Brands today talk constantly about culture. Social feeds are filled with trend-driven campaigns, moment-based content, and companies inserting themselves into whatever conversation happens to be capturing attention that week. On the surface, it can appear that brands are more culturally aware than ever.

In reality, many are simply reacting to interactions they do not fully understand.

The result is a growing gap between participating in culture and actually understanding it.

Participation is easy. It requires speed, visibility, and the ability to mimic what is already gaining traction. Cultural intelligence is far more demanding. It requires interpreting people, recognizing meaning beneath behavior, and understanding why certain ideas resonate while others do not.

Brands that fail to recognize this distinction often mistake activity for relevance. Consumers, however, can tell the difference.

WHY BRANDS CHASE CULTURE

The pressure to appear culturally relevant has intensified dramatically over the past decade. Social media has accelerated the speed of cultural conversation. News cycles that once unfolded over weeks now evolve within hours. Algorithms reward engagement and novelty, pushing brands toward constant participation in trending topics.

At the same time, marketing organizations face increasing pressure to demonstrate measurable impact. When visibility becomes the easiest indicator of activity, reacting to cultural moments can feel like a low-risk way to remain present in the conversation. Yet visibility alone does not create meaning.

Research consistently shows that audiences reward brands that feel authentic and punish those that appear opportunistic. According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 71 percent of consumers say they are more likely to buy from brands they trust, and 59 percent say brands must demonstrate a clear understanding of the communities they serve.  Source: https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer

Cultural relevance is not achieved by appearing in the conversation. It comes from understanding the context that created the conversation in the first place.

SHOWING UP VS UNDERSTANDING

One way to understand this difference is to look at how brands respond to major cultural moments.

Some brands simply show up. They reference trending conversations, borrow popular aesthetics, or attach themselves to whatever topic currently dominates public attention.

Other brands approach culture differently. They interpret it. They understand the communities they speak to, the tensions shaping those communities, and the emotional context behind the moment.

The difference is subtle but powerful. Showing up creates attention. Understanding creates resonance.

WHEN BRANDS UNDERSTAND CULTURE

In 2023, the release of the Barbie film became a global cultural event. Rather than simply promoting a movie, Mattel and Warner Bros. built a campaign that tapped into decades of cultural conversation surrounding the Barbie brand itself.

Barbie has long been associated with debates about gender roles, identity, beauty standards, and nostalgia. Instead of avoiding that complicated history, the campaign leaned into it.

Partnerships spanned fashion, beauty, travel, gaming, and social media. The brand appeared across dozens of cultural spaces simultaneously, allowing audiences to participate in the moment in their own ways.

The campaign worked because it understood the brand’s place within culture. It acknowledged both the affection and criticism the brand had received over the years, turning that complexity into a source of relevance rather than a liability.

The result was one of the most successful film launches in recent history. Barbie generated more than $1.4 billion in global box office revenue, becoming Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing film ever.  Source: https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1517268/

The campaign did not simply react to culture. It engaged with it thoughtfully.

WHEN BRANDS MISREAD CULTURE

Contrast that with Pepsi’s widely criticized 2017 campaign featuring Kendall Jenner. The advertisement attempted to connect the brand with themes of protest and social unity. In the commercial, Jenner joins a demonstration and appears to resolve tension by handing a police officer a Pepsi.

Instead of appearing culturally aware, the campaign was widely perceived as trivializing real protest movements and social justice issues. The backlash was immediate and global, forcing Pepsi to withdraw the advertisement within 24 hours.  Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/05/business/kendall-jenner-pepsi-ad.html

The failure of the campaign was not simply a creative misstep. It revealed a deeper misunderstanding of the cultural moment the advertisement attempted to reference.

The brand borrowed imagery associated with activism without understanding the meaning behind it. Participation without understanding quickly becomes exploitation.

CULTURE AS COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

For brands that understand it, culture becomes more than a marketing tool. It becomes a strategic lens.

Cultural intelligence helps companies interpret human behavior and social context that traditional data often misses. It reveals emerging shifts before they appear in research reports and clarifies why certain products resonate emotionally while others remain interchangeable.

Brands that understand culture often make different decisions. They invest differently. They communicate differently. They develop products and partnerships with a deeper understanding of the people they are trying to reach. Over time, those differences compound.

In markets where technology, data, and distribution are widely accessible, cultural understanding increasingly becomes one of the few advantages that cannot be easily replicated.

CULTURE IS NOT A TREND

The irony of modern marketing is that culture has never been discussed more frequently, yet it is rarely treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Too often it is reduced to trends, hashtags, or visual references that can be borrowed temporarily. But culture is not a surface layer. It is the environment in which brands exist and the lens through which people interpret them. Understanding that environment requires patience, observation, and empathy. It requires listening more than reacting.

Brands that treat culture as decoration may achieve moments of attention. Brands that treat culture as insight build relevance that lasts. And in a market where every brand has access to the same tools, platforms, and data, that understanding becomes one of the most powerful advantages a brand can possess.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Decoded is an ongoing series examining the forces shaping modern brands and the markets they operate within. Through the lenses of culture, capital, technology, creativity, and influence, the series explores the issues that determine how brands grow, compete, and build lasting value.