Uncovering Cultural Shifts: The Dynamic Landscape of Culture and Marketing
Culture shapes our world in ways that can be easily missed. It influences how consumers think, what they value, and how they interact with each other and your brand. But culture isn't static. It's always changing, sometimes slowly and sometimes rapidly. These changes, or cultural shifts, affect everything from personal lives to how businesses market their products.
In this article, we'll explore the concept of cultural shifts. We'll look at how culture evolves, the impact of multiculturalism, the role of marketers in shaping culture, and the challenges we face in representation.
Evolution of culture: Change as the only constant
"The only constant in culture is change," said Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel, author of “Cultural Intelligence for Marketers," on an episode of "Insightful Inspiration."
This simple statement captures a profound truth about the nature of cultural shifts. Culture is always evolving, responding to new ideas, technologies, and social movements.
Think about how much has changed in just the last few years. The way we work, communicate, and even shop has transformed. These changes aren't just about new gadgets or apps. They reflect deeper shifts in our values and expectations.
For example, the rise of remote work isn't just about technology making it possible. It's also about changing attitudes towards work-life balance and what employees expect from employers. This is a cultural shift in action.
Cultural shifts can be big or small. They can happen quickly, like the sudden adoption of face masks during the pandemic, or slowly, like changing attitudes toward mental health. But they're always happening, shaping our world in ways we might not even notice until we look back.
To truly understand these shifts, we need to look beyond surface-level changes. The Cultural Iceberg framework, developed by anthropologist Edward T. Hall, helps explain this concept. It suggests that visible aspects of culture, like language or customs, are just the tip of the iceberg. The bulk of culture lies beneath the surface, including values, beliefs, and thought patterns. These hidden elements drive the changes we see in society.
Multiculturalism and its impact on cultural identity
Our world is more connected than ever before. This has led to a rise in multiculturalism, which is changing how people define and express their identities.
"I feel like everybody has more than one culture these days," said Isabelle Landreville, President and Chief Insight Seeker at Sylvestre & Co. "There's been a shift where there was more a single you had one culture. Now multiculturalism is the thing, and I feel like everyone is just picking off this tray and sort of catering to who they want to be."
This shift towards multiculturalism is changing the way people think about identity. It's no longer as simple as being from one country or having one set of cultural traditions. People are creating their own unique cultural identities, drawing from multiple sources.
This trend has big implications for marketers and brands. The old approach of targeting specific, well-defined cultural groups is becoming less effective. Instead, brands need to understand and appeal to more complex, multifaceted identities.
To grasp these nuanced identities, marketers need to dig deeper. Surface-level research isn't enough. The best insights come from engaging directly with people through qualitative research. This might include in-depth interviews, focus groups, or ethnographic studies. These methods help uncover the rich, first-hand insights that reveal how people really think and feel about their cultural identities.
“I don't want us to forget that within we have all these different micro cultures, which can include traditions and rituals and country of origin, and so many other things,” said Marta Villanueva on an episode of “Insightful Inspiration.” “That goes the same for Gen pop, where you've got different micro cultures that can be playing out."
The responsibility of marketers in shaping culture
Marketers aren't just observers of cultural shifts. They're active participants, helping shape and drive these changes. Anastasia describes marketers as "cultural agents," highlighting their role in both reflecting and influencing culture.
"There's so much responsibility that we hold that I think is underappreciated in this profession, but there's also so much opportunity," Anastasia explained. "Nobody's at fault, but everybody has a responsibility."
This responsibility comes from the power that marketing has to influence public opinion and behavior. When a brand decides to feature diverse families in its advertising or to take a stand on a social issue, it's not just reflecting existing cultural trends. It's also helping to normalize and spread these ideas.
For example, when beauty brands started featuring a wider range of skin tones in their products and advertising, they responded to demand. But they helped change beauty standards and promote greater inclusivity.
But with this power comes responsibility. Marketers need to be aware of the impact their work can have and strive to use their influence positively. This means doing thorough research to understand cultural nuances, being inclusive in their representations, and considering the broader social impact of their campaigns.
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This research needs to cover a wide range of cultural aspects. It's not just about understanding language or customs. Marketers need to really get unique cultural rituals, explore perspectives on family and gender roles, consider historical and religious influences, and even understand humor preferences. These elements all play a role in shaping how people interact with brands and products.
The power of marketing
The power of marketing to shape culture isn't new. History provides many examples of how advertising has influenced social norms and perceptions.
One is how marketing changed our perceptions of gender-specific colors. Anastasia pointed out that "the girls, quote unquote, pink color and boys, blue color was actually reversed before advertising marketing decided to change it."
This shift didn't happen overnight, and it wasn't driven by any inherent preference for these colors. Instead, it was the result of sustained marketing efforts that associated pink with femininity and blue with masculinity. Over time, these associations became so ingrained that many people now see them as "natural" or "traditional."
This example shows the profound impact marketing can have on cultural norms. It also serves as a reminder that many things we take for granted, as "just the way things are," may actually be the result of past marketing efforts.
Understanding these historical influences is crucial for marketers today. It helps explain why people behave the way they do and why certain ideas persist. By uncovering the "whys" behind consumer behavior, marketers can create more effective and meaningful campaigns. These "whys" often tie back to deep-seated cultural beliefs and values that aren't immediately obvious.
