A few things I've learned about hope, culture, and why you should steal Beavertown pint glasses.

Let me start with something that might sting a little: people don't give a damn about your brand. Not yours, not mine, not anyone's. They've got lives to live. They're not wandering around thinking about what your brand is up to today.

And yet, brands can matter enormously. The difference between the two is what I want to talk about…

With the New Year upon us, we enter a new phase for productivity. We act, we improve, we start a new, we cut, we reduce, we stop.

What Makes a Brand Famous? The Strategy Behind Brands People Can’t Stop Talking About

Fame isn’t luck. It’s built. We Are Thought breaks down what makes a brand famous — and the strategy that separates the brands people talk about from the ones they ignore.

Most businesses are good at trying to be noticed. The brands that win are trying to be famous.

That distinction sounds simple. It isn’t. Better is a race with no finish line, better product, better price, better service. Every business wants to be better.  Including your competitors.

Famous is something else entirely. Famous brands don’t just win customers. They earn advocates. They command premium prices, attract stronger talent, build genuine resilience, and create the kind of consumer loyalty that protects long-term value.

So what makes a brand famous? And more importantly, can it be built deliberately?

The answer is yes. But not in the way most people think.

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.