The key to relevance starts with listening but not simply reacting to every passing trend, which starts with using social listening tools to identify previously untapped contexts and conversations that align with what they have to say before making their move. Brands need to get strategic with what they do and don’t try to be a part of.
Culture mapping your audience’s interests is a good place to start investigating areas of potential. However, this also means brands need to get comfortable with appealing to one subculture at a time and scaling up their commitment quickly once they get a foothold with any particular interest group.
As the gatekeepers of culture, creators offer a valuable shortcut to get started. But brands need to tread carefully to establish their credentials in the space. Viewers know the score with paid promotions, and any partnership that feels off-key is damaging to both brand and creator.
Beyond authenticity, brands should signal the level of trust with creators to cement the brand meaning—for example, allowing them to play with their distinctive brand codes in refreshing new ways, demonstrating a level of integration far beyond mere product placement.
Keeping the brand before the public
Shared meaning and brand fame are still desirable, and achievable, in 2024. But it requires a shift from winning share of voice within an enclave to winning a share of mind in the broader culture. Each channel still boasts a unique strength: Out of home stands as the last truly broadcast bastion; cinema leverages its immersive scale; social media thrives on the sharing and remixing of culture. Online video, contrary to the naysayers, rivals television in eliciting the emotional resonance essential for enduring brand-building.
TV will still be able to charge a considerable premium for the rare moments when it can recapture the shared glories of the past. This year’s record-breaking single-channel viewership of 115 million tuning into Super Bowl 57 is testament to the enduring allure of communal experiences. But the rewards for brands that can maintain visibility, embrace public-facing narratives, avoid the siren call of hyper-personalization and sustain cultural relevance are substantial.
Collective moments stand as islands of common ground in the vast oceans of content. The pursuit of these shared moments is paramount for the enduring health of mass-market brands.
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