Whether culture shapes brands or brands shape culture is a chicken or egg question. Both are inextricably linked, and a review of the academic literature doesn’t help tease out which comes first. Rather, the research focuses on how culture influences consumer’s perceptions of brands, not the role that brands play in influencing culture.
Are politics good for brands? Politics come in different flavors for brands. Contributing to community organizations and lobbying for business-friendly policies are relatively uncontroversial.
For a brand to succeed internationally, it usually needs to tailor its product and communications to local markets. If you browse the top ten programs on Netflix by country, you’ll see little overlap between the most popular content in the US and India, for example. Netflix excels at providing high-quality content and a great user experience, but the content it promotes varies by market.
Another season of Super Bowl advertising has passed, and with it has come criticism of the lack of creativity exhibited in the advertising. More than 50% of the 2024 Super Bowl commercials featured one or more celebrities, continuing a trend that began a decade ago. To be fair, celebrities can be a great vehicle for attracting attention and can increase the entertainment value and liking for a commercial. Entertaining and well-liked ads can also increase...
Rather than continually striving for technological advances, brands should shift their focus toward how their products and services can enhance the social relationships of consumers.
