Brand Cultural Relevance: Why the Most Famous Brands Don’t Chase Culture. They Belong to It

Culturally relevant brand strategy isn’t about following trends. We Are Thought explains what brand cultural relevance actually means and how the best brands earn it.

There is a version of cultural relevance that brands chase, and try to buy equity. But it lacks one thing. Authenticity. 

It shows up in campaigns that borrow the aesthetic of a movement without understanding it. In brand partnerships that chase association rather than earn it. In purpose statements that sound meaningful in a boardroom and hollow everywhere else. In brands that see a cultural moment and sprint to be the brands that claims the moment, before really understanding why. 

This is not cultural relevance. This is cultural tourism. And audiences, are smart, and remarkably good at spotting the difference.

Brand Positioning Strategy: Why Most Brands Get It Wrong and What to Do Instead.

A brand positioning strategy only works if it’s honest, distinct and executable. We Are Thought on what good positioning actually looks like and why most brands settle for less.

Most brand positioning statements have the same problem. They sound right in the room where they were written and mean nothing anywhere else.

They are specific enough to feel considered and vague enough to avoid commitment. They use the right language, purpose, values, differentiation, without actually saying anything that couldn’t be said by a competitor. And because they don’t really say anything, they can’t really guide anything. The creative work becomes generic. The team doesn’t know how to use it. The strategy sits in a document, and the brand carries on being whatever it was before.

This is not a positioning strategy. It’s a positioning exercise. And there is a significant difference.