One of today’s biggest cultural dynamics is so ever-present that it is hiding in plain sight. It is the culture of Both-ism, or lifestyles populated by opposites. It’s a phenomenon of two minds about everything, with no merging or resolution. Rather, it is both at once.
In 1957 there was a TV show called Who Do You Trust?. The host was Johnny Carson, pre-Tonight show icon. Who Do You Trust? was probably the last time that trust was considered comedic.
Lifestyle branding is ubiquitous in marketing circles. Companies spent over $7 billion on lifestyle advertising last year and are expected to allocate some $10 billion by 2027, nearly a 10 percent compound annual growth rate from 2022, according to Statista.
When you hear the word “influencer,” what comes to mind? Perhaps a YouTuber doing makeup tutorials? Or a 20-something streaming video games on Twitch?
In 2003, McDonald’s was, as BusinessWeek stated, “In Hamburger Hell.” McDonald’s subsequent turnaround had many facets. One of McDonald’s critical strategies was modernizing the brand-business without jeopardizing its heritage. In other words, McDonald’s aimed to evolve its heritage for today without losing its roots from yesterday.
