Simon Spreckley | Founder | CEO | Futureborn | mail me |
The term “cultural relevance” is all the buzz. But is it truly culturally relevant when a brand simply hops on the latest meme, references the current big sports moment or issues a token nod to whatever is trending?
This approach feels like the brand version of dropping in for a quick photo and then leaving. It is similar to being a cultural tourist, but in a digital context. What is missing is an understanding of why cultural relevance in branding matters and how to make it last beyond a fleeting moment.
Why memes aren’t enough
Actual cultural relevance starts with a connection to the fundamental truths and shifts that drive how people live, think and behave. This is where a first principles approach becomes essential. At its core, first principles thinking means questioning assumptions. It involves stripping away inherited logic and reasoning from the ground up.
Instead of chasing trends or viral moments, brands should ask pertinent questions. These include: What do our customers really need, struggle with and hope for? How can our brand’s mission address those deeper concerns in a way that is both authentic and valuable?
The critical change lies in switching from following trends to understanding what really matters to your customers. After that, brands must figure out how they can genuinely help those customers.
Brands need to start with a foundation so that staying culturally relevant becomes about showing up authentically when it matters most. There must be less jumping on every trend. This approach requires more time and thought, but it is also more sustainable.
Maintaining authenticity and consistency
Trends burn bright and fade fast. However, the drivers behind them, such as a need for belonging, a desire for fairness, pride in identity, or joy in difficult times, tend to endure. Maintaining cultural relevance in branding means tapping into these deeper drivers rather than reacting to surface-level trends.
In South Africa, Nando’s has demonstrated how to achieve this with authenticity and consistency. Their campaigns have consistently tapped into the country’s political and social climate. Nando’s and their agency use humour and satire to comment on everything from elections to load shedding.
Over time, they have cultivated a brand voice that is irreverent and bold. To be honest, whenever something culturally relevant happens, we all look out for what Nando’s will say. This brand’s personality is so well established that when Nando’s enters a cultural moment, it feels like a continuation of an ongoing conversation rather than a marketing gimmick.
They have managed to build equity by showing up in ways that reflect and respect the lived experience of their audience. That is what makes their cultural relevance in branding both sharp in the moment and durable over time.
Nike provides a good global example of this approach. Although they are known as a major sports brand and advertise as such, some of their most powerful campaigns touch on deeper themes. These themes include identity, perseverance and fighting for what is right.
An example is the “Dream Crazy” campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick, who famously took a knee during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. This campaign aligned the brand with the broader cultural movement around racial justice and athlete activism.
Of course, this move involved risk. The campaign sparked both boycotts and praise. However, because Nike’s long-standing brand narrative champions those who “just do it” in the face of adversity, the stance felt authentic.
Making people want to listen to you
There is little doubt that the result included not only increased engagement but also stronger loyalty among core audiences. It also brought a renewed sense of cultural relevance in branding.
Both Nando’s and Nike prove that when a brand’s core values and personality are clearly defined and consistent, it can confidently enter cultural conversations.
The business benefits are real. Brands that truly connect with culture tend to earn greater trust, and people feel more attached to them. This, in turn, often means that customers are willing to pay higher prices.
In today’s world, where everyone can skip ads and tune out marketing, being relevant makes people want to listen to you. It also protects your brand. Competitors can copy what you make, but they cannot easily steal the emotional space you own when it is built on real connections with people.
On the other hand, when a brand gets cultural relevance wrong, the consequences extend beyond wasted marketing spend. It can actively damage a brand. Token gestures, especially around sensitive topics, can backfire and erode trust.
In conclusion
Consumers today quickly spot insincerity, and social media amplifies those missteps in real time. We live in an age where algorithms and AI can detect a trend before most humans do. As a result, there is a strong temptation to move faster and faster. However, doing so without substance only increases the risk of irrelevance.
Building cultural relevance in branding requires creating a feedback loop between brand and culture. In this loop, each side informs and strengthens the other. That loop results from many consistent and meaningful interactions over time. In the long term, the brands that do this well earn a lasting place in people’s lives.
For marketers, the challenge is to resist the pull of the quick hit. Instead, they must play for enduring influence. The reward is a brand that feels relevant not just today but also in the next season, the next year and beyond.
