Transforming Cultural Insights into Brand Success.
During my time at BBH, I spearheaded the creation of Culture Studio - a game-changing initiative that reshaped how our brands connect with their audiences, and how the agency and our client partners stay connected to, and inspired by, culture at large.
In a world where culture evolves at lightning speed, traditional market research was falling short. Our clients and creative teams needed a fresh approach to stay relevant and resonate with their audience.
Culture Studio was developed with a clear mission: equip brands with the cultural insights they need to make bold moves, creating products, experiences, and messaging that drive both behaviour change and business results.
Bleats
Escape the tyranny of stale trend reports. Bleats delivers a bi-weekly dose of the raw, unfiltered cultural energy fueling global shifts. Decode the memes, slang, social movements, and emerging behaviours that are shaping tomorrow's desires.
Bleats Reports
Get the full story behind cultural shifts. Bleats Reports digs deep into the trends that matter. We break down what's really happening in a cultural moment, why it's important, and where it's headed. Giving you smart and fresh ideas for your business.
See our Brand Collabs report here.
The Culture Studio Way
Our Belief
We believe culture is the fuel for brands that change the world.
Our Mission
We’re on a mission to equip brands with the cultural insights they need to zag boldly-creating products, experiences, and messaging that resonate deeply and drive behaviour change and business results.
Our Approach/Methodology
Step 1: Cultural Exploration
Netnography: Go beyond traditional online observation. Dive into social platforms, niche communities, and influential subcultures where your audience thrives. Analyse conversations, trends, and visual cues to identify the subtle codes and emergent signals shaping their world.
TL;DR: Dive deep into your audience's online world. Decipher conversations, trends, and visual cues to uncover hidden signals shaping their desires.
Ethnography: Step outside the office and into the heart of your audience's lived experiences. Engage in contextual observation, participatory interactions, and in-depth interviews. Uncover how their beliefs, rituals, and everyday practices connect to their values and aspirations.
TL;DR: Go where your audience lives. Observe their behaviors, interactions, and rituals to understand the values and motivations driving them.
Step 2: Identify Cultural Tensions & Opportunities
Decode Cultural Code: Look beyond trends and buzzwords. Identify the deep-seated motivations, shared anxieties, and the symbolic language that form the core of the cultural context. Distil these into actionable insights about your audience's unmet needs and evolving desires.
TL;DR: Look beyond the surface. Identify the deep-seated motivations, anxieties, and language that form the core of your audience's culture.
Map the Cultural Landscape: Visually represent the ecosystem of forces shaping your audience: competing brands, influencers, social movements, and technological shifts. Spot unexpected patterns, potential collisions, and opportunities for your zags.
TL;DR: Visually chart the forces shaping your audience: competing brands, trends, and social shifts. Spot the spaces where your brand can make a disruptive impact.
Step 3: Design Your Zags
Identify Cultural Levers: Pinpoint the specific cultural tensions, unmet desires, or emerging movements that your brand can uniquely address. These are your levers for impactful brand expression.
TL;DR: Pinpoint the tensions, unmet desires, or emerging movements that your brand can uniquely address.
Design Cultural Strategies: Go beyond messaging, and envision products, services, experiences, and brand narratives that tap into the cultural code and become woven into your audience's lives. This is your blueprint for standing out, connecting deeply, and driving behaviour change.
TL;DR: Craft products, services, experiences, and narratives that speak to the heart of your audience's culture. This is your blueprint for standing out and driving behaviour change.
Future-Proof Zags: Don't just zag in the moment – predict where culture is heading. Anticipate shifts and proactively map strategies that position your brand as a leader in your audience's cultural identity.
TL;DR: Predict where culture is going. Anticipate shifts to position your brand as a leader in shaping your audience's identity.