Cultural branding & social media: say some stuff about some stuff that means stuff.

People look to brands as identity resources – as bits and pieces that all contribute to building a sense of themselves and how they wish to be seen by others. People also tend to align themselves with brands that stand for similar values as them, or, of course, values that they aspire to stand for. This is why I can never quite get my head around why more brands don’t opt (and yes, it is a choice) to stand for something more meaningful, of more substance, or at the very least, of something relevant to what is going on in the world of their consumer.

In my eyes, one thing all outstanding brands have in common is they tend to address collective cultural or national anxieties with their communications, and what’s more they address the dominant anxieties in culture that their audience resides in, at that particular point in time. This is a strategy best described as cultural branding – a term coined by Douglas Holt (very clever chap, and author of ‘How Brands Become Icons’).

Probably the best example of cultural branding is the Dove ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ – which celebrated the natural physical variation embodied by all women and. Picking up on a dominant anxiety among the Dove audience and inspiring them to have the confidence to be comfortable with themselves. Another great example is the Budweiser wassuuuup campaign, which came at a time when the American economy wasn’t in great shape, unemployment was high, and found a creative way of saying ‘it’s ok to be a slacker right now, don’t beat yourself up about it, just have fun’. Stay with me, this is going somewhere…

Historically this kind of thing has been quite tricky to pull off, but with the proliferation of social media and the shift towards a two way conversation between brands and consumers, this is easier than ever – and I see it as a huge opportunity for brands to create more resonant and meaningful dialogue. So what am I saying?

Dear brands, rather than using social media channels as broadcasting towers for useless bits of information, shameless self indulgence and throw away promotions, why not say something that is relevant, timely and meaningful about a source of anxiety for your audience? Either in a very literal sense (hints, tips, discussion), or from a brand positioning perspective (the overarching theme/proposition of the campaign).

Most brands strive for greater engagement with their consumers, my advice would be to give them a reason to appreciate what you stand for, and engagement will follow.

So, cultural branding; just set aside some time to think about the basic cultural processes that might be affecting your audience right now, and then consider how you might address those with your communications. Then say some stuff about some stuff that means something to your audience.

Any thoughts? More than welcome.