The opportunity for brands in culture
Today, brand leaders know cultural relevance matters. But shrinking budgets, rising expectations, and economic pressures, can make it feel optional.
Short answer: It’s not. And we set out to prove it. Crowd DNA’s Cultural Advantage research across UK, Australia and the US has quantified what aspects of cultural relevance truly matter[1]. It can help brands know what culture is relevant for them to be part of – whether that’s fleeting TikTok moments, or longer-term cultural engagement. And how when a brand finds the right cultural space to play it can turn into real commercial impact.
Why culture matters more than ever
We began our research with why brands should care about cultural relevance by taking the temperature of sentiment right now.
- Nearly half of people globally (49%) feel pessimistic about the world today, almost twice the number who feel optimistic (28%).
- Trust in institutions is collapsing. Over half (55%) say their trust in government has declined in the past 12 months, while only 1 in 5 (19%) say it’s improved. Macro forces feel uncontrollable, and people are feeling it.
But our research finds that brands can play a role in being an antidote to this culture of disillusionment because people trust brands more than other institutions.
- Broader sentiment such as trust in government and spending has declined, yet 57% say their trust in brands hasn’t changed over the past year.
In a landscape of institutional fragility, brands are holding steady as something people still in.
How to act on Culture
However, this opportunity doesn’t mean for brands: we need to be everywhere. In every cultural moment, in the latest trends, in viral moments, in all conversations: to say we get it, we’re here!
The real opportunity is different. In economic and political uncertainty, brands can do what other institutions can’t: they can be dependable. Not by chasing culture, but by having culture: intentionally defining the cultural DNA of your brand and being unwavering and disciplined around how this is embodied and expressed.
So, there’s this opportunity, but how can brands take this action? At Crowd DNA, we always start with what culture actually means to brands and consumers.
1. CULTURE HAS A LANGUAGE PROBLEM.
For brands, “culture” is elusive and all-encompassing. It’s something to monitor, participate in, stategise around. It’s messy, hard to define, ever-changing yet somehow long-lasting. It lives in campaigns, moments, conversations.
We’re no strangers to this messiness. In fact we wrote two books to try and figure it out. As detailed in How We Work With Culture and How To Be A Cultural Strategist, we speak of culture through two lenses: ‘fast’ and ‘slow’ culture.
Our books talk about how for customers, culture has a different but resolute definition, and this is supported in our survey. We heard that to most people (60%), culture means traditions, customs or heritage, followed by food, language and everyday rituals (40%). It’s tangible, inherited, lived in. Culture belongs to people.
Customers are even more certain about what culture isn’t. At the bottom of the list, only 10% say it’s social media trends and viral moments. And only 16% see it as innovation and pushing boundaries.
When 74% of people say culturally relevant brands can build stronger trust with people, and keep them coming back repeatedly, they’re talking about brands that feel grounded with rich heritage, not the ones that participate in fleeting cultural moments.
Brands and customers aren’t just defining culture differently; their definitions are at odds. Brands chase the perception of relevance while their actual cultural DNA sits dormant. Which is where having culture fits in.
At Crowd DNA, this starts with reframing culture.
2. REFRAME CULTURE FROM ABSTRACT TO ACTIONABLE
There are traditional pillars of cultural strategy that we know but are less fit for purpose. We reframe them through the lens of what customers actually mean by culture; the languages of heritage and everyday rituals. This is how to move from the abstract to actionable.
Authenticity becomes:
KNOW WHAT YOU ARE
Not we’re being honest, but we’re being consistent. We have a core, deeply rooted identity which comes through at every touchpoint.
Representation becomes:
BELONG TO PEOPLE
Not just that our “campaigns spotlight diversity,” but people like me see themselves as part of our brand story.
Leadership becomes:
OWN WHAT YOU KNOW
We’re not “innovative,” but intentionally the ‘authority’ on the thing we care about most.
Engagement becomes:
HAVE CONVICTION, STAND FOR SOMETHING
We don’t just “support causes,” we stand behind them, unwaveringly and with conviction.
Advocacy becomes:
CREATE REASONS TO BELONG
People aren’t “talking about us” they are “defending us.” Real community has been created.
Relevance becomes:
HAVE DISCIPLINED PRESENCE, DON’T BE EVERYTHING
We’re not “everywhere,” but impossible to ignore when we show-up.
Next in the series…
EXPLORING THE COMMErCial impact of cultural advantage
[1] The research included speaking to 3,000 household decision makers across the UK, Australia and the US, fielded in October 2025.