Cultural trends

From Billboard to Backchannel: Where Audiences Actually See Your Ads Now

Last summer in New York, Gucci covered an entire building with a mural teasing its new campaign. The next morning, the same image was already circulating in WhatsApp threads, a screenshot of someone’s subway selfie. By that evening, it had... Read More

Cultural trends

Cultural Fluency Is the New Demographic Data

In the not-too-distant past, there was a time when brands thought they could cobble together the pieces of their audience in a spreadsheet. Age bracket, zip code, median income, race or ethnicity were right there, and marketing execs thought they... Read More

Cultural trends

The Power of Cultural Listening: Ralph Lauren vs. American Eagle

It’s one thing to feature diversity in your campaign. It’s another thing entirely to understand the culture you’re actively engaging. One is inclusion as marketing aesthetic; the other is inclusion as ethos, built from the inside out. Polo Ralph Lauren’s... Read More

Cultural trends

Netflix, Love, and the Black Culture Gap

Netflix’s recent lineup of dating shows featuring Black cast members has done more than stir drama; it has stirred conversation. From The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On to the viral phenomenon Pop the Balloon, these shows are no longer just... Read More

Cultural trends

Your Resume is a Vibe: Gen Z’s Branding Playbook

When Gen Z logs into TikTok, they aren’t mindlessly scrolling or just killing time. They’re building something; an identity, a business model, a media brand. What started as a seemingly unending stream of lip-sync videos and dance challenges has transformed... Read More

Cultural trends

Auntie Power: The Market Force You’re Ignoring

When brands chase fleeting trends or obsess over Gen Z virality, they often overlook a powerful, steady force driving real-world consumer behavior: midlife women. Sometimes overlooked as background figures in family and workplace narratives, these women—often Gen Xers (remember them?)... Read More

Cultural trends

Tech, Trust, & TikTok: How Gen Z Shops for Cars

It’s become on-brand for Gen Z to rewrite the rules of engagement for many industries, and this generation is in the process of steering the automotive industry into uncharted territory. Unlike the status-symbol attachment that defined older generations, this audience views... Read More

Cultural trends

The Global Plot Twist Hollywood Didn’t See Coming

Always more than just an industry, Hollywood also functions as a powerful and effective cultural barometer. But a cultural shift is percolating beneath the surface. For the first time in decades, substance is overtaking spectacle, and Hollywood is slowly leaning... Read More

Cultural trends

Desi Dollars Are Speaking. Are You Listening? 

When marketers envision the next frontier of luxury, the default setting tends to land on coastal Western cities or European fashion capitals. But look closer, and you will see a powerful trend is emerging quietly, and is gaining steam—the Desi... Read More

Cultural trends

BBL Bodies, Branding, and the New Economics of Beauty

The cultural canon of beauty is constantly shifting. Still, few trends have reverberated across so many sectors—fashion, wellness, luxury, fitness, and even travel—as dramatically as the rise of the Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL) aesthetic. While the surgical procedure itself has... Read More

Cultural trends

Mental Health, Black Identity, and What Brands Keep Missing

The dialogue around mental health has gotten louder in recent years, but unfortunately for Black communities, awareness and access remain weighed down by cultural stigma, structural barriers, and even life-threatening outcomes. As brands and marketers increasingly emphasize mental wellness, understanding... Read More

Cultural trends

The Business of Afrofuturism in Media and Marketing

Afrofuturism, once a cultural undercurrent largely confined to niche communities and academic circles, has emerged as a powerful mainstream force. At its core, Afrofuturism is an aesthetic and cultural philosophy that merges African diaspora culture with science fiction, technology, history,... Read More