Cultural relevance is something of a hot topic at the moment. In a post Barbie-pink world, the pressure to be part of the cultural zeitgeist has never been greater. As audiences fragment across platforms, communities and interests, brands increasingly embrace major cultural moments as opportunities to connect with consumers and build their brand.
The recent FIFA World Cup is a prime example. From Iceland changing its name to ‘England’, to Greggs suspending sales of its Mexican chicken range, brands across the UK rushed to activate around the tournament, eager to tap into the shared excitement and national conversation it generated. Every brand from smartphones to sushi wanted a slice of the pie, desperately trying to insert itself into the World Cup narrative.
When done well, these activations can be highly effective. Shared cultural moments provide brands with attention, emotional engagement and memorable connections. However, in the race to be culturally relevant, brands risk becoming indistinct.
Brands increasingly gravitate towards the same moments, the same trends, influencers and conversations. Everyone wants to be where the attention is. The problem is that when every brand shows up in the same place, saying remarkably similar things, differentiation starts to dissolve.
This is where cultural relevance and cultural insight diverge. According to WARC, cultural insight comes from genuine understanding, not simply from associating with whatever happens to be popular. As culture becomes more fragmented, the idea that every brand should participate in the same conversations becomes increasingly flawed. Different brands need different identities, different audiences and different cultural territories. Just because a moment is attracting widespread attention does not mean it represents the right opportunity for every brand.
Kantar's research highlights that in today's landscape, being different and distinctive is crucial for brands seeking to create lasting connections and drive growth. If brands consistently borrow the same cultural signals as everyone else, those distinctive associations can quickly erode. This is why brands should focus less on following culture and more on defining their place within it.
We often see brands flock to the same personalities when they break into popular culture. Joe Marler's post-Traitors popularity led to a wave of brand partnerships, with marketers eager to capitalise on his newfound cultural relevance, including a rumoured appearance on Gladiators. While these partnerships can deliver short-term attention, overreliance on the same faces risks creating another sea of sameness. Partnerships can be highly effective when they are the right fit. the7stars Partnership Affinity Score can help ensure a partnership is right for an individual brand and its audience.A strong cultural strategy starts with a clearly defined brand identity. Brands need to understand who they are, what they stand for and the role they want to play in consumers' lives. Only then can they identify cultural spaces that genuinely align with their values and resonate with their audience. The goal is not to be part of every conversation, but to engage in ways that feel authentic, relevant and uniquely ownable.
Cultural relevance becomes far more powerful when it reflects the specific interests, passions and behaviours of your audience rather than broad cultural popularity alone. The brands that win in culture won't be those shouting the loudest in the most crowded spaces. They'll be the ones that understand themselves best, find their own place in culture and, increasingly, create it themselves.
