How brands can be relevant in the cultural zeitgeist
and become part of powerful communities.
“What does a culture studio do?” It’s a question we’ve been hearing a lot over the past couple of weeks. That’s why we decided to write this short story and show how modern age storytellers can bridge the gap between brands, communities, and artists to create value for companies and memories for humans. All over one magic word: culture.
CULTURE:
HOW MODERN BRANDS BECOME PART OF CULTURE OR EVEN CREATE IT
First things first. It is important to keep in mind that you as a company don’t own a brand. A brand is what people think, feel, and say it is. Your brand must mean something, and this is why significance is key. The purpose of brand building is creating meaningful connections between brands and people. Here, culture come into the picture.
By putting your brand in the heart of people, their values & their community, you make sure that they spontaneously start talking about it.
A great example of following this culture in the right way and using it in your advantage, is Under Armour's “I WILL WHAT I WANT” campaign. By showing Gisele Bündchen in an unconventional way and mixing it up with real-time social comments, the brand shows how to combine sponsorships and culture to provoke social discussions. And in doing so, the press coverage generated is huge.
Another great example of using this social culture and finding the right balance, is the FIFA 18 - El Tornado ad or the newest #beyond ad by Jordan. Which they took even one step further by placing the outdoor global suite in the local communities of the Jordan ambassadors including; Jayson Tatum, Zion Williamson, Luka Dončić, … “
As you can see in the campaigns above, nowadays it’s not good enough to partner-up with celebrities, artists or influencers. No, it is becoming increasingly important to integrate them in the culture and communities that makes them a celebrity, creator or artist and use this to your advantage.
But be aware. While integrating into culture, you have to keep in mind the shared values with your brand. Brand vitality is important, but you have to think about the authenticity as well and make sure that the cultural elements you choose are in line with your brand values.
Remember the Pepsi commercial “black lives matter” starring Kendall Jenner and the negative buzz it generated? This is a perfect example of how fragile a brand can be and how much it is owned by the people rather than the company itself. Whenever you just follow culture and execute it in a bad way, it feels fake to people.
These days, as a company, you can try to reach your audience. But the people create meaning and choose whether to engage or not. It’s all about telling the right story in the right way. Only by doing it perfectly, they will spread the word. This is why MODERN BRANDS ARE CULTURE: you as a company understand what makes them tick, the zeitgeist, you are not only part of their culture, you create it.
Harley Davidson has proven it in the past by putting forward everything that is going on in popular American culture and giving an alternative option for those who don’t want to take part in this way of living: freedom. This way they create their own counter-culture.
Fortnite takes it even one step further as the in-game celebration dances are being performed by famous sportsmen all over the world. Even during the World Cup Football. Now all the biggest artists in the world are begging for a collab with Fortnite. They create popular culture.
In short, as a company there are three things you can do when it comes to culture. You can follow culture in a bad way without any connection to your brand values, which makes it feel fake, like Pepsi did. Or you can engage with popular culture and make it bigger, just as Under Armour. But the real winners, like Harley and Fortnite, create culture.
So, what do you need to consider when talking about culture?
We will discuss it over three levels. From a societal level, over a community level to an individual one.
Chapter 1: SOCIETY
WE LIVE IN THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY
The future of shopping is set for a social revolution. From livestreams to frictionless check-outs, to shoppable content. People have grown accustomed to a more immediate style of shopping.
This is more than just a new shopping experience. It represents a paradigm shift on how people interact with brands: where, when, and how they shop. That’s why we need to deserve people’s attention and create a human connection: welcome to the experience economy.
Commodities are fungible, goods are tangible, services are intangible, and now, experiences are memorable. As commodities, goods, and services are external to the buyer, experiences are personal. Existing only in the mind of an individual who has been engaged on an emotional, physical, intellectual, or even spiritual level. No two people can have the same experience, because each experience comes from the interaction during the staged event: to experience is inherently human.