The impact of language and cultural barriers on societal roles
Cultural shifts don't always happen uniformly across different groups or regions. Language and cultural barriers can lead to divergent shifts, sometimes with significant social consequences.
Isabelle shared a fascinating example from Canadian history. During World War II, draft posters in Canada were initially only in English. This led to a significant difference in how English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians responded to the war effort.
"People in Quebec didn't understand there was a draft, didn't understand they needed to do anything," Isabelle explained. "And so what happened is, instead of, like in the States, women went to work, when the men went to war, the English went to war, the French men went to work, and the women went to work."
This linguistic oversight had long-lasting effects on gender roles in different parts of Canada. In Quebec, women ended up playing a more prominent role in the workforce earlier than in English-speaking Canada, all because of a failure to communicate effectively across language barriers.
This example underscores the importance of considering language and cultural differences in communication, especially when it comes to important social messages. It also shows how seemingly small oversights can lead to significant cultural divergences over time.
These kinds of cultural misunderstandings aren't just historical curiosities. They continue to happen today, often with serious consequences for brands. A marketing campaign that works well in one culture might fall flat or even cause offense in another. At worst, these missteps can lead to public backlash and damage to a brand's reputation. That's why it's crucial for marketers to have a deep understanding of the cultures they're targeting.
Current challenges in representation
While we've made progress in many areas of cultural representation, challenges remain. One area where this is particularly evident is in LGBTQ+ representation in advertising.
"There are so many struggles now we see the same struggle around LGBTQ+ representation in advertising, which is kind of the dilemma of our time," Anastasia noted.
This ongoing struggle reflects the broader cultural shifts happening around LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance. As society becomes more accepting, there's increasing pressure on brands to include LGBTQ+ individuals in their advertising and to support LGBTQ+ causes.
However, this representation needs to be authentic and respectful. Simply including LGBTQ+ individuals in ads isn't enough if it's done in a tokenistic or stereotypical way. Brands need to do the work to understand the LGBTQ+ community and represent them authentically.
This challenge isn't unique to LGBTQ+ representation. It applies to all forms of diversity in advertising. As our understanding of identity becomes more nuanced and inclusive, brands need to keep up, constantly learning and adapting their approach to representation.
The concept of cultural ideology
To truly understand cultural shifts, we need to grasp the concept of cultural ideology. This term might sound academic, but it's central to how culture works and changes.
Anastasia described ideology as her favorite word.
"It's very central to how I think about culture," she explained. "It's really inviting us to understand culture through a set of ideologies."
But what exactly does this mean in the context of cultural shifts? Anastasia elaborated that ideologies are "always in tension, and the kind of negotiation between dominant and emergent ideologies" is key to understanding cultural change.
In other words, cultural ideology isn't a static concept. It's a dynamic interplay of established beliefs and new ideas emerging in society. This constant negotiation between the familiar and the novel drives cultural shifts.
Understanding cultural ideology is crucial for marketers because it helps explain why certain messages resonate with people while others fall flat. It's not just about what you say, but how it fits into the ongoing cultural conversation and negotiation of ideas.
For example, the growing emphasis on sustainability in marketing isn't just about selling eco-friendly products. It's tapping into a broader shift where environmental concerns are challenging and changing dominant ideologies about consumption and growth. Brands that understand this ideological shift can create messages that resonate on a deeper level with changing cultural values.
Changing terminology
As culture shifts, so does the language we use to talk about it. Words and phrases can take on new meanings or lose their impact over time. This evolution reflects broader changes in how we understand and discuss social issues.
Anastasia pointed to the term "ally" as an example of this phenomenon. While "ally" was once seen as a powerful term for someone who supports marginalized groups, its meaning has become diluted over time.
"I detest the word ally," Anastasia said. "Not the concept itself, obviously, and not the word itself and what it means, but what it has been made into, and the kind of buzzword it has become."
This shift in meaning reflects a broader cultural change in how we think about support for social justice causes. As more people and brands claim the label of "ally," there's growing skepticism about whether these claims are backed up by meaningful action.
This example highlights the importance of staying attuned to how language is evolving. Words that once felt powerful and meaningful can become cliches or even raise suspicion if overused or misused.
For marketers, this means constantly reassessing the language used in campaigns and brand messaging. It's not enough to use the "right" words if those words have lost their impact or taken on new connotations.
Final thoughts
No doubt, cultural shifts are constant and far-reaching. They affect everything from how we define our identities to how brands market their products. Understanding these shifts is crucial for anyone looking to communicate effectively with the modern consumer.
For marketers, the challenge is twofold. First, there's the need to stay attuned to cultural shifts, constantly learning and adapting to changes in values, norms, and expectations. This requires ongoing research, a willingness to listen to diverse voices, and the flexibility to change course when needed.
Second, there's the responsibility that comes with being a "cultural agent." Marketers have the power to influence culture, not just reflect it. This power should be used thoughtfully and ethically, with an awareness of the potential impacts of marketing messages on individuals and society as a whole.
"Everybody has a role to play, and just by virtue of being a marketer ... there's so much responsibility that we hold that I think is underappreciated in this profession, but there's also so much opportunity,” said Anastasia.
The key is to approach this task with humility, curiosity, and a commitment to ongoing learning. Culture will keep changing, and so must we. By staying open to new ideas, questioning our assumptions, and striving to understand diverse perspectives, we can navigate the ever-shifting cultural landscape more effectively and responsibly.
