#16 Slang, Parasite's Oscars & Greeting Cards
Hi there, last three weeks I tried a different structure in the newsletter, but this week I’ve gone back to the original template. It’s good to experiment and force myself to connect culture and brands from different angles, but I also realised that some weeks I’m in a meditative mode, thinking about one specific topic for days, and some others I’m in a more alert mindset, where I spot things that naturally fall into the sections that I like to explore. Would love to know if you also experience those two different mindsets. Let’s get into this week’s edition.
⚡️Fast culture (something popular/trendy this week)
Language makes evident all the changing dynamics and mechanics of culture. These past weeks, I’ve seen the phrase ‘hits different’ being used over and over again. For those who might not be familiar with it, Urban Dictionary explains it for you:
I’ve seen it used a lot in the context of Kobe Bryant’s death, but also as a reaction to more mundane things: to a group picture of boy band BTS, Love Island drama, vending machines or even height, showing that tiny things can affect us deeply.
The insight: ‘Hits different’ is the counter-response to the accusation that people are apathetic and switching off to the world around them. Some things continue being worth our full emotional response.
🌎Slow culture (change in behaviours or values in society)
Greeting cards are a British tradition dating back to Victorian times. According to The Guardian, the British send more cards per capita than any other nation in the world: in 2018 they spent £1.7bn on cards, with Gen Z buying more cards than any other age group (I have to admit I’ve picked up the habit as well). Here is a nice way to show how they’ve changed across the years:
‘At its simplest, the story seems to be one of a move from sentimentality to comedy. says Aisling Crosland, the head of design at Scribbler. Random puns, innuendos and meme-like designs abound (Crosland’s most popular card is a riff on Theresa May’s “strong and stable” slogan).
How it’s evolving: commodified social media messages are propelling the rise of ‘No occasion cards’ as a more meaningful way to express care. Extending this to other media, maybe in the next 5 years we’ll see a rise in landline phones?
🖌Unusual pattern (two unrelated things coming together)
As I started studying culture for my Master’s, I’ve become more and more interested in globalisation and the relationship between the West and Non-West, especially in terms of who gets to tell history, who holds the power, and at whose expense.
The influence of Asia in the West is undeniable: the huge success of BTS, the fantastic storytelling from Studio Ghibli, the blockbuster Crazy Rich Asians, the cultural impact it’s had in men’s fashion, skincare and more. But Parasite’s win in the Oscars is unusual because it’s a signal that the white and privileged Hollywood establishment is acknowledging the existence of plural histories in the world.
I’m excited to see global culture becoming less associated with the West to a more diverse configuration, with the emergence of new cultural centres from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
What it means for brands: Driven by their political and economic power, new markets will become stronger cultural players as their products, behaviours, trends and tastes start propagating across the world and become part of global consumer culture. As future growth will likely come from foreign markets, branding strategies will need to include highly-localised tactics that address universal values through local philosophies and ideologies.
🎯Cultural insight (the insight from culture behind an advert)
This is an ad from BK I got served last week on Instagram.
Being called ‘woke’ is clearly pejorative, and I don’t know if BK is aware that the far-right has co-opted the word ‘woke’. Even though this product is a response to a shift in consumer preferences, BK doesn’t seem to think the shift is coming from an authentic place (the bit of copy ‘show all your friends on the gram’ indicates a performance). If the target audience is flexitarians, BK is dissing them for not being ‘real’ enough, and if the target is vegans/vegetarians, they are disrespecting them by calling them ‘woke’.
The insight: Nobody considering the vegetarian option at BK will call it the ‘woke burger’ as food choices become a personal identity statement similar to fashion.
🕶 Bonus track
TikTok of the week: a really creative format “Welcome to TikTok” video that you should watch when you first open the TikTok app after downloading it as a joke :)
Extra links:
The Next Frontier in Storytelling Universes and the Never-Ending Desire for More
Masterclass on challenger brands by Adam Morgan "Being a challenger is a mindset, rather than a state of the market"
Thanks so much for reading, and if you want to share any thoughts on this week’s edition, just hit reply to this email and I’ll get back to you, or connect with me on Twitter.
Cultural Patterns is a newsletter by Florencia Lujani about culture, creativity and strategy. If you’ve enjoyed it, consider subscribing :)