn’t?
The risk is high. Try too hard to “be culture” and you look cringy. Fail to understand the nuances of the culture you want to tap into and you risk accusations of appropriation, tokenism or manipulation. Pepsi’s protest ad, Gillette’s “toxic masculinity” spot and M&S’s LGBT sandwich were ridiculed not because the causes were wrong, but because the execution felt forced.
It’s hard to create a foolproof list of how to “do culture right”, but here’s our attempt:
– Contribute rather than borrow. Gymshark truly supports athletes, while M&S added guac to a BLT, slapped a rainbow on the pack and tried to profit from calling it the “LGBT sandwich”.
– Make sure the part of culture you want to participate in aligns with your strategy and links your brand to natural buying or consuming occasions. Associating Domino’s Pizza with watching movies at home makes sense, but Burger King with Mental Health Awareness Month, not so much.
– Stick with it for the long term. Patagonia has been building its environmental credentials for many years and Hennessy has spent decades earning credibility in the Black community in the US. Many other brands, however, dropped their ideals the moment the political climate shifted.
– Actually change something for the better. Dove reshaped how mainstream advertising shows beauty.
– And if all else fails, be imaginative with the language you use. Sometimes the right words or tone of voice can do the work and become part of everyday speech. Guinness’s “Good things come to those who wait” or De Beers’ “Diamonds are forever” became popular phrases in their own right.
And a final reminder. Let’s not kid ourselves that brands chase culture for reasons other than commercial. That’s fine, nobody expects them to be charitable. So if tapping into culture is your strategy, remember that choosing one often means rejecting another. Some cultures are simply in opposition. It’s worth remembering when weighing potential gains against losses.
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Magda Adamska is the founder of BrandStruck.
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