In this transition from selling services to selling experiences, buyers of experiences are no longer referred to as customers but as guests. Experience is your brand. And, without defining experiences, brands become victim to whatever people think, feel and share. Nowadays, brands are defined by the experiences they provide. Even more so than the products they offer.
Cultural experiences make us deserve people’s attention and generate a memorable emotional response to ultimately drive business results. That’s why creating this experience is crucial these days. As people will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
Chapter 2: COMMUNITY
NICHE COMMMUNITIES ARE THE THIRD WAVE OF COMMUNICATION
The most important feeling we can provide is a sense of belonging. It is vital to our well-being. By connecting like-minded people through content and experiences that relate to the lives and interests of humans, brands can play a role in helping to fulfil this basic emotional need.
Communities are built on culture and it’s the cultural iconic brands that grow value in the long term.
As modern brands ARE cultures and people filter their purchase decisions through culture and the communities they are part of.
Meanwhile boundaries between community, shopping and entertainment are blurring. Giving an opportunity for brands to fit seamlessly into the overall experience. Communication is shifting from mass audiences over hyper personalization, back to niche communities that influence and are influenced by culture. Building context & generating much more emotional resonance.
Community is the future of communication. As brands fight for consumer attention and loyalty, it’s not enough to just think about brand advocates or repeat customers. To scale and innovate, brands need to build experiences that deliver what humans crave most - a connection around a common interest or cause.
While Gen Z are more likely to buy online than older generations, they’re less likely to describe purchasing as a top benefit of the internet. Instead, community/interests are worth a lot more. In other words, younger audiences start their search from a place of curiosity and expect to be led down a fun rabbit hole of new ideas, rather than directed to a list of brands or products.
But to achieve a community halo-effect, you really need to understand why it’s formed, what they are there for and what it means to be part of a community. It’s not only about finding the right communities but genuinely tapping into it and joining the conversation in an authentic way.
Putting a community in motion is done via powerful storytelling and playing a genuine role in culture and the community. It is the new version of word of mouth, the new social currency, making it a powerful force for all types of communication. Authentic content will build the credibility of both brand and community insiders (creators), while growing engaged communities.
We at Defiant strongly believe that rooting your brand in the centre of a community and then focusing on the community insiders, will help you generate impact and ultimately attention & engagement.
Chapter 3: INDIVIDUAL
CREATIVITY AS THE NEW STATUS SYMBOL
BUT…. People are now in the driver’s seat. Everything is at their fingertips.
They are global and super-connected, with expectations that their brand interactions will be interesting, contextual and relevant.
They want to be seen as creative, innovative, and entrepreneurial. They will favour brands and products that allow them to behave in this way and provide tools that allow them to express their identity. They want control.
We are in the creator era where creativity is the new status symbol for this digital era. Creators are the new musicians, and they monetize their creativity through crafted content and expert opinion that builds a community. it’s not good enough to partner-up with celebrities, artists or influencers. No, it is becoming increasingly important to integrate them in the culture that makes them a community insider and use this to your advantage. While focusing on their creativity and added value. On what makes them icons of this generation.
This is why brands and media need to be in service of this generation. You’re no longer creating content, services and products that people consume, but you’re creating content, services and products that people then can create with. Building creator currency and winning the community game to ultimately influence culture. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
DEFIANT
A CULTURE STUDIO BASED IN ANTWERP
We are the only studio that utilizes niche communities to tap into cultural zeitgeist and create experiences for real humans who want to connect through shared values and culture in an era where creativity is the new status symbol.
We believe that cultural experiences make us deserve people’s attention and generate a memorable emotional response to ultimately drive business.
We create icons of a generation out of brands.
Our founders Maarten Van Herck and Lode Vochten have both worked for some of the world’s most revered brands and acclaimed creative agencies. They draw on deep insight and understanding to deliver thoughtful, connected cultural experiences that drive engagement and create desire for brands.
Just like with our heroes Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, Lode is the Innovator while Maarten is the Levitator.
That’s why we’re Defiant. Just like you?
