Culture Isn’t New. But It’s Time We Treat It Like a Discipline.

But if you ask ten marketers what amp8220cultureamp8221 means youamp8217ll probably get twelve answers For some itamp8217s shorthand for multicultural marketing For others itamp8217s synonymous with trends whatamp8217s hot right nowAt the ANA we wanted to get underneath that So we partnered with Dr Marcus Collins author of For the Culture and one of marketingamp8217s most respected cultural thinkers to take a more rigorous look at how marketers define measure and act on culture in their brand strategiesThe result is our new report The Impact of Culture on Brand Building And it surfaces a paradox that defines our moment everyone agrees culture matters but few have figured out how to operationalize itCulture Is Universal Yet Unevenly PracticedEightyeight percent of the 160 marketers and agency leaders the ANA surveyed said itamp8217s amp8220importantamp8221 or amp8220very importantamp8221 for brands to engage in cultureThatamp8217s about as close to consensus as you get in marketingYet fewer than one in five said their companies consistently make culture a core part of strategyThis isnamp8217t because they donamp8217t care itamp8217s because theyamp8217re unsure how to move from belief to behavior Many still equate amp8220being in cultureamp8221 with chasing memes influencers or momentsBut as Dr Collins reminds us amp8220Trends are the waves Culture is the oceanamp8221When you mistake the waves for the ocean you might make a splash but you can also wipe out fastRedefining What We Mean by CultureWe concur with Dr Collins who defines culture as amp8220the operating system of human behavioramp8221That means culture isnamp8217t about who people are demographically itamp8217s about what they believe what they value and how they make sense of the world togetherThink sneakerheads Kpop fandoms CrossFit devotees or Swifties These arenamp8217t demographic segments theyamp8217re communities bound by shared meaningTraditional marketing defines audiences by what they are age gender race incomeCultural marketing asksWhat do they believeWhat rituals or artifacts bind themWhat are the codes and symbols that signal belongingWhen you take that approach you stop targeting people and start joining themYou stop selling to consumers and start building with communitiesCulture Is the Context for EmotionOur data revealed that nearly half of respondents believe emotional connections matter more than functional benefits in brand building and almost everyone else said they matter equallyThatamp8217s a resounding reminder that the heart of brand building is emotional not transactionalCulture is the ecosystem where those emotions take shape Itamp8217s how people locate themselves in the world express identity and find belongingIn that sense culture isnamp8217t an amp8220addonamp8221 to your brand itamp8217s the context your brand lives inWhat the Most Culturally Fluent Brands Have in CommonWhen we asked respondents which brands best embody culture as a strategic advantage the same names surfaced again and again Nike Apple McDonaldamp8217s CocaCola Disney and Liquid Death among themVery different categories Very different audiences Yet what they share is remarkably consistentA clear sense of who they are Each has an articulated amp8220whyamp8221 that goes far deeper than productBehavior that matches belief They live their values through experience and innovation not just marketingCultural fluency They listen learn and contribute authentically to the communities they serveNike doesnamp8217t amp8220chase cultureamp8221 It is culture because its actions continually reinforce the brandamp8217s core narrative of human potential and selfexpressionApple turns technology into a creative movementMcDonaldamp8217s has mastered the art of participating in everyday cultural joy from music to nostalgia to local prideAnd Liquid Death reminds us that even a commodity can become a badge of identity when it understands its tribeThe takeaway Culture rewards brands that know who they are and express it boldlyFrom Intuition to InfrastructureWhat separates these brands isnamp8217t creative instinct alone Itamp8217s structureFor culture to drive growth it has to be embedded in the operating system of the company not left to the social team or the agency deckThat meansInvesting in ethnographic and netnographic research the kind that studies people in their real or digital habitats not just as datasets More than half of marketers in our study are doing this nowBuilding crossfunctional alignment around what the brand stands for and how that belief manifests across communications product and experienceRecognizing that cultural engagement without organizational consistency isnamp8217t authenticity itamp8217s theaterWhen brand strategy internal culture and customer experience align thatamp8217s when resonance happensFive Principles for Engaging in Culture the Right WayFrom the insights in our report and Dr Collinsamp8217 frameworks we distilled five guideposts for marketersBuild for Curiosity and Fluency Donamp8217t assume you understand a community because youamp8217ve observed it Learn its codes humor and values Bring real voices into the roomTo Thine Own Self Be True If your brand doesnamp8217t have something authentic to contribute itamp8217s okay to sit one out Credibility is earned through convictionCoCreate Donamp8217t CoOpt Partner with creators artists and community leaders early as collaborators not spokespeopleAct First Advertise Second Cultural relevance without operational integrity is noise Show your beliefs before you broadcast themThink LongTerm Not Viral Relevance is fleeting resonance compounds Build for participation over time not oneoff stuntsCulture Is a Competency Not a CampaignOne of the most consistent findings from this research is that culture canamp8217t be handled episodically It must become a discipline one rooted in fluency empathy and systems thinkingAs Danielle Spikener of Kraft Heinz and Aki Spicer of Monks NA told us brands need to move from reacting to cultural waves to understanding the ocean That means embedding curiosity diversity and agility into everyday business rhythms not just marketing calendarsAnd as Dave Perry of Paramount and Dani Mariano of Razorfish remind us the next generation Gen Alpha will expect nothing less They donamp8217t separate online and offline life They donamp8217t wait for brands to speak they speak back They want conversation not communicationIf we donamp8217t evolve how we listen and engage we risk irrelevance before they reach adulthoodA Call to ActionIn For the Culture Dr Collins quotes JayZ amp8220I do it for my cultureamp8221Consumers do too Every choice they make from sneakers to streaming services is a cultural actThe question for all of us is what are we doing for the culture we claim to serveThis report is an invitation to marketers everywhere to move beyond amp8220culture talkamp8221 and toward cultural literacy the ability to listen act and lead with clarity and respectBecause culture isnamp8217t new But treating it as a strategic discipline may be a new true unlock for brand growthPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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Culture Isn’t New. But It’s Time We Treat It Like a Discipline.

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